Coming Up for Air

Part 2 of the book consists of several short chapters in which Bowling recollects his life from childhood through the war. The first chapter of this section begins with his very earliest memory: the smell of sainfoin chaff, a by-product of the production of animal feed, coming from his father’s workshop. Bowling remarks that realizing that the two were connected was similar to the process of learning about the connections between the shops and the people of Lower Binfield, where he grew up. In Bowling’s memories of Lower Binfield, it is always summer, though he acknowledges that this cannot be true. Nostalgia also colors his memories of the sweets he used to buy, many of which are no longer available, and the fruits and nuts he used to forage for, many of which no longer grow in the area. Bowling reminisces about Katie, his old babysitter. The last time he saw Katie, she looked 50, although she was only 27.

Bowling’s memories focus next on the cacophony of market days, when farmers would bring livestock from the countryside into Lower Binfield and his father would sell them animal feed. The chaos of the markets causes Bowling to reflect on the political landscape of his youth.