A Question of Truth

A touching story of a young boy's struggle with religion, truth and love

by Brian Musgrove

Matthew is an only child brought up within a religious family, but with his obsession for truth he uncovers serious anomalies with what he is expected to believe. The story unfolds in Worthing during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s, where Matthew attended school, church and where he worked. As he matures he finds that his spiritual upbringing leaves him unprepared for many aspects of his life and particularly for falling in love and eventually he is forced to choose between his faith and the girl he loves. This is a touching story of how Matthew’s life is directed and inhibited by the well intentioned beliefs and values of his family and how he must come to terms with the reality behind the truth. It is about a boy growing up, struggling with adolescence, falling in love and trying to understand the religion he has been brought up with, but it challenges the very core of belief and provides a battleground in Matthew's mind as he questions his faith. As such, the topic of religion is sympathetically handled and the characters in the novel give opposing points of view which are thought provoking for the religious and nonreligious alike.

Author news

Friday, 10th April, 2015 saw the launch of 'A Question of Truth' at the Windsor Hotel in Worthing at the Old Azurians AGM and dinner.

It was a very enjoyable evening and as the town of Worthing and the High School for Boys form a significant part of the novel, it was a fitting event for the launch.

http://timberleabooks.my-free.website/

Book Reviews

A Personal Battle With Truth And Falsehood

“In my teens I was left feeling perplexed, tormented and guilty,” says Matthew, whose personal battle with truth and falsehood is cleverly woven into this story. The strict rules of morality of the Bible as held by his Protestant grandmother, conflict with his own experience, but his twin like friend Ben keeps him sensibly grounded. Readers of all ages will enjoy this book, whether as children or parents. Brian finishes the last chapter with another jolt to the young man's conflict with truth and I cannot wait to read the sequel. Is it a decline and fall, or is he just growing up in the jungle of a modern atheistic world?

by Dr John Godrich

About the Author

Brian Musgrove

Brian was born in York during the Second World War. However, the family moved to Worthing in 1948 and this is where Brian was to spend his formative years and where much of the action of his novels takes place. He attended Broadwater Manor House School, its pre-preparatory school and Worthing High School and these form the background to the early part of the first novel.

Brian was originally confirmed into the Church of England, but later became a member of Steyne Gardens Methodist Church. Through his teaching in the Junior Church, Brian began to see the confusion and doubt that formed in the minds of young people and set about trying to formulate a common sense foundation and understanding of their faith.

Through a subsequent study of religion and the outcome of current religious conflicts and world events, it has become apparent that there are fundamental flaws in the way we accept religious beliefs and this and the plight of young people today are the underlying theme behind his moving stories.