A Chip Shop in Poznan: My Unlikely Year in Poland

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You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. In accordance with The Post Office, the last recommended date for Christmas posting is 18th December (2nd Class) and 20th December (First class). Images previously embedded in my head of a grey and gloomy Poland were wiped out and replaced with colour, humour, a little suspense and a bit of an education, moving it higher up my list of ‘places to visit before I die’. I think the author was too reliant on these to add meaning or credibility to his work, and it at times felt more like I was reading a Wikiquotes page.

Not only does this romance come across as a bit shallow and one-sided, but it serves absolutely no purpose in the storyline and is left completely unresolved. Most of this travelogue is set in Poznan, a fabulous city I adore and have been to many times, the rest of the book reports from various places in Poland. In terms of acquisition, every language presents its own unique challenges, and Polish is no different.The premise is brilliant - do to the Eastern Europeans what they do to the Brits - come over legally and work hard at the jobs we don't want. When I saw Polish words like przepraszam (excuse me) and dziękuję (thank you) for the first time, I was a little taken aback. He had a more-or-less girlfriend, Anita (she did not reciprocate his feelings for her), who asks him why he has come to Poland.

Unfortunately Ben would be the first to admit that his work ethic and time keeping makes the balance a little uneven. This is one of those engaging rambling, waffling, flaneur-ish books that is deceptively meaningful, quietly passionate. Overall, it’s an effortless task to empathise with Aitken, especially when you’ve been in his shoes. However, I think whether you enjoy this book or not depends on whether you like the author and his style of writing.The most uncomfortable aspect of this however, comes from the fact that the author admits to not taking part in the referendum. When, at the end of March 2017, it became clear that the UK was leaving the EU, Ben thought it is time for him to leave Poland, and in April he did so. One such promise is the quote on the front cover that claims this is 'One of the funniest books of the year'. It wasn't love that took him but curiosity: he wanted to know what the Poles in the UK had left behind. Interestingly, opinion was split between those who like the EU for its money and those who thought the EU is just Germany.

His book is partly about Poland, partly about feeling disconnected from others and partly about Ben.He visited Katowice, Gdansk and Wroclaw from where he took a bus to Auschwitz, which moved him greatly. As Aitken pointed out: “Not only must I learn new letters – e and a and o and s and c have alternatives that are accessorised with tails and fringes – but I must also contend with familiar letters arranged in new ways, with the result that when one finds oneself in front of a door, and is invited to pchać , one doesn’t know whether to push or pull. A sincere, mischievious and hilariously funny journal of strange and absolutely normal encounters that made me wish to visit Poland, even though I'm Polish.

I wasn't surprised to see the mixed opinions; I myself found some of the book's content questionable and expected there might be others who agreed with me. I believe in this case that it is the publisher who is more at fault, so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt, in case it was tainted by false promises.For instance, chapter 12 highlights Aitken’s experiences roaming around Freedom Square in Poznań to hear people’s opinions on Brexit. I was disappointed that the book ended with barely any resolution and the quote of another author/poet in place of the author's own words. Aggravated by the author using the same type of style figures often; putting people on the wrong foot (when you over do that people start thinking you are arrogant too), struggling through some hardship. As a slight spoiler, there's a Christmas custom of an empty place at each table for a (hungry) stranger, so he "invites" himself to a random family's dinner!