Whenever Hemingway came to visit and he came several times for prolonged visits, he would search for a cat, pick it up whispering sweet nothings in its ear, and carry it around with him against his broad, barrel chest. The only other man I ever knew who carried cats around was my father. Tuppence the tabby was his favourite and he would allow himself to be carted without protest around the acres of garden and orchard, under his arm. Papa had such a gentle way with him and I distinctly recall his pleasure and slow smile when he discovered that he shared the same name as my father, they were both called Ernest and they shared the same birthday on the twenty-first of July.

From sun-drenched beaches on the Indian Ocean to the shadowed platforms of East African railway stations, Valerie Helps takes us on an unforgettable journey through a childhood steeped in beauty, upheaval, and discovery. Hither and Thither is a vivid memoir of growing up in Dar es Salaam during the turbulent years of the 1930s and 40s, when the innocence of games, guavas, and mermaid tales met the stark realities of war and separation.