"The Apprentice" looks back on Alan Pearson's life from the age of 13 to twenty-one when he was growing up on Merseyside, England. His story is essentially true, but not in every detail. The author lets the flame of imagination flicker over those parts of the story that have become blanks in his memory. It is a novel of atmosphere and deals chiefly with the moulding of a personality and the creation of a few characters. It starts during the last two years of World War II, after moving from Sheffield to Wallasey, and covers the boy's attitude to the break-up of his parents' marriage and the man his mother lives with; the shipyard where he is apprenticed; and the people he meets and is influenced by. When Alan turns 17 he meets a young woman at the local ballroom but while he is instantly attracted to Molly, her feelings towards him are not as strong, so he tries to woo her. Meanwhile, he has a big decision to make concerning mandatory National Service. "The Apprentice" offers excellent insights into human nature and is filled with witty anecdotes, meaningful lines of poetry, and scenes that are truly heartrending.