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That Dark Remembered Day
LONGLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN NOT THE BOOKER PRIZE
One family, one town, devastated by one tragic event.
Can you ever know what those closest to you are really capable of?
When Stephen gets a phone call to say his mother isn't well, he knows he must go to her straight away. But he dreads going back there. He has never been able to understand why his mother chose to stay in the town he grew up in, after everything that happened. One day's tragic events years before had left no one living there untouched.
Stephen's own dark memories are still poisoning his life, as well as his marriage. Perhaps now is the time to go back and confront the place and the people of his shattered childhood. But will he ever be able to understand the crime that punctured their lives so brutally? How can a community move on from such a terrible legacy?
One family, one town, devastated by one tragic event.
Can you ever know what those closest to you are really capable of?
When Stephen gets a phone call to say his mother isn't well, he knows he must go to her straight away. But he dreads going back there. He has never been able to understand why his mother chose to stay in the town he grew up in, after everything that happened. One day's tragic events years before had left no one living there untouched.
Stephen's own dark memories are still poisoning his life, as well as his marriage. Perhaps now is the time to go back and confront the place and the people of his shattered childhood. But will he ever be able to understand the crime that punctured their lives so brutally? How can a community move on from such a terrible legacy?
305 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
1 person is currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Tom Vowler
18 books37 followersTOM VOWLER is an award-winning novelist and short story writer living in south west England. His debut story collection, The Method, won the Scott Prize and the Edge Hill Readers' Prize, while his novels What Lies Within and That Dark Remembered Day received critical acclaim. He is an Arvon tutor and an associate lecturer in creative writing at Plymouth University, where he completed his PhD. His second collection of stories, Dazzling the Gods, was published in 2018, and his new novel, Every Seventh Wave, is out now.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 6, 2014
A contemplative read which demands to be read, absorbed and reflected upon. Cleverly and carefully it lays the groundwork before revealing what happened on That Dark Remembered Day.
The narrative is shared between Stephen, now a technician at a university but at the time the book opens, in 1983, an awkward teenager, his mother Mary and his father Richard. In 1983 Richard had returned from the Falklands, his final posting before discharge from the arm and at its heart, this book is a reflection on the damage that war inflicts on those who are sent to fight.
Stephen’s story is the thread that runs through the book as the author first presents Mary’s perspective, her excitement of a new venture in becoming self-sufficient in their new home Highfield, how daunted she was when her husband returned coupled with her doubt on how to deal with the shadow of the man he was before. Richard’s story, coming later, is a brutal depiction of a reluctant soldier, so raw and descriptive that it made me re-evaluate those half-remembered news stories of my own childhood.
Tom Vowler’s assured writing covers huge themes, of mental illness, bullying and takes an accurate look at small town mentality where close-knit masks acts of cruelty to those deemed not to belong. When Stephen returns to the town he vowed never to return to he wonders whether the intervening years would have softened the memories, lessened the hurt and that the stones hurled before he left, would this time be left to lie by the roadside.
It took me a while to warm to many of the characters in this book, which says less about the writing than the fact that this ‘psychological suspense’ really does a fantastic job of peeling back the layers of the key protagonist’s minds. The power of the writing meant that it was only once I’d closed the book and reflected on the many aspects, that the compassion I feel for this fictional town’s inhabitants is fully felt, as whilst in the grip of the book I was barely able to imagine the horror that the whole town experienced.
That Dark Remembered Day is a compelling read that uncovers the mind of everyone that was witnessed the awful events of the day in question as well as examining the effects, years later, on Stephen, his first girlfriend Suzanne and his friend Brendan years later.
Due to be published on 13 March 2014 by Headline, I was grateful to receive a copy in return for my opinion on Tom Vowler’s second novel.
The narrative is shared between Stephen, now a technician at a university but at the time the book opens, in 1983, an awkward teenager, his mother Mary and his father Richard. In 1983 Richard had returned from the Falklands, his final posting before discharge from the arm and at its heart, this book is a reflection on the damage that war inflicts on those who are sent to fight.
Stephen’s story is the thread that runs through the book as the author first presents Mary’s perspective, her excitement of a new venture in becoming self-sufficient in their new home Highfield, how daunted she was when her husband returned coupled with her doubt on how to deal with the shadow of the man he was before. Richard’s story, coming later, is a brutal depiction of a reluctant soldier, so raw and descriptive that it made me re-evaluate those half-remembered news stories of my own childhood.
Tom Vowler’s assured writing covers huge themes, of mental illness, bullying and takes an accurate look at small town mentality where close-knit masks acts of cruelty to those deemed not to belong. When Stephen returns to the town he vowed never to return to he wonders whether the intervening years would have softened the memories, lessened the hurt and that the stones hurled before he left, would this time be left to lie by the roadside.
It took me a while to warm to many of the characters in this book, which says less about the writing than the fact that this ‘psychological suspense’ really does a fantastic job of peeling back the layers of the key protagonist’s minds. The power of the writing meant that it was only once I’d closed the book and reflected on the many aspects, that the compassion I feel for this fictional town’s inhabitants is fully felt, as whilst in the grip of the book I was barely able to imagine the horror that the whole town experienced.
That Dark Remembered Day is a compelling read that uncovers the mind of everyone that was witnessed the awful events of the day in question as well as examining the effects, years later, on Stephen, his first girlfriend Suzanne and his friend Brendan years later.
Due to be published on 13 March 2014 by Headline, I was grateful to receive a copy in return for my opinion on Tom Vowler’s second novel.
February 6, 2014
Coming March 13th From Headline.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy via netgalley.
A son returns to the small town where he grew up, where his mother still lives and where a terrible event in his childhood changed the lives of almost every person living there. As the story unfolds through the eyes of the son, the mother and finally, the father, the reader experiences the taut build up to one day’s tragic unravelling, and the shock waves that echoed through a once happy family and close-knit community. Will they ever be able to exorcise the damage of that day or do some wounds run too deep?
So I read Tom Vowler’s debut novel “What Lies Within” and thought it was stunning for all the right reasons and was very much looking forward to another tale from this author.
If anything “That Dark Remembered Day” was an even better read for me – one of the types of books that I love, where characters are key and past events influence present times, a psychological insight if you like into the things that make us who we are. These types of stories are hard to pull off in a way that will make you remember them, especially when you read as much as I do, but stay with me this one will.
Stephen returns to his hometown reluctantly, to check on his mother who is unwell. When he was growing up there, tragedy hit the inhabitants and the shockwaves from this are still present in a lot of ways now, years later. Right at the heart of the matter, Stephen has his own issues to deal with. As the story unfolds, told in flashback and present time, a picture emerges of the repercussions and heartache caused.
The novel encompasses some real life events that I remember quite well – this added to the ambience of the whole for me…a teenager at the time, watching the news but not really understanding the full impact of it. Mr Vowler mixes up the fact and fiction beautifully – giving an added impact to the background of the story.
Overall a beautifully written character driven tale and one that definitely puts Tom Vowler firmly on my must read author list.
Happy Reading Folks!
Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy via netgalley.
A son returns to the small town where he grew up, where his mother still lives and where a terrible event in his childhood changed the lives of almost every person living there. As the story unfolds through the eyes of the son, the mother and finally, the father, the reader experiences the taut build up to one day’s tragic unravelling, and the shock waves that echoed through a once happy family and close-knit community. Will they ever be able to exorcise the damage of that day or do some wounds run too deep?
So I read Tom Vowler’s debut novel “What Lies Within” and thought it was stunning for all the right reasons and was very much looking forward to another tale from this author.
If anything “That Dark Remembered Day” was an even better read for me – one of the types of books that I love, where characters are key and past events influence present times, a psychological insight if you like into the things that make us who we are. These types of stories are hard to pull off in a way that will make you remember them, especially when you read as much as I do, but stay with me this one will.
Stephen returns to his hometown reluctantly, to check on his mother who is unwell. When he was growing up there, tragedy hit the inhabitants and the shockwaves from this are still present in a lot of ways now, years later. Right at the heart of the matter, Stephen has his own issues to deal with. As the story unfolds, told in flashback and present time, a picture emerges of the repercussions and heartache caused.
The novel encompasses some real life events that I remember quite well – this added to the ambience of the whole for me…a teenager at the time, watching the news but not really understanding the full impact of it. Mr Vowler mixes up the fact and fiction beautifully – giving an added impact to the background of the story.
Overall a beautifully written character driven tale and one that definitely puts Tom Vowler firmly on my must read author list.
Happy Reading Folks!
March 14, 2014
It's autumn 2012 and Stephen seems to have everything - he's married with a young daughter, he has a job he enjoys, but an out of character act may have put all of this in jeopardy. When he receives an unexpected phone call suggesting that his mother may be unwell circumstances prompt him to return to the town he last saw as a teenager. It is obvious that some terrible event occurred in the past and that somehow Stephen was involved (this is 'That Dark Remembered Day') but Vowler, as with What Lies Within, draws the reader into the story giving only a fragment away at a time.
Towards the middle of the book the focus shifts back to the summer of 1982 and you begin to understand more about the events which have led to Stephen's current problems and the reason that he has been so reluctant to return home. Whilst much of the story in the present concerns his realisation that he isn't as well adjusted as perhaps he thought, the scenes set in the past, adding other points of view, give the reader a better insight into the events. Like watching a car crash in slow motion you have an idea of what is coming but all you can do is watch it unfold. There is an underlying tension that permeates the book and a sense of dread as it becomes clear what must have taken place. Vowler also manages to add some details that really take you by surprise. It's a dark and harrowing story which is all too believable.
I can see similarities between this title and Vowler's debut - both make great use of the locations in which they're set, especially the natural landscape. Both also rely on keeping the reader in suspense in a much more subtle way than a conventional crime novel. In fact, in both cases, they aren't conventional crime novels at all. I was reminded of stories like Rupture and Black Chalk, which both used a similar technique of focusing on the aftermath of a catastrophic event and then telling the sequence of events leading up to it.
Last but not least I should mention Vowler's writing style - which is superb and really brought the characters to life.
Towards the middle of the book the focus shifts back to the summer of 1982 and you begin to understand more about the events which have led to Stephen's current problems and the reason that he has been so reluctant to return home. Whilst much of the story in the present concerns his realisation that he isn't as well adjusted as perhaps he thought, the scenes set in the past, adding other points of view, give the reader a better insight into the events. Like watching a car crash in slow motion you have an idea of what is coming but all you can do is watch it unfold. There is an underlying tension that permeates the book and a sense of dread as it becomes clear what must have taken place. Vowler also manages to add some details that really take you by surprise. It's a dark and harrowing story which is all too believable.
I can see similarities between this title and Vowler's debut - both make great use of the locations in which they're set, especially the natural landscape. Both also rely on keeping the reader in suspense in a much more subtle way than a conventional crime novel. In fact, in both cases, they aren't conventional crime novels at all. I was reminded of stories like Rupture and Black Chalk, which both used a similar technique of focusing on the aftermath of a catastrophic event and then telling the sequence of events leading up to it.
Last but not least I should mention Vowler's writing style - which is superb and really brought the characters to life.
June 19, 2014
First of all, many thanks to the teams at BookBridgr and Headline for giving me the opportunity to read this exciting new talent in thriller writing. That Dark and Remembered Day is Tom Vowler’s second novel and I enjoyed it so much that I instantly purchased his debut, What Lies Within. The story centres around a family – Richard, Mary and their two children, Stephen and Jenny and is told in three parts with three distinct voices, those of Stephen, Mary and finally the father Richard, focusing on two time frames. In the present day section, we are introduced to Stephen who is currently on forced leave from work after physically attacking a colleague in a fit of temper. The reader then finds out that he might be ever so slightly repressed emotionally after undergoing a traumatic experience in childhood which is only now relieving itself and causing Stephen to act out his hidden anger. However, an opportunity appears for Stephen to face his childhood demons when a friend of his mothers phones him out of concern as his mother has been acting a little odd. The fact that she still lives in the town after the incident is pretty unbelievable for Stephen, but he decides to go back, visit his mother, and perhaps put a few ghosts to rest.
The second part of this story is written from the point of view of Mary, Stephen’s mother, back in the summer of 1982, yet Stephen’s present day voice also appears to update the reader on the progress of his mother and the reaction to his return. Mary’s husband Richard is a soldier and as a result is often away from home a lot. This time, he has been posted to the Falkland Islands in the middle of the war against Argentina. This is a subject quite close to my own heart as my own father was in the Falkland Islands in the mid-eighties. Mary is left with the unenviable job of looking after two young children on her own while anxiously hoping that there will not be any bad news about her husband being fully aware of the dangers of the job he is involved in. Eventually, Richard’s duty to the army ends and he returns home for the final time. But something is different. He has always been slightly on the awkward side with the children, preferring the company of his beloved dog, Shane but this time he appears to be acting completely out of character. Richard spends most of the day in bed or out on walks with the dog and rarely interacts with the children – it is almost as if he is away with the army again! His worried wife takes him to the doctor who prescribes some medication, but even that does not seem to help and the situation looks pretty hopeless for the entire family.
The final part of the story is narrated by Richard. What I found most interesting about this part of the story is that we got into the mind of a troubled man who was clearly regretting his decision to become a soldier in the first place. We learn about the horrors that he had to face whilst in the Falklands where the military detail is so precise it is obvious the author has done his research, and get a window into his mentality when he returns. I thought all three voices in this novel were fantastic but my favourite had to be Richard. The author writes about his frame of mind so systematically but with a real emotion behind it so it felt very authentic and was incredibly gripping to read. The whole build up to what exactly That Dark Remembered Day was is completely gripping and I had to force myself to put the book down at night before going to sleep. Of course afterwards, I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters that the author has created, how the plot was going to develop, and what in the world was going to happen but the ending was worth every minute. Of course I’m not going to tell you what it was, you’ll have to read it and find out! That Dark Remembered Day is a poignant and thrilling adventure into cruelty, mental health and the importance of family that will stay with me for a while to come.
For my full review please see my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
The second part of this story is written from the point of view of Mary, Stephen’s mother, back in the summer of 1982, yet Stephen’s present day voice also appears to update the reader on the progress of his mother and the reaction to his return. Mary’s husband Richard is a soldier and as a result is often away from home a lot. This time, he has been posted to the Falkland Islands in the middle of the war against Argentina. This is a subject quite close to my own heart as my own father was in the Falkland Islands in the mid-eighties. Mary is left with the unenviable job of looking after two young children on her own while anxiously hoping that there will not be any bad news about her husband being fully aware of the dangers of the job he is involved in. Eventually, Richard’s duty to the army ends and he returns home for the final time. But something is different. He has always been slightly on the awkward side with the children, preferring the company of his beloved dog, Shane but this time he appears to be acting completely out of character. Richard spends most of the day in bed or out on walks with the dog and rarely interacts with the children – it is almost as if he is away with the army again! His worried wife takes him to the doctor who prescribes some medication, but even that does not seem to help and the situation looks pretty hopeless for the entire family.
The final part of the story is narrated by Richard. What I found most interesting about this part of the story is that we got into the mind of a troubled man who was clearly regretting his decision to become a soldier in the first place. We learn about the horrors that he had to face whilst in the Falklands where the military detail is so precise it is obvious the author has done his research, and get a window into his mentality when he returns. I thought all three voices in this novel were fantastic but my favourite had to be Richard. The author writes about his frame of mind so systematically but with a real emotion behind it so it felt very authentic and was incredibly gripping to read. The whole build up to what exactly That Dark Remembered Day was is completely gripping and I had to force myself to put the book down at night before going to sleep. Of course afterwards, I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters that the author has created, how the plot was going to develop, and what in the world was going to happen but the ending was worth every minute. Of course I’m not going to tell you what it was, you’ll have to read it and find out! That Dark Remembered Day is a poignant and thrilling adventure into cruelty, mental health and the importance of family that will stay with me for a while to come.
For my full review please see my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
July 16, 2018
This is a very dark book, but I wouldn't classify it as crime fiction. It's really a study of grief, the story of a soldier who returns from the Falklands War with what we now know as PTSD, but I guess back then it wasn't so well known. Hence, he does not get the help he needs and is the instigator of a tragic event that changes the town forever. Years later the soldier's son returns to the town to visit his sick mother, who never left, trying to come to terms with the shattered life he tried to escape years ago.
This book is powerful and well written, but don't read it if you want something light-hearted and cheerful, because this is most certainly not.
This book is powerful and well written, but don't read it if you want something light-hearted and cheerful, because this is most certainly not.
September 29, 2016
Because I’d been so taken by Tom Vowler’s earlier novel What Lies Within, I was determined to read this. Both were beautifully written and in each the sense of foreboding escalated as the novels progressed. However, this was so very dark that I lost heart at one point, but I did eventually finish the job! It was written in 2014, before the outbreaks of violence perpetrated by lone gunmen had become quite so prevalent. Part of the action takes place in the Falklands during WWI, where one of the protagonists served. The gruesome aspects of soldiering and the emotional shattering which befell many are portrayed with great compassion. In fact, the author mentions in an interview following the conclusion that more veterans of the Falklands had committed suicide than had died in action.
One thing I loved in his previous book and which was also evident here was the prominence of the natural world and his rich portrayal of it.
‘ As they worked, his thoughts turned once more to the woods above Highfield, rich with elm and ash, marking the seasons absolutely, the trees softening the wind to a whisper, filtering the sun’s blaze so that it mottled the earth. Even in winter, when the cold clung to everything and ice tapered like bones from the branches, there was still comfort to be found there, the woods cocooning you in their own rhythm, embracing you, your senses mollified by their ancient splendor.’
The imprints of childhood and the fallout of family dynamics are underlying themes. How poignantly he portrays a mother’s isolation!
‘And was she resigned now to a life on her own? Of her twilight years unfurling in a withering loneliness, broken only by fleeting family visits and a sympathetic friend?’
Withering loneliness indeed - that passage wrung my heart, perhaps because the twilight years are looming. Yet, from my perspective, the ever impending darkness eclipses the five stars which this fine novel probably deserves.
One thing I loved in his previous book and which was also evident here was the prominence of the natural world and his rich portrayal of it.
‘ As they worked, his thoughts turned once more to the woods above Highfield, rich with elm and ash, marking the seasons absolutely, the trees softening the wind to a whisper, filtering the sun’s blaze so that it mottled the earth. Even in winter, when the cold clung to everything and ice tapered like bones from the branches, there was still comfort to be found there, the woods cocooning you in their own rhythm, embracing you, your senses mollified by their ancient splendor.’
The imprints of childhood and the fallout of family dynamics are underlying themes. How poignantly he portrays a mother’s isolation!
‘And was she resigned now to a life on her own? Of her twilight years unfurling in a withering loneliness, broken only by fleeting family visits and a sympathetic friend?’
Withering loneliness indeed - that passage wrung my heart, perhaps because the twilight years are looming. Yet, from my perspective, the ever impending darkness eclipses the five stars which this fine novel probably deserves.
September 12, 2023
Stephen is a middle-aged college lab technician whose sudden fits of rage stem from more than dissatisfaction with his lot. He has a wife and family, a house and job, but he is a haunted man, his marriage crumbling under the weight of a dreadful secret.
At length the dam breaks, he punches his superior and is suspended from college. Drifting, hearing that his mother is ill, he returns to the distant home that he was forced to leave thirty years ago, aged twelve. He has built a new life, changed his name, tried to block out the past, now he must face the townsfolk who have their own terrible memories and would rather he stayed away.
The story jumbles time and space, starting with the eighties and a happy childhood - exploring the countryside with his best friend, fishing, rabbiting with his soldier father when he comes home on leave from various wars.
Although this is Stephen’s story it’s his mother who holds the family together - the daughter bullied at school, the father absent for long periods until he comes back from the Falkland Islands, having witnessed the sinking of the Galahad. He returns to demobilisation and the horrors of battle fatigue. The family appear to take his condition in their stride but under the surface tension mounts, exacerbated rather than eased by a helpful Irish builder.
The pace quickens unbearably until that golden summer’s afternoon when Stephen gets down from the school bus, excited at the coming tryst with his girl, to walk through an empty town where the only signs of people are an overturned push chair, a bag of spilled groceries, and a mound covered by a grey blanket. The climax is brief, simple and literally incredible until you remember that basically it has happened in reality.
A disturbing book about an abomination all too easy to understand, because we have the questions but we have the answers too. Very good.
At length the dam breaks, he punches his superior and is suspended from college. Drifting, hearing that his mother is ill, he returns to the distant home that he was forced to leave thirty years ago, aged twelve. He has built a new life, changed his name, tried to block out the past, now he must face the townsfolk who have their own terrible memories and would rather he stayed away.
The story jumbles time and space, starting with the eighties and a happy childhood - exploring the countryside with his best friend, fishing, rabbiting with his soldier father when he comes home on leave from various wars.
Although this is Stephen’s story it’s his mother who holds the family together - the daughter bullied at school, the father absent for long periods until he comes back from the Falkland Islands, having witnessed the sinking of the Galahad. He returns to demobilisation and the horrors of battle fatigue. The family appear to take his condition in their stride but under the surface tension mounts, exacerbated rather than eased by a helpful Irish builder.
The pace quickens unbearably until that golden summer’s afternoon when Stephen gets down from the school bus, excited at the coming tryst with his girl, to walk through an empty town where the only signs of people are an overturned push chair, a bag of spilled groceries, and a mound covered by a grey blanket. The climax is brief, simple and literally incredible until you remember that basically it has happened in reality.
A disturbing book about an abomination all too easy to understand, because we have the questions but we have the answers too. Very good.
November 18, 2021
Read in one sitting, ‘that dark remembered day’ is a striking novel that covers the unsettling feelings of the past and dark memories that leaves everyone feeling feared and afraid.
From the very first page you are left feeling daunted, deep down inside you know that there is something devastating that has happened to a small town, a town that remembers and still feels the pain of the crime that happened so many years ago.
The author, Tom Vowler has brought forth emotions so strongly in the book, that you can almost feel everything that the characters are feeling. Having each part of the book divided in to parts with a different narrative helps to tell the story even better, you come to know each moment from behind the curtain and get a real feel for how everything came to escalate in the end.
Top marks for Vowler and certainly a book to read again.
From the very first page you are left feeling daunted, deep down inside you know that there is something devastating that has happened to a small town, a town that remembers and still feels the pain of the crime that happened so many years ago.
The author, Tom Vowler has brought forth emotions so strongly in the book, that you can almost feel everything that the characters are feeling. Having each part of the book divided in to parts with a different narrative helps to tell the story even better, you come to know each moment from behind the curtain and get a real feel for how everything came to escalate in the end.
Top marks for Vowler and certainly a book to read again.
January 13, 2023
Stephen comes back to the village where he was born and from which he had to escape many years ago. His mother isn't well and he goes straight away to see her. The main voices we hear in the book are Stephen's, and his parents and through them it is slowly revealed what happened on the dark remembered day which changed the lives of many people in the village
It's a tragic story about an ex-soldier coming home with untreated PTSD and the fatal consequences.
Stephen seems to want some resolution with his mother and it seems hopeless as there appears no resolution.
Found it quite depressing.
It's a tragic story about an ex-soldier coming home with untreated PTSD and the fatal consequences.
Stephen seems to want some resolution with his mother and it seems hopeless as there appears no resolution.
Found it quite depressing.
July 30, 2021
Going back to where you grew up is not a good idea in this case as it brings back painful memories and exposes a dark part of the town's history. A painful read. Cant understand why Tom Vowler is not better known as he is such a good writer. Looking forward to his new one.
October 5, 2023
2.5 stars
It was readable but it didn’t pull any punches. Not my interpretation of a psychological thriller, more a reminiscence of a youthful past where something happened that made the protagonist leave his childhood home.
For me it didn’t hit the spot in fact I found it quite boring. ☹️
It was readable but it didn’t pull any punches. Not my interpretation of a psychological thriller, more a reminiscence of a youthful past where something happened that made the protagonist leave his childhood home.
For me it didn’t hit the spot in fact I found it quite boring. ☹️
August 2, 2017
An engaging read which unravels family complications and secrets. The setting is so well drawn that the story relies on it as well. Well written prose, well paced. A recommended read.
March 29, 2014
“Dulce et decorum est…”
When Stephen Briggs returns to the town of his childhood to visit his elderly mother, he is forced to remember the events of the day that shattered his life and family, and caused aftershocks that are still rippling through this small community. Back in 1982, his parents had bought Highfield, a dilapidated old house overlooking the town. Richard would leave his career in the Army and together he and Mary would convert the barns into holiday cottages for rent and then live as much as they could off the land. But these plans changed when a sudden fight over a tiny group of islands on the other side of the world became Britain’s last imperial war. Richard found himself en route for the Falklands, a small war but a brutal one – and one which affected profoundly many of the men who served.
As he’d wandered through the decaying rooms of Highfield, scenes from their time there had played out with such clarity; parts of his life he’d worked so hard to banish, to eradicate not just from his own mind but somehow from history itself. It amazed him how far this could be done, the pious occupation of the present, a refusal to acknowledge what had passed, to allow it oxygen, for in what real sense did it actually exist?
This book, like Vowler’s first, What Lies Within, is being marketed as some kind of psychological thriller, but this is not only misleading, it actually does the book an injustice, as I felt it did to the earlier book too. Although there is a crime at the heart of it, in fact the book is about the trauma of war and how the effects of the psychological damage done to active participants can ripple out through society and down through generations. The book is told from several viewpoints, though each in the third person, and in two timelines. The present day section tells of Stephen’s return to the town, and the memories it awakens in him that he has tried unsuccessfully to suppress. The other timeline takes us back to the early ‘80s where the viewpoint alternates between Stephen as a child, and each of his parents.
Vowler’s strength is in his characterisation and again I was struck in this book by how convincingly he can write about his female characters. Although the story is centred around Stephen and his father to some extent, Mary is the character who rang truest for me, both as a young wife and mother in the earlier strand, and now as an ageing and somewhat isolated woman in the present. She’s not a heroine – just an ordinary woman struggling to cope with a life that hasn’t turned out the way she planned.
Both the main male characters are very well-drawn too though, and the picture of the young soldiers going off to an unexpected war is very convincing. At that time, peace had been the norm for a longish time, and people had almost stopped thinking of the Army as a fighting machine – apart from occasional tours of duty in Ireland, the Army was a good ‘career’ where young men (primarily) could learn skills that would earn them a good job in civvy street. The Falklands War changed that perception and Vowler shows how this strange but significant little episode affected soldiers and civilians alike.
It was what you signed up for, the prospect of this eventuality – and for many this bestowed nobility on the profession, there being no higher honour than to breathe your last defending your country. But what did you know of such matters in your late teens, when deep down you believed you’d live for ever? What did you know of the politics at play, the bureaucrats who sent people to die?
The book starts off as quite slow-moving and it took me a while to feel involved. Partly this is because in the first section, with Stephen as an adult, it is clear that he knows what happened on that day in the past, and keeping that knowledge from the reader feels contrived and creates an emotional distance. However as the story slowly unfolds, both timelines grow in emotional depth and, despite having been heavily signalled from an early point in the book, the ending is both powerful and moving. Another excellent book from Vowler, confirming my view from his first book that he’s an author to keep an eye on. Highly recommended.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Headline.
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When Stephen Briggs returns to the town of his childhood to visit his elderly mother, he is forced to remember the events of the day that shattered his life and family, and caused aftershocks that are still rippling through this small community. Back in 1982, his parents had bought Highfield, a dilapidated old house overlooking the town. Richard would leave his career in the Army and together he and Mary would convert the barns into holiday cottages for rent and then live as much as they could off the land. But these plans changed when a sudden fight over a tiny group of islands on the other side of the world became Britain’s last imperial war. Richard found himself en route for the Falklands, a small war but a brutal one – and one which affected profoundly many of the men who served.
As he’d wandered through the decaying rooms of Highfield, scenes from their time there had played out with such clarity; parts of his life he’d worked so hard to banish, to eradicate not just from his own mind but somehow from history itself. It amazed him how far this could be done, the pious occupation of the present, a refusal to acknowledge what had passed, to allow it oxygen, for in what real sense did it actually exist?
This book, like Vowler’s first, What Lies Within, is being marketed as some kind of psychological thriller, but this is not only misleading, it actually does the book an injustice, as I felt it did to the earlier book too. Although there is a crime at the heart of it, in fact the book is about the trauma of war and how the effects of the psychological damage done to active participants can ripple out through society and down through generations. The book is told from several viewpoints, though each in the third person, and in two timelines. The present day section tells of Stephen’s return to the town, and the memories it awakens in him that he has tried unsuccessfully to suppress. The other timeline takes us back to the early ‘80s where the viewpoint alternates between Stephen as a child, and each of his parents.
Vowler’s strength is in his characterisation and again I was struck in this book by how convincingly he can write about his female characters. Although the story is centred around Stephen and his father to some extent, Mary is the character who rang truest for me, both as a young wife and mother in the earlier strand, and now as an ageing and somewhat isolated woman in the present. She’s not a heroine – just an ordinary woman struggling to cope with a life that hasn’t turned out the way she planned.
Both the main male characters are very well-drawn too though, and the picture of the young soldiers going off to an unexpected war is very convincing. At that time, peace had been the norm for a longish time, and people had almost stopped thinking of the Army as a fighting machine – apart from occasional tours of duty in Ireland, the Army was a good ‘career’ where young men (primarily) could learn skills that would earn them a good job in civvy street. The Falklands War changed that perception and Vowler shows how this strange but significant little episode affected soldiers and civilians alike.
It was what you signed up for, the prospect of this eventuality – and for many this bestowed nobility on the profession, there being no higher honour than to breathe your last defending your country. But what did you know of such matters in your late teens, when deep down you believed you’d live for ever? What did you know of the politics at play, the bureaucrats who sent people to die?
The book starts off as quite slow-moving and it took me a while to feel involved. Partly this is because in the first section, with Stephen as an adult, it is clear that he knows what happened on that day in the past, and keeping that knowledge from the reader feels contrived and creates an emotional distance. However as the story slowly unfolds, both timelines grow in emotional depth and, despite having been heavily signalled from an early point in the book, the ending is both powerful and moving. Another excellent book from Vowler, confirming my view from his first book that he’s an author to keep an eye on. Highly recommended.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Headline.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
June 19, 2014
Tom Vowler’s second novel, That Dark Remembered Day, opens with what could be a recurring nightmare: a boy on the cusp of young adulthood gets off the school bus in Spring 1983, full of hope and fuzzy expectations and, on his way home, walks into something that quickly shatters that child’s happy innocence forever.
The book then fast-forwards to Autumn 2012 and Stephen, a grown man with a family of his own and a job that stems from one of his passions. Unfortunately, unresolved anger issues and drinking are jeopardising everything: he’s been suspended from his job and his wife has told him that they can’t go on like this for much longer. Things appear to be quickly unravelling when he gets called back to his home town. He’s avoided going there in the past but now it seems as if he must return, not only to see his mother who’s unwell, but also finally to see if he can deal with what happened there in 1983.
One of the reasons this book works so well is because Tom Vowler manages to sustain the suspense for so long. The reader deliberately isn’t told what the tragic event was until quite late on in the book and so can only guess at what happened, or how, and tweak their ideas each time they’re drip-fed further information. The slow reveal is brilliantly done and left this reader with just enough new information each time before another layer of the story was peeled away to reveal the next one. Even when I thought I knew what had transpired, it turned out that I didn’t have all the details and still needed to adjust how I was looking at things, when more was revealed. I found my attitudes towards the characters and their place in the story continuously shifting, which made for both a compelling and unsettling read.
Suspense is also heightened thanks to the way in which the novel is structured. It’s split into four parts: the first and last are told from Stephen’s perspective in 2012, while the two middle sections go back to the summer of 1982, and are told by Stephen’s mother and father respectively. All the narrators tell their stories in third person, which both helps the reader get into the mind of each different narrator and shift perspective while also maintaining some distance from them. The characterisation and descriptions of place are excellent.
This four-part structure also effectively allows the story to be told in reverse, say, to how most of us would normally hear about it, if it were a real event and reported on the news. Any news report would start with the shock event and subsequent bulletins would then work backwards from that filling in the detail. That the novel builds up to a detailed account of the event, gives it all the more impact. I found the last section absolutely chilling but also extremely moving and it has stayed with me months after finishing the book, which ultimately left me reeling with much to think about.
That Dark Remembered Day explores not only how a tragic event plays out in a small town but also, and perhaps more interestingly, what life is like for some of those closely involved in it, both in the months leading up to it, during the event itself and in the aftermath. It is a taut, brilliantly written novel, with layer upon layer of suspense, dealing with important psychological issues and challenging the reader’s views as they put themselves in the shifting positions of the story’s characters. That Dark Remembered Day is an assured novel by Tom Vowler and a worthy successor to his collection of short stories, The Method, and debut novel, What Lies Within. He’s an exciting writer to read and I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending him to you.
The book then fast-forwards to Autumn 2012 and Stephen, a grown man with a family of his own and a job that stems from one of his passions. Unfortunately, unresolved anger issues and drinking are jeopardising everything: he’s been suspended from his job and his wife has told him that they can’t go on like this for much longer. Things appear to be quickly unravelling when he gets called back to his home town. He’s avoided going there in the past but now it seems as if he must return, not only to see his mother who’s unwell, but also finally to see if he can deal with what happened there in 1983.
One of the reasons this book works so well is because Tom Vowler manages to sustain the suspense for so long. The reader deliberately isn’t told what the tragic event was until quite late on in the book and so can only guess at what happened, or how, and tweak their ideas each time they’re drip-fed further information. The slow reveal is brilliantly done and left this reader with just enough new information each time before another layer of the story was peeled away to reveal the next one. Even when I thought I knew what had transpired, it turned out that I didn’t have all the details and still needed to adjust how I was looking at things, when more was revealed. I found my attitudes towards the characters and their place in the story continuously shifting, which made for both a compelling and unsettling read.
Suspense is also heightened thanks to the way in which the novel is structured. It’s split into four parts: the first and last are told from Stephen’s perspective in 2012, while the two middle sections go back to the summer of 1982, and are told by Stephen’s mother and father respectively. All the narrators tell their stories in third person, which both helps the reader get into the mind of each different narrator and shift perspective while also maintaining some distance from them. The characterisation and descriptions of place are excellent.
This four-part structure also effectively allows the story to be told in reverse, say, to how most of us would normally hear about it, if it were a real event and reported on the news. Any news report would start with the shock event and subsequent bulletins would then work backwards from that filling in the detail. That the novel builds up to a detailed account of the event, gives it all the more impact. I found the last section absolutely chilling but also extremely moving and it has stayed with me months after finishing the book, which ultimately left me reeling with much to think about.
That Dark Remembered Day explores not only how a tragic event plays out in a small town but also, and perhaps more interestingly, what life is like for some of those closely involved in it, both in the months leading up to it, during the event itself and in the aftermath. It is a taut, brilliantly written novel, with layer upon layer of suspense, dealing with important psychological issues and challenging the reader’s views as they put themselves in the shifting positions of the story’s characters. That Dark Remembered Day is an assured novel by Tom Vowler and a worthy successor to his collection of short stories, The Method, and debut novel, What Lies Within. He’s an exciting writer to read and I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending him to you.
July 18, 2014
Firstly, thanks to bookbridgr and Headline Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read Tom Vowler’s second novel. When it arrived I found the cover captivating and I couldn’t wait to delve into the story.
That Dark Remembered Day delves into a dark world of pain and resentment; a community, and individuals, left devastated by the aftermath of one man’s war with himself. I don’t want to give too much away about the story, as I believe a great deal of its appeal comes from the mystery behind the events of that day. It is a story that requires the reader to really immerse themselves in the lives of its characters, and encourages the reader to understand the emotional turmoil that led to the horrible events that changed the town forever. Vowler’s ability to set the scene is also incredible – you really feel like you’ve been to Highfield, into the woods and in the town pub.
When Stephen Briggs returns to the town where he grew up, he is forced to face the horrors of the past – to address the questions that were never answered, the situations never understood. That Dark Remembered Day explores the reality that in order to deal with and overcome an awful experience, you must face it head on. Stephen Briggs is a clear example that if you run from your past, hide from it, it will one day catch up with you unexpectedly.
Vowler’s ability to portray the psychological turmoil of his characters is impressive - very real and honest. As you learn about the events of the past Vowler writes the story from the point of view of Stephen’s mother, Mary, and his father, Richard. Vowler’s characters are extremely well developed, so what could be a risky approach, Vowler has successfully used to open the entire story up to the reader. I love Vowler's portrayal of how these events have torn a family apart, making each character questions themselves, and each other, and losing sight of what is truly important and right in front of them.
I will have to confess that there was a moment when the story was following Stephen’s mother that I found it difficult to stay focused – there wasn’t a great deal of activity in the story and I eagerly wanted to move on to find out more about what actually happened. Eventually Vowler reveals that truth about that day to the reader, and as you begin to piece the events together you realise the true horror. As I have a keen interest in Psychology, I was extremely intrigued by the nature/nurture debate explored within the story.
That Dark Remembered Day is a sad story that will shock you and break your heart, but will make you evaluate and appreciate what’s important in your life.
That Dark Remembered Day delves into a dark world of pain and resentment; a community, and individuals, left devastated by the aftermath of one man’s war with himself. I don’t want to give too much away about the story, as I believe a great deal of its appeal comes from the mystery behind the events of that day. It is a story that requires the reader to really immerse themselves in the lives of its characters, and encourages the reader to understand the emotional turmoil that led to the horrible events that changed the town forever. Vowler’s ability to set the scene is also incredible – you really feel like you’ve been to Highfield, into the woods and in the town pub.
When Stephen Briggs returns to the town where he grew up, he is forced to face the horrors of the past – to address the questions that were never answered, the situations never understood. That Dark Remembered Day explores the reality that in order to deal with and overcome an awful experience, you must face it head on. Stephen Briggs is a clear example that if you run from your past, hide from it, it will one day catch up with you unexpectedly.
Vowler’s ability to portray the psychological turmoil of his characters is impressive - very real and honest. As you learn about the events of the past Vowler writes the story from the point of view of Stephen’s mother, Mary, and his father, Richard. Vowler’s characters are extremely well developed, so what could be a risky approach, Vowler has successfully used to open the entire story up to the reader. I love Vowler's portrayal of how these events have torn a family apart, making each character questions themselves, and each other, and losing sight of what is truly important and right in front of them.
I will have to confess that there was a moment when the story was following Stephen’s mother that I found it difficult to stay focused – there wasn’t a great deal of activity in the story and I eagerly wanted to move on to find out more about what actually happened. Eventually Vowler reveals that truth about that day to the reader, and as you begin to piece the events together you realise the true horror. As I have a keen interest in Psychology, I was extremely intrigued by the nature/nurture debate explored within the story.
That Dark Remembered Day is a sad story that will shock you and break your heart, but will make you evaluate and appreciate what’s important in your life.
July 13, 2014
That Dark Remembered Day, by Tom Vowler, explores the impact on individual lives of trauma, family and blame.
A soldier returns from the Falklands War damaged by his experiences. Neither he nor his family know how to cope with the change in him, which culminates in an act of violence so brutal as to affect the entire town in which they live. The book presents the build up to this event from each of the characters points of view. The lasting effects on the son, now a father himself, are described with raw honesty. It is a study of ordinary people and the difficulties of facing up to tragedy when, with hindsight, there is a fear that at least a part could have been prevented had different actions been taken at the time.
The tale unfolds in time frames, allowing the reader to understand the mindsets of each of the characters before, during and after the pivotal day that changed their lives forever. This jumping around does not interrupt the flow, although I felt a little impatience as it took some time to get to the act itself. I was concerned that, with such a build up, I would be disappointed when all was revealed. I was not, and soon came to realise that this was not so important anyway. The story was always about what happened next, how those who were left struggled to cope with the memories, the guilt, and the blame.
At the heart of the tale is family, how each member sees the same, shared events differently. The relationships between partners, parents and children are presented unadorned. The family may be a unit but it is made up of individuals, each living their own lives and thinking their own thoughts. Expectations and disappointments that have rumbled unspoken beneath the surface explode into recriminations when the unit is fractured. Each looks at the other and finds fault.
The language of the book is intense but lyrical, understated yet candid. It is an unsettling read, not least because it is believable and the characters, so previously unremarkable, shattered by an extraordinary event, with repercussions living on to the next generation. Family may always be there for its members, but will not always offer what is needed.
The novel has depth and drama, suspense and psychological honesty. It is a page turner that I read in a day but will be considering for some time to come. The accomplished writing and captivating tale make it a book that I would recommend to all.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
A soldier returns from the Falklands War damaged by his experiences. Neither he nor his family know how to cope with the change in him, which culminates in an act of violence so brutal as to affect the entire town in which they live. The book presents the build up to this event from each of the characters points of view. The lasting effects on the son, now a father himself, are described with raw honesty. It is a study of ordinary people and the difficulties of facing up to tragedy when, with hindsight, there is a fear that at least a part could have been prevented had different actions been taken at the time.
The tale unfolds in time frames, allowing the reader to understand the mindsets of each of the characters before, during and after the pivotal day that changed their lives forever. This jumping around does not interrupt the flow, although I felt a little impatience as it took some time to get to the act itself. I was concerned that, with such a build up, I would be disappointed when all was revealed. I was not, and soon came to realise that this was not so important anyway. The story was always about what happened next, how those who were left struggled to cope with the memories, the guilt, and the blame.
At the heart of the tale is family, how each member sees the same, shared events differently. The relationships between partners, parents and children are presented unadorned. The family may be a unit but it is made up of individuals, each living their own lives and thinking their own thoughts. Expectations and disappointments that have rumbled unspoken beneath the surface explode into recriminations when the unit is fractured. Each looks at the other and finds fault.
The language of the book is intense but lyrical, understated yet candid. It is an unsettling read, not least because it is believable and the characters, so previously unremarkable, shattered by an extraordinary event, with repercussions living on to the next generation. Family may always be there for its members, but will not always offer what is needed.
The novel has depth and drama, suspense and psychological honesty. It is a page turner that I read in a day but will be considering for some time to come. The accomplished writing and captivating tale make it a book that I would recommend to all.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
March 21, 2014
It's 2012 and Stephen should be happy, he lives near the sea with a loving wife and child and has fulfilling job as a university technician. In fact he's angry, angry enough to risk losing his job when in a moment of madness he loses his temper. Now on suspension he is spending more and more time drinking in the pub. Then comes the phone call telling him his mother is ill and asking him to return to the place he has tried to forget. Something awful happened in Stephen's past, something that tore his family and town apart and changed several lives forever. Now he has to go back and face his memories and people who may not be ready to forgive.
In 1982 Mary hopes she is moving towards her dream life, her run down house and outbuildings need several repairs but in time she hopes they will be able to take on paying guests and live an increasingly self-sufficient lifestyle. Her teenage son Stephen is in his last year at school and has his first girlfriend, her daughter Jenny is about to start secondary school. They're just waiting for Richard, her husband to finish his last few days in the army. Then Argentina invades the Falkland Islands...
That Dark Remembered Day is an absorbing story of secrets and loss, lies and forgiveness. Beginning with Stephen's present day difficulties, the story switches to the past where first through Mary and later Richard we are led gradually but inevitably to the tragedy of that devastating day in 1983. This is an often anguishing read, the sense of isolation, both the physical and mental is almost palpable. I was lost in its pages unable to stop reading until the early hours of the morning. It's still early in the year but I know come December this will be on my list of the best books I've read in 2014. A disturbing but utterly compelling read.
My grateful thanks to the author and publishers for my copy received through Netgalley in return for my honest review.
In 1982 Mary hopes she is moving towards her dream life, her run down house and outbuildings need several repairs but in time she hopes they will be able to take on paying guests and live an increasingly self-sufficient lifestyle. Her teenage son Stephen is in his last year at school and has his first girlfriend, her daughter Jenny is about to start secondary school. They're just waiting for Richard, her husband to finish his last few days in the army. Then Argentina invades the Falkland Islands...
That Dark Remembered Day is an absorbing story of secrets and loss, lies and forgiveness. Beginning with Stephen's present day difficulties, the story switches to the past where first through Mary and later Richard we are led gradually but inevitably to the tragedy of that devastating day in 1983. This is an often anguishing read, the sense of isolation, both the physical and mental is almost palpable. I was lost in its pages unable to stop reading until the early hours of the morning. It's still early in the year but I know come December this will be on my list of the best books I've read in 2014. A disturbing but utterly compelling read.
My grateful thanks to the author and publishers for my copy received through Netgalley in return for my honest review.
July 26, 2014
This tale, as dark as the title suggests, gripped me from the first page. Though one learns very early -- indeed from reading the cover blurbs -- that some terrible incident has left Stephen Briggs a damaged man, it takes the rest of the novel to uncover what happened and why.
The backstory leading up to the tragedy is told from three perspectives, giving the decisions taken by the main characters context. I could empathise with each one as they grappled with their own difficult circumstances, their own demons. Vowler provides excellent insight into how people come to be troubled souls and the damage they inflict on their relationships and each other as a result.
With vivid descriptions of the natural world and interwoven with historical events, this book took some research. Its rich language paints a picture of a beautiful world in which some very ugly things happen. Highly recommended.
The backstory leading up to the tragedy is told from three perspectives, giving the decisions taken by the main characters context. I could empathise with each one as they grappled with their own difficult circumstances, their own demons. Vowler provides excellent insight into how people come to be troubled souls and the damage they inflict on their relationships and each other as a result.
With vivid descriptions of the natural world and interwoven with historical events, this book took some research. Its rich language paints a picture of a beautiful world in which some very ugly things happen. Highly recommended.
March 21, 2014
That Dark Remembered Day tells the story of Stephen, a grown man whose life has been turned upside down by his own violent actions. When he hears that his Mother is unwell he makes the journey to the town in which he grew up only to be confronted with the past he has long since tried to escape. As the story unfolds, we are introduced to Stephen’s mother and father, a nurse and soldier as they recount the events leading up to a tragic day in the summer of 1982 where their lives were destroyed.
It is a brave writer indeed who takes on such emotionally wrought subject matter. Vowler’s first novel, What Lies Within explored the legacy of a rape and his new book is darker still. What makes his writing so affecting though, is his ability to construct complex, sympathetic characters.
Read the full review here: http://www.katejwilson.com/2014/03/bo...
It is a brave writer indeed who takes on such emotionally wrought subject matter. Vowler’s first novel, What Lies Within explored the legacy of a rape and his new book is darker still. What makes his writing so affecting though, is his ability to construct complex, sympathetic characters.
Read the full review here: http://www.katejwilson.com/2014/03/bo...
May 16, 2014
Stephen is in trouble, suspended from work after a violent outburst that’s left him shaken and his wife concerned for their shared future. She wants him to talk about his childhood; he is terrified of resurrecting the ghosts of the past. Yet when he gets a phone call telling him his mother is unwell, he decides it’s time to pay her a visit in the town where the events of a single day shattered so many lives.
You know you’re in safe hands with a writer who uses the word crescendo¹ correctly on the first page, and comes with an endorsement from Alison Moore. That Dark Remembered Day bubbles with elegant descriptions from the Cornish coast to the windswept Falklands as the past is uncovered layer by layer until the full horror of that day’s events are finally revealed.
Continues http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...
You know you’re in safe hands with a writer who uses the word crescendo¹ correctly on the first page, and comes with an endorsement from Alison Moore. That Dark Remembered Day bubbles with elegant descriptions from the Cornish coast to the windswept Falklands as the past is uncovered layer by layer until the full horror of that day’s events are finally revealed.
Continues http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecdo...
December 2, 2014
Free finished paperback copy from author via blog raffle win at Scott Pack's Me And My Big Mouth
As the title suggests, this is a dark story. In 2012, Stephen reluctantly returns to the village of his youth to visit his ailing mother. A tragedy happened here when Stephen was fifteen and he has spent his life trying to put it behind him. We know that it involved his family but the depth of the 1983 tragedy is revealed slowly as the novel progresses. The events of 1983 are told from three points of view: Stephen's, his mother Mary's, and his father Richard's.
Vowler's pacing is exquisitely suspenseful both piquing the reader's curiosity and preparing us for the magnitude of what is to come.
Hard, at times, to read but impossible to put down.
As the title suggests, this is a dark story. In 2012, Stephen reluctantly returns to the village of his youth to visit his ailing mother. A tragedy happened here when Stephen was fifteen and he has spent his life trying to put it behind him. We know that it involved his family but the depth of the 1983 tragedy is revealed slowly as the novel progresses. The events of 1983 are told from three points of view: Stephen's, his mother Mary's, and his father Richard's.
Vowler's pacing is exquisitely suspenseful both piquing the reader's curiosity and preparing us for the magnitude of what is to come.
Hard, at times, to read but impossible to put down.
October 11, 2014
This is a novel that will remain with me for a long time. It revolves around one tragic event from the past, showing how one character has tried and failed to escape from it while another has never left it.
Events of this type have been written about before, but in the others that I've read it has been clear from the start, the rest of the novel attempting to understand why and how. This novel leaves the reader wondering until close to the end. As the end approached, I was keen to know what happened all those years ago, but nevertheless had to put the book down between chapters, because the story leading up to the event was so dark and difficult to read.
The event, when it finally came, wasn't what I expected. I thought... no, I can't even say that without giving too much away. You'll just have to read the novel.
Events of this type have been written about before, but in the others that I've read it has been clear from the start, the rest of the novel attempting to understand why and how. This novel leaves the reader wondering until close to the end. As the end approached, I was keen to know what happened all those years ago, but nevertheless had to put the book down between chapters, because the story leading up to the event was so dark and difficult to read.
The event, when it finally came, wasn't what I expected. I thought... no, I can't even say that without giving too much away. You'll just have to read the novel.
December 23, 2016
It's difficult to tell what this book is about. A middle-age man comes back to the village where he was born and from which he had to escape many years ago. Little by little we discover what happened "that dark remembered day" through 3 different voices (son -mother - father).
The description of countryside landscape is a delight and some inner thoughts are very well expressed. However, the plot is rather week and it takes lots of pages for the story to move forward. Besides, it feels like the conversations with the villagers are incomplete and not much happens, and the last and most important dialogue between mother and son is so fast and unsubstantial that I ended up quite disappointed.
Generally speaking this is not a bad book, but the story finishes the same way it starts. There is no change in characters' actions. It certainly could have been a much better book.
The description of countryside landscape is a delight and some inner thoughts are very well expressed. However, the plot is rather week and it takes lots of pages for the story to move forward. Besides, it feels like the conversations with the villagers are incomplete and not much happens, and the last and most important dialogue between mother and son is so fast and unsubstantial that I ended up quite disappointed.
Generally speaking this is not a bad book, but the story finishes the same way it starts. There is no change in characters' actions. It certainly could have been a much better book.
March 13, 2015
Ignore the cover if you can... This isn't a trashy genre read, but a smart, contemplative family drama that contains some genuinely wonderful writing. I don't want to say too much about the plot, for fear of giving it away, but it views the same cataclysmic event through a prism of characters, circling what happened to try and approach the grain of truth at its core. The passages on the Falklands war are well judged and feel distressingly real, while the attention paid to the natural world is spellbinding in places. Well written and intelligent, but also a page-turner from start to finish. You can't ask for much more than that.
August 2, 2014
I read this because it was favourably mentioned on the website for The Guardian's Not the Booker Prize. It is a moving story of a family torn apart by tragedy. There are various hints on the way, but the full revelation of what occurred only comes near the very end of the novel. The narrator's father was involved in the war for the Falkland Islands. The novel shows how society didn't really understand what happened and the impact it had on the people involved. It made me realise how rarely it is mentioned today, almost as if we want to keep it out of sight and out of mind.
March 23, 2014
I enjoyed this book by Tom Vowler, the first one I have read. Set in the 1980s, a time when I was a teenager, I had some knowledge of the events that inspired this very dark novel. It is told from three points of view. The son, then the mother, the father and finally the son again. The second half of the book was difficult to read. The terrible event, what led to it and the devastating conclusion was one I didn't expect.
June 30, 2014
I didn't read the e-book edition, but the paperback, which doesn't seem to be listed here.
I normally dislike books which skip between time periods and between the perspectives of different characters. It often seems that a straight narrative has had its chapters shuffled for no good reason. This book is, at least, constructed in this way for good reason. And by and large it works.
I normally dislike books which skip between time periods and between the perspectives of different characters. It often seems that a straight narrative has had its chapters shuffled for no good reason. This book is, at least, constructed in this way for good reason. And by and large it works.
March 3, 2015
Brooding novel of Steven returning to his hometown after being told that his mother is ill. Flashbacks of his childhood lead up to his father returning from the Falklands, obviously suffering PTSD, but left to 'get over it'. Hints are made of something dreadful happening that affects the whole town. Very atmospheric in the telling, it was slow to start, then became a page turner.
May 19, 2015
Dark tale from the views of Stephen,his mum then the father. The build up to what happened to the family and the town. Hopefully the fathers situation would have been helped today, but you can never be sure. I did enjoy the book it was well written.
February 16, 2014
Review forthcoming in The List.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews