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Darkness Falls from the Air
A classic novel of the London Blitz that captures all the chaos, absurdity, and tragedy of life during the bombardment. Bill Sarratt, a civil servant, spends the war wining, dining, and wittily commenting on London's shattered nightlife. But, as the bombs begin to fall closer and closer, Sarratt's wife takes on a lover—and his life literally begins to crumble around him.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1942
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468 people want to read
About the author
Nigel Balchin
34 books18 followersTrained originally as an industrial psychologist, in which capacity he helped Rowntree’s to successfully launch Black Magic chocolates in 1933, Nigel Balchin first received critical acclaim as a novelist during the Second World War when he wrote Darkness Falls From the Air. It was the first of three evocative novels (including the smash-hit The Small Back Room) that made good use of his wartime employment experiences at the Ministry of Food and later in the army. This trio was followed by a stream of other fine novels, such as A Sort of Traitors, Sundry Creditors and The Fall of the Sparrow. Balchin diversified into film scriptwriting after the war, winning a BAFTA for his work on The Man Who Never Was and penning what he whimsically described as “the first folio edition of Cleopatra”, being his original (unused) script for the Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor epic. When Balchin died in 1970, at the age of 61, the Guardian anointed him “the novelist of men at work”, a fitting epithet for one of the best fiction writers of the twentieth century.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
April 4, 2017
Published in 1942, this novel was both set, and written, in wartime London. Indeed, author Nigel Balchin worked as a Civil Servant in the Ministry of Food during the war and the main character in this book, Bill Sarratt, is also working in an un-named Ministry; suggesting this is a somewhat autobiographical work.
When the story begins, Air Raids are rather exciting and quite far from the West End, where Bill lives with his wife, Marcia. Bill struggles to get any work done at the Ministry, where his attempts to push through anything worthwhile keeps being continually blocked. At home, Marcia has embarked on an affair with a poet, named Stephen. Not that he actually seems to be writing any poetry, or, indeed, doing much of anything. Instead, he seems to spend his time posing, being theatrical and using emotional blackmail to get Marcia to sympathise with his plight of being in love with her. Understandably, Bill does not take the threat of this rival very seriously and, indeed, you seem to feel that Marcia does not really want to stray too far from her marriage.
This is a novel very much of its time. There are some parts that make a modern reader a little uncomfortable – at one point, Bill hits Marcia and the author (and the characters) seem to accept this behaviour as acceptable. That said, much of the really interesting part of this book deals not with the continuous triangle of Bill, Marcia and Stephen (Stephen is also married, but his wife hardly seems to register within the plot), but with Bill’s work at the Ministry. The real frustration of Bill’s attempts to get his colleagues to feel his sense of urgency really rings true. Also, of course, there is the Blitz. As time goes on, the Air Raids are no longer somewhere in the distance, but very much all too close. Work is disturbed, evenings are disturbed, sleep is disturbed and the characters lives all seem to revolve around the bombings.
Overall, I am thrilled to have discovered Nigel Balchin. If you like authors such as Patrick Hamilton, then you are sure to enjoy this. It is not a light read, but the author has a deft touch and a good ear for dialogue. If you are interested in London during the Blitz, then it would be difficult to find a more authentic account than this, even if it is fictional. Certainly Balchin deserves to be back in print and I look forward to reading more by him.
When the story begins, Air Raids are rather exciting and quite far from the West End, where Bill lives with his wife, Marcia. Bill struggles to get any work done at the Ministry, where his attempts to push through anything worthwhile keeps being continually blocked. At home, Marcia has embarked on an affair with a poet, named Stephen. Not that he actually seems to be writing any poetry, or, indeed, doing much of anything. Instead, he seems to spend his time posing, being theatrical and using emotional blackmail to get Marcia to sympathise with his plight of being in love with her. Understandably, Bill does not take the threat of this rival very seriously and, indeed, you seem to feel that Marcia does not really want to stray too far from her marriage.
This is a novel very much of its time. There are some parts that make a modern reader a little uncomfortable – at one point, Bill hits Marcia and the author (and the characters) seem to accept this behaviour as acceptable. That said, much of the really interesting part of this book deals not with the continuous triangle of Bill, Marcia and Stephen (Stephen is also married, but his wife hardly seems to register within the plot), but with Bill’s work at the Ministry. The real frustration of Bill’s attempts to get his colleagues to feel his sense of urgency really rings true. Also, of course, there is the Blitz. As time goes on, the Air Raids are no longer somewhere in the distance, but very much all too close. Work is disturbed, evenings are disturbed, sleep is disturbed and the characters lives all seem to revolve around the bombings.
Overall, I am thrilled to have discovered Nigel Balchin. If you like authors such as Patrick Hamilton, then you are sure to enjoy this. It is not a light read, but the author has a deft touch and a good ear for dialogue. If you are interested in London during the Blitz, then it would be difficult to find a more authentic account than this, even if it is fictional. Certainly Balchin deserves to be back in print and I look forward to reading more by him.
February 1, 2022
Having thoroughly enjoyed The Small Back Room (this book's successor) I was inspired to immediately get stuck into another book by Nigel Balchin. Darkness Falls from the Air was first published in 1942 and is set in London during the Blitz. The bombs were falling at the same time as Nigel Balchin was writing this novel. Understandably, a live for the moment spirit abounded, and famously the Blitz was a time when short term relationships flourished.
Darkness Falls from the Air features a very cynical and world weary civil servant called Bill Sarratt who appears unperturbed as his wife Marcia carries on with a tedious and self-absorbed literary poseur called Stephen. By day Bill works in an unnamed government ministry, and the second narrative strand describes the difficulties he experiences as a temporary civil servant seconded from industry trying to get on with the job of winning the war. His bureaucratically minded superiors are more interested in their own fiefdoms than in supporting new initiatives. Gradually, developments at both work, and with his relationship, become more high stakes. If any of that sounds boring, then rest assured nothing could be further from the truth. It’s well written and is particularly good at describing life during the Blitz. Less than 200 pages long, Darkness Falls from the Air is a downbeat and tragic tale, but it is also realistic and memorable. If you are interested in books set in and around World War 2 then this is essential.
4/5
Darkness Falls from the Air features a very cynical and world weary civil servant called Bill Sarratt who appears unperturbed as his wife Marcia carries on with a tedious and self-absorbed literary poseur called Stephen. By day Bill works in an unnamed government ministry, and the second narrative strand describes the difficulties he experiences as a temporary civil servant seconded from industry trying to get on with the job of winning the war. His bureaucratically minded superiors are more interested in their own fiefdoms than in supporting new initiatives. Gradually, developments at both work, and with his relationship, become more high stakes. If any of that sounds boring, then rest assured nothing could be further from the truth. It’s well written and is particularly good at describing life during the Blitz. Less than 200 pages long, Darkness Falls from the Air is a downbeat and tragic tale, but it is also realistic and memorable. If you are interested in books set in and around World War 2 then this is essential.
4/5
October 20, 2024
Darkness Falls from the Air is an account of life during World War 2. Bill Sarratt, a government servant fights bureaucracy at his workplace - one of the ministries during the war, while also trying halfheartedly to win back his wife who is having an open affair with a melancholic artist. Sarratt is the narrator and his world view is very cynical. Like in some of the novels by Graham Greene and Patrick Hamilton set during the war, most of the characters are having a drink or dining out even as London is being bombed.
I guess you could say the book begins medias res. There are no flashbacks. Like another reviewer pointed out, a lot of things are left unsaid. A substantial portion of the book is set in Sarratt's workplace and I found it hard to follow the machinations between him and his colleagues. The love triangle involving his wife was more interesting to me. Bill's attitude towards the affair is one of cynicism but also sympathy. He knows his wife gets something from the openly emotional Stephen (her lover) which he can never give to her. He is even willing to drink with Stephen at a bar while making subtle digs at him.
It seemed to me like Sarratt's character knew that they could all die any moment during the bombings and he wanted to let his wife have some fun and do what she wanted to.
I guess you could say the book begins medias res. There are no flashbacks. Like another reviewer pointed out, a lot of things are left unsaid. A substantial portion of the book is set in Sarratt's workplace and I found it hard to follow the machinations between him and his colleagues. The love triangle involving his wife was more interesting to me. Bill's attitude towards the affair is one of cynicism but also sympathy. He knows his wife gets something from the openly emotional Stephen (her lover) which he can never give to her. He is even willing to drink with Stephen at a bar while making subtle digs at him.
It seemed to me like Sarratt's character knew that they could all die any moment during the bombings and he wanted to let his wife have some fun and do what she wanted to.
May 9, 2021
Set during the Blitz, and written while the bombs were falling, the book has a jaded, and towards the end rather a hopeless feeling about it.
June 4, 2023
Set during the London Blitz and written by an author who was living it. Seconded to the civil service, businessman Bill Sarratt is increasingly frustrated by the bureaucratic inertia that hinder or quash his ideas for helping the war effort. Balchin was similarly employed at the time. His description of Westminster life rings true. This irritation is counterbalanced by some feelings of relief about not physically having to fight. Bill’s home life is similarly off balance due to his otherwise admirable wife, Marcia, having an openly adulterous but ambivalent relationship with insufferable artistic fop, Stephen. Bill isn’t altogether opposed to these shenanigans. Do we blame the war? Maybe they married too young as Bill has an eye for his own secretary’s charms - I learn that later in his own life, Balchin and his wife, Elizabeth, split after she fell in love with a family friend following a bit of light hearted wife-swapping. Balchin then married his secretary! In the novel Marcia has fallen for Stephen seemingly due to her penchant for lame ducks and the need for reckless excitement. The latter urge causes Marcia and Bill to wander around the collapsing West End during bombing raids and Marcia to take on a voluntary role at an embattled East End first aid station. The description of the prevailing chaos and community defiance is superb as is the understandable anxiety of not knowing whether one is going to survive the night. There’s a great passage concerning a drunken army sergeant going berserk in the Strand Palace Hotel bar and the subsequent trip to Charing Cross hospital with the hapless victim as well as a truly magnificent police inspector who takes out the miscreant with practiced ease.
The feeling of dreadful consequences for the protagonists increases as the number of pages left to read dwindles: the climax is riveting and moving.
The feeling of dreadful consequences for the protagonists increases as the number of pages left to read dwindles: the climax is riveting and moving.
April 29, 2017
Bill Sarratt is working as a civil servant in an unnamed Ministry, constantly running up against slow-moving bureaucracy and vested business interests (quote: 'a racket tied up in red tape'). His attitude to his job is a mixture of frustration and cynicism, leavened with a few drinks and nice meals. Marcia, his wife, is involved in a reluctant, lacklustre affair with a poseur poet. Bill's attitude to that is also a mixture of frustration and cynicism, although he is not as cynically accepting of this situation as he would like to appear.
I found the story a touch dreary, but where the book shines is in its depiction of the changing atmosphere in wartime London as the bombs start falling. This book was written during the blitz, so the setting is current, immediate and authentic. The first bombs were aimed at the London dock area, a strategic target, but surrounded by densely packed, working-class housing. Life in the more affluent areas of London was carrying on almost as normal, until the bombs fell on them too.
I found the story a touch dreary, but where the book shines is in its depiction of the changing atmosphere in wartime London as the bombs start falling. This book was written during the blitz, so the setting is current, immediate and authentic. The first bombs were aimed at the London dock area, a strategic target, but surrounded by densely packed, working-class housing. Life in the more affluent areas of London was carrying on almost as normal, until the bombs fell on them too.
February 28, 2017
An absolutely outstanding book.
The plot is simple, a man, our narrator Bill Sarratt, works in the Civil Service during WWII and juggles his job with the love triangle he his wife and a chap named Stephen are involved in. There is little else in the novel but so much more.
Sarratt is a wonderfully sardonic narrator and the dialogue rings beautifully true in an old fashioned way.
There are some strange choices from Balchin in this novel, the started subplots which never go anywhere beyond their initial mention, the fact that we are never given very much of an idea what his job actually involves despite so much of the novel being spent following Sarratt at work. All these things left unsaid are just as important that way, it's a novel about the unsaid as far as I could see. The department he works in is almost as darkly comical as the Government of Joseph Heller's Good as Gold, as it says on the back of the edition I read "Whitehall 1940 - where the only sin was to do something"
As to the main thread of the story the affair between Marcia and Stephen, or rather Bill's take on it as we never actually see them alone together, it's brilliantly told.
Stephen is an artistic chap, again we don't really know what he does at all other than write. He loves to be the centre of attention and play the tortured artist and Bill's put downs of him are priceless. While Marcia and Bill's relationship is beautifully told without resorting to detailed descriptions of how they met or any of the usual stuff. Balchin tells his story with the least amount of detail possible and it's all the clearer for that.
So good I already ordered another book by Balchin before this one was finished.
The plot is simple, a man, our narrator Bill Sarratt, works in the Civil Service during WWII and juggles his job with the love triangle he his wife and a chap named Stephen are involved in. There is little else in the novel but so much more.
Sarratt is a wonderfully sardonic narrator and the dialogue rings beautifully true in an old fashioned way.
There are some strange choices from Balchin in this novel, the started subplots which never go anywhere beyond their initial mention, the fact that we are never given very much of an idea what his job actually involves despite so much of the novel being spent following Sarratt at work. All these things left unsaid are just as important that way, it's a novel about the unsaid as far as I could see. The department he works in is almost as darkly comical as the Government of Joseph Heller's Good as Gold, as it says on the back of the edition I read "Whitehall 1940 - where the only sin was to do something"
As to the main thread of the story the affair between Marcia and Stephen, or rather Bill's take on it as we never actually see them alone together, it's brilliantly told.
Stephen is an artistic chap, again we don't really know what he does at all other than write. He loves to be the centre of attention and play the tortured artist and Bill's put downs of him are priceless. While Marcia and Bill's relationship is beautifully told without resorting to detailed descriptions of how they met or any of the usual stuff. Balchin tells his story with the least amount of detail possible and it's all the clearer for that.
So good I already ordered another book by Balchin before this one was finished.
March 2, 2024
I REALLY enjoyed this and had no reason to expect that. It's sold as a 'military paperpback', which is enough to put most people off. In fact it is a thoughtful romance, a description of the day-to-day absurdity of life during the Blitz in London, and a critique of British bureaucacy, all rolled up in one; it also puts you through your paces in terms of now dated English lingo.
Scouring the internet for information about Nigel Balchin, I found virtually nothing of interest until I stumbled on a really thorough commentary by the great Clive James, which I highly recommend (https://archive.clivejames.com/books/...), taken from his 1979 collection of essays, 'At the Pillars of Hercules'. In it James quotes one of Balchin's wartime friends, who said of Balchin he was 'the most intelligently effective and effectively intelligent man I have met'. You could sum up the lead character of this novel in the same way.
Now to 'The Small Back Room', first the novel and then the 1949 film adaptation, and if I can find them, the many adaptations of Balchin's work for screen mainly in the forties and fifties, and in the sixties on television...
Scouring the internet for information about Nigel Balchin, I found virtually nothing of interest until I stumbled on a really thorough commentary by the great Clive James, which I highly recommend (https://archive.clivejames.com/books/...), taken from his 1979 collection of essays, 'At the Pillars of Hercules'. In it James quotes one of Balchin's wartime friends, who said of Balchin he was 'the most intelligently effective and effectively intelligent man I have met'. You could sum up the lead character of this novel in the same way.
Now to 'The Small Back Room', first the novel and then the 1949 film adaptation, and if I can find them, the many adaptations of Balchin's work for screen mainly in the forties and fifties, and in the sixties on television...
April 28, 2020
One of my reading projects is slightly train-spottery: I’m trying to read at least one book published in each calendar year as far back as I can go (currently aiming for my grandfather’s birth year 1900). I was missing 1942: hence this book.
It inspires thoughts about ‘authenticity’ - how do we define it? This book is undoubtedly ‘authentic’ in that it was written and published during the Blitz; it’s about the Blitz; the author was living in London during the blitz and thus had direct personal experience; and he worked for the government: the war time civil service is another huge theme of this book.
But the book’s faults, and paradoxically, comparisons to more recent novels, undercut for me its undoubted (and somewhat celebrated) authenticity.
It inspires thoughts about ‘authenticity’ - how do we define it? This book is undoubtedly ‘authentic’ in that it was written and published during the Blitz; it’s about the Blitz; the author was living in London during the blitz and thus had direct personal experience; and he worked for the government: the war time civil service is another huge theme of this book.
But the book’s faults, and paradoxically, comparisons to more recent novels, undercut for me its undoubted (and somewhat celebrated) authenticity.
June 14, 2025
Darkness Falls From the Air by Nigel Balchin is a phenomenal, mesmerizing book, included on the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list, more than six hundred of these works are reviewed on the blog: http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u...
10 out of 10
Eureka – after quite some time, here is a book that has enthused this reader, the style, message, plot, ending, curt sentences, everything was magnificent in Darkness Falls From the Air, which is also crucial in that it kills off the feeling that I may say like Kingsley Amis at one stage ‘I read only thrillers’, or possibly, the magnum opera I have already enjoyed
Bill Sarratt is the hero, narrator (the experience of Nigel Balchin, who has worked in the Ministry of Food, is used for the narrative) who tries hard to help his country, as a volunteer, only to find that his efforts are blocked, there is corruption, incompetence, eventually, the nadir is reached when his memorandum falls flat, the business men invited by the minister pretend they will cooperate willingly, when in fact this offer will not work
Marcia is the wife of the protagonist, and she has a lover, Stephen Ryle, a quite pathetic, annoying, nay, infuriating personage, for most of the time, nevertheless, his reaction to tragic news might change the mind of the reader – this one is quite confused, not sure where to put this fellow in the end – they both cross the red line, antagonize, instead of seeing how lucky she is, Marcia keeps running for this lamentable fraud
Bill is incredible on many levels, he does his duty with aplomb, regardless of the futility we see, he tries hard to stop the graft, he insists on the fact that business volunteering would not work, they need a law, alas, the minister sees his point, only this politician’s need for gratification, social gain is bigger and the scheme fails
With his spouse, the hero is almost an Übermensch, in that he gives her complete freedom, she will decide when, how to stop her connection with Stephen, he gives her all the freedom, just as he sees how preposterous, selfish this lover is, the latter only wants to get what he needs, never cares for the others
That, of course, could change, as mentioned, there are surprises in store, and if we think (or are sure) that this feeble individual would not be capable of anything drastic, courageous, we could have a change of mind, without spoiler alerts, we would just be vague, on second thought, an alarm would be justified here
Even without unveiled secrets, reference to the superb, if unfavorable ending, there would be a need to warn anybody still on this page that you have read enough as it is, you could spend your time better, by say taking Darkness Falls From The Air on right now…what Stephen does near the end is a paradigm shift of some kind
Nonetheless, for most of the time we spend with him, he is abominable – not in the usual way though, people say that ‘this fellow or that woman have broken the marriage, taken the spouse’, it is not true, I have read https://realini.blogspot.com/2016/04/... that this is the symptom, not the cause, the marriage or relationship had been already irremediably damaged before…
Marcia says at some stage (then again, and again) that she is ending her affair, she was attracted to Stephen because he is so weak, needs protection, and she has always been caring, generous, could not let anyone, indeed, not a dog or another animal suffer, and if abandoned, this lover says he will commit suicide
Bill and others, Ted Ransome, his friend, for instance, say that this is nonsense, Stephen is just an actor, showing off, the husband is showing incredible patience, open mindedness, judgment, restraint, love for his wife, generosity, emotional intelligence, self-control, modesty, forgiveness, again, an Übermensch altogether
He has the vision to see that his wife is so munificent, she does care for the wounded, though she is wrong about the nature of this particular ‘victim’, and thinks that he probably does not offer her all that much entertainment, busy as he is with this very demanding work, which would not produce good results in the end, alas
Tension increases, we except a climax of some kind, confrontation – I somehow could see the tragedy coming, I do not know how, it may have to do with the thousands of books I have read – Bill eventually hits his spouse in the face, I do not know if we can call this attenuating circumstances, but she has been too much at that point
I mean, she had said a few times it is over, only to run for this ‘wounded lover, any time he called for her, and he did it more than one could stand, actually, who would accept this expect swingers, those in open marriages and…me, we are just married for some convenience, and then we have two babies aka macaws that need two to handle them
Knowing that this ‘rival’ is too much to bear if one spends more time with him, Bill has Marcia stay with the man – it is also because they run out of options, he loves her, does not want to send her for good, so what to do? – and then it is over, once and for all, even if we are tempted to say that it had been final before
Bill quits his job, disgusted with the way his work turns out to have been wasted, what with the weak minister and the corrupt business men, but we look forward to bliss on the personal, home front, forgetting there is a war on, and so many people have died in the Blitz, and in the middle of this carnage, it would be Panglossian to expect everything to be as in The Days of Wine and Roses, so, just as Elizabeth Bowen said this is ‘so eminently and enjoyably readable’, after a period of draught, finally, such an ecstatic, exhilarating novel!
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
10 out of 10
Eureka – after quite some time, here is a book that has enthused this reader, the style, message, plot, ending, curt sentences, everything was magnificent in Darkness Falls From the Air, which is also crucial in that it kills off the feeling that I may say like Kingsley Amis at one stage ‘I read only thrillers’, or possibly, the magnum opera I have already enjoyed
Bill Sarratt is the hero, narrator (the experience of Nigel Balchin, who has worked in the Ministry of Food, is used for the narrative) who tries hard to help his country, as a volunteer, only to find that his efforts are blocked, there is corruption, incompetence, eventually, the nadir is reached when his memorandum falls flat, the business men invited by the minister pretend they will cooperate willingly, when in fact this offer will not work
Marcia is the wife of the protagonist, and she has a lover, Stephen Ryle, a quite pathetic, annoying, nay, infuriating personage, for most of the time, nevertheless, his reaction to tragic news might change the mind of the reader – this one is quite confused, not sure where to put this fellow in the end – they both cross the red line, antagonize, instead of seeing how lucky she is, Marcia keeps running for this lamentable fraud
Bill is incredible on many levels, he does his duty with aplomb, regardless of the futility we see, he tries hard to stop the graft, he insists on the fact that business volunteering would not work, they need a law, alas, the minister sees his point, only this politician’s need for gratification, social gain is bigger and the scheme fails
With his spouse, the hero is almost an Übermensch, in that he gives her complete freedom, she will decide when, how to stop her connection with Stephen, he gives her all the freedom, just as he sees how preposterous, selfish this lover is, the latter only wants to get what he needs, never cares for the others
That, of course, could change, as mentioned, there are surprises in store, and if we think (or are sure) that this feeble individual would not be capable of anything drastic, courageous, we could have a change of mind, without spoiler alerts, we would just be vague, on second thought, an alarm would be justified here
Even without unveiled secrets, reference to the superb, if unfavorable ending, there would be a need to warn anybody still on this page that you have read enough as it is, you could spend your time better, by say taking Darkness Falls From The Air on right now…what Stephen does near the end is a paradigm shift of some kind
Nonetheless, for most of the time we spend with him, he is abominable – not in the usual way though, people say that ‘this fellow or that woman have broken the marriage, taken the spouse’, it is not true, I have read https://realini.blogspot.com/2016/04/... that this is the symptom, not the cause, the marriage or relationship had been already irremediably damaged before…
Marcia says at some stage (then again, and again) that she is ending her affair, she was attracted to Stephen because he is so weak, needs protection, and she has always been caring, generous, could not let anyone, indeed, not a dog or another animal suffer, and if abandoned, this lover says he will commit suicide
Bill and others, Ted Ransome, his friend, for instance, say that this is nonsense, Stephen is just an actor, showing off, the husband is showing incredible patience, open mindedness, judgment, restraint, love for his wife, generosity, emotional intelligence, self-control, modesty, forgiveness, again, an Übermensch altogether
He has the vision to see that his wife is so munificent, she does care for the wounded, though she is wrong about the nature of this particular ‘victim’, and thinks that he probably does not offer her all that much entertainment, busy as he is with this very demanding work, which would not produce good results in the end, alas
Tension increases, we except a climax of some kind, confrontation – I somehow could see the tragedy coming, I do not know how, it may have to do with the thousands of books I have read – Bill eventually hits his spouse in the face, I do not know if we can call this attenuating circumstances, but she has been too much at that point
I mean, she had said a few times it is over, only to run for this ‘wounded lover, any time he called for her, and he did it more than one could stand, actually, who would accept this expect swingers, those in open marriages and…me, we are just married for some convenience, and then we have two babies aka macaws that need two to handle them
Knowing that this ‘rival’ is too much to bear if one spends more time with him, Bill has Marcia stay with the man – it is also because they run out of options, he loves her, does not want to send her for good, so what to do? – and then it is over, once and for all, even if we are tempted to say that it had been final before
Bill quits his job, disgusted with the way his work turns out to have been wasted, what with the weak minister and the corrupt business men, but we look forward to bliss on the personal, home front, forgetting there is a war on, and so many people have died in the Blitz, and in the middle of this carnage, it would be Panglossian to expect everything to be as in The Days of Wine and Roses, so, just as Elizabeth Bowen said this is ‘so eminently and enjoyably readable’, after a period of draught, finally, such an ecstatic, exhilarating novel!
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
June 24, 2018
I'd been meaning to read this for ages, but was nudged into it after listening to an episode of the Backlisted podcast. One small point is that this edition has an absolutely awful cover, but that shouldn't put you off reading it because this is a fine book.
Published in 1942 it must have seemed pretty raw. It's the story of Bill Sarratt, a civil servant with a line in sardonic wit and an anger at what isn't being done by his department to win the war. Sarratt is married to Marcia who has been having an affair with Stephen. Stephen is one of those literary pontificators with a fine line in emotional blackmail. The story is told by Bill. There are moments when you wonder if Bill feels anything about Marcia and Stephen apart from the disappointment that Marcia should fall for someone as transparently fake as Stephen. But in the end, you know he does.
There's something of both Graham Greene's 'The End of the Affair' and 'Brief Encounter'. If 'Brief Encounter' was told by Laura's husband, Fred. Although Alec seems to be much less of a twit than Stephen.
It also has a fine line in political satire, without making a huge deal of it. Bill's constant battles to get his ideas approved in the face of industry feels almost modern. All that talk of avoiding forcing business into doing anything and letting them follow voluntary, self-policed codes that allow the greedy and criminal to carry on regardless might as well be about our current culture of privatisation.
It's much of its time in terms of its treatment of some women. Bill's constantly letching over his secretary and talks of giving Marcia a 'smacked bottom' as if he's the First Doctor talking to his granddaughter. There's also one or two uses of the Jew/Jew boy, which feel a little wrong but the anti-semitism of the posh English was often remarked in the 1930s and 40s. Whether this is Balchin's opinion or Bill's is obviously impossible to tell at this point.
However, those quibbles aside this is a fun and witty book whose emotions are often hidden beneath Bill's 'facetiousness'. The ending, in particular, is fine work and the last line hits you like a brick.
Recommended.
Published in 1942 it must have seemed pretty raw. It's the story of Bill Sarratt, a civil servant with a line in sardonic wit and an anger at what isn't being done by his department to win the war. Sarratt is married to Marcia who has been having an affair with Stephen. Stephen is one of those literary pontificators with a fine line in emotional blackmail. The story is told by Bill. There are moments when you wonder if Bill feels anything about Marcia and Stephen apart from the disappointment that Marcia should fall for someone as transparently fake as Stephen. But in the end, you know he does.
There's something of both Graham Greene's 'The End of the Affair' and 'Brief Encounter'. If 'Brief Encounter' was told by Laura's husband, Fred. Although Alec seems to be much less of a twit than Stephen.
It also has a fine line in political satire, without making a huge deal of it. Bill's constant battles to get his ideas approved in the face of industry feels almost modern. All that talk of avoiding forcing business into doing anything and letting them follow voluntary, self-policed codes that allow the greedy and criminal to carry on regardless might as well be about our current culture of privatisation.
It's much of its time in terms of its treatment of some women. Bill's constantly letching over his secretary and talks of giving Marcia a 'smacked bottom' as if he's the First Doctor talking to his granddaughter. There's also one or two uses of the Jew/Jew boy, which feel a little wrong but the anti-semitism of the posh English was often remarked in the 1930s and 40s. Whether this is Balchin's opinion or Bill's is obviously impossible to tell at this point.
However, those quibbles aside this is a fun and witty book whose emotions are often hidden beneath Bill's 'facetiousness'. The ending, in particular, is fine work and the last line hits you like a brick.
Recommended.
July 3, 2015
I read this as part of the 2012 War and Literature Readalong
I was pleased to be introduced to Nigel Balchin’s work and thoroughly enjoyed ‘Darkness falls from the air’, I did wonder why this novel had gone out of print – it deserves to be read by more people. I took pleasure in his use of language which seemed very much of its time and place and entirely appropriate with its British understatement for example about the dangers posed by falling bombs.
Although the book gets described as the classic novel of the Blitz to start with the bombs were more like a background thunder storm to the dramas involving Marcia and Stephen and all the internal politics at the ministry. Much of the latter reminded me of my earlier career working in London and the near impossibility of getting things through committees. Then by the end of the book the distant thunder which Bill has been ignoring like most of the population comes right up close and delivers a lightning strike. I felt terribly sorry for Bill and didn’t find him particularly cynical. I thought he was trying to do the decent thing by not making too much of a fuss to Marcia about Stephen so that the affair would run its course and she’d come back to him. She recognises it too.
Marcia said ‘You’re too bloody good to me, Bill’
The same thought’s often struck me,’ I said ‘think I’d do better with a horsewhip?’
And then a little later on the page Bill reflects as regards letting her go away with Stephen for a ‘last’ weekend.
Actually, I thought she was asking for something you ought not to ask for. It was the first time I’d felt that.
Heart-breaking.
I was pleased to be introduced to Nigel Balchin’s work and thoroughly enjoyed ‘Darkness falls from the air’, I did wonder why this novel had gone out of print – it deserves to be read by more people. I took pleasure in his use of language which seemed very much of its time and place and entirely appropriate with its British understatement for example about the dangers posed by falling bombs.
Although the book gets described as the classic novel of the Blitz to start with the bombs were more like a background thunder storm to the dramas involving Marcia and Stephen and all the internal politics at the ministry. Much of the latter reminded me of my earlier career working in London and the near impossibility of getting things through committees. Then by the end of the book the distant thunder which Bill has been ignoring like most of the population comes right up close and delivers a lightning strike. I felt terribly sorry for Bill and didn’t find him particularly cynical. I thought he was trying to do the decent thing by not making too much of a fuss to Marcia about Stephen so that the affair would run its course and she’d come back to him. She recognises it too.
Marcia said ‘You’re too bloody good to me, Bill’
The same thought’s often struck me,’ I said ‘think I’d do better with a horsewhip?’
And then a little later on the page Bill reflects as regards letting her go away with Stephen for a ‘last’ weekend.
Actually, I thought she was asking for something you ought not to ask for. It was the first time I’d felt that.
Heart-breaking.
January 23, 2022
This war-time story of London's trials & tribulations has all the hallmarks of a novel that reflects its time: 1942.
It has none of the 'fake reality' of modern writers who set their books in the past but betray their contemporary 'woke' philosophies. The use of language, the sardonic humour & the reflection of real peoples' attitudes make this feel authentic. I imagined my own family members who were working in London at the time this was written & experiencing some of the bombing & damage to their workplaces & homes; it was very thought-provoking.
Nigel Balchin was a well-respected writer of his time; he had a lively tongue & a view of the world that could perhaps be described as 'male chauvinist' by women readers of the 'RE-enlightened' 21st century, who would burn some of his work, no doubt, for offending their delicate sensibilities with his humour & perspectives. I have the same problem myself. (surprise, surprise!). I quit one book club because the women - and they were all women! - seemed to despise a male perspective which unbalanced their own 'fluffy' ideas. (I am being constantly 'stalked ' by several female private detectives wearing berets & black belts in judo!...all because I think Jane Austen is massively over-praised!).
The pace is somewhat pedestrian & ambulatory (not trying to be a screenplay!) - there are many scenes of apparently pointless social gatherings with work colleagues in Whitehall & its environs... over drinks (But not parties, obviously!).
My favourite lines on page 151, Chapter 11...
"Ted and I didn't have breakfast. We just drank tea and smoked a cigarette before we started out. While we were doing this on the Thursday, Ted said:
'When did you last go to a party?'
'Define a party,' I said.
'I mean in the home. Thrown by somebody,'.
'Not since last November, 1939, when Marcia and I had that last one of ours.'
'Well, we're invited to one', said Ted.
'Who with?'.
'Willie Hubbard'.
'Don't know him', I said.
'Yes, you do. No, you don't though. He's an odd man. Shall we go?'
I said, 'I don't know what sort of parties Willie Hubbard gives, but I'd go to a P. S. A. at the moment and like it.'
'He's a queer cove', said Ted.
'I doubt it'll be the sort of thing one ought to go to in a war, but you may be interested.'. "
The final chapters are the best: the main protagonist, Bill Sarratt, having walked out of his position in a government department in Westminster, travels eastwards through a heavy air-raid to find his wife, Marcia, in her death throes under the rubble of an East End refuge & administers his final expression of his love for her with a syringe of morphine to comfort her as she lies fatally wounded & reconciled with her cuckolded husband. The wife's lover tries to kill himself with gas but Bill saves his life to show he had forgiven Marcia for her betrayal. Life goes on.
It has none of the 'fake reality' of modern writers who set their books in the past but betray their contemporary 'woke' philosophies. The use of language, the sardonic humour & the reflection of real peoples' attitudes make this feel authentic. I imagined my own family members who were working in London at the time this was written & experiencing some of the bombing & damage to their workplaces & homes; it was very thought-provoking.
Nigel Balchin was a well-respected writer of his time; he had a lively tongue & a view of the world that could perhaps be described as 'male chauvinist' by women readers of the 'RE-enlightened' 21st century, who would burn some of his work, no doubt, for offending their delicate sensibilities with his humour & perspectives. I have the same problem myself. (surprise, surprise!). I quit one book club because the women - and they were all women! - seemed to despise a male perspective which unbalanced their own 'fluffy' ideas. (I am being constantly 'stalked ' by several female private detectives wearing berets & black belts in judo!...all because I think Jane Austen is massively over-praised!).
The pace is somewhat pedestrian & ambulatory (not trying to be a screenplay!) - there are many scenes of apparently pointless social gatherings with work colleagues in Whitehall & its environs... over drinks (But not parties, obviously!).
My favourite lines on page 151, Chapter 11...
"Ted and I didn't have breakfast. We just drank tea and smoked a cigarette before we started out. While we were doing this on the Thursday, Ted said:
'When did you last go to a party?'
'Define a party,' I said.
'I mean in the home. Thrown by somebody,'.
'Not since last November, 1939, when Marcia and I had that last one of ours.'
'Well, we're invited to one', said Ted.
'Who with?'.
'Willie Hubbard'.
'Don't know him', I said.
'Yes, you do. No, you don't though. He's an odd man. Shall we go?'
I said, 'I don't know what sort of parties Willie Hubbard gives, but I'd go to a P. S. A. at the moment and like it.'
'He's a queer cove', said Ted.
'I doubt it'll be the sort of thing one ought to go to in a war, but you may be interested.'. "
The final chapters are the best: the main protagonist, Bill Sarratt, having walked out of his position in a government department in Westminster, travels eastwards through a heavy air-raid to find his wife, Marcia, in her death throes under the rubble of an East End refuge & administers his final expression of his love for her with a syringe of morphine to comfort her as she lies fatally wounded & reconciled with her cuckolded husband. The wife's lover tries to kill himself with gas but Bill saves his life to show he had forgiven Marcia for her betrayal. Life goes on.
October 20, 2024
A novel set during the London Blitz. It was published in 1942, which means it was probably written in 1941 when the Blitz was still going on. The main character, Bill Sarratt, is a businessman temporarily assigned to work in the civil service in London, and he has plenty to deal with. Aside from the near-constant threat from bombs, his wife is openly having an affair, one which Sarratt tolerates, and he is frustrated at work by the interminable decision-making processes of the civil service. His boss reacts to every new idea by trying to think of all the reasons why it should not be adopted.
I found Sarratt quite a hard character to identify with. He seems to consider himself cleverer than anyone else, and comes across as fairly arrogant. He has conversations with his wife’s lover in which the two of them try to verbally outscore the other. His wife Marcia also seems a self-centred type. In one scene the couple witness a civilian being beaten up by a drunk army sergeant. They take the victim to hospital, but seem to consider the whole thing a jolly jape.
We unshipped at Charing Cross Hospital and they took him away. He said, ‘You won’t go? You’ll wait for me?’ We said we would. He seemed to set a lot of store by it. They were a hell of a long time. We must have been there about an hour. I said, ‘You must be dog tired, honey.’ ‘Me?’ said Marcia. ‘I’m having the time of my life. It’s a damn’ shame really, that poor little bloke being so grateful, when he’s given us all this fun.’
Of course, I’m not against an author creating nuanced characters who are a mix of good and bad. After all, in real life every one of us is like that, but I didn’t find myself emotionally involved with Bill and Marcia.
The “mood” of the book is perhaps its most interesting aspect. Most of the characters (who are all middle class) seem to suffer from a sort of mild depression. This is perhaps unsurprising given the circumstances, but it’s interesting that it was portrayed in a book subject to wartime censorship. One minor character openly expresses his envy of Sarratt for having a job that means he doesn’t have to join up. Novels written during the war (and I have read several) are a valuable snapshot.
I found the ending to be well-written, and effective.
I found Sarratt quite a hard character to identify with. He seems to consider himself cleverer than anyone else, and comes across as fairly arrogant. He has conversations with his wife’s lover in which the two of them try to verbally outscore the other. His wife Marcia also seems a self-centred type. In one scene the couple witness a civilian being beaten up by a drunk army sergeant. They take the victim to hospital, but seem to consider the whole thing a jolly jape.
We unshipped at Charing Cross Hospital and they took him away. He said, ‘You won’t go? You’ll wait for me?’ We said we would. He seemed to set a lot of store by it. They were a hell of a long time. We must have been there about an hour. I said, ‘You must be dog tired, honey.’ ‘Me?’ said Marcia. ‘I’m having the time of my life. It’s a damn’ shame really, that poor little bloke being so grateful, when he’s given us all this fun.’
Of course, I’m not against an author creating nuanced characters who are a mix of good and bad. After all, in real life every one of us is like that, but I didn’t find myself emotionally involved with Bill and Marcia.
The “mood” of the book is perhaps its most interesting aspect. Most of the characters (who are all middle class) seem to suffer from a sort of mild depression. This is perhaps unsurprising given the circumstances, but it’s interesting that it was portrayed in a book subject to wartime censorship. One minor character openly expresses his envy of Sarratt for having a job that means he doesn’t have to join up. Novels written during the war (and I have read several) are a valuable snapshot.
I found the ending to be well-written, and effective.
August 5, 2022
I know it’s been a while but I have not given up on my Backlisted project. The thing is one of the books got lost in the mail and it took two months and one replacement later. But it arrived, which means that I can continue with the project.
Nigel Balchin is quite an interesting figure, author, director and a consultant at Rowntree’s. He has had his fingers in British arts, the thing is that although he seems to have been forgotten, his legacy still lives on.
The book’s setting is the Second World War, right in the middle of the bombings and Bill Sarratt is a frustrated civil servant. He clashes with his colleagues and has problems getting his ideas across. As the environment is full of turmoil so is Sarratt’s personal life as his wife Marcie has an on/off relationship with the dandy Stephen. Sarratt is torn between being open minded and protecting his marriage.
Unfortunately I did not get on too well with Darkness Falls from the Air. On one hand the writing is great. There are plenty of first class one liners but I could not connect with what was happening and I did get restless at times. I was reminded of Graham Greene (albeit a witter one), an author I do not like too much. It’s a pity because I wanted to like Darkness… but considering my track record with the Backlisted books I’m bound not to like one now and then.
Nigel Balchin is quite an interesting figure, author, director and a consultant at Rowntree’s. He has had his fingers in British arts, the thing is that although he seems to have been forgotten, his legacy still lives on.
The book’s setting is the Second World War, right in the middle of the bombings and Bill Sarratt is a frustrated civil servant. He clashes with his colleagues and has problems getting his ideas across. As the environment is full of turmoil so is Sarratt’s personal life as his wife Marcie has an on/off relationship with the dandy Stephen. Sarratt is torn between being open minded and protecting his marriage.
Unfortunately I did not get on too well with Darkness Falls from the Air. On one hand the writing is great. There are plenty of first class one liners but I could not connect with what was happening and I did get restless at times. I was reminded of Graham Greene (albeit a witter one), an author I do not like too much. It’s a pity because I wanted to like Darkness… but considering my track record with the Backlisted books I’m bound not to like one now and then.
May 18, 2025
This is a unique work that meticulously portrays the anguish of a civil servant, originally from the industrial sector, caught in a double punch of bureaucracy within a government agency (seemingly the War Office) and his wife's infidelity, set against the backdrop of the London Blitz during World War II. It's a common tale of becoming fed up with self-serving, complacent bureaucrats, and the protagonist's journey to the brink of quitting is entirely understandable. However, his rather weak-kneed response to his wife's infidelity left me somewhat exasperated. Despite being a "veteran couple" eight years into their marriage, his wife's affair is real, and the husband, Bill, somehow keeps forgiving her kindly even as she tries to cover it up, leaving me wondering if he's admirable or foolish right up to the end. While such things may happen in novels, as an impatient reader, I found myself constantly irritated. That said, the author's English, coming from a Cambridge graduate, was plain and very easy to understand.
October 25, 2024
A serious dramatic novel about a bureaucrat in time of the Blitz and his sort of an open relationship with his wife. Reading about air raids while air alarm is blaring is sure something.
"I said, ‘We don’t want a committee. What we want is a decision.’
‘I think the Secretary has accepted the idea,’ said Lennox. ‘I talked to him, and he seemed very keen.’
‘Then why the Pete has he appointed a committee to gas about it? The whole thing was set out in my memorandum. He’d only got to say “Yes” or “No”.’
‘He just wanted it discussed to see if any difficulties emerged, I expect.’
‘They will,’ I said. ‘That’s all that will emerge.’
Lennox wiped his glasses and said, ‘Well, don’t worry about it, Sarratt. The Secretary’s sold and he can sell the Minister. I don’t think he’ll really take much notice even if the Committee isn’t favourable.’
I said, ‘Sounds like a useful sort of committee.’"
"I said, ‘We don’t want a committee. What we want is a decision.’
‘I think the Secretary has accepted the idea,’ said Lennox. ‘I talked to him, and he seemed very keen.’
‘Then why the Pete has he appointed a committee to gas about it? The whole thing was set out in my memorandum. He’d only got to say “Yes” or “No”.’
‘He just wanted it discussed to see if any difficulties emerged, I expect.’
‘They will,’ I said. ‘That’s all that will emerge.’
Lennox wiped his glasses and said, ‘Well, don’t worry about it, Sarratt. The Secretary’s sold and he can sell the Minister. I don’t think he’ll really take much notice even if the Committee isn’t favourable.’
I said, ‘Sounds like a useful sort of committee.’"
May 11, 2020
Strange combination of wartime action (London air-raids) love triangle and office politics. It was interesting/unusual to read about both the gradual intensification of the air-raids and the shifting of attitudes to the "new normal" and the struggle of the civil service to manage industry. The "thoroughly modern" affair (conducted with full knowledge of both spouses) served as the key example of the main character's control-freakery and the whole point of the book . 3.5 stars rounding down.
November 21, 2021
After a 3+ decade career in a US government agency, I particularly appreciate Balchin's depiction of the absurdities of bureaucratic life, which still rings true. His matter-of-fact depiction of life during the blitz was compelling. As noted by another reviewer, the pejorative references to "jew boys" and a "Jewess" were off-putting, but undoubtedly reflect the reality of British anti-semitism. That irritant aside, I am glad to have discovered this author, thanks to Harriet Gilbert's BBC books program.
September 28, 2022
If only the whole book had been of the literary strength of the last few chapers. The rest gives finite detail of conversations that do not always have any relevance to the limited plot and any sense of the devistation caused by the blitz is purely an aside from an unfaithful wife and quite dull professional bickering. I don't quite understand where the comedy was that others draw reference to, some only mildly amusing comments but few and far between. Essentially I didn't care for the charachters, expensive dinners, business meetings etc not my cup of tea.
July 23, 2021
So tightly written. Fantastic characterisation.
I was stuck not knowing whether I hated or loved the narrator, identified with him or wanted to strangle him. That's testament to the human complexity that Balchin manages to weave into his militarily precise prose.
The fact some of his quips made me literally laugh out loud was a plus as well. I have highlighted some of his descriptions of characters' appearances. Top knotch stuff.
I was stuck not knowing whether I hated or loved the narrator, identified with him or wanted to strangle him. That's testament to the human complexity that Balchin manages to weave into his militarily precise prose.
The fact some of his quips made me literally laugh out loud was a plus as well. I have highlighted some of his descriptions of characters' appearances. Top knotch stuff.
December 11, 2021
Excellent
Really enjoyed this book it took me back to another time like watching an old black and white movie. The main character Bill Sarratt is what England used to be all about with his stiff upper lip and jolly hockey stick approch to life.Beautifully written by an Expert writer
Really enjoyed this book it took me back to another time like watching an old black and white movie. The main character Bill Sarratt is what England used to be all about with his stiff upper lip and jolly hockey stick approch to life.Beautifully written by an Expert writer
February 27, 2023
Has the vibe of Graham Greene and Eric Ambler. Massively dialogue based. An interesting document of the realities of the Blitz in London, against which a triangular love story plays out as well as a tale of Kafkaesque bureaucracy. Unusual and well worth the read.
May 29, 2017
Review pending
July 10, 2019
Thanks to the Backlisted podcast for introducing me to this "forgotten book."
November 12, 2011
Nigel Balchin also wrote under the pseudonym of Mark Spade. He was born on December 3rd 1908, he was an English novelist and screenwriter particularly known for his novels written during and immediately after World War II: Darkness Falls From the Air, The Small Back Room (which popularised the terms "boffin" and "backroom boys") and Mine Own Executioner.
After my dad passed away, I inherited a lot of his books, and this is one of them. Since his library was quite spectacular back home in Mexico, I am happy to hold some of his books in my hands, and to have the possibility to read some of the same books he read in his lifetime. I know he was quite fond of mysteries, which he called "Who done its" and also stories of WWII, in which he participated himself in the underground movement. He once told me he met Ian Flemming and that he loved his James Bond books.
This book "Darkness falls from the air" was written during the time of the bombing of London (The London Blitz), and one can feel the reality of the situation. My dad told me that he was in Berlin working with the underground movement when Berlin was bombed and that he had been in the building across the street where he lived because the air raid had started and he had not had enough time to make it to his building's basement. When the alarm was lifted and he went back up, his building was gone and his two best friends had died. It was a struck of good luck that he did not die that day but all he remembered was sitting on the curbside and crying and throwing up and the stench of burned human flesh.I wrote a short story called "A woman's sixth's scents" that has this Memoir of his in it. Reading this book brought back some of the stories my father used to tell me when I was a girl about WWII.
The story is that of an intelligent civil servant working in the Ministry who devises theories that will have England win the war, and how each theory is torn to pieces during the red tape it goes through. It is a bit depressing, but it has such a ring of truthfulness about it that one can see that the author used a lot of his personal experiences working in the Ministry to pen these passages. The civil servant is also going through a rough patch in his marriage, with his wife, a solid and dependable woman, who suddenly abandons her ways to have an affair with a soppy and emotional artist who wears his feelings on his sleeves, and yet makes her feel alive. There is a lot of back and forth in which she keeps promising that the affair is over only to go back to her lover and then back to the husband. All this takes place under curfews, siren alarms, bombings and the all clear alarms and in the chaos of war, one finds a way for normalcy, though it is egg shell thin. The climax of both his work and his love life are gripping and I was not expecting either denouement to happen that way, and the results are the real consequences of WWII.
My favorite quotes: "I told him my OBE joke and he said that personally he was sucking up to the Grand High Sponge of the Order of the Bath". (pg. 177) This is the kind of creative thinking that I love! It is like the cursing: "Flea bitten rabidly mangy tail of a rat", there is so much color and humor!
"We trailed along the corridor to the conference room, Baxter leading the way at a proper ministerial pace, andante pomposo ma non troppo lento". (pg. 180) This one made me laugh and laugh at the thought of them all marching in line with such decorum, so very English!
He wrote several other books including "A way through the wood" which was made into the movie Separate Lies which has a similar theme to this book. Reading his biography in Wikkipaedia : (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Ba...) made me see some of the similarities between his life and his writings. His children all became prominent people as well.
After my dad passed away, I inherited a lot of his books, and this is one of them. Since his library was quite spectacular back home in Mexico, I am happy to hold some of his books in my hands, and to have the possibility to read some of the same books he read in his lifetime. I know he was quite fond of mysteries, which he called "Who done its" and also stories of WWII, in which he participated himself in the underground movement. He once told me he met Ian Flemming and that he loved his James Bond books.
This book "Darkness falls from the air" was written during the time of the bombing of London (The London Blitz), and one can feel the reality of the situation. My dad told me that he was in Berlin working with the underground movement when Berlin was bombed and that he had been in the building across the street where he lived because the air raid had started and he had not had enough time to make it to his building's basement. When the alarm was lifted and he went back up, his building was gone and his two best friends had died. It was a struck of good luck that he did not die that day but all he remembered was sitting on the curbside and crying and throwing up and the stench of burned human flesh.I wrote a short story called "A woman's sixth's scents" that has this Memoir of his in it. Reading this book brought back some of the stories my father used to tell me when I was a girl about WWII.
The story is that of an intelligent civil servant working in the Ministry who devises theories that will have England win the war, and how each theory is torn to pieces during the red tape it goes through. It is a bit depressing, but it has such a ring of truthfulness about it that one can see that the author used a lot of his personal experiences working in the Ministry to pen these passages. The civil servant is also going through a rough patch in his marriage, with his wife, a solid and dependable woman, who suddenly abandons her ways to have an affair with a soppy and emotional artist who wears his feelings on his sleeves, and yet makes her feel alive. There is a lot of back and forth in which she keeps promising that the affair is over only to go back to her lover and then back to the husband. All this takes place under curfews, siren alarms, bombings and the all clear alarms and in the chaos of war, one finds a way for normalcy, though it is egg shell thin. The climax of both his work and his love life are gripping and I was not expecting either denouement to happen that way, and the results are the real consequences of WWII.
My favorite quotes: "I told him my OBE joke and he said that personally he was sucking up to the Grand High Sponge of the Order of the Bath". (pg. 177) This is the kind of creative thinking that I love! It is like the cursing: "Flea bitten rabidly mangy tail of a rat", there is so much color and humor!
"We trailed along the corridor to the conference room, Baxter leading the way at a proper ministerial pace, andante pomposo ma non troppo lento". (pg. 180) This one made me laugh and laugh at the thought of them all marching in line with such decorum, so very English!
He wrote several other books including "A way through the wood" which was made into the movie Separate Lies which has a similar theme to this book. Reading his biography in Wikkipaedia : (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Ba...) made me see some of the similarities between his life and his writings. His children all became prominent people as well.
July 23, 2022
The book Balchin wrote immediately before the Small Back Room is funnier and subtler, though not quite as exciting. It’s earlier in the war, and the London Blitz is in full cry. Bill Sarrett, another first person protagonist but less bitter than Sam Rice, is a civil servant with a commercial background who seems to be working in the Ministry of Production (though the ministry is never named). He is allowing his wife to conduct an on-off affair with an effete poet. Marcia, the wife, is brilliantly drawn - caring, passionate clearly unfulfilled by her marriage to Bill, who is very cerebral and analytical. Cleverly we are made to sympathise with Bill during the office scenes, but during the domestic scenes he, is he says himself, like a Birmingham stockbroker and obviously rather stolid.
The scenes in a half-empty West End of London, whilst most of the raids are on the East, superbly show a world of heavy drinking and hedonism. As in The Small Back Room the sexual relationships are very modern, though of course class distinctions and casual sexism are very much of the period.
The office scenes are fascinating. There is discussion of a rivalry between those with a public sector and private sector background that foreshadows more recent workplace thinking. In a conversation with Sarrett, the department PR man, Haines, a more wordly-wise voice, expresses this nicely: ‘If you try to run a thing like this with just Civil Servants it just gets wrapped round with red tape. If you run it with business men it’s a racket. So they mix them up… you can’t blame the businessmen. They come and work without salaries. Everybody licks their boots and hangs on their words. There’s nothing very queer about it if they make a bit on the side.’
We are left wondering how ever we won the war. Some of the scenes in the ministry are laugh out loud funny, as Sarrett copes with bungling prevarication and incompetence. He is clever at irony and very perceptive, but still idealistic enough to mind when he is being shafted.
It all adds up to an incredibly good read. Atmospheric, funny, suspenseful and somehow utterly believable.
The scenes in a half-empty West End of London, whilst most of the raids are on the East, superbly show a world of heavy drinking and hedonism. As in The Small Back Room the sexual relationships are very modern, though of course class distinctions and casual sexism are very much of the period.
The office scenes are fascinating. There is discussion of a rivalry between those with a public sector and private sector background that foreshadows more recent workplace thinking. In a conversation with Sarrett, the department PR man, Haines, a more wordly-wise voice, expresses this nicely: ‘If you try to run a thing like this with just Civil Servants it just gets wrapped round with red tape. If you run it with business men it’s a racket. So they mix them up… you can’t blame the businessmen. They come and work without salaries. Everybody licks their boots and hangs on their words. There’s nothing very queer about it if they make a bit on the side.’
We are left wondering how ever we won the war. Some of the scenes in the ministry are laugh out loud funny, as Sarrett copes with bungling prevarication and incompetence. He is clever at irony and very perceptive, but still idealistic enough to mind when he is being shafted.
It all adds up to an incredibly good read. Atmospheric, funny, suspenseful and somehow utterly believable.
February 16, 2017
Darkness Falls from the Air reads like a proto-The End of the Affair, with a more terse and weary narration than Graham Greene's lyrically wrought classic. It shifts the focus of the love triangle narrative from the melodramatic writer, to the restrained civil servant. It also adds a layer of ironic humour, through Nigel Balchin's mastery with dialogue. The humour is predominantly brought out in the scenes set within the governmental departments where everything is falling apart, and despite the ongoing war, bureaucracy reigns supreme. Balchin novel is a classic English novel of the second world war.
August 6, 2019
Classic Blitz novel, telling the tale of London in 1940 through the relationships between three people. Amazingly written in 1942, before the tide of the war turned against the Nazis, so there's no real optimism or hope in here. The language and attitudes are very much of the period - reminded me very much of a much bleaker 'Brief Encounter'
September 2, 2012
Nigel Balchin at the peak of his powers.
Incisive dialogue.
Atmospheric, from the workplace to the streets, in the clubs and at home.
Sporadically and ultimately, as Caroline says elsewhere here, heartbreaking.
Incisive dialogue.
Atmospheric, from the workplace to the streets, in the clubs and at home.
Sporadically and ultimately, as Caroline says elsewhere here, heartbreaking.
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