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wslockard 's review for:
The Night Watch
by Sarah Waters
I was moved by the structure of this book. It starts at present-day -- and what I mean by "present-day" is that the Second World War is over. The feel of post-war London seems to be a great mise-en-scene to place 21st century moods and frustrations. The main characters are lost and directionless. I continued reading because I wanted to see where they would go, or what decisions they would make.
I was not surprised to encounter the following sections of the book that bring the reader back to the hard months and years of London during the war -- the nightly bombings. "Flashbacks" are perfectly necessary and expected to demonstrate how the characters arrived at their present-day states.
However, the book continues to go back. The last section of the book takes place prior to the Blitz, when the characters were perhaps at their most optimistic. And yes, this creates the illusion of a happy ending, but when I closed the book, I thought, "Wait. But this is not a happy ending. They are still sitting miserable in their present-day lives." Also, I revisited their present-day states and discovered that I had questions, but naturally I didn't expect answers. I empathized even more deeply with their disappointment.
I was not surprised to encounter the following sections of the book that bring the reader back to the hard months and years of London during the war -- the nightly bombings. "Flashbacks" are perfectly necessary and expected to demonstrate how the characters arrived at their present-day states.
However, the book continues to go back. The last section of the book takes place prior to the Blitz, when the characters were perhaps at their most optimistic. And yes, this creates the illusion of a happy ending, but when I closed the book, I thought, "Wait. But this is not a happy ending. They are still sitting miserable in their present-day lives." Also, I revisited their present-day states and discovered that I had questions, but naturally I didn't expect answers. I empathized even more deeply with their disappointment.