A review by thebobsphere
The Dark Circle by Linda Grant

3.0

Bailey's Women's Prize for fiction 8/16

At one point during The Dark Circle, One of the main protagonists, Valarie is describing Kafka to the other lead protagonist Lenny. Here Grant plonks a perfect analogy for all the characters in this novel are living in a Kafkaesque situation.

The Dark Circle is primarily about the post war sanatorium culture, where people suffering from TB were placed in buildings which resembled hotels and subjected to both utter boredom and healing techniques which would be seen as cruel and unusual by today's standards. During this time the NHS was established, which meant that people from all sorts of backgrounds were allowed to enter sanatoriums.

The two main characters of The Dark Circle, twins Lenny and Miriam are admitted and a lot of the novel focuses one their life and daily interactions with the other patients; the bookish Valarie, the boisterous American Arthur and the German Hannah. Eventually the main protagonists are cured but they cannot shake off the sanatorium's influence, which affects them, even in old age.

While the writing style is good, The Dark Circle has got flaws. The American character is stereotypical, and acts like something out of a 70's sitcom, the LBGT aspect of the novel is good but could have been better and the last 50 pages or so feel rushed. It still is an enjoyable novel and some of Grant's paragraph sparkle with humor. I am a bit baffled why this one made the Bailey's shortlist though.