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A review by kimswhims
Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford
4.0
2021 Booker Longlist
The opening chapter of this book, describing a bomb exploding in the middle of a South London Woolworths (in a fictional Bexford), has to be one of the best opening Chapters I've ever read.
"The light is grey and sullen: a smoulder, a flare choking on the soot of its own burning, and leaking only a little of its power into the visible spectrum. The rest is heat and motion......"
then later moving into the sliding glass door moment
Come, other future. Come, mercy not manifest in time; come knowledge not obtainable in time. Come, other chances. Come unsounded deep. Come, undivided light.
Come dust.
The children who's lives were to be snuffed out in an instant, instead are given time to grow and make their way through to the remainder of 20th Century London, into the next century, however, I never felt very connected to any of them. I never really felt emotionally invested, despite the brilliant writing and the interesting characterisation. So for me, all I wanted to do was get to the end of this book so I could read something I was more engaged with. Maybe it's me not the book. I did pause it partway through because I really wasn't connecting but that didn't really help either. I'm pleased I read it, maybe it would improve on a reread, however, back to the library with it now.
The opening chapter of this book, describing a bomb exploding in the middle of a South London Woolworths (in a fictional Bexford), has to be one of the best opening Chapters I've ever read.
"The light is grey and sullen: a smoulder, a flare choking on the soot of its own burning, and leaking only a little of its power into the visible spectrum. The rest is heat and motion......"
then later moving into the sliding glass door moment
Come, other future. Come, mercy not manifest in time; come knowledge not obtainable in time. Come, other chances. Come unsounded deep. Come, undivided light.
Come dust.
The children who's lives were to be snuffed out in an instant, instead are given time to grow and make their way through to the remainder of 20th Century London, into the next century, however, I never felt very connected to any of them. I never really felt emotionally invested, despite the brilliant writing and the interesting characterisation. So for me, all I wanted to do was get to the end of this book so I could read something I was more engaged with. Maybe it's me not the book. I did pause it partway through because I really wasn't connecting but that didn't really help either. I'm pleased I read it, maybe it would improve on a reread, however, back to the library with it now.