The characters are well drawn and the historical scope expertly researched and outlined, however I found the plot a little unfocussed and the book didn't always hold my attention. I would definitely read more by this author though

This was interesting enough to keep me reading till the end, but not enough to stop me resenting the time I gave to it. It has a great premise but the events, with one or two exceptions, are unsurprising. The secondary characters are well drawn but Drum and Carter feel two-dimensional and the author doesn't do enough to explain the extraordinary hold they have on each other.

Still, there's a strong sense of period and place and the prose is beautifully rendered, even if there is far too much of it.
*
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley.

From the cover on, this felt like a read from the past; covering 60 years of British history and telling the story of two men, on upperclass the other working class, their 'friendship' which began when they both joined the National Service in the 1950s, the power imbalance between them, their lives moving on to marriage and family and farms next to each other... to the cold war and a twist in their complex relationship. Beautifully written, and so good to read a novel that takes its time. Probably a novel baby boomers and older will especially enjoy.

Another one from my TBR pile that i had my eye on for a while. The title becomes clear later in the book, its a novel spanning decades and the friendship/relationship between Carter and Moore. Its not always a healthy relationship but its one that gets under your skin. The story starts after the second world war and dances its way through British history until this century. it focuses on the main characters and their complex relationships with each other and their own families, global events and their impact on the life of Moore and Carter. Strong social British history with a family dynamic.

The story is told over six decades and tells the story of two friends who met during their National Service. The family saga unfolds, exploring relationships and family dynamics, and the effects of global events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the War on Terror. Recommended for readers who enjoy a traditional family saga with notable historical events as a backdrop to the story.

A beautifully written, thoughtful and powerful portrait of Britain, the effects of class within our society and how national and international events shape individual lives and family dynamics through the generations.

Drum and Carter cross paths when they join National Service in the 1950s. They loosely become friends on the first night after Drum notices a cards scam in progress and discretely alerts Carter, allowing him to avert a large gambling loss. However, the friendship is very much on Carter's terms, viewing Drum as a subservient useful asset and good luck charm. Coming from a respected and high ranking military family, Carter ostensibly takes Drum under his wing, securing safer postings but without Drum having any say.

Carter continues to exert a strong influence over Drum throughout his life, giving rise to significant family tensions. Through rich details and descriptions the time periods feel authentic and come alive, with historical events resonating through complicated characters and their complex relationships.

There are so many great reviews of this book and I really wanted to like it but I found myself skim reading and wanting the plot to progress. In the end I gave up but I may come back to the tale in the future

I did not enjoy this book at all partly as it failed to meet my expectations from the initial blurb about it. It was a very slow, confusing read with a plot that did not seem to be relative to the story at times. This was more a family saga spreading over the years which included some British history but this was incidental and I was probably looking for more historic information as opposed to incidental type references to the period.
To anyone who just likes family dramas it would be of more interest and then the characters may well come alive to those readers. I am sorry but this just did not rock my boat.

This book feels like a bit of a throwback, to old school generation-spanning family sagas, that I used to read quite a lot of when I was in my 20s! It follows in those writing traditions-2 families, belonging to different socio-economic strata, the fathers/patriarchs of the family usually bound to each other through a defining act of trauma, and the ways their lives and families' lives intersect. Usually these family sagas I've read span the World Wars, so it was nice to read one that's set after World War 2, and specifically one of the character's lives, set at the FOrd plant in Dagenham. I haven't read much about the industrial strikes that happened across England in the 60s and 70s, so this made the book really interesting. Evers' writing gives you an excellent sense of the personal minutiae of daily life, played out against the wider world, and the ways that intrudes, in a way that doesn't feel forced at all-our lives do play out against a constant backdrop of global upheaval! The book moves across multiple time periods, till present-day, and each time period is very evocatively rendered-the ever-present worry of nuclear annihilation through the 60s and 80s, ( it was quite troubling when Afghanistan is mentioned, a stark reminder of the ways that country has served as a proxy battleground for the Cold War, and the War on Terror, such as it is). While Evers is great at writing specific scenes and conversations, for the male protagonists Drum and Carter, and evoking time periods, his writing falters when it comes to the other characters, whose storylines felt a bit tired. The book's eminently readable, however, as a perfect weekday read when you need an immersive book that takes your mind completely off your surroundings.

I love books which cover a wide span of history. William Boyd's Any Human Heart for instance is a wonderful book covering most of the twentieth century. The Blind Light sweeps across sixty years or so and is focused on the friendship of Carter and Drummond who meet while doing National Service.

The writing is superb but I wasn't as fully engrossed in the story as I wanted to be. Evers' prose is exquisite but I wanted to feel more invested in the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Two Fingered Gardener
Product Tester and Garden Writer and Professional Book Reviewer

Book Review “The Blind Light” by Stuart Evers
JUNE 1, 2021 ~ NIKIPRESTON
Star rating = 4 stars

From friendships to love, lies and deceit this book, although a slow burner has it all. Covering 60 years of British history it’s a book well worth reading. the characters are strong and you certainly have a affinity for them and the twists and turns that leads to the ultimate betrayal; a broken promise.

The book revolves around two central characters, Drummond, known as Drum and Carter. Set against the backdrop of the Cold War and the very real threat of a Nuclear Strike. Drum and Carter meet during their time in national Service, in The catering Core. Their lives become entwined from then on with Carter always being the driving force in Drum’s life and the decisions he comes to make, from marriage and children to moving to a farm right next door to Carter.

Both men go on to marry and have children. The threat of Nuclear War weighs heavy on Drum in particular and he becomes obsessed with Carters bunker in which he believes both families will be safe from any strike. An incident that occurs in the bunker leads to family separation and angst all round.

I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for something a little different. A thought provoking read that gives an in depth view of how ones decisions can rule and change your life forever

Release date: May 2021

Publisher : Pan Macmillan Picador

ISBN: 9781529031003

Reviewed By: Niki Preston

Facebook : For The Love of Books @bookwormnjp

Twitter: @Nikijrp

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Drum and Carter are forever bound by very strong links that can only be forged between soldiers. Here soldiers in a war that never happened but a war that was very real in the consciousness of those who lived during the cold war and under the constant threat of an atomic apocalypse. We follow them through the years from the '60s up until 2019 when Drum passes. We get to see all the intricacies and complexity of their relationship that lasted for decades despite their differences. Drum's family gets quite a bit of coverage too and through their stories we also explore British history: inter-racial relationships, LGBT history, social unrest, the rave scene, terrorism and so on.

It is the first time I read a novel about the atomic threat, the drills and the impact it had on a generation that's almost gone. I've been lucky to have learned a bit about this part of British history in my interactions with an acquaintance who had vivid memories about the '70s in particular, about all the TV programs trying to teach the masses what to do in case of an atomic bomb dropping on the UK. In my part of the world we were not aware of this fear and all the preparations going on on the Western front :D. So from this point of view I've really appreciated the novelty. But also the intensity and desperation that is portrayed very well, especially in Drum.

My criticism is that The Blind Light is a very long novel. At the end of it, I felt like patting myself on the back for going through the 540 pages. There were quite a few moments when I really wanted to be done with it. Also the bits told from Aneka and Nate's points of view bored me. This parts could have been cut without affecting the book one bit lol. But, despite all this, Stuart Evers writing has a je ne sais quoi that kept me reading. Drum and Carter's friendship fascinated me. It verges on the incredible when the relationship between 2 human beings goes on forever. Not to mention the emotions involved and those scenes at the end of Drum's life really made up for everything else.

A darker Jonathan Coe, still with moments of humour

Some years ago I was offered a book of short stories by an author new to me, Stuart Evers, Ten Stories About Smoking. I am not a smoker, and was not particularly interested in the idea of short stories linked by cigarettes, but I was interested in Evers writing, which I thought was fine. I assumed the book was the result of some kind of ‘clever’ (maybe not) marketing idea, and that the conceit was forced.

I must have filed away Evers as ‘one to watch’ as a writer, because when I was offered this one, on Net Galley, it was a half remembered ‘I know I read something by this writer, very much liked his writing, but was underwhelmed for some reason by the subject matter’

So I was absolutely intrigued by the premise of this one. The description, about friendship, class, and how National Service, which was not formally ended until the early 60s, brought together men of very different class, all at a time when attitudes were beginning to change

The time of the novel’s starting, late in the 50s, early in the 60s, was also the time of intensity in the Cold War, and certainly there was an underlying fear during that time that the threat of nuclear war was looming very close indeed (The Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961, and the Cuban Missile Crisis had the world holding its breath)

Drummond Moore, a factory worker from Dagenham, and Jim Carter, the privileged and somewhat louche scion of a father deep in the Establishment, meet in 1959, on their National Service. An unlikely (for both, as their class viewpoints, left/right are so very different) friendship transpires, when Drum rescues Carter from a situation where his lack of any ‘nous’ would have had him being the victim in a shady card game. Drum’s sense of fair play makes him break class loyalty to rescue the ‘toff’ Upon such a small thing, lives change. Instead of being posted on active service, Carter’s family pull strings to get him safe in an army base in Cumbria, Doom Town, where scenarios are being played out around what might happen in a nuclear Armageddon. Carter wrangles Drum into the safer posting.

The effects of the army exercises around Nuclear War on both men are quite profound, but infinitely more on Drum, a man of much greater imagination.

Both men also have things to feel guilt and shame about, in their friendship as it unfolds over 60 years. To some extent Carter is a user, and his class attitude of patronisation of Drum creates a deep resentment, Nonetheless their friendship has a lifelong quality, and extends, in some fashion, to their wives and their children, though the challenges of class positions are also intensely strong.

I found this, for the most part, an absorbing and fascinating read, switching between points of view.

There is a dramatic event which I wasn’t completely convinced about (other than as a storytelling device to really shake things up) and felt I had to work a little, to suspend disbelief, but this was a welcome, absorbing read, with well drawn characters, and a sweep through social history through the lives of these characters over a 60 year period

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me access to this as an ARC.
Recommended. I am now minded to explore a couple of earlier books by Evers, a novel, and a book of short stories with a more coherent subject link than smoking! (parents and children)

I really wanted to love this book, but I really struggled to engage with the characters and the plot, especially at the beginning. I'm glad I persevered to the end of the story, and I would read more work by the same author, I just don't think this book was the one for me.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book!

Firstly I think that the comparison with the American greats is overstated. But this is a very good book. It is well written, well plotted and with a really good sense of time and place. The characters are well drawn and believable. It is a tale based around the Cold War for most of the book and the way that relationships were formed during that time and the impact that the threat of nucleur war had on various.people and their relationships. I enjoyed the writing style and the social references to the times, all of which I lived thorugh and most of which I can remember. Although not with the over-riding fear of nucleur war that Evers engenders in this book - even though I had friends in the Civil Defence Corp. With thanks to the publishers, the author and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book. 5/5

I haven't read any of this author's books before and was looking forward to reading this one especially it's retelling of modern UK history. However, I was sadly disappointed finding his ponderous style quite irritating, and the beginning of the book confusing with regard to place and characters. Even when I had worked this out I found I didn't really care what happened to any of the protagonists, and did skim over some parts.
Thank you to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of this book

As the 1950s draw to a close, and the Cold War escalates, the shape of Drummond Moore’s life is changed beyond measure when he strikes up an unlikely friendship with James Carter, a rich and well-connected fellow National Serviceman. Carter leads him to Doom Town – an Army base that seeks to recreate the effects of a nuclear war – where he meets Gwen, a barmaid with whom he shares an instant connection. These unforeseen events have dramatic aftershocks that reverberate for generations. Set over sixty years of British history, The Blind Light is the compelling story of one family as they deal with the personal and political fallout of their times, and one that builds to a devastating conclusion.

‘The Blind Light’ encourages the reader to think about how certain domestic and international episodes can affect individuals in a way that is both personal and universal. Nevertheless, the real strength of this novel is the meticulous way in which Evers explores family relationships and, in particular, parenting. What makes people as they are? What binds them and undoes them? What engenders loyalty and what encourages duplicity? Nothing is simple yet absolutes are recognised.

Not an easy, quick read and it requires your attention but a good read overall. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

In some of its advance press, Stuart Evers’s The Blind Light has been compared to the likes of DeLillo, Bellow and Franzen. I can’t help but feel this kind of praise is somewhat holding the author as a hostage to fortune as it’s going to be near-impossible to live up to that kind of hype. And, sure enough, it’s nowhere in that kind of league. (Which is no reflection on Evers. The UK has singularly failed to produce a novelist remotely of the same calibre as the American greats for decades now — perhaps the last novel that came anywhere close being Alasdair Gray’s Lanark and that now being a good 30 years ago.)

But even if they are a little overenthusiastic, the comparisons are understandable. It’s no doubt Underworld that The Observer’s reviewer is thinking of with the DeLillo analogy because there are superficial similarities. Both are lengthy, decade-spanning novels that combine an element of social history around a unifying concept — the concept in this case being Britain’s role as a nuclear power from the 1950s onwards.

In theory, this should be fascinating — from the mock military town for drills to the cultural impact of the TV film Threads in the 1980s. I’m just not sure the book leaned into it as much as it could. Rather it presents the nuclear aspects as pretty much background colour without really bringing them into focus in the way that I feel DeLillo would. In fact, rather than Underworld (or any of DeLillo’s work) I’d be more inclined to think of a southern analogue to James Robertson’s And The Land Lay Still, replacing the road to Scottish independence with the nuclear fear.

The Franzen comparison is probably closer to the mark. The Blind Light is essentially a family saga in the mould of The Corrections. And it’s on those terms that it works well and the inter-generational relationships between the Drummond and Carter families is never anything less than highly readable. The characters are very well drawn, although having so much of the novel focalised through Drum, perhaps the dullest or certainly the most emotionally inscrutable of the characters was perhaps counterproductive. I could have done with a bit more from wife Gwen or daughter Neka’s POV at times.

Evers’s handling of POV is, in fact, highly intricate, slipping between characters between (and sometimes within) paragraphs. Normally, this is a Creative Writing 101 No-No but Evers handles it with great skill and it gives the novel a nicely expansive feel. It’s not just one person’s story but everyone’s, so to speak. All the same, there are points where the slippage gets a bit too much and narrative flow stumbles as the reader tries to figure out from just whose perspective they are now reading.

Nevertheless, there’s many great passages here and it’s fine, impactful writing. The scenes set around the stultifying (for some) life on a Midlands farm are particularly evocative. Less successful are the London sections and life in 1960s Dagenham, for example, didn’t quite lift itself off the page. Similarly, some time periods fare better than others. Evers evokes the 70s and 80s well but the early sections set in the 50s don’t quite achieve the same sense of time.

But The Blind Light is to be applauded for its ambition, even if it doesn’t quite always achieve it. In an age where too much British literature tends towards tired thriller tropes or self-indulgent introspection, a novel that attempts to engage with the country as a whole, with its past and with its future is to be applauded. And in this it is largely and gratifyingly successful.

The Blind Light is an epic of masterful story telling, covering the lives of two men and their families over the period from just after the Second World War until the present day. The men are from very different backgrounds and social classes, but their lives intertwine throughout the story in surprising and often moving ways. This is a difficult book to review without spoilers, but the writing is fluid and often beautiful, the characters complete and believable and the settings described in forensic detail and always real and visible to the reader. A reviewer will often summarise a story in few words but this reviewer hopes to whet your appetite to read this book and experience the writing for yourself.

The story spans nearly six decades and covers the lives of Drum and Carter, two friends who met during their National Service; as well as their families, throughout the decades after they meet. The reader gets a haunting exploration of the details of their daily lives, relationships and family dynamics all set against the backdrop of global events over the years: From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the War on Terror, from the Dagenham strikes to Foot and Mouth.

I really wanted to like this book, but it turned out to be just an ambitious novel, which did not manage to keep me interested. I wasn’t fully engaged in the story, nor was I invested in the characters. On the other hand, the writing style was not my cup of tea either. Also, at the beginning I was constantly confused and couldn't follow the plot line. It took me a while to understand the relationship between the characters.

The Blind Light will be published on 24 June. Thanks to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Picador for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.