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Cloudless by Rupert Dastur

I cried reading this debut novel from British writer Rupert Dastur.

It’s autumn 2004 and Catrin and John are sheep farmers in North Wales. They’ve raised two sons, Harri and Rhys, and their marriage is struggling in the wake of Harri’s departure to Iraq, serving with the British forces there following the Allied invasion.

As they await Harri’s return home to Wales, they retreat further inside themselves and away from each other to cope with the fear that something will happen to Harri. John has developed a gambling problem and accomplished pianist Catrin is exploring the rekindling of an old flame with her former beau Matt.

In gorgeous prose, these flawed but very human characters are wonderfully drawn, with very real hopes, longings and fears. The chapters are punctuated with excepts from the Chilcott Report and the number of casualties lost in the war (or “Iraq Body Count”).

As a mother of three sons and a sworn pacifist myself, I felt Catrin’s pain and worry over Harri, and fury over the sheer futility of a war that should never have happened.

A powerful, humane debut novel that (intentionally or not) makes the case for peace as well as any other novel I’ve read. 4.5/5⭐️

Sincere thanks to @penguinbooksuk for the arc via @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Cloudless will be published next week.

This is one of my favorite types of books. Where we learn about a family or a cast of characters. And this author did it so well.
I was invested in this Welsh family almost immediately. And felt so very sad for them at time.
There is lost love. Lost potential lives. There is war and enlisting and what that means for those left at home. There's the very real.struggles within a family and then further out.
The tedious farming life was written well. It's not easy at the moment. Never mind when a family seem ready to implode both individually and one eachother!
It isn't a lighthearted read. But it's depth and successful prose made it all worth it

What an interesting debut. Subtle prose filled with empathy and sensitivity.
The book is about a Welsh family and its struggles, but it's also about the micro and macro world. Our personal tragedies are devastating to us at a time but ultimately in a bigger perspective are they as big as we think? And how tragedy on the other side of the world may impact the life of an ordinary family, who seems to have nothing to do with it?
It's a sad but enjoyable story.

This is a well written and thoughtful book, with believable characters and an author who obviously has strong opinions about the Iraq war.
But it is very bleak, there is maybe a glimmer of hope at the end but it is been a traumatic journey for both protagonists and readers to get there.
It's very difficult to "award" stars for a book of this type - maybe 4 for the writing which did keep me readng through the gloom of the story
Thank you to netgalley and Penguin UK for an advance copy of this book.

Set during the time of the second Gulf war, this book follows the fortunes of a small farming family in Wales. The father, John, has worked the farm all his life and wants to hand it over to his sons. But the increasing difficulties with the costs of farming push him further into a gambling addiction. His wife, Catrin, gave up a life at university and a more glamorous future to stay in Wales. The return of an old sweetheart shows her the life she could have had and tempts her away from her family. The eldest son, Harri, signed up to the army before the war started and is now stuck in the middle of it. The younger son, Rhys, is living through the troublesome teenage years in a difficult atmosphere at home while they all wait for Harri to, hopefully, return. All of these events and experiences threaten the farm and the life they all lead.

From early on in this book, I was fairly certain I was going to give it a good review but my reaction to the end made me realise I’d underestimated how invested I’d been in the characters and the story. It’s not always an easy read with the themes of gambling and war but it really gripped me and is one I would definitely recommend to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

It is autumn 2004 and in a farmhouse on the hills outside Llandudno, a family endures the agonizing wait for their son to return from Iraq. His decision to join up has left them reeling, yet there are other pressing concerns to be met at home: the working of the farmland that has been theirs for generations and what to do with their troubled younger son.

This is a beautifully written book. The descriptions of landscapes, people and animals are breathtaking. It immediately envelops the reader in the central family with all the problems which surround them. Great writing and satisfying reading.

I liked this book.
The background was a Welsh farming family's life.
The eldest son was fighting in the Iraq war, and the father was a gambler. The mother was a pianist who gave lessons.
Meanwhile running a sheep farm in Wales was not easy going.
The characters were superb. The storyline was good, the anecdotes were good.
As often is the case with this type of novel the wrap-up was hurried.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 *

This was an interesting and emotional read!

I enjoyed seeing glampses of both the main characters, as well as their son's letters in between (which were particularly emotional in my opinion, and a great addition!). Harri's chapter when he's back home for a few weeks during break was by far my favourite!

I didn't quite care for all the detail in the farm life unfortunately, but that's more personal taste than anything else - I felt confused by a lot of it. But John's battle with gambling, and the road to recovery was super engaging.

I felt for Catrin the most, and really enjoyed her chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free digital copy of this book!

Interesting and intermittently moving study of a farming family under pressure, whether due to financial pressures, gambling, the desire for an emotional connection or through the stress of a son serving in Iraq. Use of excerpts from the Chilton inquiry reinforces the serious tone, and there’s an inexorable sense of heading to disaster on numerous fronts (home and military),

Whilst there is an emotional connection, I also felt that there was a stiltedness at times, and some rather heavy foreshadowing which I found not in keeping with the general quality of some of the writing. There are some heavy handed comparisons of e.g fuel duty officers and the search for WMD which I found a bit much - the point had been made more subtly.
Overall an interesting read, and as a debut novel it shows clear promise for the future.

The book was a good read about a family with troubles and challenges which will be relatable for many. Within families there are often secrets, some with serious consequences as happens within this story. As it evolves with different scenarios you could be led in various directions but eventually everything comes together but with unexpected results.

The novel was beautifully constructed. The surroundings and countryside descriptions are wonderful and everything is built around their lives on a farm. Cleverly bringing in the contrasts of life in Iraq and life on the farm disintegrating under extreme stress both within the marriage of Catrin and John but also with both needing to look outside their cocooned life whilst trying to hold things together for their two sons who are both struggling with their own turmoil.

This was an excellent novel bringing together topics which would change the lives of future generations.

A debut novel from an award winning short story writer – the novel after a poetic epigraph (RS Thomas’s 1950s “The Welsh Hill Country” with its bleak description of the decay and isolation of rural Welsh farming life) the book then opens its first chapter (November 2024 with a subtitle of the Iraq Body Count – a public database of violent civilian deaths in the illegal invasion of Iraq 2003 onwards) and then an excerpt from the 2016 Chilcot report which marshalled the damning evidence against the cover ups that were used to justify it.

The remainder of the book takes place over the period to April 2005 – each dated chapter repeating the Body Count/Chilcot extract idea before a later section in 2016 just when the report is published, about which one of the characters says: “The Chilcott Inquiry had at last been made available to the public: published in twelve volumes containing more than two and a half million words of dry prose. It had all the facts but none of the heart.”

And this novel seeks to provide the heart but alongside a tale of a family caught up in the war but in their own battles and cover ups, a family trying to run a farm in the Welsh Hills and suffering the sense of bleakness, decay and isolation captured in the poem.

Catrin, perhaps the main character in a book which moves around third party viewpoints but majors on hers, was a musician (piano player and composer) when at Bangor University where she dated an artist Matt – but while she went off to Slade School of Fine Art in London she decided to stay near her parents and aim for the Eiteddfod and then (to the disappointment of her opinionated mother – probably the hidden star of the novel) settled down with John a local farmer attracted to the practicality and settledness of his lifestyle (still playing the piano and giving lessons)

They later have two children – the oldest Harri wanting to escape from his home, insists on an army career (seeing it more as a route to travel and technical training) but bad timing means he is called up to a six month stint in Iraq War and both Catrin and John are haunted by worry for him (and increasingly resentment as the war cause starts to unravel).

Both though have their secrets – Catrin restarting an affair with a Matt who suddenly reappears on the scene as part of an art project in Snowdonia, John hiding not just a many year gambling addiction but the economic ruin he has caused to the farm and the family’s finances as a consequence. Their younger son Rhys is becoming increasingly troubled at school without really saying why and Harri’s relationship with a school friend and worker on the farm Simon is also part of the cover up.

And all of this plays out against the life of a farm which is described in unsparing and unsentimental detail and includes scenes of bird and rabbit shooting, fox hunting as well as the different stages of sheep raring.

I thought this was a really well crafted novel – I really liked the subtle way in which the cover up theme is pursued; the contrast and comparisons between the violence of the farm and of Iraq and the complex portrayal of a family (and particularly a marriage) starting to disintegrate under internal and external pressures. I am not completely convinced the Chilcott extracts really worked beyond the initial conception of the device – there did not seem to be much of a link at all (other than temporal) between the excerpts and the main narrative and I did wonder if more could have been done here. Harri’s presence in Iraq did also seem likely throughout to lead to a dramatic denouement, and interestingly the 2016 section was perhaps more sentimental in its resolution than I had expected from the very unsentimental treatment of farming.

But this is an excellent debut which nicely brings together two really interesting ideas – both of which are oddly topical with the new government and the return of the influence of Blair (and others around him who pursued the war) and with the recent controversy over inheritance tax on agricultural lands (John’s legacy to his children is a key driver of many of his actions in the novel).

Recommended.

Rupert Dastur’s Cloudless is a beautifully written debut novel. Set on a north Wales farm, where harsh weather and the difficulty of making a living from farming make for a hard life. We see the world through John and Catrin’s eyes, husband and wife with their own personal struggles; and Harri, who won a scholarship from the army before the Iraq war. An intricate portrait of one family juxtaposed with the political realities of the Chilcott enquiry.

A beautiful debut about a family wading through the struggles of life: one son has joined the army, the other struggles in school; the husband's addiction has dragged the family into financial ruin, while the wife is searching for happiness in a world that seems to only contain darkness.

The story is beautifully atmospheric; I could almost imagine every scene playing out in front of my eyes, like in a painting. The characters, while flawed, have been crafted with such tenderness that you can't help but root for all of them.

It's one of my favourite reads of the year, and I can't wait to buy a copy when it's released later in 2025.

Rupert Dastur’s Cloudless explores the life of a Welsh farming family, in the mid-2000s and at a point where nearly every aspect of their existence has been thrown into uncertainty.

John’s secrets have driven the farm and family into financial turmoil. An old flame of Catrin’s has reappeared on the scene. Youngest son Rhys is playing up at school, following the departure of his older brother Harri to serve in the army on a tour of Iraq. And it’s the Iraq War which frames the story and raises it above being a relatively straightforward rural melodrama.

Each chapter is prefaced by an extract from the 2016 Chilcot report on the UK’s involvement in the War. Letters from Harri give a glimpse into his day-to-day experience, and occasionally the novel switches to his perspective. But the story is still largely from the viewpoint of, and focuses on, the lives of his parents as they navigate their own challenges back home. It’s often descriptions of farm work and animal injury in Wales which are most vivid and brutal.

This was a strong and interesting debut which kept me compelled enough to race to the end.

Thank to the publisher and to netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Cloudless is a beautifully written piece, set on a hill farm in rural North Wales, close to Llandudno. As with many small farms, it is a real struggle to make this a financial success. This a major factor in the story arc. John inherited the family farm and, as with many farmers, he is as closely connected to the land, the weather and the challenges of the farm, as it is possible to be. For his wife and one of his sons this connection is less strong and Catrin has an alternative, creative drive in her life, while oldest son Harri has enlisted and is serving in Blair's Afghan campaign, in the era of WMD, whereas younger brothe Rhys deals with the frustration of school days, when in reality he would rather be working the farm alongside his Dad.

The twin anxieties of making the farm pay and dealing with anxiety over Harri, drive the action of the narrative, pushing both John and Catrin into actions and situations which are out of character and out of their control. There is a point in the novel where this all feels very negative but the reader will be drawn along by the beautiful writing about the environment, the way the farming year is described and by the hope that these flawed but essentially sympathetic and human characters will find a solution.

They do manage to turn things around and there is a deep, unspoken emotion which is very well expressed and feels very true.

A lovely, escapist read about the challenges of rural life, the impact of addictive behaviour, the horror of overseas campaigns, the impact of these issues on families and the vital importance of love, trust and patience upon enduring relationships both with each other and with the land where we live.

I absolutely loved this novel an recommend it.

An interesting story about a welsh hill farming family.. Set in the early 200’s the family is beset with worries and problems including the fact that the eldest son is a serving soldier in Iraq. Throughout the book there are excerpts from the Iraq enquiry as the author makes political points about the legality of the war and the conduct of Blair and Bush. While the farmer struggles both to make ends meet and cope with his gambling addiction his younger son gets into difficulties at school and his wife drifts into an affair with an old friend from her university days. The hardships faced by hill sheep farmers trying to make a living off the land are vividly described and the sexuality of the characters is sympathetically dealt with.
Truly a tale of our modern changing times but with hope at its heart.

This is a very engaging read about a variety of struggles experienced by a farming family in Wales. It is a multi-layered story touching on the physical toil of farm life, addiction and recovery, love and betrayal, music and art, familial unity, and the polygonal impact of war. Harri, the older son, is sent to fight in the 2003 war on Iraq and the novel chillingly quotes extracts from the Chilcott report (2016) throughout. It is confronting to read about war that has occurred in our times. This aspect of the story made me think of families currently living through the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

The characters are all very authentic and each of them are interesting. I greatly enjoyed Dastur’s writing style. The story has a great pace and a noble ending. There is some truly lovely kindness and many insightful descriptions of farm life, both regarding toiling the land and caring for the animals. I would definitely read more from this author.

A deeply heartfelt and thoughtful book, this book takes as its core story the effects of war, but focuses on a more modern war that is so rarely covered- that of Iraq in the early 2000s.

The writing is often kaleidoscopic and touching, and the subtle moving parts of this book, and the ways that things slowly move to its conclusion were very well rendered.

Review: Cloudless
Author: Rupert Dastur
By: Maureen Kelly, Sunnybank Hills, Queensland
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Autumn 2004 - in a farmhouse in Wales a family waits for their son to return from the Iraqi war. He had enlisted for a chance to win a university scholarship, then the war erupted. His parents are devastated and are constantly worried for his welfare. There are also many other concerns to be addressed at home: the workload of the farm, escalating debts, a gambling addiction and marital infidelity.

Rupert Dastur has succeeded in writing an extraordinary and engaging story of a Welsh family in turbulent times. The book is written in a brilliant, emotional but not overly sentimental style. The descriptive passages of the Welsh landscape are outstanding. The relentless cold is well described, I could sense the wintry conditions as the tension increased in each chapter of the story.

The characters in the book have strong individual personalities; as the story unfolded I formed a bond with each of the family members. The author has skilfully portrayed the impact of events on those characters. Chapters are interspersed with commentary and statistics on the state of the Iraqi conflict, including lives lost. The impassive commentary provides a sharp contrast to the emotional roller coaster experienced by the characters in the story, and is a very effective tool in conveying the lack of empathy shown by authorities.

I was fully engaged and immersed in the narrative. Overall it was a compelling story, and I would unconditionally recommend the book to all readers who enjoy contemporary fiction. The military theme in the novel will appeal to readers of that genre.

Cloudless by Rupert Dastur his debut novel is a poignant story of a troubled family who eke a living from their farm in Llandudno set in 2004 which brought a lump in my throat as the parents John and Catrin tried to save their marriage, John the Father has a gambling habit, their older son Harri aged only sixteen fighting a war in Iraq and the angst of waiting for him to return home the agony of waiting for his letters to arrive which they devoured. Their youngest son Rhys is at the teenage rebellious stage and is not getting on well at his school and adds more stress for his parents. Also Catrin's old flame Matthew comes back into her life and she begins to think that the grass may well be greener if she decides to leave John for him.

I loved the way Rupert Dastur describes the harsh reality of running a farm which was becoming a burden as John's gambling addiction spirals putting them all in jeopardy. Also the love the family feels for the animals on their farm. I loved the description of the wild flowers, the different cloud names and description. The blood sweat and tears along with the memories of happier times for this troubled family going through turbulent times was such a moving story.
Release date 27/02/25