Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A book about lives and places that grew on me. Starting with a brilliantly slow opening chapter the novel follows how life might have been for five children growing through adolesence, early adulthood and end of life, against the changing background of 20th and 21st century life.
Set in a fictional, though recognisable, part of SE London (local to me for the past 35 years) and with events I remember from the last 50 years as a backdrop, the narrative is full of well-observed descriptions of people, places and life, as some things change and some things stay the same.
I enjoyed seeing how aspects of these lives weaved together, and how redemption can arrive through the strangest of circumstances (and can be resisted by some).
I also recently enjoyed this article and this interview with the author.
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