I’ve read some of her other work like Fingersmith and The Little Stranger but this book just didn’t do it for me.

The story has the second world war in the backdrop, placed in England in the 1940’s. The story follows four Londoners – three women and a young man with a past.

Kay, who drove an ambulance during the war and lived life at full throttle, now dresses in mannish clothes and wanders the streets with a restless hunger, searching. Helen, clever, sweet, much-loved, harbours a painful secret. Viv, glamour girl, is stubbornly, even foolishly loyal, to her soldier lover. Duncan, an apparent innocent, has had his own demons to fight during the war.

As I started getting immersed in the story, I realized that this book was more a slice of life TV drama, fraught with illicit love affairs – Kay is gay and not quite out. Viv has a secret abortion which nearly costs her her life.

I wish I was,’ said Helen. ‘I wish- I wish the world was different. Why can’t it be different? I hate having to sneak and-‘ She waited, while a woman and a man went silently by, arm in arm. She lowered her voice still further. ‘I hate having to sneak and slink so grubbily about. If we could only be married, something like that.’
Kay blinked and looked away. It was one of the tragedies of her life, that she couldn’t be like a man to Helen-make her a wife, give her children… They sat in silence for a moment, gazing out again at the view but not seeing any of it now. Kay said quietly, ‘Let me take you home.’

And Duncan and Alec are … hmm.. depressed and suicidal past former cellmates? I never thought I’d read this line in a book or for the matter anywhere?

‘All right. Or- Crikey, I’ve got it!’ Alec snapped his fingers. ‘Let’s hang ourselves!’

Oof.

The book is slow, depressing and while I know the war didn’t make anyone feel cheerful, it’s not something I want for my Saturday afternoon read.