The Blind Light
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Pan Macmillan
Published:24th Jun '21
Should be back in stock very soon

Sweeping from the 1950s to now, this deeply moving novel tells the interconnected story of two very different families, during a time of momentous change in twentieth-century Britain.
Sweeping from the 1950s to now, this deeply moving novel tells the interconnected story of two very different families during a time of momentous change in twentieth-century Britain.
A spellbinding family saga spanning six decades of British history, shortlisted for the prestigious RSL Encore Award.
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.
Set against the backdrop of Britain from the post-war era to the present day, The Blind Light is a compelling story of love, family, and the far-reaching consequences of personal and political decisions. This extraordinary novel from Stuart Evers follows one family as they navigate the joys, sorrows, and complexities that echo across generations, capturing the essence of a nation in transition. Hailed as ‘powerful’ by the Guardian and ‘extraordinary’ by the Spectator, The Blind Light is a spellbinding work of literary fiction that will resonate long after the final page.
A thoughtful and powerful study of the corrosive effects of fear, the damage we do to ourselves and our loved ones when danger is all we can see . . . disconcertingly timely * Guardian *
A panoramic novel of modern Britain . . . extraordinary * Spectator *
The Blind Light reads like a British Don DeLillo, telling the social history of Britain through two generations of a family -- Alex Preston, Observer
Engrossing . . . A terrific book -- Samira Ahmed, BBC Radio 4
Evers excels in his close examination of relationships . . . the complicated nature of guilt and loss is beautifully handled . . . an absorbing read * Irish Independent *
Powerfully imagined . . . multi-threaded, unflinching, and visceral * TLS *
A shrewd, timely novel * New York Times *
A spellbinding family history, encompassing the personal and the political * The Tablet *
Rivals the work of American greats such as Bellow and Franzen * The Week *
Evers’s book is a widescreen family saga that examines, among other things, the effect of the nuclear threat during the Cold War on the British psyche . . . it’s absorbing – and uncannily timed in its perversely consoling sense of how crises come and go * Daily Mail *
The Blind Light is a page-perfect and impeccably structured portrait of Britain’s troubled, post-nuclear generations . . . Evers has written a powerful and affecting novel which excels at being as true to Family and the personal as it is to Nation and the universal, a rare and potent combination -- Jim Crace, author of Harvest
One is taken both by the breadth of vision and the depth of character on offer in Evers' stunning The Blind Light . . . This is an achievement to be admired and, frankly, envied. My hat is off -- Laird Hunt
A thoroughly absorbing novel which illuminates the nature of friendship and family while offering a compelling portrait of Britain. I loved it -- Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love
Extraordinarily intense, and intensely well written, the echoes of our current situation are uncomfortably close at hand. A complex and powerful novel -- Lissa Evans, author of Old Baggage and Crooked Heart
A social history told through 2 generations of the same family. Beautiful & funny & moving. And a hugely hopeful read for our strange new world -- Sarah Franklin, author of Shelter
The Blind Light is staged on a far grander scale than its predecessor. Submerged currents from the cold war guide the plotline . . . [Lyrical but precise descriptions] are the moments when The Blind Light shines most brightly * Financial Times *
A sprawling, absorbing, epic crossing generations * Cumbria Life *
Subtle and sombre . . . Love, luck, debts and domestic life play out against a historical backdrop that takes in the Cuban Missile Crisis, strikes, civil unrest and the rise of rave culture * Sunday Express *
ISBN: 9781529031003
Dimensions: 197mm x 129mm x 36mm
Weight: 378g
544 pages