THE NIGHT WATCH by Sarah Waters

Note: I am not a paid reviewer, and I have purchased this title to read for my personal enjoyment.

The World War 2 years in London required a survivalist’s spirit in commoners to endure the devastation bombings brought, and also spurned insecurities, emotional attachments, and loss that never went away. These lessons emanate from the stories of several Londoners: Kay, a former ambulance driver in a quixotic search for lost love; Viv, a matchmaker mired in a directionless affair with a married man; Duncan, a former prisoner whose cellmate was a conchie and who upon release becomes under thumb of his former prison guard and “uncle”; and Helen, Viv’s business partner and Kay’s former love. Their characters unfold unusually, with introductions in post-war 1947, and then in scenes set in blitz periods of 1944 and 1941. Searing attractions and war-time dependencies that sparked relationships are presented with ease, as are losses and failings that explain each character’s present-day state. Settings in and around London are described with immersive, well-researched period detail. Blitz scenes almost put my boot on broken glass, and made me strain to help ‘heave-ho’ a section of drywall off a moaning victim.