The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
1947 (part one) was my favourite part of the book. Not surprising, considering how it's the ending, that part is usually the most exciting. Yes the ending is in part one. The parts are titled in order: 1947, 1944, 1941. The novel ends at the beginning.
This format, while a nice mix-up from the linear beginning-middle-end, did interesting things to my readers' psyche. Finishing the book did not have the finality that finishing a book normally does with me. The ending is told in the beginning, therefore there is no suspense for the rest of the novel. After part one ends, the other two parts are backstory, hole fillers so that the reader gains full comprehension of the beginning's (end's) meaning. This is like most novels, only flipped, but the result has left me in a floaty place that believes the story is not finished.
This novel was an enjoyable read, I can see why it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and Orange Prize. It's a character-driven story as opposed to a plot-driven one, had I remembered that I may not be in this weird floaty place in my brain at the moment, searching for the ending, wondering where the hell it's gone. The characters are very well done, dynamic and believable. My favourite was Duncan Pearce, the only male out of the four protagonists. His story was the most compelling, I wanted to keep turning pages just for him. I'm not sad that the book is over, but I am worried about the fates of the characters. Overall, a success.
Rating: 3.5/5
Thumb: Up
Reader Recommendation: Lovers of character-driven stories and fans of World War Two settings
