Book Synopsis:
Global temperatures are rising.
The climate of the Abrams’ marriage is cooling.
Emma is beginning to wonder whether relationships, like mortgages, should be conducted in five-year increments. She might laugh if Chris had bought a motorbike or started dyeing his hair. Instead he’s buying off-label medicines and stockpiling food.
Chris finds Emma’s relentless optimism exasperating. A tot of dread, a nip of horror, a shot of anger – he isn’t asking much. If she would only join him in a measure of something.
The family’s precarious eco-system is further disrupted by torrential rains, power cuts and the unexpected arrival of Chris’s mother. Emma longs to lower a rope and winch Chris from the pit of his worries. But he doesn’t want to be rescued or reassured – he wants to pull her in after him.
Darkly funny and beautifully written, When the Lights Go Out is a novel for our times: a story about cultivating hope and weathering change.
When The Lights Go Out is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.
My Review:
This is a beautifully written, thought provoking book which gives a very interesting and honest glimpse into a couple’s marriage.
Firstly the characters are all incredibly vivid, engaging ones some of whom I really like others that I loved to hate. Chris was definitely in the later category and I found myself getting increasingly frustrated by him as the book goes on. Some of his beliefs are so mad, like the fact he takes his sons for long runs so they could escape from floodwater, where so unbelievable that I found myself laughing out loud. He’s absolutely obsessed about climate change and is incredibly annoying with it so much so that I wished I could reach into the story and give him a shake. I did feel a little bit of sympathy for him too however as it’s not completely his fault that he feels this way as the reader soon discovers on meeting his mother.
The author paints a fairly bleak picture of what the world could look like in the future which was quite shocking to read about. I must confess that I didn’t realise some of the effects that climate change could have on the world, so found it quite interesting to learn more about it. It’s definitely a thought provoking topic and I hope that more can be done to try and help the situation.
Overall I found this a very interesting read whose underlying message will stay with me for a long time. There are some very funny moments in the book but also some shocking, dramatic ones which made the story seem very realistic. I think some of the more clever parts of this book, judging from other reviews, went over my head but I still enjoyed the story as it was fascinating to get a fly on the wall glimpse into a couple’s lives.
Huge thanks to Laura Brooke from Hutchinson for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.
About The Author:
Carys Bray was awarded the Scott Prize for her debut short-story collection, Sweet Home. Her first novel, A Song for Issy Bradley, was chosen for Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime and was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and winner of the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award 2015. She lives in Southport with her husband and four children.
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