First published 2018
David Sparsholt comes to Oxford in 1940 to study engineering before joining the Royal Air Force. Athletic and magnetic, he draws attention without realizing it, particularly from Evert Dax, a writer's son who feels isolated and dreams of his own literary career. As the Blitz pounds London, Oxford becomes a bubble where students form intense bonds under blackout conditions. David and Evert forge a friendship that will shape both their futures. The story follows three generations as these men navigate changing social attitudes and sexual mores. We see family holidays in Cornwall, gatherings at the Dax home, and the artistic adventures of David's son Johnny as he paints his way through 1970s London. Hollinghurst traces how relationships formed in youth echo through decades, examining how fathers influence sons and how love takes many forms across the shifting landscape of the twentieth century.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction, british-literature, 21st-century, family-drama, academic
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Cornwall, London, Oxford
Period: 1940s, 1970s
454 pages · Paperback · PAN MACMILLAN