THE EYE OF THE DAY
‘A remarkable coming-of-age story, told in a stunning voice that beguiles and enchants on every page’
Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for The Time Being
‘From icy Vermont to World War Two Italy, Dennison Smith’s characters are cast adrift in a mythical terrain where historical and imaginary events collide. Exceptionally bold, beautiful, original and humane’
Joanna Kavenna, author of The Birth of Love
It begins with an explosion. In a small American town in the 1930s, Amos, a quiet giant of a man with a heroic spirit and a troubled past, is partly blinded in a locomotive accident. Aubrey, a sheltered boy of eleven whose patrician New England family employs Amos as a handyman, rushes to his aid.
As though heralding the twentieth century’s worst cataclysm, this disaster inaugurates an epic story of war, friendship, synchronicity, courage and despair. Over the next ten years, in the mountains and forests of North America and on the bloody battlefields of Europe, Amos’s and Aubrey’s trajectories will converge, sometimes critically. Although they inhabit very different worlds, their bond will shape each of their lives profoundly.
WHY WE LOVE THIS BOOK
Once in a while you’ll pick up a book, intrigued, and the next thing you know it’s the following day and sleep is pressing hard against your eyelids. This is that book. The writing is gorgeous, the characters memorable, the set pieces cinematic. From the US and Canada to Mexico, Cuba, Germany and Italy, The Eye of the Day will keep your eyes wide open.
Paperback • 204mm x 138mm • ISBN 9781859640616 • 328 pages • £9.99