This is atmospheric and intriguing debut novel
This is a great book based on true events
There were lots of twists and turns. It was a real page turner

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I’ve waited so long to read this book and I’ve no idea why. It has turned out to be a hidden treasure. I loved the combination of historic event - the North Sea flood of 1953 - and fictional love triangle that starts to go wrong. Verity lives on a farm on the North Sea coast with her brother Peter and is in a long term relationship with childhood sweetheart Arthur. Verity feels the pull between two different worlds: the safe life spread out before her with marriage to Arthur and the life she’s always known or the pull towards a different life, a complete escape. This yearning grows when she meets American pilot Jack who is stationed locally. Jack is new, charismatic and represents that escape Verity has been thinking about.
The atmosphere created by the author is so evocative and the story is grounded well within it’s time. The small village is still recovering post WW2 and Arthur is looking forward to a quiet life after completing his National Service. Although the story may seem to encompass simple day to day interactions, the results, particularly of Verity’s decisions are seismic for this group of people. While Jack’s intentions seems honest at first and his friendship extended to everyone, it soon becomes clear that he and Verity have an affinity. Her decision to spend time with Jack secretly, sets in motion a series of events that raise the tension and had me reading voraciously. Both Arthur and Peter are suspicious of Jack’s motives and even who he is - he doesn’t answer questions about himself or his intentions towards Verity. When the men go on a trip together, these suspicions come to a head. Verity had a lot to lose and I was gripped as to whether her need for adventure would be her undoing. As these threads come together and the flood closes in, betrayal, loss and deceit will wash ashore too. Beautifully written, incredibly atmospheric and reads like a slow-burn thriller.

I did like this a bit but there was just a little something it was missing. I liked how it built the historical setting and the location really well but the action just felt a tiny bit flat at times. The characters were okay but they needed work as they were not as 3d as they should have been. This was good but it just wasn't exactly for me.

Set on the Norfolk coast in the early 1950s The Night of the Flood is an atmospheric and at times claustrophobic historical story. Centred around a historic natural disaster, the author interweaves a believable fiction of complex emotional relationships and secrets.

It focuses on the five young adults all inexorably changed by WW2 and railing against their allotted roles in life. Peter, shackled to the failing family farm. Verity, an ambitious woman who wants more from life than marriage and domesticity. Arthur, a former evacuee who has journalistic ambitions he may never realise. Muriel is a less distinct character known to all whose role increases with the story's progression. Finally, there is Jack, an American stationed at the local airbase, who is the catalyst that forever alters the young lives.

The story is sad and suspenseful, the protagonists'victims of society's expectations and individual flaws. The coastal historical setting reinforces the story's authenticity. Relatable characters engage the reader's emotions in this insightful story.

I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus in return for an honest review.

An atmospheric and fascinating historical thriller, I found it gripping and entertaining.
The descriptions of the flood are very realistic and I liked the fleshed out characters and the plot that kept me hooked.
The author has a lot of potential and I look forward to reading her next book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

In 1952, Verity is living on her family’s farm in Norfolk. She is struggling to move on after the death of her mother and is feeling the pressure to continue a relationship with her childhood friend Arthur. With so much uncertainty surrounding her future, when Verity meets Jack (a pilot working at an American airbase nearby), she gets swept up in the idea of a new life with him.

However, Verity is forced to hide their relationship, knowing that neither Arthur, her father or her brother would approve. As the succession of secrets and lies begin to escalate, Verity is left wondering if Jack really is who he says he is or if he is holding back something sinister from his past. Then, during the storm and the resulting floods the following winter, a shocking event takes place that will change their lives forever.

I love reading historical thrillers and I have read a lot of books set during WW1 and WW2 but this is the first book I have read set during the Cold War period. The crime and thriller elements were not as forthright as I was expecting. It’s more of a slow-paced story, layering up the different experiences of the characters until the major event which takes place on the night of the flood. But, I thought that the setting and characterisation was brilliant, the story really transported me to the 1950s and I got a real sense of the political and personal tension throughout the book.

A great choice for any historical fiction fans and an impressive debut novel from Zoe Somerville.

Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read and review.

Very atmospheric. Historical novel set against the floods in East Anglia in the fifties, this book follows a young women as she studies at a remote location. She's torn between her childhood friend and a suave american pilot. The storm provides the backdrop for an intriguing story.

Very atmospheric! I enjoyed the historical setting, even though it's not a time period I read about frequently. I enjoyed Verity, I thought she was a likeable main character and a truly interesting person to follow through the story. The opening scene was very shocking and set a tone for the mystery that would appear later on in the book. A great read - would recommend!

This book is very evocative of the time period of the book. A glimpse of a bygone era story of the tangled love life of Verity. The description of the flood is truly terrifying and I felt as if I was right there in the swirling waters.

‘The Night of the Flood’ is Zoe Somerville’s first novel. Set in North Norfolk during the floods of January 1953 during which many of the coastal towns and villages suffered tremendous damage and because of which a hundred deaths were recorded, Somerville’s re-telling of the night does justice to the panic and confusion suffered by the inhabitants of Wells-next-the-Sea. Whilst the novel’s title suggests that this is the main focus, most of the narrative covers the time before and after the natural catastrophe.
Peter and Verity are young adults struggling to find their place in a post-war world. From a farming family, they have little parental guidance to rely on. Their father is increasingly ‘in his cups’ whilst their mother drowned a couple of years earlier. Verity’s secret is her embryonic relationship with former evacuee and childhood friend, Arthur, whilst Peter is mesmerised by American pilot, Jack, based at nearby Holkham. However, Arthur looks on Jack as a rival for Verity. An aspiring journalist and very interested in exploring the nuclear threat, he convinces himself that Jack is involved in the secret testing of these weapons. Throughout the novel in whatever permutation, it’s a case of two’s company and three’s a crowd.
Whilst the story of the flood and the depiction of North Norfolk will definitely hook readers who have roots in or have grown to love this area of the country, it is debatable whether or not the characters or plot will fully convince. At times, Somerville’s writing style feels unnecessarily amplified and I found it difficult to believe in the three central characters. Local girl Muriel, playing a minor part, feels more authentic. In a post war time of turmoil and uncertainty, there is much of universal interest that could have been explored further through the personal. Perhaps we’ll see this development in her second novel.
My thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.