Perpetual Light by Francis Spufford begins by describing in microsecond time steps the moments before a V2 bomb slices into a Woolworth store in South London in 1944. The description is analytical and without emotion as the V2 activates and fires up the that result in the explosion, the damage and most importantly the loss of life. After the explosion, the destruction radiates outward which he describes in poetic detail as silence falls over the area. The future will be changed as a result. Spufford suggests changes are often by chance and we are unaware of these moments and how our future will follow an unplanned path. If the bomb angle of ascent had changed by a fraction of a degree, then perhaps the V2 would have fallen and exploded in the sea or a nearby park. Spufford's book is fiction but is based upon a real V2 bomb striking South London. This 1st chapter pulled me into the book.
Mr Spufford takes this explosive moment and begins s "what if" creating a fictional story of fi b e young people who died during the bombing and tracks their lives as if they lived jumping in 15year increments. Mr. Spufford creates the fictional borough of Bexford where the bomb exploded rich with detail and anchors the life stories of the five for their long "what if" lives. In minute details he describes what may have been for these five children's existence and their impact on friends, family and the small world of Bexford as it ages and is reborn over 75years.
Spufford's books are not easy reads. I have read Red Plenty previously, so I was prepared for a novel that expects the reader to add color to the story being told. His pRose reads more like poetry than literature so in my mind it is best read. aloud and reflectivity. For this reason this book may not read well for many.
Perpetual Light is about time flowing and changing speeds and this effect on the lives of these five ordinary people. Time is one second in the 1st chapter then skips incrementally by 15years multiple times, then slowsto describe part of a day for each of the five. I was reminded of the "what if" as it would be returning to a high school reunion. Most would never have moved become famous but just lived, loved and aged so close to their birthplace.
I also thought of the Chinese se view of time versus the Western view. In China, the future is like a river flowing through from behind. The fire is unseen whereas in the West we look forward to the fire. So, in this book "stuff" happens and the five characters bob along the slow eddies of time with the unknowable currents them along life's journey.
I enjoyed this book very much. What took time was to understand how to follow five characters so different with story jumping in 15year gaps. Physical descriptions of the characters in minimal. I think it took me 30 years to begin to grasp who was who.
As I am in my 4.5 sequence of 15year intervals, I felt an attachment to some of the characters as time flowed on. I found myself asking how did I get here. Mr. Spufford is sympathetic to this idea and one of his characters says, "Everything ends. It doesn't mean it wasn't good."
So yes, most of us do not s hake the world off its axis but that doesn't mean our lives are not valuable to those around us. Indeed, I think perhaps a good read for those in their 4th or 15th, 15 year interval in life.