Set in 2004, in Wales, a couple navigate life and their son’s decision to go to Iraq.
The family experience several problems, and we go on a journey of challenges and tenderness with them.
Unfortunately, I expected more from this book, and must say that the style of the prose was not for me (more tell than show, in my opinion).
The books strong suits were the Llandudno landscape/setting, the representation of life in a small town, and some of the themes it tackles.
Plot: 2.5
Characterisation: 2.5
Prose: 2.5
Themes: 3.5
Overall, I round it up to 3 stars.
I hope other readers enjoy this more.

North Wales, 2004: John and Catrin are struggling farmers with a teenage son and another serving in Iraq. Over the course of a year, we follow a fractured relationship, infidelity and instability through the lens of the Welsh landscape and what are now historical events.

It’s funny to think of 2004-05 as ancient history, but it is. This is debut novel and it’s a well-written, thoughtful debut. However, I think the biggest problem is in its structure. The framing device is the Iraq War and its subsequent enquiry - each chapter begins with a death toll for that month in the narrative.

Events also seem to have some weighted significance - everything seems to have relevance to something else. You can make an educated guess at to what’s going to happen to the son in Iraq. The narrative also seems to have a number of themes (death, fate, chance, marriage) but there is not enough interconnectedness between them. The novel also ends with a coda a decade later which wraps things up a little too neatly.

In conclusion, it’s a portentious debut, with the prose too dense to just let the story drift. It’s published by Penguin on February 27th, 2025 and I thank them for a preview copy. #cloudless