Publisher Description

From the bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a story of war and desire set in South London's dark and dirty streets during WWI.From the bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel1916. Pretty Eithne Clay runs a ramshackle South London boarding house with the help of her teenage son, Ralph, and their maid, Winnie. Struggling to keep herself, her lodgers, and her son going as every day life vanishes in the face of war, Eithne's world is transformed by the arrival of Mr Turk, the virile, carnal, carnivorous local butcher who falls passionately in love with her. As the house bursts to life with the electricity - metaphorical and real - he brings, dark secrets come to light...

Notes

From the author of Tulip Fever, which sold over 200,000 copies and is currently being made into a film, this is a tantalising, domestic and sexy story of war, meat and desire on the home front during WWI. Set in South London's dark and dirty wartime streets, it has appeal for fans of Beryl Bainbridge and Sarah Waters. 'From the first perfect sentence this novel is a gem. Its pared sentences and vocabulary really capture the time.' Evening Standard

Author Biography

Deborah Moggach is the author of many successful novels including Tulip Fever and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which was made into a top-grossing film starring Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith. Her screenplays include the film of Pride and Prejudice, which was nominated for a BAFTA. She lives in Wales.

Review

From the first perfect sentence this novel is a gem. Its pared sentences and vocabulary really capture the time * Evening Standard *
The Moggacch miracle continues- here's another vivid, gripping yarn from the author of Tulip Fever... with a plot as twisty as a mountain road * The Times *
This wartime novel of ordinary Londoners is atmospheric and buzzing with electricity... a spirited portrait of lives thrown into turmoil by the Great War * Daily Express *
Like the recent novels by Ian McEwan and Sarah Waters, In the Dark successfully modernises the past. By focusing on life's murkier undercurrents... the characters come to seem appealingly familiar -- Sophia Harrison * Sunday Times *
A thoughtful diligent writer * Sunday Telegraph *

Promotional

Historical, domestic and sexy like Moggach's bestselling TULIP FEVER, this is a tantalising, page-turning story of war, meat and desire on the home front, set in South London's dark and dirty wartime streets during WWI

Review Text

From the first perfect sentence this novel is a gem. Its pared sentences and vocabulary really capture the time

Review Quote

From the first perfect sentence this novel is a gem. Its pared sentences and vocabulary really capture the time

Promotional "Headline"

From the bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a story of war and desire set in South London's dark and dirty streets during WWI.

Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide

1. 'Like the recent novels by Ian McEwan and Sarah Waters, In the Dark successfully modernises the past.' (Sophie Harrison, Sunday Times ) Do you agree with this critic's assertion that Moggach 'modernises the past'? Is this the goal of a successful historical novel? Do you think present-day authors treat the First World War differently to contemporary writers? 2. In her author interview Deborah Moggach writes about how her own family was affected by the First World War and the fact that that time is about to slip out of living memory. What do you know about your own family's experiences in that time and how did that inform your reading of In the Dark ? 3. 'Deborah Moggach's affection for her complex, damaged characters shines through the dark' ( The Gloss ) Which of the characters in In the Dark most captured your sympathy and why? Did you find any of the characters unsympathetic or do you think Moggach manages to evoke affection towards all her characters? 4. What do you think Mr Turk's profession adds to the story? Is it important that he is a butcher? What effect do you think Deborah Moggach is trying to create? 5. After Alwyne Flyte's revelation, Ralph describes him as a 'thoroughgoing coward… as bad as Mr Turk. Worse, in fact,' Do you agree or do you feel his actions can be justified? Does his sacrifice at the end of the story change this? 6. The coming of electricity, telephone and the motor car are important pivotal moments in the story. What do you think Moggach is trying to say about progress and its effects? 7. Emily Bild is a real person (see acknowledgements) whose place in the story was bought in a charity auction. Would you like to see your name in print like this? What kind of character would you hope to be?

Details