The Light of Day (Graham Swift novel)

Last updated

The Light of Day
TheLightOfDay.jpg
First edition
Author Graham Swift
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Hamish Hamilton
Publication date
2003
Media typePrint
Pages256
ISBN 0-241-14204-0

The Light of Day is a 2003 novel by English author Graham Swift, published seven years after his previous novel, the Booker Prize winner Last Orders . [1]

Contents

Plot introduction

The book is set in 1997 in Wimbledon, [2] the narrator George preparing to visit the grave of Bob Nash in Putney Vale Cemetery on the two year anniversary of his death, and then to visit Sarah who was convicted of his murder and with whom George has fallen in love. George recounts his involvement in the crime, employed by Sarah as a private investigator to ensure that Bob's affair with Kristina, a Croatian refugee, had come to an end.

Reception

The novel divided opinion:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Greene</span> English writer and literary critic (1904–1991)

Henry Graham Greene was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century.

<i>The A.B.C. Murders</i> 1936 Poirot novel by Agatha Christie

The A.B.C. Murders is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, featuring her characters Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, as they contend with a series of killings by a mysterious murderer known only as "A.B.C.". The book was first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 6 January 1936, sold for seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) while a US edition, published by Dodd, Mead and Company on 14 February of the same year, was priced $2.00.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Swift</span> English writer (born 1949)

Graham Colin Swift FRSL is an English writer. Born in London, England, he was educated at Dulwich College, London, Queens' College, Cambridge, and later the University of York.

Edward Dentinger Hoch was an American writer of detective fiction. Although he wrote several novels, he was primarily known for his vast output of over 950 short stories. He was one of the few America fiction writers of his generation who supported himself financially through short story publication, rather than novels or screenplays.

<i>Rebecca</i> (novel) 1938 novel by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca is a 1938 Gothic novel written by English author Daphne du Maurier. The novel depicts an unnamed young woman who impetuously marries a wealthy widower, before discovering that both he and his household are haunted by the memory of his late first wife, Rebecca.

<i>Nuns and Soldiers</i> Novel by Iris Murdoch

Nuns and Soldiers is a 1980 novel by Iris Murdoch. The setting is England and two of the main characters are Gertrude, a widow, and Anne, an ex-nun.

<i>Saturday</i> (novel) 2005 novel by Ian McEwan

Saturday (2005) is a novel by Ian McEwan. It is set in Fitzrovia, central London, on Saturday, 15 February 2003, as a large demonstration is taking place against the United States' 2003 invasion of Iraq. The protagonist, Henry Perowne, a 48-year-old neurosurgeon, has planned a series of errands and pleasures, culminating in a family dinner in the evening. As he goes about his day, he ponders the meaning of the protest and the problems that inspired it; however, the day is disrupted by an encounter with a violent, troubled man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danzy Senna</span> American writer (born 1970)

Danzy Senna is an American novelist and essayist. She is the author of six books and numerous essays about race, gender and motherhood, including Caucasia (1998), Symptomatic, and New People (2017), named by Time Magazine as one of the Top Ten Novels of the year. In July 2024 she will publish a novel entitled Colored Television. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker,The Atlantic,Vogue and The New York Times. She is a professor of English at the University of Southern California.

<i>The Historian</i> 2005 novel by Elizabeth Kostova

The Historian is the 2005 debut novel of American author Elizabeth Kostova. The plot blends the history and folklore of Vlad Țepeș and his fictional equivalent Count Dracula. Kostova's father told her stories about Dracula when she was a child, and later in life she was inspired to turn the experience into a novel. She worked on the book for ten years and then sold it within a few months to Little, Brown and Company, which bought it for US$2 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilary Mantel</span> British writer (1952–2022)

Dame Hilary Mary Mantel was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, Every Day Is Mother's Day, was released in 1985. She went on to write 12 novels, two collections of short stories, a personal memoir, and numerous articles and opinion pieces.

<i>Any Human Heart</i> 2002 novel by William Boyd, a British writer

Any Human Heart: The Intimate Journals of Logan Mountstuart is a 2002 novel by William Boyd, a British writer. It is written as a lifelong series of journals kept by the fictional character Mountstuart, a writer whose life (1906–1991) spanned the defining episodes of the 20th century, crossed several continents and included a convoluted sequence of relationships and literary endeavours. Boyd uses the diary form to explore how public events impinge on individual consciousness, so that Mountstuart's journal alludes almost casually to the war, the death of a prime minister, or the abdication of the king. Boyd plays ironically on the theme of literary celebrity, introducing his protagonist to several real writers who are included as characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Mofina</span> Canadian author

Rick Mofina is a Canadian author of crime fiction and thriller novels. He grew up in Belleville, Ontario and began writing short stories in school. He sold his first short story at the age of fifteen. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, the International Crime Writers Association, the Crime Writers' Association, and the Crime Writers of Canada, Mofina continues to be a featured panelist at mystery conferences across the United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven James</span> American novelist

Steven James is the author of more than forty books, including the critically acclaimed Bowers Files, an eleven-book series of psychological thrillers that consists of Opening Moves, Every Crooked Path, Every Deadly Kiss, Every Wicked Man, The Pawn, The Rook, The Knight, The Bishop, The Queen, The King, and Checkmate. The series has received four Christy Awards and numerous other honors.

<i>The Sense of an Ending</i> Novel by Julian Barnes

The Sense of an Ending is a 2011 novel written by British author Julian Barnes. The book is Barnes's eleventh novel written under his own name and was released on 4 August 2011 in the United Kingdom. The Sense of an Ending is narrated by a retired man named Tony Webster, who recalls how he and his clique met Adrian Finn at school and vowed to remain friends for life. When the past catches up with Tony, he reflects on the paths he and his friends have taken. In October 2011, The Sense of an Ending was awarded the Booker Prize. The following month it was nominated in the novels category at the Costa Book Awards.

<i>Shuttlecock</i> (novel)

Shuttlecock, described as a psychological thriller, was Graham Swift's second novel, published in 1981 by Allen Lane. It won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize in 1983 and was released as a film in 1993.

<i>In the Light of What We Know</i> Book by Zia Haider Rahman

In the Light of What We Know is the first novel by Zia Haider Rahman. First published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, it was released in the spring of 2014 to international critical acclaim and earned Rahman the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, Britain's oldest literary prize, previous winners of which include Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, J. M. Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer, Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie and Cormac McCarthy. The novel has been translated into many languages, including Czech, Greek and Arabic.

The Making of a Marchioness is a 1901 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, followed by a sequel, The Methods of Lady Walderhurst. Subsequent editions published the two books together, either under the original name The Making of a Marchioness or as Emily Fox-Seton. The collected version was republished by Persephone Books in 2007, and it was then adapted for radio and television.

<i>Every Day</i> (novel) 2012 fantasy adult novel by David Levithan

Every Day is a young adult romance and fantasy novel written by American author David Levithan. It was published on August 28, 2012, by Knopf Books for Young Readers and is recommended for ages 14–18. Every Day is a New York Times bestseller.

<i>England and Other Stories</i>

England and Other Stories is a 2014 collection of 25 short stories by the author Graham Swift.

References