The acclaimed novelist, journalist and critic Andrew O’Hagan has been nominated for the Booker Prize three times and was voted one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists. His latest book The Illuminations is a multilayered story that centres on two main characters: Anne, a former photographer who is now slipping into dementia in a sheltered housing complex and her grandson Luke Campbell, an army captain on a humanitarian mission in Afghanistan. When Luke returns, almost destroyed by his experience in a misguided and futile war, he takes his grandma to Blackpool, where fragments of her memories appear and disappear like the famous lights. Reading her old letters and looking at photos, Luke ‘witnessed her spirit survive a series of trials he had never known about, and it made her love her more, while doubting the strength and consistency of men, including himself’. Full of secrecy, memory and loss, this is a beautifully constructed novel from a wise and gifted writer, whose first-hand experience and talent for dialogue bring his subject alive.
You can read about Andrew’s experiences in Afghanistan and the background to his novel in this excellent Telegraph interview
What the critics said:
‘Moves with bold, imaginative daring and a troubled intensity between men at war and women with their children, between Scotland and Afghanistan, between photography and fiction, and between memory and secrets.’ Guardian
‘Only in fiction as good as this will you find war, sex, nationalism and the care of the elderly, truthfully handled. The Illuminations is a novel which validates the greatness of fiction in hands as masterly as Andrew O'Hagan’ The Times
‘I was reminded of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections because O'Hagan dramatises the ways lives twist and turn in concert with history, locating the precious and profound in the everyday.’ Independent on Sunday
Book giveaway:
Faber have 50 copies of The Illuminations to give to Mumsnetters: to claim your copy, please fill in your details on the book of the month page. We’ll post here on the thread when all the copies have gone. If you’re not lucky enough to bag one of those, you can always get a Kindle edition or paperback here. Alternatively you could download the audiobook and listen to it on the go. Audible are offering Mumsnet users two free audiobooks when they sign up for a free trial. For details see their partner offer page.
We are delighted that Andrew will be joining us on Wednesday 27 January to discuss The Illuminations, his previous award-winning novels and his writing career. Please feel free to discuss the book here throughout the month and then come and meet Andrew on the night, ask him a question or simply tell him what you thought of the book.