If you are a Margaret Drabble fan then you will know her strength is in characterisation. Here she concentrates on a family and elderly friends with the narrative switching between them as each character analyses the others. It is a novel about growing old and dying, centring mostly on a seventy-plus lady, Fran, working for a care charity.
She has two children, one in the Canary Islands licking his wounds after the unexpected death of his lover and the other in the West Country. For a novel which is not crime there are a surprising number of deaths. The author beautifully captures the emotions and actions of the elderly, the signs of aging that only they notice in themselves and their thoughts of death.
But this is not a depressing or morbid book, rather it is an insightful and very moving one which is actually in a way comforting. There is a good deal of symbolism and stunning imagery which is coloured with historical, artistic, literary and cultural references, a joy to read. ~ Sarah Broadhurst
This bravura novel sees Margaret Drabble at her incisive best as she explores the end of life with her trademark humour, calmness and wisdom. Capturing the slowing-down of a brilliantly-realised cast of characters daily lives, The Dark Flood Rises is a deeply engaging and beautifully imagined novel.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
This bravura novel sees Margaret Drabble at her incisive best as she explores the end of life with her trademark humour, calmness and wisdom. Capturing the slowing-down of a brilliantly-realised cast of characters daily lives, The Dark Flood Rises is a deeply engaging and beautifully imagined novel.
The Dark Flood Rises features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, eBooks of the Month, General Fiction, Fiction, Recommendations
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
The Dark Flood Rises was written by Margaret Drabble and published by Canongate an imprint of Canongate Books
The Dark Flood Rises has 336 pages
