October 16, Spooky (Gothic): All Clear by Connie Willis (2010) is the second half of Blackout, which I read for the September Drama theme. It actually does fit the Spooky theme a bit, as the characters navigate London during the Blitz in World War Two, stumbling through blackouts and huddling in Underground Stations as bombs drop overhead.
In Blackout, three time-traveling historians who’ve landed in different times and locations in England during World War Two are reunited and have begun trying to figure out what’s happened to them and how they might get back to their home of Oxford in 2060. The continuation in All Clear is even more stressful, with more of the anxiety-dream feel of constantly being thwarted, while at the same time making connections with others and learning how to cope and endure the horrors happening all around.
I have no idea how accurate all of the World War Two historical details were, but it certainly felt real to me. I am not sure this was the right time for me to read these two books; in recent years, I’ve lost a lot of my desire to read books that require large quantities of emotional energy. That said, I was gripped by the characters’ plight and by various mysteries involving time travel, historical events, and characters throughout that propelled me forward whether I liked it or not. They were both page-turners!
“in recent years, I’ve lost a lot of my desire to read books that require large quantities of emotional energy”
I hear you! Though the right one can still be terrific. I loved The Great Believers this year.
I have read a few that were more good stress. My level of Cope also varies.