The Slaves of Solitude

Patrick Hamilton

Gill said this was quite good, but a bleak book. It is set in the Second World War, in the suburbs of London. Everyone is alone, everyone lives within the rules of the boarding house where they live. The dialogue is well written but there is no humour.
Gill 8/10/00

I reviewed another of his novels about a boarding house (Hanover Square). This is a re-write of that book. The first was set in the 1920s. This is set during WWII in Henley on Thames. The drama hinges on some US soldiers. One of the characters takes up with one, another character has a German friend who comes to live in the boarding house. This is dark but not as dark as Hanover Square.
Andrew 06/05/01

The frames have gone all funny - click to make it good.