A Pure Clear Light

When Lydia sees Simon late at night driving down Westbourne Grove her suspicions are aroused. Simon, a TV film director, lives in Hammersmith with his wife Flora and their three children, what need has he for the dubious attractions of Bayswater? The attraction is Gillian, an accountant, whom Simon met at a dinner party while Flora and the children were away in la douce France. Flora struggles with her re-found Christian faith, though Anglican now rather than Roman Catholic, as Simon falls into a hopelessly passionate and sexual affair that brings its own burden and guilt. The smart world of middle-class West London is depicted with savage wit and a needle-sharp intelligence that will remind readers of the novels of Muriel Spark.

About the author

Born in Sydney, Madeleine St John graduated from Sydney University and has since lived mostly in London. Her third novel, ‘The Essence of the Thing’, was shortlisted for the 1997 Booker Prize.

Product details

• Authors: Madeleine St John, Madeleine St. John
• Publisher: Fourth Estate
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 01.07.2009
• EAN: 9780007306909
• ISBN: 978-0-00-730690-9
• Dimensions: 129 mm x 198 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; London, Greater London, FICTION / Romance / General, Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Historical fiction, FICTION / Literary, FICTION / Psychological, FICTION / Media Tie-In, Narrative theme: Interior life, Family life fiction, Contemporary lifestyle fiction, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, FICTION / Urban & Street Lit, Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary, The;Of;Brontë;Love;Family;Marriage;Romance;Modern