Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me

An interesting start and an arresting situation for the main character, but oh the writer does go on and on about things in a very boring way so that what starts out as a quirky and interesting style becomes one big bore. I stopped caring about the characters and only cared about how soon I would get to a full stop or the end of a paragraph.

If you wish to read a novel that lucidly deals with the complexities of communicating with others, plus innumerable other subtle observations on everyday living, matters of the heart, the unknowability of others as well as self, plus how much of everything that ever happens is not known to others or the "world" and is quickly wiped away, then this novel and this author are for you. A true gem.

a man is about to start an affair with a married woman when - half undressed - she drops dead in his arms what follows is a slow uncovering of one man's fascination / sexual obsession with women ( alive + dead ) when the dead woman's husband finally catches up with him the twist is sudden + startling nothing like what anyone might expect ! but this book does so much more than merely entertain ( brilliantly ! ) like any book worth re-reading it also informs his analysis of time + the nature of its passing is as good as anything by T.S Elliot lots of little nuggets of information telling U stuff U need to know like : weddings are the province of women , not just the bride but of all women present

I always wonder when reading books written in a foreign language how much of the overall impact is down to the original writer, and how much to the translator. A case in point would be Patrick Suskind’s novel Perfume which I remember for the extraordinary flamboyance of its descriptive passages. Having only read it in English, I have no idea whether that was a straight representation of the original German, or a marvellous tour de force from the translator. Javier Marias’s novel is a simple story, beautifully told, and I find myself similarly unsure who to thank most: writer or translator. Of course, you are probably all shouting, ‘Does it really matter?’, and I suppose you are right. The premise for the story is relatively straightforward. A man has dinner with a married woman while her husband is away on a business trip to London. This is their first night together, and romance is delayed until she has managed to put her young son to bed. During the night, she is taken ill and dies, leaving the man with a difficult decision: does he stay to inform the authorities and ensure that the boy is looked after, or does he just leave as quietly as possible, having removed any evidence that he had ever been there. He chooses the latter option, and the book recounts the various consequences that ensue. Marais captures the man’s panic, and the wrenching of his conscience, masterfully. The book seethes with emotion, though never succumbs to tawdry cliché. Every character is entirely believable, and the story builds with great power.