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The Illuminations
The Illuminations | Andrew O'Hagan
A compelling new novel by two-time Booker finalist and internationally acclaimed author Andrew O'Hagan. For readers of Colm Toibin, Ian McEwan, Alan Hollinghurst and David Mitchell. How much do we keep from the people we love? Why is the truth so often buried in secrets? Can we learn from the past or must we forget it? The Illuminations, Andrew O'Hagan's fifth work of fiction, is a powerful, nuanced and deeply affecting novel about love and memory, about modern war and the complications of fact. Standing one evening at the window of her house by the sea, Anne Quirk sees a rabbit disappearing in the snow. Nobody remembers her now, but this elderly woman was in her youth an artistic pioneer, a creator of groundbreaking documentary photographs. Her beloved grandson, Luke, now a captain in the British army is on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. When his mission goes horribly wrong, he ultimately comes face to face with questions of loyalty and moral responsibility that will continue to haunt him. Once Luke returns home to Scotland, Anne's secret story begins to emerge, along with his, and they set out for an old guest house in Blackpool where she once kept a room. There they witness the annual illuminations--the dazzling artificial lights that brighten the seaside resort town as the season turns to winter. The Illuminations is a beautiful and highly charged novel that reveals, among other things, that no matter how we look at it, there is no such thing as an ordinary life.
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CarolynM
The Illuminations | Andrew O'Hagan
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Pickpick

This has been my handbag book for the past few weeks. Elderly Anne is succumbing to dementia (in a gentle way, so not too confronting) & the truth of her life is on the way to being lost with her memories. Meanwhile her beloved grandson, Luke, is fighting in Afghanistan and losing the last of his illusions about honour & loyalty. The military scenes are far from heroic, but all the more effective for it. Very moving.

BarbaraBB A touching subject 💔 1mo
Cathythoughts Lovely review, stacked. ♥️ 4w
62 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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CarolynM
The Illuminations | Andrew O'Hagan
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Too true, I fear ☹️

julesG Guess so. Definitely one of the reasons my son signed up. 2mo
Reggie The guy who does the Talking Scared posits that during the early 2000s every zombie you had to shoot dead in a video game was always a person of color for a reason. 2mo
CarolynM @Reggie I‘m sure he‘s right. It‘s deeply disturbing. 2mo
48 likes3 comments
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Jhullie
The Illuminations | Andrew O'Hagan
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Mehso-so

I‘m not too sure how I feel about this book. I liked it, it felt a bit like I was meandering through someone else‘s memories, which I suppose was the point. I did keep waiting for something momentous to happen though, and it never did.

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Jhullie
The Illuminations | Andrew O'Hagan
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39 likes1 stack add
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Jhullie
The Illuminations | Andrew O'Hagan
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I‘m only 60 pages in but it‘s grabbed my imagination already. Late night reading coming up 📖

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Jhullie
The Illuminations | Andrew O'Hagan
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This was a Christmas gift last year, time to give it a go.