1920: Britain is trying to forget the Great War. Clementine, who nursed at the front and suffered her own losses, must bury the past and settle for a life of middle class respectability. Then she meets Vincent, an opportunistic veteran whose damage goes much deeper than the painted tin mask he wears to face the world.
Powerfully drawn together they enter a deadly relationship that careers towards a dark and haunting resolution.
‘Glaister is an experienced novelist, and this is a consummate and heart-wringing performance.’
– The Sunday Times
‘Combines psychological insight with an immersive sense of time and place. In short, she’s the perfect lockdown novelist so if you’ve yet to discover her, now’s the ideal time.’
– Metro
‘Glaister has the uncomfortable knack of putting her finger on things we most fear, of exposing the darkness within.’
– Independent on Sunday
‘Elegant and moving’
Marc’s books blog
‘A sensitive, unsettling tale of a post-First World War romance.’
– The Independent
‘A sensitive and compelling drama.’
– Sunday People
‘Glaister’s sense of place and ear for dialogue are brilliantly convincing.’
– Ruth Thomas
‘Blasted Things is a restrained, elegant, deeply compassionate novel.’
– John Burnside
‘One of the most compelling novels I have read all year.’
–Liz Jensen
‘A moody, mesmerizing tale of a man and a woman who’ve returned to Suffolk after surviving the atrocities of the Great War.’
– East Anglian, Daily Times
‘Glaister is acute in her exploration and depiction of family and social discord.’
–Allan Massie, The Scotsman
