The main character is Tim Cornish, a mentally tortured young man adrift in his life and unsure about his sexuality. This book goes a stage further and is almost entirely about relationships and what goes on in the minds of the characters. It filled my dog walking days completely.īarbara Vine books, in contrast with the author’s Ruth Rendell novels, are usually more concerned with the personalities of her characters and the relationships among them than the detection of a crime. I have even wondered, looking back whether Barbara Vine had even defeated herself and reached for the least obvious conclusion possible. The ending was something I would never have imagined. Twice I thought I had the general denouement sussed and twice I was knocked sideways. Then Tim hits something of a crossroad in his life and the pace begins to quicken. This in itself makes for an interesting tale which moves gently on with few big surprises. It provided a genuinely gripping view of the type of man he is and what he becomes. It is a fascinating tale of Tim Cornish, his ups and downs and and the deed he has satisfied himself he has escaped from. No Night is Too Long I found to be a bit of a slow burner at first although Barbara Vine’s prose, linked with Alex Jennings’ delivery held my attention fast. I listened to Brimstone Wedding which I found interesting but that, as they say, is another story. I have been a Barbara Vine fan for years although I have ignored her of late having travelled down various paths. Alex Jennings did a fantastic job with his reading and it brought it to life. 80% of the narration is Alex Jennings with two other characters coming in towards the end, both good. The characters and the atmosphere of the book - brooding, and sad but intriguing - stayed with me after I had finished it and I continued to think about them and the story. I don't know if this book is typical of B Vine but if it is, I'd definitely listen to more.
The ending was a good one for me - not a spoiler, but it was bitter-sweet. It is mildly to moderately graphic and there is a lot of sex - fine with me but if you listen on the school run. It's basically a thriller/mystery, and also it is about passion - sexual passion and to a lesser extent, enduring love. I think the reader is not supposed to really like any of the main characters - I hope so, because I didn't but the main character who starts the book as a fairly odious student does really mature into a much more rounded person, warts and all. The writing is excellent, good description and dialogue. I had begun to sort out the probable ending about half-way through but I was only partly right, so it did keep me guessing right to the very end.
You really do have to suspend belief and just accept the contrived elements. It is a complex plot too but cleverly mapped out, if a little (a lot really!) convoluted. The story is a slow-burn, though the pace really picks up in the last part of the book. I have not read any Barbara Vine before so I have nothing to compare it with.
I think I'd be happy listening to Alex Jennings reading a shopping list, and I originally saw this book because I was looking for anything new he had narrated that I fancied. Beautifully Narrated - Brought it to Life