In The Full Light of the Sun by Clare Clark
| In The Full Light of the Sun by Clare Clark | |
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| Category: Literary Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Luke Marlowe
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| Summary: A breathtaking story set in Weimar Berlin, In The Full Light of the Sun explores both art and character with immense skill, in this beautifully written work that's hard to forget. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 432 | Date: February 2019 |
| Publisher: Virago | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0349010823 | |
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In 1930's Berlin, three people obsessed with art find themselves swept up into a scandal. Emmeline, a wayward young student, Julius, an anxious middle-aged art expert, and Rachmann, a mysterious art dealer, live in the politically turbulent Weimar Berlin, and soon find themselves whipped up into excitement over the surprise discovery of thirty-two previously unknown paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. Based on a true story and unfolding through the subsequent rise of Hitler and the Nazis, the discovery of the art allows these characters to explore authenticity, vanity and self-delusion.
In the Full Light of the Sun is the sixth novel from author Clare Clark, a historian and author based in London. Having graduated from Cambridge with a double first in History, Clark is well placed to tell this tale -and expertly blends historical detail with fast paced plot in order to ensure a read that's as exciting as it is immersive. Weimar Berlin has always fascinated me – a flourishing period of scientific, artistic and philosophical discussion, accompanied by private lives remembered for their decadence. A period perhaps most famously recorded by Christopher Isherwood in several of his books, including The Berlin Stories – later adapted into the musical Cabaret. A time of between war excess that existed under the dark shadow of the rising Nazi Party, Weimar Berlin is brought to bright, vibrant life in In The Full Light of the Sun, with the three lead characters of the book allowing author Clark to explore different aspects of this glamourous, dirty, exciting, dangerous, open and claustrophic world.
A fine balance is struck here – Clark is hugely skilled at crafting a plot that contains complex characters, intricate relationships and a real sense of both danger and wonder, but combines these with exquisite world-building - with both Weimar Berlin and the paintings that form the heart of this story described in such detail as to leap of the page and straight into the minds of the reader.
This is a skilful piece of work - a tightly plotted piece of historical fiction that instantly transports the reader to an earlier time. Gorgeously told and expertly written, In The Full Light of the Sun is a story of art, hope, and tenacity. Beautiful, unforgettable, and a rather wonderful read.
Many thanks to the publishers for the copy – for further reading I recommend Larchfield by Polly Clark – another book that allows the reader to transcend time and place through well crafted characters and beautifully chosen language.
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You can read more book reviews or buy In The Full Light of the Sun by Clare Clark at Amazon.com.
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