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The Flamingo will arrive at 9.00pm (novel set during and post WW2 London)

3rd October 2018

Transcription by Kate Atkinson, novel set during and post WW2 London.

The mark of a good agent is when you have no idea which side they’re on”

novel set during and post WW2 London

This is the story of what might well have been happening during WW2, strategies employed to flush out enemy sympathisers amongst ordinary citizens, daily life as Hitler started to collect countries to add to his empire, plus a bit of spying…. the author confirms at the end that she has attempted to mix fact and fiction, the absolute prerogative of a fiction writer.

Juliet Armstrong is seemingly just an ordinary young woman, who is plucked from her ordinary life, to serve her country during the war. The obfuscation at which the intelligence services excelled (and probably still do) amidst the swirling fog of London, shrouded the activities of a small group of people, doing right by their country. Juliet is planted in a flat in Dolphin Square, transcribing conversations held in the neighbouring apartment, doing her best to record the often unintelligible dialogue of the 5th Columnists who chatter away under the watchful eye of Mr Toby – Mr Toby is one of them (a spy, that is, I’m trying to obfuscate here, in the manner of the book, what a glorious word that is…). Juliet also acts as an infiltrator and spends many hours in the company of Mrs Scaife, whose allegiance is to the German cause rather than to the British, even though her son is fighting for the British against the Germans.

novel set during and post WW2 London

TF’s Tina with the author

Post war in the 50s finds Juliet working for the BBC but moonlighting as provider of safe, transitory housing for anyone caught up in the world of the intelligence services….the Cold War is gearing up, the Russians are flexing their muscles. America is on high alert. 1981 sees her lying on the pavement on Wigmore Street, where the book opens, having had a rather serious accident….

The author has lost none of her creative storytelling, she is fabulous at conjuring up scenes and era. Imagine the plot unfolding on a stage, the script indeed feels that visual! One can almost ‘hear’ the formality of the BBC announcer’s received pronunciation, BBC English fleshing out the voices and setting the scene. The book wonderfully conjures up a sense of Britain in the 40s and 50s (with just a dash of Dad’s Army spirit), from the Lyon’s Corner Houses to Listen With Mother (Children’s BBC) and early episodes of a programme, which clearly were destined to morph into the long-running Archers, the everyday story of country folk (still going on Radio 4).

Juliet seems biddable, but gradually it becomes all too obvious that butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Yes, she has some sociopathic traits (gleaned from the often humorous – sometimes black, sometimes downright wicked – asides that take place in her thought processes, this is not someone who is guaranteed to respond kindly to events unfolding around her). In fact, there is even a murder (or two) along the way….

The writing, the sense of place and time and the formality of the era are all beautifully brought to life, with some well observed and humorous asides. These are the qualities that will keep you reading, it is the essence of Kate Atkinson’s writing that is a winner;  but the storyline never really gets going and just coasts along. The novel is overly reliant on the hugely skilled art of storytelling rather than the substance that makes for a well conceived and punchy narrative (and if I am honest – and I feel really uncomfortable saying this – it’s a book that feels just a tad pleased with itself).

You will also discover the relevance of the flamingo in the story, subterfuge and red herrings (do flamingoes eat herrings, I wonder?), keeping the world of the spy industry hidden from prying eyes.

And finally, this is SUCH a beautifully executed (hardback) book, the dusty pink and the blue work so well together and there is also a ribbon book mark. It’s a pleasure to hold in your hand!

Tina for the TripFiction

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