Lead Review (Our Evenings)
- Book: Our Evenings
- Location: England, London, South East England
- Author: Alan Hollinghurst
Longlisted for the Polari Prize 2025 (which, in fact, this year has been cancelled and you can read why on this LINK via BBC News).
Dave Win is the character at the heart of this novel and as the story opens in the 1960s (spanning decades into the early days of the Covid pandemic). As the novel opens, he is briefly ensconced in the home of the Hadlows, the sponsors of his scholarship at a local boarding school. He is just on the cusp of becoming a teenager, hanging out with the son of the family, to wit Giles Hadlow, a fellow pupil. It is already clear that “Dave” – and not David – is (through means of the shortened name), not a natural player in upper class echelons and is incredibly mindful of his Ps and Qs as he tries to assimilate into the household routine and gauge where he fits in with the family.
He is half Burmese which lends him an ‘exotic’ quality in some people’s eyes but also underlines his ‘difference’. The story unfolds as the years pass, tracking his blossoming development and the obstacles he encounters. He finds his calling in the acting profession and moves through the years taking on parts, reading for others and occasionally bumping into Giles. Giles has become an MP, and one of their meetings later in the book is at a book festival at “Brasing”, a stately home, where Giles’ talk is in the Great Hall (tickets charged each at £10) whereas Dave’s session is banished to the Playroom (tickets £4) and that underlines one of the great themes of class in the novel. Giles has been a bully and has found his place in Thatcherite politics following his designated and privileged path, whereas Dave – a gifted actor – struggles along at times trying to find his niche in life. Dave has no time for the ghastly man and just wryly watches people in general fawning over him.
There are many themes packed into this novel, from Dave coming to terms with his sexuality, and then working his way through relationships. There is loss, there are politics, casual and overt racism, and ultimately hard -won determination. The author manages to meld all aspects within the narrative in a convincing and cohesive way.
The writing in this novel – as one would anticipate – is richly descriptive, it is beautifully penned with lightness, wry humour and nuanced observation. It is perhaps a little slow to get going, indeed a bit of a slog early on, but I was ready to really walk alongside Dave by the second half. There are sometimes too many people peppering the pages, with detailed moments that felt like they weren’t going anywhere, but in actual fact they served to plump up the life and times of Dave Win.
This was an interesting read from many angles. I enjoyed it when I was reading but never actively sought to return to pick the book up. By the end, however, I could see why other reviewers had rated it. The ending, when it comes, is somehow fitting given everything else that has gone on in the book, and crafting an appropriate conclusion is not always easy – this ending is appropriate and well judged.
A novel of English mores and manners.
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