The Blasphemer

Nigel Farndale

From Shelf: R&J Spring 2011

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD & A RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICKHe had always been scared of flying.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD & A RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICKHe had always been scared of flying. Now, the fear is real. A plane crash. The water is rising over his mouth. In his nostrils. Lungs. As Daniel gasps, he swallows; and punches at his seat-belt. Nancy, the woman he loves, is trapped in her seat. He clambers over her, pushing her face into the headrest.It is a reflex, visceral action made without rational thought...But Daniel Kennedy did it. And already we have judged him from the comfort of our own lives.Almost a hundred years earlier, Daniel's great-grandfather goes over the top at Passchendaele.A shell explodes, and he wakes up alone and lost in the hell of no-man's-land. Where are the others? Has he been left behind? And if he doesn't find his unit, is he a deserter?Love; cowardice; trust; forgiveness.How will any of us behave when we are pushed to extremes?'A great achievement...To take on the First World War as so very many have done and make it fresh is remarkable.' MELVYN BRAGG'A book that won't leave your fingernails intact...a terrifically exciting and thought-provoking must-read' DAILY MAIL

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