England Made Me by Graham Greene

I've just finished England Made Me by Graham Greene and am so shaken by it.

It was a strange read, and reminded me of The Evenings by Gerard Reve in that it built a formidable tension in a seemingly static setting.

England made me is introspective, slow in action although I now know it was a false sense of slowness, Greene had caught me so intensely into the internal dialogues & tragedies of each character that I failed to hear the ticking of fate's clock. So when the clock did strike, I was caught totally unawares, and as in life, with hindsight I can see that Greene had given all the clues. Not one of this novel's character was flat or neglected, each was beautifully studied, particularly the relationship that binds twins, whether they like it or not. .

If you prefer action packed and fast-paced stories you might feel a little impatient with this story but if you can handle slow for 200 pages, then a deeply affecting novel awaits.

Warning: if like me the weather in novels really affects you, be warned that this story in set in Sweden under the rain, so prepare a hot water bottle & a blanket.