This is the story of two men, Drummond Moore and James Carter, Who come from completely different backgrounds and meet while doing their national service in the late 50s. It’s a difficult relationship to categorise with rich Carter, manipulating more innocent factory worker, Drum. Through the decades the friendship lasts in an unexpected way as both men are affected by what they see and understand by Doom Town an army mockup designed to show the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. This colours their lives , with Drum, in particular, being almost incapacitated by fear of harm coming to his family. This leads him to damage them in almost irrevocable ways as we move through the decades and the Cold War gives way to terrorist attacks. I was 11 at the time of the Bay of Pigs - while I had an inkling that something was going on this book well expresses the fear that many adults must have been feeling. Each incident sent me off to Wikipedia to check whether these things actually happened-most of them had although one pivotal event is fictional. I particularly liked the interspersed letters/articles/book extracts from the people with who Drum, his wife and children become involved. All of whom seem to have made more of their lives than the family shaped by their father’s fear. A fascinating look at the ways families interact..and at unintended consequences.