“The Long Long Afternoon” by Inga Vesper, is an absolutely beautifully crafted novel that captures the sense of a time past with pitch-perfect clarity. A beautiful, evocative book which simmers with tension and unease. The author does a wonderful job of accurately portraying the 50s. It includes some excellent characters (I loved Mick and his wonderfully radical approach, of the time, to both females and people of colour, he was a real trailblazer) and a gripping plot made this a standout debut novel for me. The power of this story comes within the exploration of a woman’s place in a world where attitudes are still informed by racism and sexism. It is an iconically great crime fiction that keeps the reader involved from the first page to last and in characters, Joyce and Ruby show clearly the divide and the mutual understanding of two women far apart in the social structure-which, of course, is super great to be talked about and discussed so evidently.
The mystery element is clever and unpredictable, playing into the wider themes really well and overall I just believe that The Long Long Afternoon is a novel that deserves a wide readership- therefore it comes highly recommended by me!!!!!!
The mystery element is clever and unpredictable, playing into the wider themes really well and overall I just believe that The Long Long Afternoon is a novel that deserves a wide readership- therefore it comes highly recommended by me!!!!!!