The Evening Chorus: A Novel - Softcover

Amid the chaos of World War II, three lives reveal a natural history of war and the human heart

“The Evening Chorus serenades people brutally marked by war, yet enduring to live — and relish — the tiny pleasures of another day. With her trademark prose — exquisitely limpid — Humphreys convinces us of the birdlike strength of the powerless.” — Emma Donoghue

Downed during his first mission, James Hunter is taken captive as a German POW. To bide the time, he studies a nest of redstarts at the edge of camp. Some prisoners plot escape; some are shot. And then, one day, James is called to the Kommandant’s office.

Meanwhile, back home, James’s new wife, Rose, is on her own, free in a way she has never known. Then, James’s sister, Enid, loses everything during the Blitz and must seek shelter with Rose. In a cottage near Ashdown forest, the two women jealously guard secrets, but form a surprising friendship. Each of these characters will find unexpected freedom amid war’s privations and discover confinements that come with peace. The Evening Chorus is a beautiful, astonishing examination of love, loss, escape, and the ways in which the intrusions of the natural world can save us.

“The Evening Chorus sparkles.” — Jo Baker

“A poised, lyrical novel about the griefs of war, written with poetic intensity of observation.” — Helen Dunmore

“This riveting novel is a song. Listen.” — Richard Bausch

HELEN HUMPHREYS is the author of seven novels, four books of poetry, and two works of nonfiction, including several New York Times Notable Books of the Year. She has received the Lambda Prize for fiction, among other awards.

www.hhumphreys.com

Author photograph © Ayelet Tsabari

Mariner
www.marinerbooks.com
$14.95
ISBN 978-0-544-34869-1
Fiction
 
0215 / 1586127