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The Illuminations

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The Illuminations

By: Andrew O'Hagan
Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
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About this listen

How much do we keep from the people we love? Why is the truth so often buried in secrets? Can we learn from the past or must we forget it?

Standing one evening at the window of her house by the sea, Anne Quirk sees a rabbit disappearing in the snow. Nobody remembers her now, but this elderly woman was in her youth a pioneer of British documentary photography. Her beloved grandson, Luke, now a captain with the Royal Western Fusiliers, is on a tour of duty in Afghanistan, part of a convoy taking equipment to the electricity plant at Kajaki. Only when Luke returns home to Scotland does Anne's secret story begin to emerge, along with his, and they set out for an old guest house in Blackpool where she once kept a room.

©2021 Andrew O'Hagan (P)2021 Faber & Faber
Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction War & Military
All stars
Most relevant  
A good reading. The author plumbs the depths here as in his other books. Genius.

A big big story

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Having read most of Andrew O’Hagen’s books, and loving them all, I was a little disappointed. However, I did like it and would recommend it.

Great performance.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.