Robert Bernard’s Out of the Blackout is arguably a classic mystery/thriller story. But I didn’t get classic enjoyment out of it like I did with my previous mystery/thriller book.
The plot was interesting, but overall, I’d say somewhat bland. Additionally, the timing was a somewhat interesting. The novel starts out in 1941, then skips ahead to 1960, then skips again to other years throughout the story.
It follows the life of Simon Cutheridge, a child who was evacuated out of London to avoid the bombing during the London Blitz. While he loves his new, adopted family, he also has many questions about his life before given that he has no memory of it whatsoever.
Honestly, I don’t have a lot to recommend the book or to do the opposite. It was reasonably entertaining and a quick read, but I was never really gripped by it. The writing style was good–I enjoyed the descriptions, but overall, the novel fell flat for me. If you like the period just after WW2, I think this is definitely a book worth checking out simply because of that temporal setting. Additionally, if you are a fan of classic who-dun-it (or in this case “who-is-it”) story arcs, this one fulfills those requirements. Of course, there’s a minor plot twist, but even so, it wasn’t totally out of the realm of possibility or expectation.
Hopefully I have a more exciting post for you next week. I’m planning on writing on Jen Lancaster’s Bright Lights, Big Ass. Feel free to send me recommendations for other books!
A Little Bit of Happiness 
2 thoughts on “Blacked-Out Memories Make Mysteries”