Author:Justin Go
In this mesmerizing debut, a young American discovers he may be heir to the unclaimed estate of an English World War I officer, which launches him on a quest across Europe to uncover the elusive truth.
Just after graduating college, Tristan Campbell receives a letter delivered by special courier to his apartment in San Francisco. It contains the phone number of a Mr. J.F. Prichard of Twyning & Hooper, Solicitors, in London — and news that could change Tristan’s life forever.
In 1924, Prichard explains, an English alpinist named Ashley Walsingham died attempting to summit Mt. Everest, leaving his fortune to his former lover, Imogen Soames-Andersson. But the estate was never claimed. Information has recently surfaced suggesting Tristan may be the rightful heir, but unless he can find documented evidence, the fortune will be divided among charitable beneficiaries in less than two months.
In a breathless race from London archives to Somme battlefields to the Eastfjords of Iceland, Tristan pieces together the story of a forbidden affair set against the tumult of the First World War and the pioneer British expeditions to Mt. Everest. Following his instincts through a maze of frenzied research, Tristan soon becomes obsessed with the tragic lovers, and he crosses paths with a mysterious French girl named Mireille who suggests there is more to his quest than he realizes. Tristan must prove that he is related to Imogen to inherit Ashley’s fortune — but the more he learns about the couple, the stranger his journey becomes.
The Steady Running of the Hour announces the arrival of a stunningly talented author. Part love story, part historical tour de force, Justin Go’s novel is utterly compelling, unpredictable, and heartrending.
A wonderful time-slip story, beautifully written and with a superb sense of place. Go captures the spirit of early twentieth century England perfectly, both in the past and the present, in a novel that is exciting, emotionally engaging and ambitious. I loved it!
—— Kate MosseJustin Go has written an astonishingly vast, meticulously plotted, and beautifully told novel. In elegant, haunting prose he tells a wartime story that is at once violent and lovely, hopeful and despairing. I won't soon forget Go's passionate, star-crossed lovers and their deeply moving story, set against the riveting, utterly realistic backdrop of the Great War.
—— Anton DiSclafani, New York Times bestselling author of The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for GirlsJustin Go’s impressive and ambitious debut is meticulously plotted and researched, and combines the narrative drive of Dan Brown with the literary sensibility of Alan Hollinghurst’s The Stranger’s Child.
—— Financial TimesPacked with wonderful, deep and fascinating characters, Justin Go's novel is a whirlwind of emotion and history, poignant and breathtaking in its scope and execution … the story is terrific, with brilliant, realistic dialogue and fantastic characters.
—— Books MonthlyDestined to join the long list of wartime romances that have been turned into Hollywood movies (think The English Patient and Atonement), US author Justin Go’s first novel is what they might’ve called in the Fifties a “rip-roaring adventure”… An engaging detective story…The Steady Running Of The Hour will leave you feeling emotionally drained and historically enlightened.
—— History of War magazine, 4 *A dual time frame novel… that's a genre buster. Two love stories, the trauma of World War I, the exhilaration of mountain climbing and a race-against-time paper chase all packed in one volume.
—— The Bookbag, 4.5*Marvellous novel … beautiful prose and cleverly structured plot. Think John Buchnan, and read on.
—— Compass magazineA hit, we think!
—— Simon Mayo BookclubImpressive and poignant ... moving and rewarding
—— Woman and HomePoignant ... stays long in the memory
—— ChoiceI wouldn't be surprised if this was the biggest hardback debut of the year
—— Alexandra Hemingsley, Radio Two Arts ShowThis centenary year, so many more female writers have chosen The Great War as their central theme ...there is WAKE by Anna Hope, chronicling the lives of women battling with postwar loss ...I welcome these, and more, for their stories and the history lessons they incorporate
—— Arifa Akbar, The IndependentPoignant and powerful, it's a must-read.
—— Fabulous MagazineAnna Hope reveals a tragic connection between three women living i 1920s London in her impressive debut
—— Good Housekeeping MagazineHope weaves her three characters’ workaday narratives together, building scenes that wear their research lightly …The women’s lives come at us in a present-tense narration that keeps the book easy to read, letting the characters’ thoughts bob to the surface of the text in italics, as if in a nod towards the modernism that was brewing in that very period.
—— IndependentA very simple book which elicits very complicated emotions ...luscious, impressive, moving.
—— Julia KingsfordIt's an unusual story, told well and written delicately. The women and the world they inhabit are beautifully drawn. It tells us that life can continue to be lived even after terrible loss.
—— RONAN BENNETT, Whitbread award-winning author and creator of Channel Four’s ‘Top Boy’Hope’s unblinking prose is reminiscent of Vera Brittain’s classic memoir “Testament of Youth” in its depiction of the social and emotional fallout, particularly on women, of the Great War.
—— New York TimesWake is a staggeringly good first novel, packed with soulful insight, universal emotions and those intimate small details which add more depth and meaning to a picture than the brutal sweep of a broad brush.
—— Lancashire Evening PostIt’s hard for me to believe that this amazing, touching book is a debut novel. Absolutely recommend and already on the run for a spot in my top 10.
—— www.thebooksmugglers.comIt is a powerful read; you can almost see the endless mud of the trenches, and sense the fear of those young men.
—— pagesandteablog.wordpress.comAnna Hope wove her spell and managed to conjure up an intriguing tale, quite rich with emotion that held me entranced until the last page. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
—— lynnsbooks.wordpress.comWake is a brilliant debut novel, deeply moving, well-plotted and engrossing.
—— http://ourbookreviewsonline.blogspot.co.ukThis is such a brilliant book; one that is both beautifully written and emotionally involving, with a fascinating plot and wonderful characters who pluck at your heartstrings on every page.
—— http://bookssnob.wordpress.comI have no doubt that Wake is going to be included in my Top Ten books of 2014, I know that it's only January, but this is a book that has had a huge effect on me.
—— randomthingsthroughmyletterbox.blogspot.co.ukThe only regret I have is that I didn’t read this book sooner. WAKE is luxury. Pure luxury.
—— http://missmoretalks.wordpress.comShe manages to capture every single detail, every emotion and every sound.
—— http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot.co.ukWake is that rare and beautiful thing: a first novel that sings with such power and grace that it lifts itself effortlessly from the pack. Powerful, passionate, compassionate, it marks the rising of a new star in the literary firmament. Anna Hope is here to stay.
—— M.C. Scott - Author of Rome and chair of the Historical Writers AssociationIntricately researched and beautifully written, with the kind of restrained yet emotional prose one expects from a seasoned author. Its characters, too, have a depth and quiet tragedy one rarely finds in debut fiction. In this centenary year commemorating the outbreak of war, there've been many novels about the conflict:Wake is without doubt one of the best.
—— Hannah Beckerman - Huffington PostA masterclass in historical fiction
—— ObserverImpressive ... A heart-breaking tale of grief and guilt
—— Psychologies Magazine