Friday 18 July 2014

Forgotten Book - The Hours Before Dawn

Celia Fremlin's Edgar-winning debut novel, The Hours Before Dawn, earned great acclaim on its first publication in 1958, and it only qualifies as a Forgotten Book by virtue of its age. Many readers are well aware of Fremlin as a gifted novelist of suspense, and this book, along with a few others such as The Spider Orchid, retains its appeal to this day. It certainly should never be forgotten.

My edition, which dates back to the 80s, is a paperback which benefits from an interesting introductory note by Fremlin herself. I always find such pieces interesting. She describes how the idea of the story came from having her second baby, who used to scream through the night. A similar problem is encountered by Louise, the central figure in her book, whose third child, a little boy who can't get to sleep at night, causes increasing difficulties which are exacerbated by the arrival in their suburban London home of a female lodger, who seems to be something of a woman of mystery.

Louise isn't helped by the selfishness of her husband, and before long she starts to fear for her marriage. The husband doesn't seem to be very sympathetically portrayed, but Fremlin denied that she regarded him as some sort of monster. I'm not sure that her intentions with regard to his characterisation were perfectly implemented, but his behaviour contributes to Louise's sense of isolation and fear, and helps to build the tension.

This is a short book, with a relatively straightforward plot, and the device Fremlin uses for revealing what is happening to Louise strikes me as a little clumsy. This was, after all, a beginner's book. But it has a raw power which I find impressive, and well deserved its success. Today's experts in psychological suspense often write long, complex book, but this relatively slender and early work in the field stands comparison with the best of them.

10 comments:

Clothes In Books said...

I remember reading this book long ago and liking it very much - I'm a big Fremlin fan. I read it before I had my own children, and it would be interesting to re-read now, as even then I found her tropes on motherhood very interesting.

Martin Edwards said...

Agreed, Moira. It's a book that certainly stands re-reading. And the 'period' feel adds a layer of interest to, I think.

harriet said...

Fremlin is amazing. Your readers might like to know that all her novels and short stories are now available on Faber Finds. I've reviewed this, and several others including The Spider Orchid, on my blog (http://harrietdevine.typepad.com/harriet_devines_blog/2014/07/the-spider-orchid.html) and on Shiny New Books (http://www.shinynewbooks.co.uk).

pattinase (abbott) said...

I admired much in this book too.

Deb said...

I wrote an FFB about Fremlin's Uncle Paul a few years ago. It was published in 1959 and did a marvelous job of capturing the tail end of "Austerity Britain." She also did a fine job of catching the growing fear and uncertainty of a woman who is not even sure what she's afraid of. And, yes, even the men who were supposed to be supportive and loving were portrayed as quite unsympathetic.

Kacper said...

Fremlin is one of my favorite authors - thank you for featuring her, Martin! I agree that some things about The Hours Before Dawn are a little clumsy, though I still do love the novel. I think my favorites from her oeuvre are The Jealous One, Possession, and The Long Shadow, but I do think most of her novels (with the exception of 2 or 3) are first rate.

My impression of the husband's portrayal in Hours was always that it was a commentary on the gender roles of the time - Mark wasn't personally a monster to be so uninvolved, just a typical father and husband of the 1950s. Obviously Fremlin was critical of the model.

Ed Gorman said...

I read this when it first appeared thank to the long forgotten Book-Mobile. I've never forgotten. I reread it maybe ten years ago and found it had lost little of its power.

Martin Edwards said...

Thanks, everyone, for these appreciative comments. Fremlin certainly struck a chord with this excellent book.

Martin Edwards said...

Harriet, I've enjoyed reading your reviews, and thanks for highlighting Shiny New Books, which looks very good.

Martin Edwards said...

Deb, Kacper, I haven't actually read the Fremlins you mention, and I shall be glad to catch up on them. A very good writer.