Forgotten Life

A twisting, complex, time-hopping narrative set against the backdrop of war and Thatcherite Britain. Clement Winter sets about trying to uncover the life of his recently-deceased brother Joseph who fought in the Second World War and led a rebellious, independent life. The structure and set-up anticipates some of the works we would see later from Christopher Priest and, like Priest's novels, this is one that rewards the observant reader: it is a tale of half-remembered conversations, gestures seen from the periphery of one's vision, and the fallilability of memory. It is not science fiction, but it is 'slippery'. Recommended for fans of Ballard and/or Priest; this is definitely a product of a mind of the British New Wave.