I absolutely adore anything Sarah Waters writes. She has the quintessential storyteller’s gift for drawing me into whatever world she’s conceived, creating fascinating characters and irresistible plots. Fingersmith would have to be my favorite, followed closely by Affinity and then Tipping the Velvet. Each of these books were marathon reads, the type you can’t put down until you’ve read the very last page, still wanting more, and I loved the Victorian-era settings. So, when news of her next book announced that it would take place in WWII London, I was a tad leery. I waited until the book came out in paperback, and then waited several months more before finally opting for The Night Watch as one of my By the Decade Reading Challenge selections.

Well, once again I was drawn into the story from the moment I began reading, and I stayed up late into the night until I was done. The book opens in 1947 and introduces us to a group of individuals, all tangentially or directly connected, each damaged in some way and living with the shadow of the war still hanging over them. Then the story works backwards, weaving back through the characters’ lives and connections, ending in 1941. As the storyline unravels, we learn what brought each character to their current existence in 1947, marred and broken, and trying to survive, whether they truly want to or not.

Although the story kept me interested, it didn’t keep me in thrall like her previous books. Perhaps it was the slow denouement throughout the novel, or the more modern setting, or the grittier, melancholy tone. So, while I can still say with all honesty that I’ve loved everything she’s written, this would be my least favorite of her four novels. And I can’t wait to read her next one.