The Light of Day

By: Graham Swift

Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm

Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

George Webb is a divorced ex-policeman turned private investigator, a man whose prospects seemed ruined not so long ago. Kicked off the force for trying in all the wrong ways to put away the right man, he has recently crossed a line with a client - and upended his own life.

In this masterful novel, Graham Swift takes us inside Webb's mind. For one dazzling day, we see what Webb sees and know only what his thinking reveals. We learn about his childhood and the secret it forced him to carry; his changing relationship with his once-renegade daughter; the last moments with his ex-wife; his fall from grace as a cop; the unexpected ease with which he has turned his police-learned skills to the more delicate demands of his new profession. And we learn how those demands have put him in silent league with the fateful client, a woman he has come to love.

Fascinating in its slow and revelatory accumulation of physical and emotional detail, tender and humorous, intense and suspenseful, The Light of Day is a tour-de-force journey into human emotions.

©2003 Graham Swift (P)2003 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"He is a writer of immense gifts." (The Washington Post)

Almost didn't finish

well read. interesting format, at first, but got old and confusing. kinda dry, but I finished and was disappointed in the end.

A wordsmith no doubt.

Excellent book, a breath of fresh air in the musty chamber of the nearly good best sellers. Get it and prepare for a wonderful listen that will have you thinking of parallels and insights long before you know it :-)

So human….and heartfelt

Such a nuanced and eventually uplifting story in spite of the center-point tragedy. Swift’s portrayal of humanity is so honest and heartfelt and compelling.

Paula

very difficult to follow....wouldn't order it again if I had the chance. It would be a book that I would return to the library before finishing.

The Light of Day

Wonderfully written and perfectly delivered in audio format, this is one of my Top 5 Audible.com purchases ever. Witty, literate, and original in style and organization, this may not be suitable for those who prefer a stock plot, cardboard characters, and the reliable denouement at page 347 of a 375-page novel. This is short, exacting, delightfully crafted. There are few mystery/crime novels I'd read twice--and even fewer I'd listen to twice--but The Light of Day is entertaining on far more levels than the standard thriller/killer/legal tripe...The word play is clever, the lead character sympathetic/flawed/aware, and the flash-back/stream-of-consciousness thread is 100% seductive.

Amazing, both the reading and the writing

Light of Day has a stream-of-consciousness style, telling the story of a private detective who has fallen in love with an imprisoned murderess. The writing is powerful, full of wonderful observations on life. The reading, however, is even better--a masterful performance that brings the book to life.

The first two-thirds of this book are best, with some of the most remarkable writing I've come across. Swift delivers wonderful, inciteful observations and metaphors. He does lose steam in the final third, but only ends up stepping back to a more average level of writing.

What makes this audiobook remarkable is the reading by Graeme Malcolm. Malcolm's voice and reading style bring this quirky British detective alive, handling the complex stream-of-consciousness text masterfully.

The amazing combination made the first two-thirds of this book one of the best audiobook experiences I've had. If you only like plot-driven books, this one isn't for you. If you have any taste for something more, however, this book is well worth the time.

Initially interesting, but NOT

After an initial interest, I lost track and did not care what happened to the characters. The stream of unconsciousness simply turned into too many words and too much self-absorption. I agree with the reviewer who said that fast-forwarding an hour would not change anything. Would return if possible. Not worth the effort to listen. Only good for those who believe that endless discussion can resolve anything.

Brilliantly Crafted

Swift does a masterful job of story telling, interweaving stories and time shifts seamlessly and effortlessly. The narration is first rate. This is story telling at its best. Very enjoyable.

One of the best listens yet

I found this book perfectly outstanding, from the quality of the writing to the fine and sympathetic reading. It held my attention from beginning to end and, as really good books do, it left me with a sense of nostalgia so complete I simply had to listen to it all over again. And that was a first for me.