The Undertow

Summary (from the publisher): The American debut of an enthralling new voice: a vivid, indelibly told work of fiction that follows four generations of a family against the backdrop of a tumultuous century—a novel about inheritance, about fate and passion, and about what it means to truly break free of the past.

This is the story of the Hastings family—their secrets, their loves and losses, dreams and heartbreaks—captured in a seamless series of individual moments that span the years between the First World War and the present. The novel opens in 1914 as William, a young factory worker, spends one last evening at home before his departure for the navy . . . His son, Billy, grows into a champion cyclist and will ride into the D-Day landings on a military bicycle . . . His son in turn, Will, struggles with a debilitating handicap to become an Oxford professor in the 1960s . . . And finally, young Billie Hastings makes a life for herself as an artist in contemporary London. Just as the names echo down through the family, so too does the legacy of choices made, chances lost, and truths long buried.

Review: I won this novel as a giveaway on Goodreads. 

This is a generational novel that follows four generations of the Hastings family from William in WWI, his son Billy, a champion cyclist who ends up in WWII, his son Will who becomes an Oxford professor, and his daughter Billie, who is an artist in present day. This book was originally published in the UK with the title The Picture Book. The former title refers both to a book of postcards the original William sent back from WWI, but also describes the structure of this novel, which is presented as a series of snapshots of each character.  I believe I like the original title better, as it more accurately describes the novel.

I ended up liking this novel much more than I initially thought I would. The first section, from the perspectives of William and his wife Amelia were stilted and didn't draw me in the way the later sections of the novel did. Yet by the conclusion I really loved this book. It was interesting seeing the progression of time, and how older characters faded out of existence, yet some of their traits lived on in their offspring. It was sad that infidelity seemed to be something many of the Hastings had in common. Additionally, few had happy or close relationships with their fathers. But all of Baker's characters are flawed, and thus more realistic. I also enjoyed the way the third person narration jumped in perspective so you got to see the world from many characters points of view. 

The ultimate lesson of Baker's book is that time marches on, and every life has its own struggles, even though those differ from person to person. Love is the only common denominator. 

Stars: 4