That Dark Remembered Day

LONGLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN NOT THE BOOKER PRIZE

One family, one town, devastated by one tragic event.

Can you ever know what those closest to you are really capable of?

When Stephen gets a phone call to say his mother isn't well, he knows he must go to her straight away. But he dreads going back there. He has never been able to understand why his mother chose to stay in the town he grew up in, after everything that happened. One day's tragic events years before had left no one living there untouched.

Stephen's own dark memories are still poisoning his life, as well as his marriage. Perhaps now is the time to go back and confront the place and the people of his shattered childhood. But will he ever be able to understand the crime that punctured their lives so brutally? How can a community move on from such a terrible legacy?

“Tom Vowler is an author to watch out for; a writer, if there is any justice in the world, who is going places”

THAT DARK REMEMBERED DAY is a fine achievement. One vividly imagined and intensely realised scene follows another, each one ratcheting the tension, as we are led back through time, and deeper into Stephen's memories . . . Makes you want to elbow the stranger next to you on the train and say: "Read that. Just read it."

A compelling story about damage done, a touching exploration of the possibility of forgiveness and recovery

Intelligent, absorbing and beautifully done

Compelling and beautifully constructed - it deserves to be widely read

Tom Vowler is an award-winning writer living in South-West England. His short story collection THE METHOD won the inaugural Scott Prize in 2010 and the Edge Hill Readers' Prize in 2011. This is his second novel.

LONGLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN NOT THE BOOKER PRIZEOne family, one town, devastated by one tragic event. Can you ever know what those closest to you are really capable of?When Stephen gets a phone call to say his mother isn't well, he knows he must go to her straight away. But he dreads going back there . He has never been able to understand why his mother chose to stay in the town he grew up in, after everything that happened. One day's tragic events years before had left no one living there untouched.Stephen's own dark memories are still poisoning his life, as well as his marriage. Perhaps now is the time to go back and confront the place and the people of his shattered childhood. But will he ever be able to understand the crime that punctured their lives so brutally? How can a community move on from such a terrible legacy?

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