Set in London during the Second World War, The Night Watch is most certainly an intriguing novel. The main characters (Kay, Viv, Julia, Helen and Duncan) are all linked in some way and lead somewhat unorthodox lives. Julia and Helen are lovers and must hide their illicit relationship. Kay is a solitary woman who dressed like a man and is struggling to move on with her life after the war. Viv has devoted years of her life to a relationship with a married man and is starting to realise what this affair has cost her. Finally, Duncan is a boyish man who has been in prison and is now under the thumb of the creepy Mr Mundy.
The story itself is structured backwards - we begin with the characters in the "present" and see how their lives currently are. The story then jumps back a few years to show how the choices they made during the war have affected them in the future. We see Viv lost in the passion of her affair, Duncan's life in prison and the love triangle between Kay, Julia and Helen. The final chapters of the novel jump back further and show the "beginning" of the story - the incident that led to Duncan's time in prison, how Viv met her lover and how Kay first met Helen.Personally, I think the backwards storytelling didn't really add much to the story, particularly the final scenes which I could mostly guess anyway. Besides from that, Waters is an excellent storyteller who uses such vivid language. I like how she chose to tell the story of more unconventional characters, especially Kay, Julia and Helen. Homosexuality was taboo during the 40s and the implications of this really hits home when set against the backdrop of war. Despite living together and loving one another, if a gay person died during the war, their partner would receive no war widow compensation. Their partner could not openly mourn their loss. Overall, while I enjoyed the book I can't unfortunately say that it has been a standout one that I will remember in great detail in the future.
3.5/5
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