When the Lights Go Out

This is one of my favourite books by Lee. When I picked it up to refresh my memories last night, it drew me in all over again. The story is set in modern-day England, and the action takes place in London and in a decaying seaside town in the chilly off-season. Under this drab surface, ancient mythic currents are moving.
Hesta is rather a typical Lee heroine, a cool, wilful and somehow alien teen (comparable to Esther in Days of Grass). She is humanised by her friendship with Janey and with Janey's mother Lulu, who provide a refuge from Hesta's bitter and self-absorbed mother. When mother and her lover push Hesta too far, she takes an offhand revenge and leaves.
The first half of the book is jumpy, with settings and characters changing show more just as we've gotten interested in them. Hesta first takes shelter with a group of young squatters, whose stories and names echo classic myths. She leaves them behind as she seeks the mystery of her own role in this society, where she seems to be already known, loved, and provided for.
In the last part of the book the characters from the opening come back to importance. Hesta's mother and her lover track her down, and many things are sorted out. Even the ghost convertible has a part to play. show less

A weird dream of a novel: it feels like a peek into the author's private fantasy world, and all the more fascinating for that. Also, one of the best evocations I've come across of the English seaside resort in the "low season". Quite unique. Recommended.