Taylor’s reissued 1991 novel feels as though it could date from much earlier in the century, such is its cool, formal beauty and the exquisite portrait of unhappiness it paints. Yet when the protagonist’s glacial self-control cracks, the disturbing images that dart out from the damaged mind beneath the facade remind one that this is indeed a modern novel with a very sophisticated understanding of the depredations of grief.
Elisabeth Danziger, a Jewish refugee living in London, returns every year to the Danish island where her family once had idyllic holiday homes and where, absorbed in their own happiness, for too long they ignored the gathering storm of antisemitism in their German home town.
In the novel’s present, Elisabeth revisits each place that marks the peak of that happiness, enduring the terrible pain it causes her in order to honour her lost loves. The wrenching twist at the end perfectly caps the beautiful structure Russell Taylor has imposed on her tale.
Daunt’s list focuses on books with a strong sense of place, and here the evocation of the island of Møn is wonderful.
• Tomorrow is published by Daunt. To order a copy for £8.49 (RRP £9.99) go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99.
