Charles Palliser is probably best known as the author of The Quincunx, a long and twisty Dickensian novel which I read and loved years ago, but he has also written five more books including The Unburied and this new one, Sufferance.
Sufferance is a strange novel as none of the characters are named – not even the narrator – and we are not told where or when the story is set. However, it’s obvious enough that we are reading about an occupied European city during the Second World War and at the start of the novel, the Enemy has divided the city into Western and Eastern Zones. We also know that our narrator is a respectable, law-abiding man who works for the government and has a wife and two teenage daughters.
When the narrator’s youngest daughter brings a friend home from school and explains that the girl’s parents have become trapped in the other zone, unable to return to their house, he thinks he is doing the right thing by inviting her to stay with them until her parents come back. He doesn’t expect it to be for long – and it seems that the girl’s parents are wealthy people, who might repay the family for their kindness when they return. Unfortunately, a series of government announcements makes it clear that the girl belongs to a ‘protected community’, who are gradually having their rights taken away and are being closely monitored by the Enemy occupiers.
As the weeks and months go by with no news of the girl’s parents, our narrator and his wife become increasingly anxious and afraid. What will happen if the authorities discover that they are sheltering one of the protected community? To make things worse, the girl has proved to be a selfish, manipulative person who seems ungrateful for the help she has been given and completely unaware of the danger all of them are facing. Tensions within the family start to build as they struggle to agree on how to deal with the situation, but things are only going to get worse the longer they wait.
This is an excellent novel; the vagueness surrounding names, dates and places, which I could have found irritating in another book, is used very effectively here to create a sinister, unsettling atmosphere. Although the historical parallels are very obvious, we are left with the impression that the things described could happen anywhere, at any time and to anybody. The sense of fear and desperation felt by the narrator comes across very strongly, as with the introduction of identity cards, rationing and new laws regarding the girl’s community, he becomes aware that he is committing a crime.
Sufferance is a fascinating exploration of how each decision we make can have serious consequences and how quickly things can spiral out of control. I loved it and really must find time to re-read The Quincunx!
Thanks to Guernica Editions for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
She Reads Novels 
I read The Quincunx when it came out and was bowled over by it. In fact it probably ignited my love of what I would describe as literary historical fiction. I’ve read a couple of his other books and not been so taken with them. This, however, sounds like a real departure from his previous novels but with a fascinating storyline as you have set it out. I will definitely give it a read when I get the chance.
This doesn’t really compare to The Quincunx, which bowled me over too, but it’s great in a completely different way. I probably wouldn’t have even guessed it was by the same author if I hadn’t already known.
I loved The Quincunx when I read it years ago (need to give it a reread!) but I was a bit disappointed in some of his other work. This sounds really interesting though, so I’ll definitely give it a try.
I liked The Unburied (although not as much as The Quincunx) but none of his other books have appealed to me so I haven’t read them. This one is fascinating, but very different!
I don’t think I’ve tried the Unburied, but I’ll look out for it!
Hmm, I really enjoyed The Quincunx but forgot about Palliser. This certainly sounds intriguing.
It’s very unusual! Not as good as The Quincunx, but I still enjoyed it.
This does sound interesting, though the quirk of the unnamed characters might drive me to drink. Only one way to find out! (I’ll stock up on wine, just in case… 😉 )
That sort of quirkiness usually annoys me, but somehow it didn’t bother me at all with this book. Best to have the wine ready, though, if you do decide to read it!
I don’t usually like it when characters are unnamed…but it sounds like Palliser uses it to good effect in this book. And I thought about reading The Quincunx when it came out, but I was intimidated by how long it is.
Unnamed characters would usually irritate me, but it just added to the atmosphere of this book and I didn’t find it a problem. The Quincunx is great, but definitely a very long book! I would like to re-read it, but don’t know when I’ll have the time.
I read The Quincunx last year and was mesmerised. I saw his new book on NetGalley but decided I couldn’t commit to something in the same vein. It sounds like I should have requested it after all.
This wasn’t as good as The Quincunx, but it was a much shorter, quicker read! I hope you still get an opportunity to read it.