A review by annietaber
The New Life by Tom Crewe

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Wow wow wow. Now THIS is how you fictionalize history. First of all, love how these were real people with a real project in real time. But important second: I love how much Crewe departs from the events in order to tell the story he wants to tell. Masterful. I was sucked in from the first page. The writing is compelling and flowery when it suits and direct and clear to cut quicker. The characters are so deep and real, and I felt for them and rooted for them and understood them in a way that I’m always looking for in a book. A perfect story of ALL of the different ways queerness and its illegality affects and harms EVERYONE: gay men, gay women, wives, husbands, lovers, friends, speech! But also the tension between high ideals and self preservation without casting blame on either side of the argument. Such a compassionate and tender book. A new favorite in the canon!