The Light Years

As featured on BBC Radio 4 Open Book

Told with exceptional grace, The Light Years is a modern classic of twentieth-century English life and is the first novel in Elizabeth Jane Howard’s extraordinary, bestselling family saga, The Cazalet Chronicles.

'She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts' – Hilary Mantel, bestselling author of Wolf Hall

Every summer, the Cazalet brothers – Hugh, Edward and Rupert – return to the family home in the heart of the Sussex countryside with their wives and children. There, they are joined by their formidable parents and unmarried sister Rachel to enjoy two glorious months of picnics, games and sun-drenched excursions to the coast. But not even this idyllic setting can soothe the siblings’ fears and heartache.

Hugh, haunted by memories of the Great War, is terrified at the looming prospect of a second; Edward, charming and handsome, is torn between his wife and his latest infidelity; and Rupert, a talented painter, is in turmoil over his inability to please his demanding new wife. Meanwhile, Rachel’s unflinching loyalty to the family means risking her one chance at happiness with Sid, the woman she loves . . .

'The Light Years . . . should be read by everyone. She writes about family relationships in the most moving and beautiful way' – Bella Mackie, bestselling author of How to Kill Your Family

The Light Years is the first volume in the extraordinary Cazalet Chronicles. Continue the dazzling historical series with Marking Time and Confusion.