Description

Former cinematographer Julius Sewell journeys across Europe with his family to his sister’s wedding in Rome. But this will be an unusual road trip. For one thing, Julius has been in an institution and has only just been released to travel. And then there is his family. This is Easter 1934 and Julius’ stepfather and mother are keen members of Oswald Mosley’s new party, the British Union of Fascists. One of Julius’ half-sisters is in studying in Munich, where she dreams of meeting her idol, Adolf Hitler. Another half-sister is a member of the British Communist Party, and is determined to wreck the approaching wedding, because the groom is a rising figure in Italy’s Fascist regime.

As the family motors south, to Paris, across Nazi Germany – taking in a bus tour to Dachau concentration camp – and through Mussolini’s Italy to Rome, gathering relatives and a stray dog along the way, Julius’ mental stability will be put sorely to the test, as will be the sanity of his relatives.

Publisher Review

Kneale is a master of complex narratives and this elegant, fast moving novel is one of his best. * Daily Mail * A madcap journey... flickers with cinematic energy * Sunday Times * Panoramic... written with cinematic precision * Observer * [A] tongue-in-cheek evocation of pernicious dogmas... a reminder that murderous ideologies often first appear in forms that feel like parodies of societal norms * TLS * An enthralling and wonderfully vivid novel from a master storyteller. * Joseph O'Connor on PILGRIMS * Matthew Kneale's new novel could hardly be a more welcome getaway... Humane outrage pulses through this novel along with comic ebullience. * Sunday Times on PILGRIMS * Humane, generous, enjoyable. * TLS on PILGRIMS * Comedy and tragedy lie uncomfortably but brilliantly close in this confident, cinematic novel. * Sunday Times, 100 Best Books for Summer 2023 *