From Publishers Weekly
Septuagenarian Sillitoe (The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner) creates another memorable English working-class outsider in his latest novel, the story of a blind WWII veteran. Now middle-aged and accustomed to expressing little emotion, Howard barely acknowledges how he chafes at the confines of his comfortable life in a seaside town, resenting even--or perhaps especially--the attentions of his caregiver wife, Laura. His passion is Morse code. Bent over the wireless, earphones on his head, Howard becomes familiar with voices across the globe, including the German woman who drones out mysterious lists of numbers for an unknown audience. Howard's eavesdropping turns into compulsion when he is attracted to conversations between a sailor named Judy and her female lover in Spain. Meanwhile, Laura finds Howard a friend, Richard, a ne'er-do-well who applies his radio talents to the drug trade, guiding boats laden with illegal goods using information from intercepted weather and Interpol reports. Determined to protect Judy when her skipper, in cahoots with Richard, sets off on a dangerous drug run, Howard gets Richard to take him along on the trip--not realizing that Richard and Laura have formed an alliance of their own. The novel suddenly shifts from provincial realism to high seas action-adventure as Howard heroically saves the girl, escapes the villains and alerts the good guys. No longer the breakthrough writer of his early years, Sillitoe still effectively portrays the psychological idiosyncrasies of British reserve with chilling detail and a tender appreciation for obsessive loners. His alienated hero--older, wizened, subdued--is still a marvelous creation, this time communicating through Morse code when all else fails. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This ambitious but flawed novel by the author of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner focuses on international drug smuggling and amateur short-wave radio surveillance. At its center is an unlikely hero, Howard, who single-handedly outwits a crew of smugglers attempting to bring millions of dollars worth of heroin into England. Howard is an RAF veteran who was blinded in combat while aboard a British bomber in the waning days of World War II. Following the war, Howard finds great comfort in the "darkness" of short-wave radio bands and eventually falls in love with a woman he overhears there conducting an intimate but desperate long-distance love affair. Ultimately, he manages to meet and rescue this woman, who in turn falls in love with him, as he delivers the smugglers to the authorities. While the book is certainly accomplished in places, Sillitoe's plotting strains credibility at crucial points in the story, which weakens the novel considerably. Not recommended.-Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., Canterbury, CT Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Septuagenarian Sillitoe (The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner) creates another memorable English working-class outsider in his latest novel, the story of a blind WWII veteran. Now middle-aged and accustomed to expressing little emotion, Howard barely acknowledges how he chafes at the confines of his comfortable life in a seaside town, resenting even--or perhaps especially--the attentions of his caregiver wife, Laura. His passion is Morse code. Bent over the wireless, earphones on his head, Howard becomes familiar with voices across the globe, including the German woman who drones out mysterious lists of numbers for an unknown audience. Howard's eavesdropping turns into compulsion when he is attracted to conversations between a sailor named Judy and her female lover in Spain. Meanwhile, Laura finds Howard a friend, Richard, a ne'er-do-well who applies his radio talents to the drug trade, guiding boats laden with illegal goods using information from intercepted weather and Interpol reports. Determined to protect Judy when her skipper, in cahoots with Richard, sets off on a dangerous drug run, Howard gets Richard to take him along on the trip--not realizing that Richard and Laura have formed an alliance of their own. The novel suddenly shifts from provincial realism to high seas action-adventure as Howard heroically saves the girl, escapes the villains and alerts the good guys. No longer the breakthrough writer of his early years, Sillitoe still effectively portrays the psychological idiosyncrasies of British reserve with chilling detail and a tender appreciation for obsessive loners. His alienated hero--older, wizened, subdued--is still a marvelous creation, this time communicating through Morse code when all else fails. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal