Book Review: "The Stranger's Child" by Alan Hollinghurst

I don't know why I keep giving Alan Hollinghurst novels second chances. I was only a teenager when someone recommended I read The Swimming-Pool Library and I won't lie when I say it really was not my thing at the time. When it came to his latest effort entitled Our Evenings I think I was more won over, but it was still very much in the middle rather than being very good or not very good at all. With this book, I have to say it has been a better experience than most and has somewhat reminded me of Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. Let's take a look...

The novel begins with George Sawle inviting Cecil Valance, his charming and aristocratic university friend and secret lover, to spend a weekend at his family home, Two Acres. During the visit, Cecil captures the attention of George’s sister, Daphne, and writes a poem, Two Acres, which he dedicates to her.

The poem becomes a symbolic artefact, though its true meaning is layered with Cecil's affection for George. Cecil’s visit stirs tensions within the Sawle family, as his aristocratic background contrasts with their middle-class life. I love how Hollinghurst has woven the symbolism of the poetry into the fabric of the story - it works so well, I really cannot discount any points here. It is truly a great way to open the book. I highly recommend this for fans of literature itself as a form of meaning - where characters get to explore literature for themselves.

Cecil enlists in the military and dies during World War I, becoming an emblem of the lost generation. His death elevates him to posthumous fame, with Two Acres and other works transforming him into a celebrated figure of English poetry. Meanwhile, the poem becomes enshrined in literary culture, but its personal context—particularly Cecil’s homosexuality—remains obscured.

Daphne and George deal with their grief in different ways, each influenced by Cecil’s lingering presence in their lives. This reminds me of the life of Wilfred Owen, the kind of myth where his sexuality is purposefully obscured because the literary world was still very much homophobic. Cecil is a great character whose death does not mean the end, but rather a whole new beginning where his character is transformed entirely and almost deified.

Daphne marries Cecil’s older brother, Dudley Valance, after the war and moves to Corley Court, the Valance family estate. Their marriage is loveless and strained, as Dudley is emotionally distant and haunted by Cecil’s shadow. Daphne herself struggles with her feelings for Cecil, who remains an ever-present ghost in their lives. Corley Court, now a symbol of both privilege and decline, becomes central to the story as the characters’ lives continue to intertwine with its history.

Daphne’s attempts to adapt to life in the aristocracy reveal the tensions between her own identity and her place in the Valance family. This is where that transformation of Cecil's character truly happens because even though the story becomes centred around other characters, Cecil's presence is a haunting one - each of them unable to conceal their grief and feelings, each alienated from a future without Cecil in a world that is changing quickly. The fall of the aristocracy is on the way and the question of survival and stronghold is being faced head-on.

The story shifts focus to Paul Bryant, a young and ambitious bank clerk who becomes connected to the Valance family through his relationship with Peter Rowe, a schoolteacher with ties to Daphne’s children. Paul’s fascination with Cecil’s life and legacy drives him to dig deeper into the Valance family history. His growing interest in uncovering the truth about Cecil’s relationships marks the beginning of his evolution into a biographer, setting the stage for the novel’s exploration of how history is constructed and interpreted.

As the book moves along, Paul becomes obsessed with Cecil, who still remains a foremost character in the book despite how much time has passed since his death. Paul will seek out Daphne, who is ageing and becoming more and more unreliable and the reader will uncover who Cecil really was.

This book has to be my favourite by the author so far. It tells such a great story with so much depth over so much time. As the home crumbles we witness the grand fall of the aristocracy and the unravelling of a myth that was once there to shroud something that nobody could accept. It is such a powerful novel. So this is why I keep giving Alan Hollinghurst second chances - in hopes that I may find a novel like this.