“The Distant Hours” by Kate Morton – We Are All One

It is September 1940, one of the most turbulent times in human history as a global conflict rages on, with Nazi Germany still seeming like an unstoppable war machine destined to crush all in their path. As a dog fight rages on in the skies above the Weald of Kent, the unspeakable happens as a twelve year-old, Queenie, witnesses an enemy plane crashing in the woods. Contrary to instinct, Queenie’s family takes in the injured pilot, hoping he would die of his wounds. 

However, not only does he recover, but he also shows himself to be more than a simple brain-dead and mind-washed grunt, changing the family’s life forever. Fast forward to September 1959, and Queenie is a successful playwright in London. When she receives word that her father is dying, she undertakes a journey to come back to him, raising from the dead many harrowing memories, including ones of the German pilot.

This is the premise of The Distant Hours, a Kate Morton novel. First off, I have to say that it did make for quite a calm and entertaining read, and although the story was a bit slow at times, I really didn’t mind the majestic descriptions as they truly breathe life not only into the characters, but also into their environment… actually come to think of it, those descriptions make the environment itself a character (especially the Gothic castle), sometimes ghastly and haunting, at other times warm and comforting.

The characters themselves seem a bit stereotypical at first, but I guess everyone does at first sight. As you go further and further through the book, learning about their past and what they had to do, you will start to feel a link developing between you and them. By the end of it, I found myself caring for pretty much all the main characters, with some of them revealing extra layers and dimensions you never thought existed.

As far as the story itself goes, like I said, it can be a bit slow at times. However, there are plenty enough twists and turns spread throughout the book to keep you on your toes, and the constant jumping between the past and the present also keeps things interesting as with every chapter you learn a bit more about the character’s lives, and more importantly, what happened with the German pilot. Eventually the story does veer off into tragedy, but not without a touch of mystery and perhaps even a certain light-heartedness in some cases.

All in all, it feels to me like this novel tries to be many things at once, and for the most part, it definitely succeeds. If it was up to me, I would define it as primarily a gothic novel, mostly due to the location (a gothic castle), the mysterious deaths, disappearances, and of course, secrets buried deep in time. When it comes down to it, a novel such as this one is made to entertain the reader, and The Distant Hours does it pretty darn well. 

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Kate Morton Personal site Kate Morton is an author hailing from Australia who has enjoyed local and international success with her writings, with some of her more respected books including The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden and The Distant Hours. She often made the bestseller lists in the UK and locally, and her novels have already been published in more than 38 countries.