SO MUCH LIFE LEFT OVER

by Louis de Bernieres

(Vintage £8.99, 288 pp) THE 2015 novel by Louis de Bernieres, The Dust That Falls From Dreams, told of the entwined fates of three families, the Pitts, McCoshes and Pendennises in the early 20th century.

In that novel, the teenaged Daniel Pitt is in love with Rosie McCosh, who in turn loves Ashbridge Pendennis. While Daniel, an ace fighter pilot, survives the war, Ashbridge does not.

As de Bernieres’ latest novel begins, Daniel and Rosie, now married with a small daughter, are building a post-war life in what was then called Ceylon.

Amazed to be alive, and happy in his marriage and work as a tea planter, Daniel has fared better than his brother, Archie, who is traumatised by the war and his hopeless love for Rosie.

But when Rosie’s second child is stillborn, their hardwon contentment begins to unravel. The second in a planned trilogy, this is an engaging family saga.