This was the perfect novel to read over the recent long Easter weekend because not only is it beautifully written and utterly absorbing but the book begins on Easter Sunday 1938. It follows the story of Ivy who is on the cusp of adulthood and uncertain what she wants to do in her life. She lives in an artistic and bohemian household (“the most secular house in England”) in the countryside where her mother Marina dedicates as much time as possible to painting. This situation is heavily inspired by The Bloomsbury Group where Ivy is partly a fictionalised version of Angelica Garnett, artist Vanessa Bell's daughter. This collective of writers and painters had very complicated romantic entanglements as Angelica discusses in her memoir “Deceived with Kindness”. When she was in her 20s Angelica married writer David Garnett. Not only was David a man over 25 years her senior but he'd known her since her birth and he was once the lover of Duncan Grant, Angelica's biological father. It would have been easy for the author to sensationalise this story, but she does something much more subtle and moving with its architecture. Instead we follow the character of Ivy over several decades and each section focuses on a day in her life at different points. The story traces her intense connection with the natural world, evolving sense of spirituality and a love affair she has with another woman over many years.
It's important to note that the names, personalities and stories of Hunter's characters diverge from the historical figures of The Bloomsbury Group in many ways. I was frequently surprised where the novel went, how the events of WWII enter into the story and the way Ivy herself changes over time. A crucial event from the beginning casts a shadow over the rest of the novel. This involves a person disappearing and a mysterious occurrence where Ivy views a strange flash of light. Questions surrounding these mysteries linger throughout Ivy's development especially in her familial relationships and a growing connection with religion. I'm not someone naturally inclined to read about spirituality but the way the novel poetically describes Ivy's soulful sense of being is extremely moving. Though she has dabbled in the arts Ivy doesn't feel proficient in painting or writing. At one point it's observed how “One phrase of poetry had remained with her: exquisite risk. Where was this, she wondered, in this comfortable world of sofas and flowers in vases? Where was the risk? She supposed it was here: in the brushstrokes, the attempt to create life on the canvas. But she found - had always found - that she wanted more, for the risk to be discovered outside the studio. In life itself.” Ivy valiantly forges her own relationship with the world and sense of artistic expression in the process of living.
Light itself becomes a thing of inspiration and wonder. It's something that Ivy's artistic family seek to capture in their paintings. It's like a message from the firmament guiding Ivy's spirit. Light also becomes more prominent in the English spring when the days lengthen and brighten. It's noted how “Ivy loved how each spring announced itself as a new event: unprecedented, entirely original.” This seems so true to how we often experience this season of rejuvenation and renewal. In creating an account of Ivy's life through a series of days separated by decades Hunter forms a unique view of history and a hopeful way of approaching life with all its disappointments and opportunities. It's touching how Ivy's relationship with her aunt Genevieve (a fictional equivalent of Virgina Woolf) develops. I also love how the writing in this novel feels inspired by Virgina Woolf's poetic way of representing consciousness especially in “Mrs Dalloway” and “The Waves” (my favourite novel of all time), but “Days of Light” also does something distinctive and unique in its prose style. It offers a different slant on the process of living. Our roots may be formed in our own families and circumstances, but the story shows how an individual can spring forth to forge their own path. Ivy emerged from a group of people dedicated to experimentation and she herself creates a different way of life that's suited for her own distinct personality. Though “Days of Light” is very different from the pared down style and dystopian atmosphere of Hunter's debut “The End We Start From”, this new novel possesses an equally graceful style of writing which is an absolute joy to read.
