‘The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley’ by Sean Lusk (which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Bert Seymour and Clare Corbett) is a captivating, curious, charming historical novel. Set in the mid-18th century it has the language and feel of a novel of that period, though with some more contemporary themes (it was published in 2022). I loved encountering the story of the Cloudesley family with no idea where it was going to take me so I won’t say too much about the plot but Sean Lusk creates a likeable ensemble of Dickensian characters before taking them off on an international adventure. Alongside the realistic period detail there is a Victorian steampunk feel to the clockmaker’s amazing automata that form an important strand of the plot. The book also reminded me of Andrew Miller’s brilliant period novel ‘Now We Shall Be Entirely Free’ which is set in the early 18th century (reviewed here in April 2020). ‘The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley’ is incredibly enjoyable, surprising, thrilling and beautifully written. Highly recommended.
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