The Dark Glasses

"A beautifully constructed, beautifully modulated and balanced story. To say that this is a haunting book seems a cliché, but it is true." - Pamela Hansford Johnson

"[T]he writing is taut and precise, generating a sustained emotional tension . . . . a book of distinctive quality." - The Guardian

"Characters and situations are delineated with fine simplicity and economy, but also with telling vividness. Francis King commands a noteworthy talent; he is one of a number of contemporary British novelists who deserve the best attention here." N.Y. Herald Tribune Book Review

After ten years of marriage, Patrick and Iris Orde have become complacent and passionless in their relationship and in their lives. When they inherit Iris's father's estate in Corfu, the change of scenery and the warmth of the Mediterranean sun seem to be just what they need. Patrick is able to devote himself to his hobbies, while Iris, a doctor, opens a clinic to treat the impoverished peasants. But a meeting with a former lover reawakens old memories for Iris, while Patrick finds himself drawn to Soula, a village girl whose brother Stavro has a strange fondness for Patrick, and a sequence of terrible events is set in motion that will lead to tragedy. . . .

Francis King (1923-2011) ranked The Dark Glasses (1954), the fifth of his more than forty volumes of fiction, as one of his favourites among his own works and believed it was one of his most underrated. This first-ever republication of the novel features a new introduction by Jonathan Fryer and the original jacket art.