The Night Watch and Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sarah Waters' "The Night Watch" is a book I must tell you to go out and buy or download or borrow from the library right away.  It is not a new book, it was written in 2006, but it somehow just made it my radar.  Not until I finished the book (and I was so disappointed when I finished it) did I realize that Waters was the same author of The Little Stranger, which I reviewed here last year.  The only similarity of the two books is  that they feel so thoroughly British.  I loved The Little Stranger - a country house ghost story, but The Night Watch really blew me away.  It is set during WWII in London, and follows four young Londoners as they struggle through the blitz and war time London.  The book is unique because it progressed backwards in time.  We first meet the four main characters in 1947, after the war is over.  The book then revisits them in 1944 and 1941.  Waters performs somewhat of a magic trick by making this reverse storytelling really suspenseful - the reader first learns where the characters end up, then it becomes a real page turner to figure out how they got there.  This dish, sticky toffee pudding, really doesn't have anything to do with the book other than that I associate it in my mind with being thoroughly British.  Of course with the sugar and other food rations during WWII in London, this type of dish was probably never made during that time.  Nevertheless, it seemed an appropriate dish for this time of year, and I wasn't really excited about making something that got by without sugar.  More about this wonderful book and indulgent treat after the jump.

When we first meet the four main characters of Sarah Waters' The Night watch it is 1947 and the war is over, but  they are all deeply damaged individuals. Part of this damage is caused by World War II and the destruction it caused in London, but the majority of the damage is caused by their own choices and actions, the war only amplifying the effect. The novel begins in 1947, and the four main characters are connected to each other in either deep or random ways.  First introduced is Kay, a lonely woman who dresses in man's clothes who spends most of her time in her apartment on the upper floor of the house of an alternative healer. She marks her days by watching the healer's patients arrive and leave.  Kay was an ambulance driver during the war and she now seems thoroughly lost.  One of the healer's patients that Kay watches is an old man and his supposed "nephew."  This nephew is the troubled Duncan, who has recently been released from prison and works in a candle factory.  He lives with his uncle, but we know that this is not really their relationship.  Duncan seems trapped in a sort of adolescence, not really growing up or meeting his potential.  His sister is Viv, a beautiful young woman who lives with their father and works at a matchmaking agency.  Viv is having a long term affair with a married man, Reggie. Viv's coworker is Helen, a lesbian in a relationship with a cold mystery author, Julia.  Helen is wracked with jealousy and insecurity about her relationship with Julia.  All four characters led different lives during the war, and they seem aimless in their new situations.  The reader knows that they are all unhappy and traumatized, but we don't yet know why. The novel then moves back in time to 1944, in the middle of the war.  We learn when Helen met Julia and that she used to be in a relationship with Kay.  During this 1944 section we see Kay at her best, as a heroic ambulance driver and a romantic and loving partner.  As Helen strays from her relationship with Kay towards Julia, we as readers want to warn her not to do it, as we know how it turns out.  In 1944 Duncan is in prison, and frankly he seems more unhappy out of prison than it it.  We learn who the "uncle" he lives with in 1947 is, but we still don't know how he ended up in prison. I think Duncan's story line really is the strongest driver of the backward suspense - what sent him to jail.  For Viv, this second part of the book results in a traumatic event that connects her forever to Kay.  Finally, the last section of the book, which is very short, is set in 1941.  Here is where we get all of our answers - why Duncan went to jail, how Helen and Kay met, and how Viv and Reggie fall in love.  It is heartbreaking, because we know how the events of 1941 will set in motion the direction the character's lives will take.  I was surprised at what a page turner this turned out to be, once the book started to move back in time.  The real strength of this book is the depth of each of the four main characters.  This is impressive since unlike most books, we as readers do not benefit from the characters memories - we get to know them in the present, in 1947 or 1944, and how they are feeling in that moment, but the characters do not reflect on their pasts, as most literary characters do.  They are fully realized in the moment.  Another strength here is Waters' depiction of London during the blitz and bombings of WWII - she really draws a clear picture that is almost cinematic.  My only complaint is that I was so invested in the characters that I wanted to know what happened to them after 1947, but that disappointment was minor compared to the other rewards of the book.  A really unique and engrossing read.

Sticky Toffee Pudding


Sticky Toffee Pudding (adapted from epicurious.com)
(printable recipe)
Pudding Ingredients:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates (about 6 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Sauce Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon brandy (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Butter and flour either a 6 cup Bundt pan or 6 jumbo muffin pans.  Or for smaller puddings, a regular muffin pan.
3. Bring dates and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda (mixture will become foamy). Set aside; let cool. 
4. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. 
5. In an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend (mixture will be grainy). 
6. Add 1 egg and mix until blended.
7. Add half of flour mixture and half of date mixture; mix till blended. 
8. Repeat with remaining 1 egg, flour mixture, and date mixture. Pour batter into pans.
9. Bake until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert pudding onto rack.
10. For the sauce, bring sugar, cream, and butter to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in brandy, if using, and vanilla.
11. To assemble, put the pudding on a plate and pour toffee sauce over.  Serve with a little sweetened whipped cream.