[2] The book is set in and around Zennor in Cornwall in 1917 during the First World War and concerns Clare Coyne, a young artist, and her relationship with her beloved cousin John, who spends a few days home on leave from the trenches.

Also prominent is the author D. H. Lawrence and his German wife Frieda who have fled from London to an isolated farmhouse nearby and befriend Clare.

He knew how to do practical things – the ironing, the washing – and his combination of day-to-day good sense and the life of the mind fascinated me.

"[2] Elaine Feinstein writing in The Independent concludes "Zennor In Darkness is the first novel, and far from flawless; Helen Dunmore moves too readily from one person's consciousness to another, and at first the present tense seems awkward, even pretentious.

Nevertheless, we believe in Clare's foxy-faced intelligence, talent, and passion, and it is something of a triumph that the dense pleasures of landscape and texture never overpower our involvement in her story.