Daylighters

Synopsis

A cinema, a daughter, and a darkness that won’t stay on the screen.

Putney, winter 1973–74. Harry Ainsley has lived his whole life inside the same two buildings: the modest terraced house where he was born, and The Lux, the independent cinema next door that his father built and Harry has run for over four decades. The Lux shows only horror films – H-Certificate classics, Hammer gothic, the transgressive new wave – and its regulars know exactly what they are coming for. Since the death of his wife Lorna, Harry has retreated into the cinema’s warren of rooms, haunted by something he cannot bring himself to name. Then a woman named Gwen attends a private screening of The Wicker Man, stays for tea, and refuses to be forgotten.

Praise for Previous Work

‘(On The Homecoming) An unexpectedly moving study of intergenerational loneliness and friendship.’ —Catherine Taylor, TLS

‘(On The Homecoming) Apostolides delivers a masterclass in atmospheric dread and weaves poignant themes of female autonomy and regret.’ —Gingernuts of Horror

‘(On The Homecoming) The writing quality is outstanding. I can’t believe this is a debut.’ —Smitten for Fiction

‘The Homecoming is a slow-burn knockout—equal parts eerie mystery and emotional gut-punch.’ —Ontario Library Association