There is a passing allusion to the possibly politically motivated murder of the Labour MP Jo Cox in June. Skipping ahead to 2016, the UK's summer of hate forms the backdrop. In one of their earliest conversations, the avuncular neighbour speculates that Elisabeth's surname is likely of French origin ( de monde: of the world), a subtle, signal nod to the embeddedness of "continental" Europe within the supposedly hermetic culture of the British Isles. The narrative alternates between Elisabeth’s childhood, when Mr Gluck, in a babysitting capacity, takes her on walks and kindles her interest in art and storytelling, and 2016, when Elisabeth is a lecturer in the history of art and Mr Gluck, aged 100, is in a care home. Autumn tells the story of an unusual friendship between a girl, Elisabeth Demand, and her neighbour, an eccentric old man, an art-lover and one-time songwriter named Daniel Gluck. Ali Smith’s latest novel is mired in history, but is indubitably about the present. Readers will recognise these descriptions: the summer is the summer just gone the autumn is this autumn, is now. Up to now it has been fly-fetid, heavy-clouded, cool and autumnal all summer. “Now that the actual autumn isn’t far off, it’s better weather.
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