Next, in a section entitled The Hero Takes a Journey Away from His Environment, we are whisked to a near-future dystopia. Quentin, gym-buff and self-confident, finds himself on a new-build estate in Whitstable. The country has broken down under the weight of wave after wave of Covid. Violent, feral youths roam the land – the “life-to-come boys”. Quentin receives a letter from his father, a dentist in Ramsgate, some 20 miles away, and decides to walk and visit him. He’s joined by a young man called Simon, the child of a neighbour, who speaks like Mr Darcy after “repeated viewings of period television dramas”. It’s like The Road meets All the Devils Are Here: the journey is electrifying, Hensher’s vision of the Kentish coast brilliant and brutal. Vauxhall (Zones 1 and 2, Victoria line). A 20 minute walk via Nine Elms Lane or a five minute bus ride on routes 156, 344 and 436, with entry to Battersea Power Station via Pump House Lane.

Want to find out more about taking the train from London Victoria to Battersea Park? Look no further. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial? This foray into the postapocalyptic is a departure for Hensher, until now best known for playing with the structures and conceits of big, baggy 19th-century novels. His Booker longlisted The Mulberry Empire (2002) was an impressive work of pastiche and parody – and, indeed, the title of the third part of To ­Battersea Park, “The Hero Undertakes a Journey Away From His Environment”, cheekily evokes a rambling picaresque of old. This is more than just stylistic showmanship, though. To Battersea Park is a different kind of state-of-the-nation novel; an exercise in imagination and empathy born out of a moment of collective crisis during which we all needed those things more than ever before.

Park management

When it first opened, bustling factories dominated the daily lives of Londoners. Battersea Park was a tranquil haven where people could escape the chaos of urban living, and immerse themselves in a world of natural beauty and leisure.

Battersea Power Station now has its own Zone 1 Underground station on the Northern Line. The station entrance/exit is situated on Battersea Park Road. With so much shopping and fantastic food and drink options in Battersea plus good transport links in central London, Battersea is a great place to stay whilst in London.On average, it takes around 1 hour 26 minutes to travel from Heathrow Airport to Battersea Park by train, the fastest services can get you there in as little as 1 hour 23 minutes though. You'll usually find 0 trains per day running along the 13 miles (21 km) route between these two destinations. You'll need to make 1 change during the journey to Battersea Park, as there currently aren't any direct services on this route. London Overground are the main train operator on this route and will whisk you to Battersea Park in no time. If you’re looking for a way to escape the noisy city, whilst avoiding the crowds of Hyde Park, there are plenty of other parks and green spaces in London well worth a visit. Down in South West London on the south bank of the River Thames lies one of London’s real hidden gems and my personal favourite spots; Battersea Park. The novel consists of four sections, each named after a different narratological convention: The Iterative Mood, Free Indirect Style, The Hero Undertakes a Journey, and Entrelacement. Collectively, these techniques are used to present a fluid portrait of south London lives lived under varying degrees of pandemic-induced duress; a marriage straining at the seams, ailing parents, rapidly deteriorating mental health. There’s a confidence and playfulness to Hensher’s use of organising principles, with each convention interrogated via a number of periodic and knowing authorial intrusions. It’s a high-wire act, but ultimately a success, showcasing a philosophical humility. Hensher seems to face the task of telling an essentially untellable story by asking the reader: will this tool do the job? No? Well, what about this one? Still no use? … In that case, I’ll keep trying. The book’s second part then marks a shift in perspective, as the focus splinters to encompass a wider cast of characters. These include a builder and his wife and children, the narrator’s elderly parents, and a journalist who travels to interview a famous writer too old to master Zoom. No matter what time of year this park is a beautiful place to visit and there will always be something to do.

Philip Hensher: ‘Nothing was too small to look at, to name or rename, to contemplate.’ Photograph: Karen Robinson/The ObserverIf you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. The beautiful park, which was opened by Queen Victoria in 1858, has plenty more to do than just sitting on the grass on a sunny day.