R. C. Hutchinson chronicled in his novels the impact on individuals of world war and revolution in the twentieth century. Often uneven in his narrative structure and pacing, Hutchinson admitted that his "inventiveness" at times resulted in long novels. His works reflect belief in Christian stoicism, of which he said, in answer to a request for information from Twentieth Century Authors (1942), that "no other attitude towards the mystery of pain, which is the great mystery, has any value."

Hutchinson's reputation steadily declined after 1964 although he would publish three major novels before succumbing to a heart attack eleven years later. His sterling achievement in the early part of his career was Testament (1938), a novel of the Russian Revolution that won the Sunday Times gold medal for fiction. His other noteworthy accomplishments include being named a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1962 and winning the W. H. Smith...