Clockwise round the grid from 3 run the names (7,4,5,6,8,8,5,6) of four characters in a novel followed by the initials of its author. Two pairs of unclued lights (20/39 and 11/26) each combine to form an anagram of the novel’s title.
 

Across

8    Aged saint keeps working a long long time (5)
9    Weed with shoot and bit of leaf (7, hyphened)
10    Tattoo’s ending as spectators exit (7)
12    Digest fish with butt of wine (4)
14    In Gabon Herbert developed bleaching agent (10)
15    Fat Inez reduced after plain cycling (8)
18    One fifth of journos worry about columns (5)
19    Utterly trust vacuous boy on oath...