Although I liked John Lanchester’s “The Wall”, I have to confess to a little disappointment with “Reality and Other Stories”. This is partly down to the nature of the stories – more subject than style (I’ve never been into the supernatural) – and partly down to the fact that I think he has been let down a little by Faber.
Admittedly there are not too many, but in more places than I would have anticipated you find examples where the work has been inadequately edited: clumsy sentence construction or word repetition; even ‘wrong’ words.
Sadly this lack of due diligence and quality control seems to be on the increase from major publishers. I suspect its roots can be traced back to commercial pressures, being under-staffed / over-worked, and the like. Even so… Makes you wonder whether the Holy Grail of ‘traditional publishing’ is as inviolable as it once was…
Ian Gouge - Writer 