Twist is the fifth novel from Colum McCann I’ve read – and I daresay it won’t be the last. A fluent narrative with just enough in terms of ‘teasers’ to keep you reading. Interestingly, many of these come at the beginning of chapters rather than at the end; a kind of trailer for what could be coming next.
I find it hard to categorise Twist. It is, I suppose, in many ways a ‘thriller’ – though that would be to demean it. Contemporary Literature for sure (especially given the subject matter), and Literary Fiction too; but the struggle to ‘box’ the novel simply demonstrates how ultimately useless such genres are. Twist is a good story told well, with some exceptional passages of description/narration.
Without giving any of the plot away, that’s about all that’s to be said – other than repeating the fact that this is my fifth McCann novel. There’s a message right there.
Ian Gouge - Writer 