It's probably quite rare that you can legitimately praise a book for being bleak, but "The Shipping News" is one such book. Not only through the medium of the story and the sparse picture painted of Killick Claw, the somehow elemental nature of the people who live there, but also through the language she uses. … Continue reading “The Shipping News”
Category: Fiction
“Now We Shall Be Entirely Free”
I never read historical novels, so why I chose Andrew Miller's "Now We Shall Be Entirely Free" is consequently a little beyond me. It must have been a review somewhere, or being seduced by the fact that it was shortlisted for a prize and Miller was already a Costa winner. Indeed, when I started reading … Continue reading “Now We Shall Be Entirely Free”
“At Maunston Quay” – chapter 1
The sea is the only constant. Grey waves indulge a brief white collar when they curl and fold inwards, foaming as they stretch up the shallow incline of the beach, striving to reclaim the land. Accompanied by the rhythmic pummelling of the shore, theirs is an onslaught that fears nothing in its perpetual motion. The … Continue reading “At Maunston Quay” – chapter 1
“Nocturnes”
One of the things at which Kazuo Ishiguro excels is writing first person characters who have flawed views of themselves; they believe they are perfectly rational, charming, intelligent, while all the while they are something other. And he depicts them in such a way as to allow us to see both sides, permitting us to … Continue reading “Nocturnes”
Goodreads ‘Giveaway’ – 2 days left!
For my friends in the U.S., Goodreads.com is currently running a 'Giveaway' where 100 copies of my novel "At Maunston Quay" are available for free. The 'Giveaway' runs until 15th September - so just two days to go! To be in with a chance of a free Kindle version of my book all you need … Continue reading Goodreads ‘Giveaway’ – 2 days left!
“Spring”
Of course after "Autumn" and "Winter" it should be no surprise that Ali Smith's "Spring" is stunning. It won't be for everyone, of course; some people will struggle with the language, the tone, the sheer vibrancy of it. And one of its major topics - refugee detention - is hardly a comfortable one. But it … Continue reading “Spring”
Goodreads ‘Giveaway’
For my friends in the U.S., Goodreads.com is currently running a 'Giveaway' where 100 copies of my novel "At Maunston Quay" are available for free. The 'Giveaway' runs until the second week in September. To be in with a chance of a free Kindle version of my book all you need to do is to … Continue reading Goodreads ‘Giveaway’
“Border Districts”
If you were to put much of the text of Gerald Murnane's "Border Districts" into something like 'Grammarly', I dread to think what 'readability' score it would get. Almost everywhere the language used is convoluted, repetitive, arcane, self-indulgent. The sentences are so long you need a bus to get from one end to the other. … Continue reading “Border Districts”
“Tokyo Ueno Station”
One of the things I find with Japanese fiction is that it can often be, shall we say, 'quirky'. Murakami is probably the best, most obvious proponent of the fantastic view on reality. Yu Miri's "Tokyo Ueno Station" doesn't try and be surreal in the same kind of way, but I couldn't help compare it … Continue reading “Tokyo Ueno Station”
“Warlight”
I guess I should have expected something tremendous from the person who wrote "The English Patient", and "Warlight" is exactly that; a tremendously evocative and well-written story from Michael Ondaatje. It evokes the murky and dangerous post-war world where people are still coming to terms with what freedom means - and what freedom cost. Someone … Continue reading “Warlight”
Ian Gouge - Writer 