In the end, I really liked George Saunders' "Lincoln in the Bardo". It's easy to see why it tempted the Booker judges with its vibrancy, pace and structure. Especially its pace. But I liked it more as a writer than as a reader. I think what Saunders has done here is to open up form … Continue reading “Lincoln in the Bardo” (2)
Category: Reading
Competition news (don’t get excited..!)
In the Fish Publishing 2018 Short Memoir Contest I was long-listed from an entry of 790. It was a short draft excerpt that I really hadn't done any polishing on at all. Not really a near miss, but it al least demonstrates I'm kicking the ball in the right general direction!
“The Stencil Room”
It's always a little tricky passing comment on books by people you know, and David is someone I enjoy working with regularly. His collection "The Stencil Room" is something of a geographical meandering evoking memories of many of the places he has visited. For me, having been to a nutmeg/mace factory in Grenada, the poem … Continue reading “The Stencil Room”
“Lincoln in the Bardo” (1)
What kind of book is Booker winner "Lincoln in the Bardo"? It's certainly not a novel, not in the conventional sense. There is a story there, for sure, but in form it most closely resembles a play. So is it a play, then? Well no. In a play, you are told who is speaking before … Continue reading “Lincoln in the Bardo” (1)
Free book giveaway
I have some copies of my first collection of poems available in ebook format to give away. No hooks, no catches, no nasty follow-ups! I'd just like more people to read my work. Simple as. All I ask is that, if you take the book and like it, you consider entering a rating / review … Continue reading Free book giveaway
“A Passage to India”
"A Passage to India" is the reason I went to University to study English. I read it for my 'A' levels and was completely over-whelmed. I'd never come across anything like it before. Of course the language is all very dated now, and you might say that it hasn't aged well, but for me it … Continue reading “A Passage to India”
“Calling a Wolf a Wolf”
There's some really powerful stuff in Kaveh Akbar's "Calling a Wolf a Wolf" - and for once the back cover blurb hits some of the right notes: "powerful", "intimate", "agony", "torment". There's nothing bright and breezy in here! But some of the images - often just a line or two - jump out and grab … Continue reading “Calling a Wolf a Wolf”
“Homesick for Another World”
There is a particular kind of satisfaction you get from reading something that is really, really well written - and "Homesick for Another World" gives me that in spades. It's a superbly crafted collection of short stories in which Ottessa Moshfegh delivers a whole carnival of characters from the dark under-belly of modern society (mainly … Continue reading “Homesick for Another World”
“Shrines of Upper Austria”
The back cover of Phoebe Power's "Shrines of Upper Austria" promotes a 'formally restless collection' - and that's exactly right; the book employs multiple technical forms from the more traditionally poetic through to plain, undifferentiated prose. And because the sources are also eclectic - for example some reported speech, some German - what we end … Continue reading “Shrines of Upper Austria”
“The Many”
"The Many" is a wonderful little book. It's easy to see why it was long-listed for the Booker; Wyl Menmuir has done a great job here! It's difficult to talk about the book without giving anything away - so I've have to restrict myself to bland comments in terms of how well the sense of … Continue reading “The Many”
Ian Gouge - Writer 