I gave up on this book within the first page. Here’s the opening:
I move. Cars move. Stock, it bends light. City opening itself behind. Here’s to be for its life is the bite and would be start of mine.
Remember. Look up. Like the face of god was lighting me through these grills above, through windows once a churn this hall, and old men watching below.
Oh dear. Regular readers will know I abhor this sort of thing. Listen, if you want to write poetry, I have a suggestion for you: don’t write novels.
Luckily however about three weeks later I ran out of things to read. Faced with the terrible alternative of being alone with my own thoughts I picked up this book again. I’m glad I did, because the story was an interesting one – a love affair that takes the participants (one being 18 and the other 38) entirely by surprise. It was interesting to see them struggle against how improbable the affair is. I also enjoyed the mis-en-scene, being the 90s, and drama school, a period and a world that I remember and which alternately makes me feel soft on the inside and sweaty with shame on the outside. I also came round to enjoying the writing. Try this, when she is waiting for him at his local:
LaterBreath of winter on me, brain crawling little from drink, I sit where he was with The Devils that nigh and read my book like pub doors are quiet and will not look up for him. Then at my shoulder Women in Love? – stoops to my cheek but gets an earlobe – Thought you’d be long past the Lawrence phase. Well, hello to you too, I lifting my eyes to him, damp and cold-faced from the wind. Have a few in you already? I do. Better catch up, and to the barmaid – rubbing heat in his hands – Two, when you’re ready, and a salt and vinegar please. Come on, that table’s free.
And this, right after they first sleep together:
Silent in his room. Cigarette. Sit of shift? I halfly dress. Stay or leave? What do men expect? What would I like? To know exactly what he considers to be the right what now.
On the sex, there is a lot of it. And really this I admired, because it is well done and I think that’s very difficult to do. It was probably (brace yourself) the most beautiful anal sex scene I’ve ever read. I know. Not that list is long, but there you go. Second runner up I actually read a few months ago; A SPORT AND A PASTTIME.
Get on Amazon fetishists: here and here.
