Categories
1990s

The Book of Revelation by Rupert Thomson

The Book Of Revelation

WARNING: SEXUAL CONTENT

Five words from the blurb: man, dancer, abduction, strangers, disturbing

I hadn’t heard of Rupert Thomson until he was mentioned on twitter by author Will le Fleming. We were discussing how sad it was that more people hadn’t read books by Andrew Miller (I recommend starting with Ingenious Pain) when he mentioned Rupert Thomson as another author who deserves more recognition. Having read The Book of Revelation I can only agree. It is sad that authors this good manage to slip through the net.

The Book of Revelation is a fast paced, but thought provoking book about the perceived difference in sexual behaviour between the sexes. The central character is a dancer who is abducted by three strange women. They hold him prisoner and subject him to a number of different sexual acts. The book cleverly questions the difference between male and female rape and investigates the emotions of a man who is subjected to a series of sexual crimes, but torn between vaguely enjoying himself and wanting to be free.

There was a moment, too, when he felt the beginning of an erection, that gradual tightening at the base of his penis, that slow, almost luxurious rush of blood. It was as if his body was taking sides against him. Betraying him.

I have to admit that when I started reading this book I planned to avoid mentioning it on my blog. The first half was quite pornographic; not in a titillating, explicit way, but in the number and frequency of sexual acts mentioned. It was only when I read the second half of the book that I realised how clever it was. It made me realise that I do have a different attitude to male rape and my attitude needs to change.

If you have a very tolerant book group then I highly recommend selecting The Book of Revelation – there is a lot to discuss and it would be interesting to know what others thought of the specific scenarios mentioned.

I love authors who manage to question the behaviour of society in this way and so I look forward to trying many more Rupert Thomson books in the future.

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Have you read anything written by Rupert Thomson?

 

 

Categories
1990s Books in Translation Novella

Breathing Underwater – Marie Darrieussecq

Breathing Underwater Translated from the French by Linda Coverdale

Five words from the blurb: coast, daughter, clues, looking, mistake

Last year I was amazed by the power of the novel, Beside the Sea, and so asked for recommendations of books with a similar level of impact. Breathing Underwater was suggested as a book that not only shared the themes of Beside the Sea, but also the power. I found it interesting to compare the two novellas and I think this pair would make an interesting combination for those studying differences in writing style.

Breathing Underwater follows a woman who walks out on her husband and then takes her daughter to the seaside. Her husband hires a private detective to track them down, but this isn’t a fast-paced chase. The events are very slow, with each scene intricately described.

She leaves the child on top of the dune. She feels something like relief, a pause; the intuition that she can leave her there, absorbed by the sea, eyes straining from their sockets; in the redundancy of the fishing poles, sinkers, floats, and even the buckets and shovels. She won’t rush down to the beach straight away, she won’t run off to drown in the waves; unlike logs blazing in fireplaces or outdoor bonfires, the sea does not make itself our friend, it doesn’t crackle within arm’s reach: you look at it for a long time before it dawns on you that you can touch it.

The book had very little plot and I often found that the surroundings were so well described that I forgot what was happening.

The reader is a casual observer of events, never quite understanding what will happen next or the reasons for the actions. This was a problem for me as it meant that I felt no emotional connection to the characters. The multiple narrators in this short book increased this sense of detachment.

If you enjoy slow, thoughtful narratives then I’m sure you’ll love this book, but I’m afraid the writing was too flowery for me and I don’t think it came close to matching the emotional power of Beside the Sea.

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Categories
1990s

Everything You Know – Zoe Heller

Everything You Know

Five words from the blurb: women, daughter, suicide, diaries, lonely

I loved Notes on a Scandal, but couldn’t finish The Believers and so was interested to see what I’d make of Zoe Heller’s debut novel, Everything You Know.

The book focuses on Willy, a bitter man recovering from a heart attack. His youngest daughter has just committed suicide and he is struggling to cope with the other relationships in his life. The book explores his emotions as he attempts to put his life back on track.

Willy is a unlikable character who is impossible to warm to. As I read about his opinions and actions I frequently wanted to slap him, but despite these problems I was impressed by the realistic honesty of his words:

Sophie has always intimidated me. I was awkward around both of my daughters – embarrassed by their little pink bodies, appalled by their pukings and snottings, convinced that if they cuddled too close I would get an erection – but I was especially nervous of Sophie. She was by anyone’s standards, a daunting child – creepily self-possessed and knowing about adult matters.

There were some fantastic pieces of writing, peppered with emotion and insight, but the structure of the book didn’t work for me. At less than 200 pages this should have been a fast read, but it was frequently a chore – it didn’t flow very well and there was no forward momentum.

It was interesting to see how Heller’s writing developed over the three books, but apart from that this book had little appeal. I like my books to have more plot and less bitterness.

Recommended to anyone interested in the thoughts of a grumpy old man.


  

Categories
1990s Orange Prize Thriller

Hen’s Teeth – Manda Scott

Hen's Teeth Short listed for 1997 Orange Prize

Five words from the blurb: mysteriously, dead, hens, scientists, Glaswegian

Hen’s Teeth is a thriller set on a farm near Glasgow. One of the farm’s owners is discovered to have died from a heart attack, but because her brother died in the same way, just two weeks earlier, her friends are convinced that both deaths are suspicious and they set out to discover who killed them. The only clue they have to go on is the mysterious theft of the hens…

I found this book very engaging and flew through it in just two days. The central characters were well formed and I loved the way we were given details of their back story. I also liked the way that the central characters were gay, but the relationships were portrayed so naturally that the reader barely notices.

As a former vet Manda Scott does a fantastic job with the science in this book. I often complain that science isn’t handled very well in fiction, but this book is one of the few that includes it in an intelligent way, without scaring the average reader.

My only complaint is that many aspects of the plot were far too convenient. The characters just happened to know exactly the right person to solve every problem they encountered and some of the plot points were a bit far fetched for me (the scene with guard dogs had me rolling my eyes the most!).

Despite these criticisms I found Hen’s Teeth very entertaining and I’m keen to try Manda Scott’s other books.

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Have you read anything by Manda Scott?

Her Boudica books look especially interesting. Do you think I’d enjoy them?

 

Categories
1990s Historical Fiction

Stonehenge – Bernard Cornwell

In preparation for hearing Bernard Cornwell talk I wanted to read one of his books. The reviews on Amazon seem to indicate that his King Arthur books are the best, but unfortunately my library didn’t have a copy of The Winter King in stock and so I ended up with Stonehenge. I was equally intrigued by the historical setting, but the Amazon reviews were a lot less enthusiastic and so I wonder if I picked the wrong book to try.

Stonehenge gives a plausible account of events leading up to the construction of the iconic neolithic monument. The story focuses on two brothers who are battling to become the tribal King. We witness the tribal feuds and rituals and learn about the way people lived in 2000 BC.

The historical detail was fascinating and there were several scenes, especially those containing ritual sacrifice, that affected me deeply. The problem was that the sections between these gripping scenes were too long – the plot meandered and I frequently found myself loosing interest. It was a real chore to read much of this book and I almost gave up a few times. I had no emotional connection to the characters and although I learnt about their belief systems, I didn’t feel as though I really understood their fears or motivations.

I have been lucky enough to read several very well written books recently and Stonehenge stood out for the averageness of its writing. I can’t pinpoint what was wrong, but I felt that the scenes failed to come alive. The writing was serviceable, rather than special.

Saban hardly slept, but instead lay and listened to the noises of the night. Once he heard the crackling of twigs, the sound of a great body moving through the brush, then silence again in which he imagined a monstrous head, fangs bared, questing up to the elm. A scream sounded on the ridge, and Saban curled into a ball and whimpered. An owl screeched. The boy’s only comforts were the stars of his ancestors, the cold light of Lahanna silvering the leaves and his thoughts of Derrewyn. He thought of her a lot. He tried to conjure up a picture of her face. Once, thinking about her, he looked up and saw a streak of light slither across the stars and he knew that a god was descending to the earth which he took to be a sign that he and Derrewyn were destined for each other.

Overall I feel that the negatives far out-weigh the positives for this book and so I’m afraid I can’t recommend it.

Did I just pick the wrong Cornwell book?

Are the problems I describe present in the King Arthur books?

Categories
1990s Booker Prize

How Late It Was, How Late – James Kelman

 Winner of the 1994 Booker Prize   

How Late It Was, How Late is set in Glasgow and follows Sammy, who wakes up in the gutter after a night of heavy drinking to discover that his shoes have been stolen. He gets into a fight with some plainclothes policemen (“sodjers”) and ends up in a police cell. Badly beaten, he wakes to discover that he is blind and so begins the difficult task of learning to live without his sight whilst also trying to avoid being blamed for a crime he knows nothing about.  

I started off hating this book. The stream of consciousness writing style combined with frequent swearing and the Glaswegian dialect meant that I had trouble connecting with it, but I persevered and slowly became used to the writing style. I found that if I read it in large chunks then I could immerse myself in the Glaswegian dialect and the bad language became a natural part of the conversation.   

Plus ye couldnay quite predict what they were up to, the sodjers. So he was gony have to go careful. So fuck the drink there was nay time, nay time, he had to be compos mentis. Whatever brains he had man he had to use them. Nay fuck-ups. The things in yer control and the things out yer control. Ye watch the detail. Nay bolts-from-the-blue. Nayn of these flukey things ye never think about. Total concentration. 

After about 50 pages I was amazed to find that I started to like Sammy – I began to feel sorry for him and even found some of the book funny.   

It wasn’t an easy read – the book flipped forwards and backwards in time and sentences were often left without an end. It took me a long time to read this book and there were several points at which I nearly gave up. Very little happens and the middle dragged. I think that if the book had been 200 pages shorter then I’d have appreciated it a lot more.

This book is packed with symbolism and I’m sure it could benefit from multiple re-reads. I’m glad I glimpsed Sammy’s life, but I’m not sure I’d want to read about him again.

Recommended to fans of literary fiction who enjoy reading about the darker areas of society.

Did you enjoy How Late It Was, How Late?

Do you recommend any of Kelman’s other books?