Sometimes you come across a
new writer who possesses breathtaking originality and verve. Sophie Coulombeau
is the genuine article, and in my opinion this novel will come to be seen as
her first step on the road to becoming a literary name.
The premise seems
deceptively simple; four teenagers strike a pact to lose their virginity
together, and despite their best intentions it all goes horribly wrong. Now,
many years later, they reflect on the loss of innocence and how it shaped their
lives.
Coulombeau uses the
mechanism of first person narration throughout, as each of the four main protagonists,
along with a supporting cast of eight other key figures, are all asked to recollect
the incident. This approach offers the opportunity for a range of narrative reminiscences,
some of which may be more reliable than others. Her real skill lies in creating
sufficient differentiation between the voices that all twelve characters remain
clear and uniquely individual, and not once did I struggle to remember who was
who.
The novel came to be
published when Route Publishing selected an extract of Coulombeau’s manuscript
as the winner of their “Next Great Novelist Award 2012”, the prize being full publication.
This came as something of a shock for Coulombeau who apparently hadn’t
completed the rest of the book and consequently had to quickly complete her
draft. It doesn’t show, which must be a testament to her skill.
I often criticise other
reviewers who use lazy comparisons to describe an author’s carefully
constructed prose as being just like another writer’s, and so I consciously try
not to do that in my reviews. However “Rites” did give me a similar feeling to
Stephen May’s “Life! Death! Prizes!”, and that is no lazy comparison; it simply
means that they share the same soul. Twinned, but of different parents, if you
like.
As I read through the novel,
with my opinions being deliberately manipulated by the different first person
narrations the question that kept puzzling me was “Who are they telling this
to?”. Am I (as the reader) being asked to take on the role of inquisitor or
confessor, or is that the role being adopted by the author? Is it actually one
of the protagonists themselves who is the inquisitor? The way that Coulombeau
chooses to deal with this particular issue is a marker for her confidence and
ability as an author. When I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to
ask her about this aspect of the novel she simply replied with an enigmatic
face, which indicated that I should draw my own conclusions.
Well the conclusion I have
drawn is that Sophie Coulombeau is a very fine novelist indeed and one who does
not need to explain her methods or approach. I will certainly be following her
career trajectory with genuine appreciation and admiration.
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