The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer

Authors stand or fall on their ability to create believable voices and as a reader that sense of being completely immersed in a character’s world is one of the unique joys of fiction. In “The Shock of the Fall” Nathan Filer has created a truly memorable voice for Matthew, his troubled young protagonist who sets out to relate the story of the death of Simon (his down’s syndrome brother) and to chart the ensuing legacy of his own mental health issues.

The book is essentially Matthew’s story, told in a series of flawed flashbacks and incomplete fragments of memory. The novel is part-confessional, part document, part epistle, complete with occasional line drawings and official letters. The sense of emotional connection to the main character is palpable, evoked entirely through the strength and depth of Filer’s writing. To my mind it was a worthy outright winner of the Costa Book of the Year (fully accepting the inherent limitations of that multiple-genre competition which one critic described as comparing custard to curry).

The comparison back to Mark Haddon’s “Curious Incident” is an obvious association, but they are very different in their overall approach and intent. I was struck by the uneasy feeling of suspense that Filer develops throughout the story as we slowly tease out the facts surrounding Simon’s death. His clever use of multiple viewpoints within a first-person narrative provides a resonant echo back to Matthew’s schizophrenic personality.

From the kernel of a fairly simple story Filer has managed to create a layered narrative of real depth and complexity.

I’m intrigued to see what he decides to write next.

After all, it’s a beginning.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Having watched the David Fincher movie some years ago I decided to read Chuck Palahniuk’s debut novel. Although I was already familiar with the basic plot twists as represented within the movie I still found that the novel follows a fairly baffling narrative trajectory. It is dark, bitter and impossibly twisted.

 

Palahniuk’s style is minimalist in his approach. By his own admission he prefers verbs to adjectives. He reads like Charles Bukowski on speed. At times it felt as though he had possibly written a conventional first draft and then edited it with a chainsaw, paring it back to the barest minimum of words that would still convey the essence of the piece. For me this works in parts, but it does not make for a comfortable read. I felt that I needed all my concentration just to stay with it.

 

The novel is written as a succession of random scenes from a violent nightmare world which spirals inexorably towards an almost apocalyptic conclusion. I found Palahniuk’s fascination with the macabre and repulsive to be in turn both relentless and deeply unsettling.

 

Is it absorbing? Yes.

 

Is it disturbing? Yes.

 

Is it enjoyable? For me, no; not in any sense. It simply grips you by the throat and demands that you keep reading until you reach the end.

 

Can I sleep now?

The Big Blind by Louise Wener

Louise Wener’s second novel is a real departure from her debut outing. In “The Big Blind” she creates a believable and realistic protagonist in Audrey Ungar, a thirty-something maths tutor with slight OCD tendencies, who discovers that she shares her absent father’s obsession with poker. With the help of an obese and reclusive card sharp called Big Louie she sets out on a quest to track down and confront her missing father.

Wener has a finely honed comedic eye (and ear) and her characters crackle with life. As a reader you feel a real sense of identification with the cast, and her characterisations are witty without descending into caricature. Big Louie is really well written, and Wener creates a fine balance between his manic compulsions and the sense of menace that starts to surround Audrey.

The plotting of this book is stronger than her debut novel, and she also managed to make me cry at the final denouement.

I have never been a card player, and therefore have never truly understood the fascination with poker. However Wener succeeds in making the game sound mesmeric, even to a complete novice like me. Now, I just need to go and practice my mechanic’s deal.

Curtis Brown Creative - 1

I have been fortunate enough to secure a place on The Curtis Brown Creative Six-month Novel Writing Course, co-tutored by Louise Wener and Anna Davis. I thought that it would be a good discipline to try and post a regular blog as the course progresses to share my feelings about the experience.

I would stress at the outset that this endeavour might yet prove to be fraught with difficulties. Writing any form of blog whilst working within a group setting immediately raises a few issues about openness and honesty. I therefore have to state that this will be an entirely personal view of my experiences and I will do my utmost to be positive and respectful throughout.

The course includes fifteen authors writing across a wide range of genres and each at different stages within the writing process. Some have largely completed their current works-in-progress whilst others are just setting out on the journey. The thing that struck me about the group as a whole was the shared sense of passion about the writing process, and the professionalism that each author appeared to bring to the table [apart from the table itself, which is currently missing from the Curtis Brown boardroom!].

For me it was quite a daunting first evening as we went round the group, each conducting a very brief pitch of our novels. So many strong ideas. So clearly presented. My carefully rehearsed pitch went completely awry. Lesson number one – better preparation.

Even at this early stage there seems to be a real sense of camaraderie amongst the group. The second session included a critique of the opening chapters from the unlucky three members who were selected for this dubious privilege. However I was delighted that the feedback around the group to Brad, Amy and Anna was so positive. The criticisms when due were presented in a supportive and constructive fashion. It made me feel slightly less nervous about presenting my own opening chapter.

Last night’s session was a visit by ex-CBC student Sarah Sykes accompanied by her CB agent Gordon Wise. Gordon had sold Sarah’s debut novel “Plagueland” to Hodder and Stoughton and it will be published in the autumn. I thought that it was a stroke of genius to have the first visiting session being an ex-student who had recently gone through so many of the struggles that we are all currently grappling with as fledgling writers. I found Sarah inspirational, practical and realistic. Gordon was also an excellent speaker and he gave an eloquent account of hearing Sarah’s first reading and being captivated by her novel. Rufus also did a great job of chairing the evening and teasing out some great stories from the two guests.

So overall my first impressions of the course have been overwhelmingly positive. Both Louise and Anna seem well-prepared and enthusiastic, and I am looking forward to my first tutorial with Louise in a few weeks’ time.  I will aim to post a further blog after that tutorial to see whether I still feel as positive and inspired!

Killing Floor by Lee Child

I have been reading a number of debut novels recently. Having never read any of Lee Childs’ Jack Reacher novels I thought I would start with his debut, “Killing Floor”. I really enjoyed the book, which stormed along at a tremendous pace, introducing the reader to Jack Reacher, ex-military investigator and action hero.

Child writes in short, sharp clipped sentences. A staccato style, but one which aptly suits Reacher. The resultant effect is suitably hard-boiled; taut and sparse, like a modern-day Mickey Spillane (with Reacher cast as Mike Hammer).

Whilst the plotting was carefully constructed I felt that the plot relied on a number of coincidences which didn’t quite ring true, but then again the veil of reality needs so often needs to be suspended in novels of this type. A word of warning; the book is very violent at times, and to my mind the body-count is somewhat gratuitous. The overly graphic descriptions (often involving fingers plunging into eye-sockets) seem to be to the detriment of the novel; for me sometimes less can be more.

Lee Child is actually the pen-name of Coventry-born Jim Grant.  Given Grant’s background and career progression he has done a remarkable job of re-inventing himself as a hard-boiled exponent of pulp fiction, in the most positive and least pejorative expression of the genre. In the seventeen years between 1997 and 2014 he has written a remarkable nineteen novels, which is a phenomenal work-rate. I look forward to reading a few more of his novels to see how he develops the character of Reacher.

"Left and Leaving" by Jo Verity

“Left and Leaving” is Jo Verity’s fifth novel and to my mind it’s her best yet. It is beautifully written in an almost conversational style which feels entirely appropriate to the story. I normally prefer sparser prose, yet this seemed to have a natural rhythm and flow, with perceptive observations of how people react to life events.

Her two main protagonists, Gil and Vivian, are sharply drawn and the voices she creates for them are realistic and natural. At times I felt more of a voyeur than a reader, which I think is a testament to Verity’s skill as a writer.

I was fortunate enough to have Jo as a guest reader on the Arvon course that I attended back in 2012, co-tutored by the inspirational Stephen May and the enthusiastic Lizzie Enfield. Jo read us the early chapters of “Left and Leaving”, which was her work-in-progress at that stage (although my memory tells me that she might have added a new opening chapter since that reading). She reads her work well and the characters of Gil and Vivian stayed with me over the last two years to the point that reading the novel felt almost like catching up with old friends.

Verity quickly establishes a believable set of dilemmas for her main characters and cleverly avoids shifting the focus too far away from them, using her supporting characters to craft a nuanced background to the main narrative. I particularly liked the character of Vivian’s father, Philip Carey; irascible, irritating yet perfectly delineated.

Without revealing any spoilers the ending was as unexpected as it was refreshing; again displaying a lightness of touch that I could appreciate with recognition of the great restraint that it must have taken not to over-write. Overall I found the novel to be both rewarding and inspiring and I would recommend it unreservedly.