Interview with Stephen May

Today I’m fortunate enough to be able to interview Stephen May. I reviewed his new novel “Stronger Than Skin” in my previous blog post here.
http://iandavidkirkpatrick.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/stronger-than-skin-by-stephen-may.html 

Firstly, I have to declare an interest, following in the best of journalistic traditions. Back in 2012 I attended an Arvon course at The Hurst, “Starting to Write Your Novel” co-tutored by Stephen with Lizzie Enfield. Stephen was very much the self-styled bad cop to Lizzie’s good cop, but for me he was inspirational. At the time his second novel “Life! Death! Prizes!” had just been published by Bloomsbury, but he elected to read us the first few pages of his debut novel “TAG”, which to my mind is a perfect example of how to craft a stunning opening chapter. I have read and reviewed each of his novels on my blog pages and he and I have become pals over the last five years.

My feeling is that “Stronger Than Skin” is probably his strongest novel yet (somewhat appropriately) and so I asked him the following questions: -

Stephen, there are so many books out there. Why should anyone read yours?

Because it's Apple Tree Yard meets The Graduate! (that was a description gifted to me by a mate and there's something in it...) I'd been saying it was the love child of William Boyd and the Evelyn Waugh of “Brideshead Revisited”. It's got some propulsion, some poke, some of that page-turneryness of a decent thriller, but it's also a rites of passage story and a reflection of how strange the turbulence of adolescence can be. It's also an investigation into pubs, a portrait of Cambridge in the 1990s and one of the very few novels where the protagonist actually ends up in Felixstowe! It is also, I hope, a novel that looks hard at a lot of the nonsense that fills up our lives. I also write about the family which a lot of men shy away from doing.

“Stronger Than Skin” is your fourth published novel. As a self-confessed late developer, do you feel as though you are now hitting your stride? 

I hope so. I think every novel sees me increase the range of colours on my palette. But writing novels is a bit like climbing mountains. A successful ascent of one Alp doesn't mean the next one will be easier. They're all different. This last one was the hardest actually - though hopefully that doesn't show.

Many of your characters are underachievers, non-performers or drunks. Why are you so drawn to the daydreamers in life?

Because I'm writing what I know. The under-achievers are my people! Kerouac has a character in “On The Road” make a statement about how he is drawn to the mad ones, the mad talkers, the wild. I'm irritated by the mad and the wild, annoyed by how much attention they get. I prefer the quiet. I'm drawn to the dawdlers, the day-dreamers, those who are full of doubt... The cack-handed and the slow... And I'm definitely one of them. The people who were told they were lazy, that we would never amount to anything and it looked for a long time like I would prove these predictions correct. Incidentally I started writing seriously the year my father died and I think his death (which was very sad obviously - he was only 62 and it was sudden) was the removal of a psychic roadblock. I started getting myself together a bit then.

I can personally vouch for the fact that you’re a very effective teacher. What do you still get from the teaching process and does this influence your writing?

Thank you. Teaching creative writing only influences my own work in that it allows me to meet a lot of people and because it does make me think hard about what is I'm trying to do. And it keeps me on my toes, keeps me sharp because I see a lot - A LOT -  of unpublished talent and so it reminds me how lucky I am to get my books out. Teaching aspiring writers tells me that I have to stay good... I can't relax or get complacent.

You mentioned to me that “Stronger Than Skin” had a strange trajectory and a traumatic birth. Would you like to explain a few of the difficulties that you had to overcome?

I painted myself into a lot of corners, ran into a lot of cul-de-sacs. Couldn't get the tone right or the structure. Had too many characters. Showed it to my agent and publisher way before it was anywhere near cooked. I probably should have quit but discovered I was way more stubborn and tenacious than I had thought. I kept getting up off the canvas to go another round, and eventually the novel began to go where I wanted. I'm very proud of it now, but there were times when I hated the book and hated myself for having written it. I hope the next one (if there is a next one) will be easier because of the trouble STS gave me. But it might not be the case. I might be deluding myself.

I love the image of you as Rocky! For me, the structure of “Stronger Than Skin” with its alternating timelines is one of its strengths. Did you have this structure in mind from the outset, or did it evolve during the writing process?

I experimented a lot. Alternating chapters, 1990 strand as one discrete novella, contemporary strand as another. Finally - in the very last draft - I just began with the contemporary strand and pushed on until I felt it needed a change of scene or pace. In the end, I allowed myself to be guided by intuition and that worked out a lot better. The opening didn't change that much but everything else did.

In Mark Chadwick you have another first-person narrator. How do you ensure that the voice you create has sufficient differentiation to say Billy Smith in “Life! Death! Prizes!” or Nicky Fisher in “Wake Up Happy Every Day”?

Well, they're definitely related to each other! They share a lot of characteristics and ways of thinking. Again, I was - in the end - guided by instinct and what felt right. I don't give the voices too much thought. I usually know my main character pretty well before I begin (and they probably are based on me at least a bit; based on how I would think and what I might say if I was in their shoes).

Beckett’s “Fail Better” seems to be something of a mantra both for you and for many of your characters. Do you think you’re learning to fail better yourself?

With this book Kept trying. Kept failing. And not always failing better. quite often failing a lot, lot worse... You're right though - Beckett's line is something of a guiding mantra for me. A light in the darkness.

Aside from promoting “Stronger Than Skin” (and trying to sell a few books) what else are you currently working on?

I've been writing short stories - have published five over the last year or so, so I'm hoping there might be a collection of those. I've been writing some stage pieces and I want to do more of that. I'm hoping to be working with dancers and a theatre company on a play about football in time for the next world cup and I'm working on a new novel but I'm the early stages of trying (and failing) with that one... and yes, I'm busy meeting readers wherever I can. Any book club, any library, any bookshop, any festival. Stronger Than Skin deserves an audience and if I have to win the world over one book group at a time then I'll do that.

Well, best of luck with that aim. Thank you for your time today.

“Stronger Than Skin” is published by Sandstone Press and is currently available from your bookseller of choice. 

"Stronger Than Skin" by Stephen May

Stephen May’s new novel “Stronger Than Skin” is an absolute belter and continues his ongoing theme of obsession with the male psyche. The plot grabs you by the throat from the outset and is relentless in its intensity. May is a master of first person narration, and he gives his protagonist Mark Chadwick an authentic voice which is both engaging and beautifully constructed.

May’s second novel “Life, Death, Prizes” was much lauded, sweeping all before it as it scooped up a nomination for the Costa prize. His third novel “Wake Up Happy Every Day” was less commercially successful, despite a strong premise and a great line in self-deprecating humour. “Stronger Than Skin” is a far more satisfying read, with a great cast of characters, and a sweeping visual sensibility that probably owes much to May’s experiences as a screenwriter.

At the outset of the novel Mark Chadwick’s carefully constructed life takes a sudden left turn, and May deftly plots out a twin storyline as the reader slowly learns the parallels between the toxic relationship from his past and the domesticated order of his current life. May slowly teases out clues, drawing the reader into Chadwick’s intricately fashioned and convoluted world.

I particularly enjoyed the depth of characterisation within the novel. Even the minor characters are sharply delineated. When Chadwick meets an overly self-confident ex-pupil May gives his protagonist the telling line “I’m not a big fan of certainty. I don’t trust it.” I smiled for the rest of the chapter. 

Like much of May’s work “Stronger Than Skin” defies simple categorisation. It is a carefully constructed high-wire act, balancing a psychological thriller with a romantic character study. Yet it works brilliantly, and May delivers it with his trademark wit and charm. Comparisons with Nick Hornby and David Nicholls are probably inevitable, but to my mind they are simply lazy reviewing. May has a better ear for dialogue than either of them, and he pulls no punches when it comes to emotional impact. He also doesn’t over-write, so whilst the ending satisfactorily resolves the main plot threads, not everything is neatly parcelled into a pat conclusion. I have a feeling May would approve of a suspended chord at the end of a song, much like The Who’s “Pinball Wizard”. Stephen May compared with Pete Townshend – I think he’d approve of that too.

"Safe Sext"

It’s been a while since I’ve posted to my blog so I thought I’d write an update of where I’ve reached in the process.

I completed my re-write of “Safe Sext” and I think it’s a far better novel than it used to be. Thanks must go to my friend Sarah Garrett who suggested I should do a search and destroy mission on the word “that”. It’s one of my worst habits - over-use of the dreaded “T” word. I went through the whole manuscript and managed to delete about a hundred unnecessary “that’s”. Result.

Whilst I’m thanking friends I must also mention Fran Quinn who has consistently made incisive suggestions about the plot and the storyline. I’m grateful for the time she has devoted to helping me when she’s concurrently trying to re-write her historical novel “The Smallest Man”.

I’ve also been trying to work on an elevator pitch for the novel, which seemed to be a harder task for me than writing the whole book. Neatly encapsulating such a complex plot in three sentences has been a tough ask. However, I wanted to share the elevator pitch I’d developed,

“Safe Sext” is a contemporary and realistic love story that follows a group of teenage friends. It explores the phenomenon of sexting and how easily a simple situation can dramatically escalate through the misuse of social media. It focuses primarily on Nick and Chlöe and how their new relationship is threatened by a malicious Facebook post of a naked photo of Chlöe.

It’s hard for me to get sufficient critical distance to know whether this ticks enough boxes, but I wanted to try and get a sense of the marketability of the novel. I remain convinced that the basic premise captures the zeitgeist of teenage life, even though it’s some years since I was a teenager myself. I can only hope that one of the agents I’m currently submitting to agrees with that assessment and can see the potential in the novel. My fingers are crossed, which might explain those typos!

Curtis Brown Creative Summer School

I have reached an important decision. I would like to start posting to my blog again.

In the past many of my posts were reviews of novels that I had enjoyed. However my current aim is for my blog to document my journey as a writer, reflecting the process of my writing. I thought I would start with a brief post about Curtis Brown Creative.

I attended the Six Month Novel Writing course in spring 2014, tutored by Louise Wener and Anna Davis. I reflected on my experiences on approaching the end of the course in a previous post here: - http://iandavidkirkpatrick.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/curtis-brown-creative-approaching-end.html

So ten months further on, what have I achieved? Firstly I completed the re-write of “Ilona”, the mid-life crisis crime thriller that I had been writing throughout the CBC course. I submitted it to a number of literary agents, with a degree of initial optimism, but an undercurrent of realism. It was rejected by all of them, although both Gordon Wise and Sheila Crowley had the decency to offer some excellent suggestions about narrative voice and pacing which I intend to act upon in a future re-write. So I have decided to shelve "Ilona" for a while. She's glaring at me as if I've somehow betrayed her, but if I'm honest I think my new novel has a better narrative voice, better pace and represents a more commercially viable proposition.

Over the course of the last six months I have been working on a second project, a Mature Young Adult novel with the working title of "Safe Sext". This explores the consequences of the sexting phenomenon for a group of teenagers, who unwittingly find themselves at the centre of a revenge porn shit-storm.

I have just signed up for the Curtis Brown Creative Summer School in July, once again led by the excellent Louise Wener. I intend to workshop an extract from “Safe Sext” as part of that course. So why have I decided to fork out more money and return to CBC?

What CBC offer is a sympathetic magic; a sense that your writing will be transformed through a process of sharing, workshopping, meeting and listening to other writers. Creativity through a process of contagion. It sounds ambitious; yet for me it worked. I was inspired, enthused, challenged and forced to raise my game.

Anna, Louise and Rufus were a constant source of encouragement and reassurance to me. Together they equipped me with the tools that I hope will enable me to achieve my ambition of publication. They make no promises. It’s a journey that I’m still negotiating, but I feel that CBC have given me a road-map.

Second Life by S.J.Watson

The writer writes; the reader reads. As you slowly become immersed in the book a delicate balance of trust develops. As a reader you trust that the writer will tell you the story, because in the end it’s the story that really matters. You hope that the writer will be honest and fair and will not cheat. You hope that your faith will be rewarded.

 

Steve Watson understands his genre perfectly. His writing is simple yet nuanced. His prose is sparse yet perfectly pitched. His structure is beautifully judged. When writing in the first person as a female protagonist he is utterly believable. He draws you in. You begin to trust him. Don’t.

As a writer he fucks with your mind and he does it brilliantly. I am in awe.

If you are currently wondering “Should I read this book?” do not hesitate. Buy it. Read it. Reach your own decision. But do not trust the judgment of anyone who tells you that this is not well-written, because it is.

"Tripwire" by Lee Child

“Tripwire” is Lee Child's third Jack Reacher novel and I enjoyed it even more than the first two. His debut, “The Killing Floor”, was written in first person whereas the second novel, “Die Trying” was written in third person, as is “Tripwire”. However it seems to me that with this third book Child is really hitting his stride as a writer. 

“Tripwire” is written with a broader canvas and with greater depth to all of the minor characters. In Hook Hobie Child has created a great villain, ruthless and psychotic. 

Although the story follows a similar blueprint to the first two Reacher tales with many similar elements the writing does not seem formulaic. Child has a fantastic ability to keep the reader guessing and his plotting here is exemplary. I particularly enjoyed seeing how he carefully wove the plot strands together, slowly resolving each thread for the reader. It's a real skill.

His prose has a sparse economy. He often uses short sentences to rack up the tension. It's a trick that works.

There were a couple of interesting decisions that he made throughout the novel. Whilst he provides his readers with a satisfying resolution to the main plot he deliberately chooses not to resolve the fate of some of the minor characters. In some senses I can understand the desire to not tie everything up too neatly, but having spent a few hundred pages in their company I suppose I would have liked just a hint of resolution. It’s a very minor gripe in an otherwise excellent novel.

I look forward to reading the fourth novel in the series by way of comparison.

"Before We Met" by Lucie Whitehouse

There has been rather a glut of thrillers with unreliable narrators recently. I guess it’s been a bit of a publishing trend. However, I found “Before we met” to be superior to many that I have read, both in structure, tone and tension. I think that this is down to Lucie Whitehouse’s skill as a writer in creating believable characters with consistent voices throughout which draw the reader into the story. I found myself unable to resist the immersion, but for me it really worked.

The premise of the novel appears to be straightforward at the outset. Having reached her mid-life without a significant other Hannah Reilly appears to have finally met the man of her dreams, in upstate New York of all places. Mark is rich, successful and single, and after a whirlwind romance they marry and relocate back to the UK where Mark’s business is based. However when Mark unexpectedly fails to return home from a business trip back to New York Hannah slowly begins to discover that all is not as it might appear on the surface. She begins to question everything that she thought she knew about her new husband, and discovers that the truth is not quite as easy to navigate or explain.

The plot is beautifully judged, without veering into ridiculous or ill-conceived set-ups. I found the novel to be a bit of a slow burner at the start. There is a lot of back story to get through (not all of which can be relied upon) and many of the early chapters explore this aspect of the story. However as a reader I found that once you get past this initial hurdle you find yourself drawn into a labyrinth of riddles and lies from which there seems to be no easy escape.

This is the first of Whitehouse’s novels that I have read, but on the strength of this I’m tempted to try her debut, The House at Midnight. In the interim I would have no hesitation in recommending this well-constructed thriller.

"The Miniaturist" by Jessie Burton

The Miniaturist is Jessie Burton's debut novel and it is, quite simply, extraordinary. I know that it has been hyped to death (as is the way of things) but to my mind it still exceeded any of my pre-conceived expectations. I am in awe of her skill in creating such a brave, daring and thoroughly entertaining tragic novel.

 

Set in Amsterdam in 1686 it charts the fall of a wealthy dysfunctional family as their dark secrets are slowly revealed. Wealthy merchant Johannes Brandt commissions a cabinet-sized replica of his wife Nella’s new marital home. However its furnishings and puppet inhabitants are created for Nella by an elusive and enigmatic miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror the lost loves and hidden hopes of their real life counterparts.

 

Burton's cast are brilliantly drawn, particularly Marin, Johannes’ dark and intriguing sister who slowly emerged as my favourite character. Everything about the book is meticulous, from the deft plotting to the complex interwoven narrative. I found myself totally immersed in this compelling story as meals went uncooked and the dog unwalked - (I'll make it up to her!)

 

Burton's foreshadowing of the darker secrets within the household is effortlessly done, and the intrigue grows around Nella like a spider’s web. Some of the riddles can be deduced by the reader, others spill out through chance observations and fate. However every aspect appears to be known to the mysterious miniaturist who sends Nella a succession of tiny gifts, each a metaphor that echoes Nella's life yet which also appears to accurately predict her future.

 

Elliptically convoluted, the story is like a maze, with half-truths wrapped within secrets and lies. The pleasure of unravelling these enigmas is palpable; as a reader I found some easy to deduce, whilst others were more skilfully concealed.

 

One of her hardest juggling acts is managing Nella's development from wide-eyed innocent to a strident and forceful woman in charge of her own destiny. Those are difficult waters to navigate successfully, and occasionally Nella seems to vacillate between the two extremes, but to me her voice remained convincing throughout.

 

If I'm being critical I find that occasionally Jessie's writing is a little overblown; it’s as if she feels the need to create a writerly description when sometimes a more direct and simplistic passage will suffice. To be honest it's nothing that a slightly harsher editor couldn't correct. I know myself that sometimes tough love is what is needed. However when she judges it correctly the beauty of her writing shines through and it can be jaw-droppingly good. The childbirth scene had me wracked with tears and cursing her for making me cry.

 

I enjoyed the fact that not every element is neatly tied up at the end of the book. Whilst there is a satisfactory resolution to the main issues Jessie lets her readers use their own imaginations for some of the minor story arcs, a space I found welcome; although I appreciate that this may not work for everyone. It can be quite a brave move if you deliberately don’t explain everything.

 

I was reminded of the writer’s maxim: - "if you care about your characters your readers will care about the story". I was entranced, and I certainly came to care about the characters, whilst Jessie reeled me in to the story with dexterity and with her meticulous plotting. It's a rare skill.

Curtis Brown Creative - Approaching the end

It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the conclusion of the Curtis Brown Creative six-month novel writing course. The weekly sessions (every Tuesday punctuated by the occasional Wednesday) have become a central part of my life over the last six months. I’m already anticipating a keen sense of loss once it’s all over.

 

My fourteen fellow students have been so generous with their time both within the sessions and more acutely with their evenings and weekends to provide such detailed feedback on the extracts we have all submitted. Do the maths; fourteen other students, three 3,000 word extracts each, equates to 126,000 words critically evaluated. But for me this has been one of the most gratifying and supportive aspects of the course.

 

As writers I suppose we all seek validation for our writing. However, more important are the constructive criticisms, no matter how hard it may be to hear them at the time. Personally I felt a little bruised immediately after my tutorial with Anna, but once I’d had a chance to reflect on what she’d said, to process her criticism, I realised that in most cases she’d been spot-on. I will be forever indebted. Out with the red pen then!

 

The peer feedback sessions (along with those harsh but fair tutorials from Louise and Anna) have helped to shape my novel “Ilona”. I feel that it’s a radically different and greatly improved novel now from where it sat when I first submitted my extract to Anna and Rufus to apply for a place on the course. The process has helped me to slowly change “Ilona” into the novel that I originally aspired to write, rather than what I had written. It’s an important distinction.

 

I have been re-writing “Ilona” throughout the last six months, a process which is still ongoing. My issue now is trying to determine just how much further work is needed at this stage.

 

If I’m honest with myself my aims at the outset of the course were to improve “Ilona”; to make it the best novel I could possibly write, alongside the longer term aim of securing literary representation. I feel certain that most of my fellow students had similar aims.

 

My short-term aim is now to complete the current re-write, incorporating much of what I regarded as valid criticism and largely ignoring the comments that I felt were made without any innate understanding of what I was seeking to achieve.

 

That can still seem like a Sisyphean task (analogies of rolling boulders uphill can step forward) but it’s one I’m embracing. Just once in a while I’ll write something that has me punching the air both metaphorically and literally and just in that brief moment I feel it’s all been worthwhile.

 

It turns out that that the act of writing can sometimes be the best part of the whole process. No matter what happens for me in the future just occasionally the craft of writing turns out to be its own reward. Who would have known?

"Living With It" by Lizzie Enfield

"Living With It" is Lizzie Enfield's third novel and for me it represents a significant change in her writing style. Her previous two novels could be seen as clever re-workings of the themes of Brief Encounter; intelligent romances with an edgy uncertainty about the potential of infidelity. This novel has a much darker tone and, to my mind, far greater depth and emotional resonance.

Essentially it is a novel about the choices we make in life, both for ourselves and for our families, and the unforeseen consequences that can result from those decisions. Ben and Maggie are devastated to discover that their baby daughter, Iris, has become profoundly deaf after being exposed to the measles virus. Their friends Isobel and Eric feel guilty that the virus was passed on by their daughter Gabriella, particularly as Isobel had refused the MMR vaccination for her children. Ben blames Isobel for his daughter’s deafness. The situation is complicated by the fact that Isobel is the woman that Ben fell in love with at University, who eventually married his best friend, Eric. The central question is whether Ben’s decision to sue Isobel and Eric for damages is motivated by a sense of justice for his daughter or a sense of revenge for past emotional betrayals.

Enfield previously used first person narration sporadically within "Uncoupled" for the character of Anne-Marie, although I personally felt that these sections were the least engaging of that particular book. Here she has embraced first-person narration fully and completely by telling the story through alternate first person voices, those of Isobel and Ben, her main protagonists. It's a device that gives the novel a sense of immediacy and enables her to present alternate views of the same situation to great effect. The novel has an intense focus which makes it a disconcertingly uncomfortable read at times. There were moments when I felt like a voyeur observing a series of fractious arguments between strangers.

Enfield’s real skill lies in the voices that she creates for Isobel and Ben. Her ability to write from a male perspective and her innate understanding of the male psyche give the novel a raw edge, and also provides much of the gentle humour, alongside her observations of Isobel’s children. I feel certain that Lizzie’s own children probably provided much of the source material.

As a reader I did initially question whether Lizzie had made a mistake in writing a novel where the central characters are all so flawed and unlikeable. Isobel’s husband Eric is so unsupportive and downright unpleasant that I began to question why he and Isobel were still together. However as I worked through the book I began to realise that the balanced approach to Isobel and Ben means that the reader is not encouraged to “side” with either one of them. Each of them has made mistakes, and each has to learn to live with them.

I found this to be a compelling, thought-provoking and ultimately satisfying novel that bravely tackles some complex and emotive issues. I would recommend it without hesitation.

"Worldwide Adventures in Love" by Louise Wener

“Worldwide Adventures in Love” is Louise Wener’s forth novel and it is a poignant and moving reflection on love, loss and the fragility of life.

Wener’s character’s crackle with life and carry a real emotional punch. The plot is both charming and engaging as two sisters struggle to come to terms with the death of their eccentric and reclusive elderly neighbour, Edith, just as their own family begins to unravel.

Discovering Edith’s letters from the 1930’s reveal her past as an explorer and adventurer, along with the doomed love affair that shaped her life. The resonances between her past life and the fragile and chaotic disintegration of the girls’ own family provides a rich and satisfying seam that Wener exploits with consummate skill.

Wener fashions a pitch-perfect evocation of growing up in the late seventies, where the problems of modern life could be successfully resolved by the combination of a Tarzan movie and a Battenberg cake. I loved the fact that her protagonist’s sister chose a Mohawk haircut because it could be successfully self-administered, rather than having anything to do with the blossoming punk-rock scene of the Sex Pistols.

For me this was as satisfying as Wener’s debut novel, but carries far greater emotional weight and currency. She had me in tears with the ending of the novel. I found her writing brave, knowing and wise. Given that this was originally published in 2008 I hope that Wener is close to publishing her next book. It will have been worth the wait.

"The Sixth Lamentation" by William Brodrick

This intelligent novel examines the consequences of secrets and lies from the past and their emotional resonance to the present.

It follows two main narrative threads that slowly intertwine. The first concerns Father Anselm, once a barrister, now a monk, and the suspected war criminal Eduard Schwermann who claims sanctuary at Anselm’s priory. The second thread follows terminally ill Agnes Aubret who decides to reveal the secrets of her war-time exploits to her Granddaughter Lucy. Agnes had once been a member of an underground brotherhood who smuggled Jewish children to safety from occupied France until the group was exposed and betrayed by a young SS officer: Eduard Schwermann. The two parallel investigations into the shadowy events of the past begin to collide and intertwine with compelling consequences.

It is a remarkable debut novel and Brodrick deftly juggles a labyrinthine plot which is full of complex moral ambiguities. His writing is extraordinary; he moved me to tears on more than one occasion and his narrative revelations caused me to gasp aloud.

I’m now looking forward to reading his other novels. I had the opportunity to hear him speak at a Polish Crime Night at Belgravia Books in Victoria recently, organised by Magda Raczynska of The Polish Cultural Institute. William shared a platform with another of my literary heroes, Anya Lipska, author of “Where The Devil Can’t Go” and “Death Can’t Take a Joke”. William spoke eloquently about the craft of writing and the importance of truth. I rather wished that I had read The Sixth Lamentation prior to hearing him speak. Hopefully by the time I have the opportunity to hear him speak again I will have read the rest of his canon.

In the meantime I would urge you to read this wonderful, wonderful novel.

"The Galton Case" by Ross Macdonald

“The Galton Case” is the first Ross Macdonald novel I have read, but it won’t be the last. I still get a buzz from discovering an author whose work moves me. Macdonald’s work spans from the mid-forties to the early eighties, but many critics feel that this novel, originally published in 1959, marked a shift into a deeper and more complex phase.

Macdonald was often compared to Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Indeed his detective Lew Archer owes his name to Sam Spade’s murdered colleague Miles Archer in Hammett’s seminal work “The Maltese Falcon”. Yet Archer is a very different character to either Spade or Chandler’s Philip Marlowe. He might be as hard-boiled, yet beneath his tough exterior he somehow has more in common with a therapist that a traditional detective. In Macdonald’s hands he often makes an initial wisecrack about a character that foreshadows a much deeper truth.

“The Galton Case” is a surprisingly complex and literary detective story. Archer is hired by a dour lawyer to trace Anthony Galton, missing for over twenty years and heir to the Galton fortune, held by Anthony’s dying mother who seeks a reconciliation.  Is Anthony alive or dead and is a man claiming to be his long-lost-son real or an imposter? Archer has to pick his way through a cast of disparate characters, most of whom are not as they first appear. The plot is deliciously complicated and has more red herrings than a Baltic trawler.

This isn’t a simple “whodunit” but a beautifully layered work bout identity, greed and the power of myth. It owes as much to the Oedipus archetype, classical tragedy and Freudian analysis as it does to the tradition of Hammett and Chandler.

It also includes some powerful and timeless writing. One phrase that will stay with me for a long time occurs when Archer opens a dead man’s suitcase. “Its contents emitted a whiff of tobacco, sea water, sweat and the subtler indescribable odour of masculine loneliness.”

Definitely not your average detective novel.

Curtis Brown Creative - The Mid Point

On the Curtis Brown Creative six-month novel writing course we have been discussing the importance of the mid-point in our novels. This represents the point of no return; the point where the narrative has achieved a critical mass. With a certain symmetry I realised that we had reached the mid-point of , and personally I feel that my novel “Ilona” has also reached a critical mass. I have been re-writing the novel throughout the course using the feedback from the group to address some of the core issues.

For me the process of submitting extracts for a group critique has been one of the highlights of the course so far. The comments from our tutor Louise Wener and the other fourteen students have been supportive and encouraging. The criticism has been constructive throughout and particularly illuminating for me. I think it helps that as writers we are all facing similar challenges, yet are prepared to share insights and suggestions. The sense of support for each other has been tangible and I am very grateful. “Ilona” is slowly becoming a better novel in the process.

We have all now submitted two 3,000 word extracts and we are just about to start on the third and final round of submissions. These have provided tantalising glimpses into the various works-in-progress, rather like watching a succession of film trailers. I have found it fascinating to observe the physical writing process and the different ways that we each approach our craft.

I have been impressed by the format of the Curtis Brown course and by the excellent way it has been managed by CBC Director Anna Davis and new writing editor Rufus Purdy. The range of speakers they have organised have been superb and I particularly enjoyed Nathan Filer and his agent Sophie Lambert, and the engaging Tom Rob Smith with his agent Felicity Blunt. Both authors were very open in sharing stories of their own journeys which I found inspirational.

The quality of the teaching has been first rate with a great mix of tutors. Louise Wener’s practical and down-to-earth advice has been motivational. As a crime writer I particularly enjoyed the sessions with guest tutor Tobias Jones, and I will be forever indebted to him for introducing me to the writing of Ross Macdonald.

So as we move into the second half of the course I am excited about the ongoing work with “Ilona” and in finalising the novel ready for submission. However, in the first instance maybe my third and final 3,000 word extract needs one more polish!

Death Can't Take a Joke by Anya Lipska

Anya Lipska’s compelling sequel to “Where The Devil Can’t Go” demonstrates that she is fast building what the marketeers like to refer to as a “brand” for herself. In simple terms it means she’s a damn good writer.

The intricate plot interweaves a number of story threads, reuniting the characters of Janusz Kiska and DC Natalie Kershaw. The chemistry between Kiska and Kershaw is carefully constructed and beautifully weighted. Lipska writes the nuanced dialogue with real skill, and Kiska’s dour grumpiness provides a counterpoint to his muscular approach to detecting. He also gets some of the best dialogue, particularly when in conversation with his dodgy Polish compatriot Oskar.

The plot is complex and multi-layered, constructed with a number of false starts and dead ends so that the reader is kept guessing nearly as much as the protagonists. The denouement is both brilliantly set-up and executed, with more than a hint of Thomas Harris.

Lipska excels at creating believable minor characters with strong individual voices. I was a little disappointed that Kiska’s complicated love-interest Kasia [one time exotic dancer now running a nail-bar] didn’t get to make an appearance, apart from a brief text message. I thought she was one of Lipska’s great inventions from “Devil”, and I hope that she may return in the next book.

I was privileged enough to hear Anya speak at a Polish Crime Night a few months ago, organised by Magda Raczynska of The Polish Cultural Institute at Belgravia Books in Victoria. Anya shared a platform with another of my literary heroes William Brodrick, author of the Father Anselm books. They both spoke eloquently about their work and each performed a brief reading from their current WiP.

I am a huge fan of her writing and me this novel is even better than her debut. So many of the scenes have a cinematic sensibility, which screams movie / TV mini-series to me. I can only hope that the novel gets optioned, which it richly deserves.

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty

Apple Tree Yard is a profoundly unsettling novel. It starts out as a tale of obsession and sexual passion, but quickly becomes a much darker morality tale about predators and the inherent danger that can often accompany sexual fantasies.

 

Written in the first person which gives Yvonne’s voice an immediacy and a sense of realism, her story is narrated from the dock at the Old Bailey. Doughty jumps backwards and forwards to slowly tease out the story of her protagonist’s fall from grace. As I was reading it became clear to me that in any case such as this context is everything; certainly context is one of the key factors that members of a jury need to reach an unbiased decision. Doughty has a real skill in balancing the ambiguity of context in a number of key scenes, which serves to highlight the dramatic tension within the novel.

 

I found Yvonne’s measured and precise voice perfectly encapsulated her personality, the slightly passive scientist who finds herself drawn into a web of deceit that she cannot control.

 

A fellow reader whose opinion I normally value bemoaned Yvonne’s lack of depth to me. I had to disagree. For my part I didn’t feel there was a lack of depth; I was certainly able to fill in any intentional gaps. It is true that there are many things left unresolved, left unsaid. Whilst this can be mildly irritating I can appreciate why Doughty has chosen to do this. How often in life is everything neatly and fully explained? However as a reader there were a few crucial conversations that I felt were missing, particularly between Yvonne and her husband Guy. His inability to question her about her affair struck me as unlikely, given the measured personality that Doughty had constructed for him, and so I wondered why she had made this conscious decision as a writer.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the novel which slowly builds to its final denouement. It does not disappoint.

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

I found Tom Rob Smith’s debut to be a tremendous novel. It has a tortuous and labyrinthine plot which twists and weaves its way through Stalinist Russia, starting in war-torn Ukraine in the late thirties and ending in Russia in the mid-fifties. His characters are so well drawn, particularly his main protagonists Leo Demidov and his wife Raisa, along with a truly wonderful villain in Leo’s subordinate and ultimate nemesis Vassily Nikitin.

The complex plot centres around MGB agent Leo Demidov. When a colleague’s child is killed Leo is ordered to silence the family who are claiming that the child was murdered. Murder is not possible in Stalinist Russia as it would be an affront to the state ideology where the only possible crime is a crime against the state. However Leo discovers that a serial killer is murdering children and he and his wife Raisa attempt to track them down. This simple synopsis doesn’t really do justice to the intricacies of the storyline, but provides a starting point.

Smith’s story was inspired by the Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo who was executed for the murders of over fifty children in the 1980’s. However Smith chooses to set his novel in 1953 and provides a fascinating insight into Stalinist Russia and the changes that occurred with death of Stalin and the rise to power of Nikita Khrushchev.

Fledging writers are always told about the importance of their opening chapter. The first chapter of Child 44 is breathtaking as two starving Ukrainian children hunt an emaciated cat that they intend to kill for food. It is an object lesson in how to create an initial impact. I was completely hooked.

Smith’s writing is intense and unrelenting; he evokes the bleakness and paranoia of a totalitarian state and his research is exemplary.

The critical reaction to the novel is in itself fascinating. It seems to provoke praise and admiration from some quarters and utter vilification from others. I am firmly on the side of praise and admiration. I thought it was a stunning debut.

Die Trying by Lee Child

Having recently read “Killing Floor” I decided to read Lee Child’s second Jack Reacher novel “Die Trying”. On some levels it’s a very different proposition to the first novel.

For a start “Killing Floor” was written as a singular first person narrative. This gave it an immediacy and an individual viewpoint throughout. However, this writing discipline brings about certain restrictions. All of the action needs to be viewed through the protagonist’s eyes. Anything which occurs “out of shot” has to be eventually discovered by the protagonist to bring it into the plot.

Child has chosen to write “Die Trying” in the third person. This opens up a host of opportunities for a wider plot to take place around and beyond the immediate action involving both Reacher and a kidnapped woman claiming to be an FBI agent. The plot moves through so many complicated somersaults that the third person approach was probably the only way that Child could approach the narrative. However his skill as a writer is evident in the deft way that he handles the third person narration without losing any of the impact of his debut novel.

One key difference is that in “Killing Floor” all of the minor characters interact with Reacher and are obviously seen through his eyes. He becomes a filter for the reader. This constantly keeps him at the centre of the action. In “Die Trying” most of the minor characters do not interact with Reacher until the climax of the book; they have a life of their own, their own sphere of existence. This creates a very different dynamic to the book which is not a criticism, merely an observation.

Child is a master of pace and timing. Just like a sniper he knows when to squeeze the trigger, and he always hits his target with an uncanny accuracy.

As the action in the novel builds to a climax the set-up involves some complicated choreography. Child’s skill as a writer cuts through the complexity and makes the action clear, crisp and tense. For any budding thriller-writers it’s an object lesson in how to write within the genre. I have a feeling that I’ll be reading the other seventeen Reacher novels.

"Wake Up Happy Every Day" by Stephen May

“Wake Up Happy Every Day” is an astonishing achievement. Stephen May’s third novel centres around Nicky Fisher’s opportunistic decision to assume the identity of his dead friend Russell, and the catastrophic implications of this sudden choice. It is a brave and ambitious story which weaves together five narrative strands that slowly become connected. Often when an author attempts such a feat the potential danger is an epic fail; as a reader you only want to follow one thread and quickly become irritated by the other voices or the other stories. However May’s skill is to create an entire cast of characters that you care about, from the central protagonist and his immediate family through to even the most minor supporting character. As I was reading the novel I was trying to work out just how he achieves this, and my feeling is that it’s down to the individual voices, each distinct, yet each imbued with May’s own quirky observations. It’s quite a skill.

The novel is full of great little gems. I particularly enjoyed “I don’t understand why more people don’t embrace doubt, when it generally works so much better than the alternative.”

May’s tone is acerbic, belligerent and angry as he riffs on topics as diverse as loss, longing and cake. Indeed his views on the importance of cake in maintaining successful office dynamics struck a particular chord (probably a C# diminished!).

The plot structure is wonderfully, bizarrely left-field with an ambitious mix between first person narration and third person segments. The pace is relentless and the pages simply fly by before you can draw breath. It’s a novel that you read with a wide grin on your face, revelling in the complexity of the plot, and trying to determine just how the entire tangled mess can possibly be resolved.

Overall I found the novel daring, original and beautifully judged. I now keep recommending it to friends and feel certain I’ll be buying numerous copies to give as gifts (I’ve lost track of how many copies of “Life! Death! Prizes!” I’ve given as Birthday presents).

In the words of some marketing guru somewhere “if you only buy one book this year, make sure it’s this one”. What am I saying? If you do only buy one book this year you probably need to reassess your purchasing priorities!

The Farm by Tom Rob Smith

The Farm is a fascinating premise for a novel; two seemingly unreliable narrators who are the parents of the protagonist, Daniel. Tom Rob Smith’s skill as a writer is evident in the careful way he teases the plot threads out as Daniel’s mother Tilde uses her journal to relate a sinister tale to her son surrounding the parents retirement to a remote Swedish farm.

However nothing is what it seems. At its dark heart the novel is a study of deception and delusion, the secrets and lies that underpin the fabric of a life.

As a reader I found myself fascinated by the apparent simplicity of the set-up, but quickly felt that I could not trust anything I was being told, which I feel certain was Smith’s intention. With a tightly focused cast of characters the distinctive voices that Smith creates, particularly for Tilde and Daniel, are key to the success of the novel, and the pace is carefully crafted and structured.

Because of the unusual structure the first three quarters of the novel are told in “real time” and cover no more than a few hours as Tilde tells her tale. I found myself completely in tune with this pace, and consequently I initially struggled with the abrupt change of pace in the final quarter of the novel when Daniel visits Sweden for himself to verify the truth of Tilde’s version of events.

Smith creates a palpable sense of dislocation within the novel and a feeling of isolation which has as much to do with emotional resonance as geographic location.

I have to say that there was one particular moment in the novel which didn’t work for me, which is when Tilde produces a carved knife from her bag. My instinctive reaction was to question just how she managed to get that through airport security! Also there were a few loose ends within Tilde’s story which Smith had set up enticingly, but then didn’t fully explain, which felt a little unsatisfactory. However these are very minor gripes within what is undoubtedly a superbly written piece.

Overall I raced through the book, fascinated to reach the end and to discover whether my guesses and deductions were correct. Smith didn’t disappoint.

On the strength of this I have now decided to go back and read Smith’s debut “Child 44” which had such high praise.