Eleven (Mark Watson)
Monsieur Watson, the formerly Welsh-voiced comedian, often states his
first two novels, which I have read, are to be ignored. "Eleven", his
third, therefore, is the starting point he'd like us to acknowledge. With that
the case, you can see a more professional and accomplished narrative forming.
But this more mainstream style also loses a little something with it.
Radio DJ and agony uncle Xavier Ireland (an assumed name for a
fictional character) having moved to the UK from Australia in mysterious
circumstances goes about his life helping people solve their problems by
night and avoiding his own by day. Along the way, a chain of events involving
ten others gradually begin to come full circle, as Xavier starts to come to
terms with his own problems and tries to look forward to a new start.
The cause-and-effect subplot that works its way through the novel
perhaps shows a maturing as a writer, but is also a little more conventional in its
structuring. "Eleven", while perhaps better written, lacks some of
the intrigue of "Bullet Points" and certainly the humour of "ALight-hearted Look at Murder", and as such, breezes by nicely, but soon
blends into the background on a bookshelf.
Despite a nice enough read, this isn't quite a Spinal Tap amp, and
"Eleven" isn't one louder.
Days to read: 9
Days per book: 15.0
And Then (Natsume Soseki)
Sorekara, I read...That's a Japanese joke.
It was one of my challenges to read all of Natsume Soseki's translated
works this year. That probably won't happen, but I'm moving along with them
anyway. So far this year I have read "The Miner", and then I read...well,
that's an English joke.
Daisuke is doing jack little. From a wealthy family, since completing
his education, he has chosen to live on his father's income, absorbing himself
in his reading and his arts, unable to decide what the next step in his life
should be. Rejecting his family's help to marry him and try and force some
purpose into his life, his idleness and "selfishness" soon begin to
put strains on his relationships with his family, and indeed some of his
friends.
As ever with Soseki, "And Then" is a depth exploration of the
human condition. Daisuke's actual desires are clear to us, the reader, but
social convention and possible scandal prevent him from making them known to
others. Fear of revealing his true desires and holding back stunt life's progress,
as can often be the case. But in a time where social conventions must be met,
his failure to go with the flow see him more ostracized than if he simply came
out with his true, socially unacceptable intentions.
One can sympathise with Daisuke's plight: wanting to live his own life,
free of society's restrictions. But it is just as easy to fear for him in his
failure to grow up and accept the need to provide. Soseki's deliberately open
ending sees Daisuke suddenly alone and like a rabbit in the headlights as the
reader asks "What next?"
Days to read: 14
Days per book: 15.0
The Damned United (David Peace)
I'm always a little unsure as to fictional novels based on real life
individuals. Fiction set during certain historical events, that's fine. But,
basing a work of fiction of an actual person and specific events that happened
in their life is a controversial decision and is likely to off a few pisses.
"The Damned United", made into a rather good film with
Michael Sheen as "Ol' Big Head", certainly did ruffle some feathers
upon its publication, focusing as it does on the career low point of one of
English football's best managers. Getting so into the head of Brian Clough,
Peace has obviously had to do his research into the man, the legend for a
fateful forty-four days that occurred when he was around seven years old.
Switching between the past - his days winning the Division 2 and then
Division 1 titles with Derby County - and the present, with the big leap to
taking the Leeds United job, a picture of a determined, but obsessed man is
painted. Peace's Clough wants nothing more than to outdo Don Revie's
achievements at Leeds. Repetition fills the pages of the book, building and
building the angst within him.
In terms of getting into the head of Clough, Peace certainly achieves
this. Unconventional structure in his writing makes this more snippets of
thoughts, rather than narrative flow, with the repetition emphasising the
obsessive nature Peace wishes to convey. As such, this is a good, if somewhat
fractured, characterisation.
But, whether Peace's Clough is an accurate representation is another
debate. Of course, the results are factually accurate, and many of the minor
details can be shown to be true. But "The Damned United" is set
firmly within the head of one Brian Howard Clough, and only one man could
comment on how true it is.
Days to read: 13
Days per book: 14.9
Seventeen (Hideo Yokoyama)
What better way to mark a flight from London to Montreal than reading a
book about the largest single aircraft accident in history?!
However, Hideo Yokoyama's "Seventeen" is less about the Japan
Airlines Flight 123 crash in 1985, but more about the pains of the North Kanto
Times' reporting staff tasked with covering the biggest event to happen on
their doorstep.
Yuuki, an ageing reporter, delaying moving into a management position,
is appointed Crash Desk Chief, forced to take charge of the situation. An
anti-hero, this causes problems for those both above and below in the chain of
command. Big decisions need to be made, and Yuuki isn't always the right man
for them, particularly when caught in the middle of hierarchical politics and
the shallow world of journalism, where depth and reliable coverage of facts are shunned for attention-seeking front page headlines.
Placed alongside the somewhat bland new challenge facing Yuuki
seventeen years on of climbing a local ridge with the son of his long-departed
friend, Yuuki is again put in a situation where he is out of his depth, his
life now comfortable in small-town reporting.
Perhaps due to the translation, but the writing of
"Seventeen" is far from award-winning. Somewhat stating the obvious,
it lacks any real sense of poetic license and despite some moments, is far too
simplistic. Blandly stating facts might be part of reporting, but when reading
a novel, one wants something a little more absorbing. As such, you fail to fully
engage or sympathise with the characters as it moves towards its inevitable
conclusions.
Days to read: 14
Days per book: 14.9
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