A.L. Kennedy
1993
Around 260 pages
I always hope when the List includes a novel that doesn't even have a Wikipedia page, it will turn out to be a hidden gem, and I can be filled with righteous indignation that the world doesn't appreciate such a masterpiece. Of course, most of the time, the obscurity ends up being quite understandable after you go through the trouble of tracking it down.
The novel follows Margaret, a Scottish woman who loses her father, and Colin, her lover. We mostly plod along with boring dialogue and over the top romantic scenes, then there's this surprising bit of violence. I guess the whole book is set up so we don't see that last part coming, but then it makes the entire novel feel disjointed.
It was nice getting a Scottish novel on this List that felt very authentically Scottish, yet still was accessible to outsiders in its dialect (unlike, say, James Kelman). But mostly forgettable story, dialogue, and characters. Next!
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Kennedy has performed as a stand-up comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe and literary festivals.
UP NEXT: Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
No comments:
Post a Comment