A.L. Kennedy
1999
Around 545 pages
Having been bored by Looking for a Possible Dance, I wasn't excited for Kennedy's second entry on the List. And once again, we get a sex scene that attempts to ruin sex for good.
Nathan Staples is suffering, and now we have to suffer along with him. He attempts suicide by hanging, but is unsuccessful. He wants to form a bond with his estranged daughter, Mary. Nathan is one of those protagonists who hates the world, so the experience of reading this long novel was bleak and punishing.
Kennedy has a very strange writing style. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first, but it was just clunky, When Shakespeare turns nouns into verbs, it's charming, but I don't think Kennedy has the charm or humor to pull it off.
Way too long, and a struggle to get through. And it contained this line, which makes me want to vomit: "Each of them tasted bedroom air, thick with the low-tide spatter of protein and the sweet, shellfish surfaces of Mary’s privacy."
Interesting Facts:
Kennedy also performs as a stand up comedian.
UP NEXT: Pastoralia by George Saunders
UP NEXT: Pastoralia by George Saunders
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