I'm never going into a garden again and if you think I'll look at any future eclipses or other astronomical events, you've got another thing coming!
As you might be able to guess, I've just finished John Wyndham's 'The Day of the Triffids', probably the best known of this British author's novels.
'The Day of the Triffids' is a story of human survival in the midst of a terrifying worldwide apocalypse. Bill Mason wakes in a London hospital, his eyes bandaged following eye treatment. Confused and frightened by the lack of normal noise either in the hospital or outside his window, he cautiously removes the dressings and finds himself in the middle of a living nightmare. A 'meteorite' storm the previous night has blinded most of the world's population and, as he travels through London in shock, Bill finds that life as he knew it has gone for good. As he begins to encounter other survivors, he realises that the catastrophe has often brought out the worst in people. As the remaining population begins to find ways to group and cope with the new circumstances, a new, terrible threat emerges - the determined, devious and deadly Triffids...
Now, first things first. There was one part of this book that made me very, very irritated. One group of intellectualised survivors band together at a London university. One of the earliest things they do is call a meeting at which an eminent Sociologist talks about the future of society and how it will be necessary to leave elements of the old moral framework, behind for practical reasons. Fair enough. But why is sex their main priority when they haven't even found a safe way out of London yet? London, which is already littered with suicides and brutal gangs and already a breeding ground for disease? And when they only have one, shy nurse to provide pre- and postnatal care?!
I can only assume that when this book was written in the 1950s, talking about sanctioned sexual promiscuity was terribly, terribly shocking in a way it simply isn't today. Then it would sort of make sense. But to my modern (female) eyes, it just seemed like putting the cart before the horse. No point in having babies if you can't feed them or keep them safe, even if you are trying to save mankind.
On the whole though, this book is a real page turner, a brilliant combination of horror, socio-political comment and old fashioned adventure. It did get a bit preachy in places, particularly when an idealistic but impulsive character called Coker comes on the scene, but I think I understood most of the comparisons the author was drawing with different political ideologies.
I know I shouldn't be, but it still surprises me how relevant the science fiction of the last century still is. 'The Day of the Triffids' could be read as socio-political comment, environmental parable or analysis of how we might cope with extreme disaster. As a result, it's incredibly interesting as well as entertaining.
And, of course, you have a fantastic villain: The Triffids. Human beings may have had a hand in creating their predicament, but the constant and escalating onslaughts by the seven foot tall, alien-looking plants really is a danger all its own. They're clever, they're everywhere and they're topped with lightening-quick stings which can kill a man several feet away. As I say, Prince Charming can do the gardening from now on!
'The Day of the Triffids' begins with probably one of the most famous opening lines ever. Striking the reader like a slap across the face from the start, the book doesn't let up at any point. Before you know it, you've turned the last page... And you're wondering whether that rustling really is just the breeze through the trees. Shudder!
23 August 2012
10 August 2012
Don't Judge a Book by its Cover...
I've just finished 'The Somnambulist', Essie Fox's debut novel. When I received the review copy from New Books Magazine (http://www.newbooksmag.com/), I was very excited. It sounded right up my street going by the blurb on the back cover and I couldn't wait to get started on it. Unfortunately, I've found myself trapped in a classic 'don't judge a book by its cover' fable.
'The Somnambulist' tells the story of 17 year old Phoebe Turner, who lives with her hard line Christian mother Maud and her glamorous singer aunt Cissy in London's East End in the late 1800s. When Cissy dies unexpectedly, the web of deceit in which Phoebe has been unknowingly trapped begins to unravel. Phoebe begins a journey of personal discovery which takes her from the rowdy London music halls and bustling London docks to beautiful town houses and quiet rural Herefordshire. But it's a difficult time for Phoebe as half truths and lies are brought into the open and she has to deal with her terrible grief at the loss of Cissy alone.
On the whole, I was really disappointed by this novel. I will emphasise that it is a Ms Fox's first book and I really do believe that her work will improve with time and practice, but I personally felt that there were so many faults with 'The Somnambulist' that I hardly know where to begin.
For a start, the book would have benefited from a different narrative structure. For example, the first fifty pages could've been removed entirely and the whole section told in flashback while Phoebe was at the Dinwood Court, the house of her mysterious benefactor's wife. She spends so much of the novel repetitively going back to the early scenes at Wilton's Music Hall, it bogs the story down and relieves it of any tension generated, so to use her reflections to drip feed new information to the reader would have been more likely to make me want to keep reading. As it is, the book feels like a train of thought, which is a shame when there are so many more interesting ways to plan and structure a story.
'The Somnambulist' is heavily influenced by Victorian literature, but there are times when I felt like the style had been given precedence over substance. The sentences are often wordy and convoluted and it just makes the book very heavy going, especially when the information is repetitive.
The story itself is OK, but very predictable and seems a Frankenstein's Monster of 19th century literary clichés. Within a few pages, I knew exactly what the 'big twist' was going to be and only kept going to the end because I hoped that the writer has come up with something better than I predicted. I would've been more than happy to have a fast one pulled on me! On top of that, it got to a stage where I started to think Ms Fox was just being cruel to Phoebe, throwing one disappointment at her after another, torturing her like a cat with a mouse. No wonder the girl had a breakdown!
I have mixed feelings about the characters. They neither ring true nor act as metaphors and it annoyed me to find another story with another negative portrayal of a religious person.
Also, I'm sure that the tone changes part way into the novel. To begin with, it has a lovely voice to it that sounds exactly as though Phoebe is recounting her tale in later life. It's chatty and cheerful and completely unlike the rest of the book!
One thing I can't fault is Ms Fox's enthusiasm for the era. I rather like a bit of neo-gothic, pre-Raphaelite Victoriana myself and so enjoyed identifying the real-life sources of some of the things included in the story (look out for a thinly veiled PT Barnum!).
Also, despite the long-winded sentences which meant I had to read some pages two or three times, it's not actually that hard a read, particularly towards the end. It's more the constant wailing and gnashing of teeth that makes it hard work!
New Books Magazine is for reading groups and was of great inspiration to me when I ran one myself. The main plus of 'The Somnambulist' is that, going by other reviews I've read, it's a bit of a 'love it or hate it' book. As such it will give people plenty to talk about at book group meetings.
This book is a holiday read at best, but I hope that future books by Ms Fox will be classics worthy of the rest of the year too.
'The Somnambulist' tells the story of 17 year old Phoebe Turner, who lives with her hard line Christian mother Maud and her glamorous singer aunt Cissy in London's East End in the late 1800s. When Cissy dies unexpectedly, the web of deceit in which Phoebe has been unknowingly trapped begins to unravel. Phoebe begins a journey of personal discovery which takes her from the rowdy London music halls and bustling London docks to beautiful town houses and quiet rural Herefordshire. But it's a difficult time for Phoebe as half truths and lies are brought into the open and she has to deal with her terrible grief at the loss of Cissy alone.
On the whole, I was really disappointed by this novel. I will emphasise that it is a Ms Fox's first book and I really do believe that her work will improve with time and practice, but I personally felt that there were so many faults with 'The Somnambulist' that I hardly know where to begin.
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| 'The Somnambulist' by Essie Fox (Orion, 2012) |
For a start, the book would have benefited from a different narrative structure. For example, the first fifty pages could've been removed entirely and the whole section told in flashback while Phoebe was at the Dinwood Court, the house of her mysterious benefactor's wife. She spends so much of the novel repetitively going back to the early scenes at Wilton's Music Hall, it bogs the story down and relieves it of any tension generated, so to use her reflections to drip feed new information to the reader would have been more likely to make me want to keep reading. As it is, the book feels like a train of thought, which is a shame when there are so many more interesting ways to plan and structure a story.
'The Somnambulist' is heavily influenced by Victorian literature, but there are times when I felt like the style had been given precedence over substance. The sentences are often wordy and convoluted and it just makes the book very heavy going, especially when the information is repetitive.
The story itself is OK, but very predictable and seems a Frankenstein's Monster of 19th century literary clichés. Within a few pages, I knew exactly what the 'big twist' was going to be and only kept going to the end because I hoped that the writer has come up with something better than I predicted. I would've been more than happy to have a fast one pulled on me! On top of that, it got to a stage where I started to think Ms Fox was just being cruel to Phoebe, throwing one disappointment at her after another, torturing her like a cat with a mouse. No wonder the girl had a breakdown!
I have mixed feelings about the characters. They neither ring true nor act as metaphors and it annoyed me to find another story with another negative portrayal of a religious person.
Also, I'm sure that the tone changes part way into the novel. To begin with, it has a lovely voice to it that sounds exactly as though Phoebe is recounting her tale in later life. It's chatty and cheerful and completely unlike the rest of the book!
One thing I can't fault is Ms Fox's enthusiasm for the era. I rather like a bit of neo-gothic, pre-Raphaelite Victoriana myself and so enjoyed identifying the real-life sources of some of the things included in the story (look out for a thinly veiled PT Barnum!).
Also, despite the long-winded sentences which meant I had to read some pages two or three times, it's not actually that hard a read, particularly towards the end. It's more the constant wailing and gnashing of teeth that makes it hard work!
New Books Magazine is for reading groups and was of great inspiration to me when I ran one myself. The main plus of 'The Somnambulist' is that, going by other reviews I've read, it's a bit of a 'love it or hate it' book. As such it will give people plenty to talk about at book group meetings.
This book is a holiday read at best, but I hope that future books by Ms Fox will be classics worthy of the rest of the year too.
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