Curiously Contrasting Cornwall

I've loved visiting Cornwall ever since I can remember.  Every year, millions of visitors are drawn to the county so picturesque it feels like it was designed by one of its many resident artisans.  But alongside beautiful countryside and charming seaside towns, there are also the rugged moors and sharpened cliffs, tearing through land and sea from unseen depths.  The contrasts in the landscape also show in the population; the fly-by-night holiday makers and weekend second homers existing alongside the tough, local fishermen, battle-hardened by decades at sea.  Looking around at the ice cream chomping, sea gull dodging holiday crowds, you can't help but start wondering where the real Cornish are.  These guys clearly have nothing to do with the boats in the harbour or the noise in the back street pubs.  It's something that must've intrigued Gavin Knight too, as he's made the natives of Cornwall's Penwith Peninsular the subject of his latest book, the engrossing and atmospheric 'The Swordfish and the Star'.

'The Swordfish and the Star'
by Gavin David
(Chatto & Windus, 2016)

'The Swordfish and the Star' lifts the lid on the Cornwall that's there all year round.  It tells stories of the people who live and work there, who are both proud of the region's popularity, but rightfully resentful of the effect it's had on life in this corner of the country.  The author has absorbed the interwoven histories of the innovative, the opportunistic, the commercial and the lost, of the dangerous, competitive and compelling draw of the sea, the age of the artists of St Ives and the hopes that technology may bring the area a future.  Through these narratives, a picture is painted that helps us look beyond the sunshine and summer clichés and start to see a community that works hard and plays hard, even if we never knew it was there.

Although I found the writing style a bit hard to get used to at first (The author reflects the staccato, plain speaking style of many of his interviewees.), I absolutely fell in love with this book.  It answered something I'd been curious about for a while and I'll never look at Cornwall, or indeed any coastal region, in the same way again.

I became absorbed in the lives of the people depicted and found myself rushing back to 'The Swordfish and the Star' at every opportunity to find out how they were getting on.  I felt like I was sitting in one of the pubs of the title, listening to the banter and soaking up the atmosphere.

It's not all fun, however.  'The Swordfish and the Star' relates many tales of the dangers of a life in a seafaring community, of horrific injuries, vicious commercial rivalries, criminality and death.  Believe me when I say you won't look at your cod and chips in the same way ever again.  And I don't think that's a bad thing.

This is a book of contrasts and Cornwall is a county that is always hustling, always looking for that next opportunity so it can keep its head above water and stop its young people from ebbing away as they have to find work elsewhere.  As well as tales of the risks and rewards offered by a career in the fishing industry, Mr Knight explores the potential provided by innovative companies and new technologies that are opening up a virtual world of possibilities.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Swordfish and the Star'.  It rescues Cornwall from its Brigadoon-esque role - there during the summer months, then out of sight and out of mind the rest of the year except in memory and literature.  If you're the curious sort who has also wondered what goes on when the tourists have left, then I reckon you will enjoy this book too.