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erebus53's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow. Ok this book was not something I was expecting and I lost sleep because I didn't want to stop. Oops.
This was published in 2016, in a UK that was harrowed by the conflict of Brexit and the U.S.A. Presidential Election, so the ending of an era is tied poetically into the autumnal season. This book is more poetry than prose, in some cases literally.
Telling the story of a young Art professor, who is likely to be laid off shortly due to budget cuts, we learn of her childhood and a deep loving friendship that she built with her elderly neighbour. As an old man when they met, he is now over 100 years old and in palliative care, so she makes regular trips to his bedside to read him books.
Thematically, this is a really complex interplay. Through a platonic love affair, with a man who idolises the pop-art created by a woman known for being a wild and affronting naked artist, we see the separation of sex and love. Through the graffiti on walls we see conversations unfold, of protest and the demand for change. "GO HOME!" "I'm already here thanks" speaks volumes about conflict and the attitudes of the British people. Through games shared by an old man and a little girl, we learn to play with words, play with images, and play with the words we use to describe images, and the images we use to describe ideas... and interpret and re-interpret the things in front of us. *breeath!*
Yes this could all be quite navel-gazey, but it is emotionally resonant. A fatherless child, a lonely mother, a wish to meet celebrity, a desire to be recognised as an expert, the want to be taken seriously, the low expectations that have been held of women over the years, expectations, presumptions and interpretations, and misunderstandings, and dreams, and unpredictable nature... life protracted, and life cut short.
Oh hang it.. if reading literature makes me speak in big impenetrable words, then reading symbolic poetical stuff that's grounded in everyday humdrum, makes me sound waffley and artistical. This is not an artistical book.. it's a good quick read, and probably worth re-reading. The dry and quick wit makes it utterly hilarious in places, and the people feel real, flawed, and loveable. I am not quite moved to paint, or throw barometers at electric fences.
This was published in 2016, in a UK that was harrowed by the conflict of Brexit and the U.S.A. Presidential Election, so the ending of an era is tied poetically into the autumnal season. This book is more poetry than prose, in some cases literally.
Telling the story of a young Art professor, who is likely to be laid off shortly due to budget cuts, we learn of her childhood and a deep loving friendship that she built with her elderly neighbour. As an old man when they met, he is now over 100 years old and in palliative care, so she makes regular trips to his bedside to read him books.
Thematically, this is a really complex interplay. Through a platonic love affair, with a man who idolises the pop-art created by a woman known for being a wild and affronting naked artist, we see the separation of sex and love. Through the graffiti on walls we see conversations unfold, of protest and the demand for change. "GO HOME!" "I'm already here thanks" speaks volumes about conflict and the attitudes of the British people. Through games shared by an old man and a little girl, we learn to play with words, play with images, and play with the words we use to describe images, and the images we use to describe ideas... and interpret and re-interpret the things in front of us. *breeath!*
Yes this could all be quite navel-gazey, but it is emotionally resonant. A fatherless child, a lonely mother, a wish to meet celebrity, a desire to be recognised as an expert, the want to be taken seriously, the low expectations that have been held of women over the years, expectations, presumptions and interpretations, and misunderstandings, and dreams, and unpredictable nature... life protracted, and life cut short.
Oh hang it.. if reading literature makes me speak in big impenetrable words, then reading symbolic poetical stuff that's grounded in everyday humdrum, makes me sound waffley and artistical. This is not an artistical book.. it's a good quick read, and probably worth re-reading. The dry and quick wit makes it utterly hilarious in places, and the people feel real, flawed, and loveable. I am not quite moved to paint, or throw barometers at electric fences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death, Cancer, Grief, Sexism, Cursing, Misogyny, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Hate crime, and Terminal illness
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship
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