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A review by yanulya
The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth
4.0
First: 2 tips for readers: 1) do read his brief notes on language & history at the end of the book (before beginning -- it will help, not hinder), and 2) do read the short glossary at the end as well. The language does get much easier to process, very quickly -- after 20-30 pages you'll find it's nearly second nature. At least if you're a language nerd like me you will.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Unique reading experience, the language was lovely and musical, the storytelling compelling. His decision to write this book in a "shadow tongue" mixing Old English & Modern English (while restricting himself to a set of rules, e.g. using only words & letters that actually existed in Old English, none derived from French or other later influences), was risky, but I thought very successfully pulled off. I'm often very skeptical of books written w/ significant language gimmicks or restrictions, as often they don't seem to serve much purpose other than just being a neat trick (e.g., the Perec novel written entirely without the use of the letter "e" -- what is the point?). But in this book, it actually serves a purpose, and serves it quite well. The author's explanation in the back of the book as to why he decided to write it this way, makes total sense. And indeed the omission of the often more flowery or abstract French-origin words that we're used to seeing throughout our language, gave it a very specific and unique feel. He succeeds in creating a mood an environment where you're much more rooted in the concrete, in the hard details of the landscape, in the colors, smells, sounds, & sights, and not abstractions. Yet you still feel the emotions of the characters. He manages to let you inside the head of a protagonist who is delusional and somewhat mad, yet still find a way to make you sympathize with him just the tiniest bit -- for his feelings of loss, of nostalgia, of a lost past to which we can never return. Worthy themes and timeless ones.
Given the author is known mostly for his environmental writings, I wonder whether he intended this to be in some small part an allegory for what's happening with our planet now, and whether his criticisms of Buccmaster are a dig at those who are watching the earth burn around them, and expressing their outrage, yet not really taking action to right the wrongs, not really brave enough to accept dramatic lifestyle changes, are stuck in old ways that feel comforting. Of course it could be he intended nothing of the sort... but I'm curious now to read more of his writing.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Unique reading experience, the language was lovely and musical, the storytelling compelling. His decision to write this book in a "shadow tongue" mixing Old English & Modern English (while restricting himself to a set of rules, e.g. using only words & letters that actually existed in Old English, none derived from French or other later influences), was risky, but I thought very successfully pulled off. I'm often very skeptical of books written w/ significant language gimmicks or restrictions, as often they don't seem to serve much purpose other than just being a neat trick (e.g., the Perec novel written entirely without the use of the letter "e" -- what is the point?). But in this book, it actually serves a purpose, and serves it quite well. The author's explanation in the back of the book as to why he decided to write it this way, makes total sense. And indeed the omission of the often more flowery or abstract French-origin words that we're used to seeing throughout our language, gave it a very specific and unique feel. He succeeds in creating a mood an environment where you're much more rooted in the concrete, in the hard details of the landscape, in the colors, smells, sounds, & sights, and not abstractions. Yet you still feel the emotions of the characters. He manages to let you inside the head of a protagonist who is delusional and somewhat mad, yet still find a way to make you sympathize with him just the tiniest bit -- for his feelings of loss, of nostalgia, of a lost past to which we can never return. Worthy themes and timeless ones.
Given the author is known mostly for his environmental writings, I wonder whether he intended this to be in some small part an allegory for what's happening with our planet now, and whether his criticisms of Buccmaster are a dig at those who are watching the earth burn around them, and expressing their outrage, yet not really taking action to right the wrongs, not really brave enough to accept dramatic lifestyle changes, are stuck in old ways that feel comforting. Of course it could be he intended nothing of the sort... but I'm curious now to read more of his writing.