Scan barcode
A review by shimmery
How to Be Both by Ali Smith
5.0
I adore Ali Smith’s writing and always tell people this is my favourite of her books when asked, but I read it so many years ago that I’d mostly forgotten it and decided to reread it.
Reading the first half of the book I was enjoying it but curious as to why it has stayed with me as being my favourite of Smith’s books after all these years (especially as all her books are so good). When I got to the second half I immediately saw why. It’s just so full of joy. What I value so much about Ali Smith’s writing is her perspective and optimism for the world that makes everything even dark and sad things seem part of a beautiful whole. She manages to create hope with her writing.
The first half of the book follows George, a teenage girl who is grieving for her mother who has recently died and is feeling lost and angry and sad because of that. The second half we view George’s life through the eyes of a renaissance artist who painted one of George’s late mother’s favourite pictures. It’s so original and fun. Nobody does it like Ali Smith.
‘Cause nobody’s the slightest idea who we are, or who we were, not even ourselves
— except, that is, in the glimmer of a moment of fair business between strangers, or the nod of knowing and agreement between friends.
Other than these, we go out anonymous into the insect air and all we are is the dust of colour, brief engineering of wings towards a glint of light on a blade of grass or a leaf in a summer dark.’
Reading the first half of the book I was enjoying it but curious as to why it has stayed with me as being my favourite of Smith’s books after all these years (especially as all her books are so good). When I got to the second half I immediately saw why. It’s just so full of joy. What I value so much about Ali Smith’s writing is her perspective and optimism for the world that makes everything even dark and sad things seem part of a beautiful whole. She manages to create hope with her writing.
The first half of the book follows George, a teenage girl who is grieving for her mother who has recently died and is feeling lost and angry and sad because of that. The second half we view George’s life through the eyes of a renaissance artist who painted one of George’s late mother’s favourite pictures. It’s so original and fun. Nobody does it like Ali Smith.
‘Cause nobody’s the slightest idea who we are, or who we were, not even ourselves
— except, that is, in the glimmer of a moment of fair business between strangers, or the nod of knowing and agreement between friends.
Other than these, we go out anonymous into the insect air and all we are is the dust of colour, brief engineering of wings towards a glint of light on a blade of grass or a leaf in a summer dark.’