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A review by vonnegutian
Sleep Has His House by Anna Kavan
4.0
Sleep Has His House is closer to a work of art than a novel. Not necessarily in the meaning of greatness (although it is very impressive) but rather in that concept and artistry supersede plot and storytelling. It is a book suffused with a sense of being autobiographical, about a young girl called B who we suppose is Kavan herself as a child.
Each chapter consists of two parts - a dichotomy between reality and B's inner world. The italicised beginnings are quite matter-of-fact and brief synopses of particularly significant events in B's life. They are followed by burgeoning, vivid interpretations of these events in a surreal and exaggerated realm. Kavan's writing comes into its own in these second parts: her imagination and use of language to illustrate the subconscious responses are masterful and it is remarkable how current and accessible the writing feels despite being written in 1947. In particular, Kavan expertly takes idyllic scenes and slowly degrades then into their exact opposites (or vice versa) - evoking dark, haunting imagery that leaves you sorrowed by the experiences B/Kavan had to face so young.
I think this was a good place to begin my reading of Kavan - it was a great advert of her talents and I'm really interested to see how they translate to a more traditional narrative. For lovers of descriptive, well-considered prose I heartily recommend Sleep Has His House. For those that prefer a stronger narrative element, perhaps her other novels are a better place to start. It also brought to mind 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath and the work of Janet Frame - so if you are fans of those, I predict Kavan will be up your street too. 4/5
Each chapter consists of two parts - a dichotomy between reality and B's inner world. The italicised beginnings are quite matter-of-fact and brief synopses of particularly significant events in B's life. They are followed by burgeoning, vivid interpretations of these events in a surreal and exaggerated realm. Kavan's writing comes into its own in these second parts: her imagination and use of language to illustrate the subconscious responses are masterful and it is remarkable how current and accessible the writing feels despite being written in 1947. In particular, Kavan expertly takes idyllic scenes and slowly degrades then into their exact opposites (or vice versa) - evoking dark, haunting imagery that leaves you sorrowed by the experiences B/Kavan had to face so young.
I think this was a good place to begin my reading of Kavan - it was a great advert of her talents and I'm really interested to see how they translate to a more traditional narrative. For lovers of descriptive, well-considered prose I heartily recommend Sleep Has His House. For those that prefer a stronger narrative element, perhaps her other novels are a better place to start. It also brought to mind 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath and the work of Janet Frame - so if you are fans of those, I predict Kavan will be up your street too. 4/5