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hobbes199 's review for:
The Artificial Anatomy of Parks
by Kat Gordon
This is an extract of the full review, previously published at If These Books Could Talk
Tallulah Park is stuck in a rut. A dead-end job in a cafe with an awful boss, no real social life, and cut off from her family, at only 21, she really can’t see anything in her future outside her grimy bedsit. So when she gets a call informing her that her father Edward has had a heart attack and is critically ill, it forces her back towards her estranged family, making her face up to the past and maybe get answers to the questions she’s had all along. Switching between Tallie’s past and present, ‘The Artificial Anatomy Of Parks‘ is an engrossing tale of one young woman facing her past and present demons. As she is forced to communicate with her father’s sisters, the mild busy-body Aunt Gillian, and the glamourous, acerbic Aunt Vivienne, she harks back to her past, realising that it’s time she got answers to the mysteries surround it. Why did her surgeon father seem to care more about his patients than he did his own family? What was behind the sibling’s fear of their father, and the seemingly harsh, unloving attitude of the mother? Where was their brother Jack and why did he disappear so suddenly? All of these questions finally find answers through the eyes of both the younger and older Tallie, with our protagonist’s discovery of the harshness of her families life giving her a completely new perspective.
Kat Gordon has created in Tallie Park a strong-willed, often obnoxious, child who’s always curious and questioning. As a young adult, she’s determined, but obviously quite beaten down by past events, and Gordon conveys this wonderfully. Whether it’s reflecting on her father’s emotional detachment by confronting her own as she watches him in his hospital bed, or realising that she has talents that would be better spent away from the greasy cafe, Tallie’s inner monologues are always insightful, adding depth each time. When we see the story unfold through the eyes of young Tallie, we start with child-like curiosity and continue on towards teen anger and resentment. Make no mistake, Tallie’s life is no picnic, and there are very harsh moments here, but Gordon makes sure to intersperse the nasty with wonderful imagery and conversations as young Tallie’s relationship with her Grandmother blossoms into one of mutual love and understanding.
Gordon’s use of motifs is subtle, but very effective (how Edward finishes conversations with his daughter being the most hard-hitting) never resorting to family saga clichés. Great detail is given to the surroundings, never feeling superfluous, and the atmosphere is perfectly balanced, with some family scenes brimming with tension, making the books very hard to put down.
‘The Artificial Anatomy Of Parks‘ is one of those novels that you finish and think ‘Was that really her first book?’ as it’s structure is tight and the prose so outstanding. A novel that’s full of harsh reality and compassion in equal measure, with characters that instantly come to life, this could easily be one of my Top Ten for 2015.
Tallulah Park is stuck in a rut. A dead-end job in a cafe with an awful boss, no real social life, and cut off from her family, at only 21, she really can’t see anything in her future outside her grimy bedsit. So when she gets a call informing her that her father Edward has had a heart attack and is critically ill, it forces her back towards her estranged family, making her face up to the past and maybe get answers to the questions she’s had all along. Switching between Tallie’s past and present, ‘The Artificial Anatomy Of Parks‘ is an engrossing tale of one young woman facing her past and present demons. As she is forced to communicate with her father’s sisters, the mild busy-body Aunt Gillian, and the glamourous, acerbic Aunt Vivienne, she harks back to her past, realising that it’s time she got answers to the mysteries surround it. Why did her surgeon father seem to care more about his patients than he did his own family? What was behind the sibling’s fear of their father, and the seemingly harsh, unloving attitude of the mother? Where was their brother Jack and why did he disappear so suddenly? All of these questions finally find answers through the eyes of both the younger and older Tallie, with our protagonist’s discovery of the harshness of her families life giving her a completely new perspective.
Kat Gordon has created in Tallie Park a strong-willed, often obnoxious, child who’s always curious and questioning. As a young adult, she’s determined, but obviously quite beaten down by past events, and Gordon conveys this wonderfully. Whether it’s reflecting on her father’s emotional detachment by confronting her own as she watches him in his hospital bed, or realising that she has talents that would be better spent away from the greasy cafe, Tallie’s inner monologues are always insightful, adding depth each time. When we see the story unfold through the eyes of young Tallie, we start with child-like curiosity and continue on towards teen anger and resentment. Make no mistake, Tallie’s life is no picnic, and there are very harsh moments here, but Gordon makes sure to intersperse the nasty with wonderful imagery and conversations as young Tallie’s relationship with her Grandmother blossoms into one of mutual love and understanding.
Gordon’s use of motifs is subtle, but very effective (how Edward finishes conversations with his daughter being the most hard-hitting) never resorting to family saga clichés. Great detail is given to the surroundings, never feeling superfluous, and the atmosphere is perfectly balanced, with some family scenes brimming with tension, making the books very hard to put down.
‘The Artificial Anatomy Of Parks‘ is one of those novels that you finish and think ‘Was that really her first book?’ as it’s structure is tight and the prose so outstanding. A novel that’s full of harsh reality and compassion in equal measure, with characters that instantly come to life, this could easily be one of my Top Ten for 2015.