A review by oliverjnolan
Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

4.0

Really enjoyed this cosy, low stakes and strangely compelling coming of age story. The conversational writing style is peppered with lyrical passages that reflect the protagonist’s writerly ambitions, and even though Owen withholds information about himself from the reader, largely focusing his attention on those around him, this helps inform his character. The main thrust of the loose narrative, his romance with Alma, raises interesting questions around authorship and appropriation, and subverts tropes by engaging thoughtfully with their different backgrounds and the limitations of their respective worldviews. A story about storytelling, the meta-textual allusions to the nature of the narrative can occasionally feel forced and risk feeling overwritten, but overall I found this to be a really promising debut novel.