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A review by melliedm
The Clothesline Swing by Danny Ramadan
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Somewhat confusing in it's approach to lyrical prose, but touching nonetheless.
The Clothesline Swing follows 'the storyteller', as he attempts to keep his lover alive by telling stories—an inverted Scheherazade, as the text itself points out. Each chapter is like one of her 1001 nights, but each story is about the storyteller, his lover, or the third in their relationship: death, who is a living entity in the tale in a play of magical realism.
Though the overall arc of the story is absolutely beautiful and incredibly poignant (it's clear how the author pulls from his own experiences as a gay refugee coming to Canada), the structure itself can be a bit of a struggle.
My largest issue was the perspective frequently switching—usually in ways that make sense, but also at times in ways that are difficult enough that they take you out of the experience. It could be hard to follow if the story was about the storyteller, his mother, someone else he knew, his lover, or that man's family/friends, or someone else entirely, especially when perspective would change between the magical realism of the "present" and the act of the protagonist remebering and the story he was telling. (One particularly egregious example involved recollections of his mother, which involved multiple perspective switches in the middle of a section. Clearly this was a purposeful choice, which I respect, but it didn't work for me.)
Unfortunately there were also issues with the prose being a little too lyrical and flowery for me, to the point that it felt repetitive instead of beautiful. (When I first read about a kiss being printed on someone, I thought it was beautiful. When that word is used for every single kiss, of which there are many, it stopped being so lovely)
While I have my issues with the prose, I'm very glad I read this novel. It's a unique story and perspective, and different from what I normally read.
If you're a fan of very lyrical prose, stories about stories, and the unmitigatable beauty of queer love, you'll want to check this one out.
The Clothesline Swing follows 'the storyteller', as he attempts to keep his lover alive by telling stories—an inverted Scheherazade, as the text itself points out. Each chapter is like one of her 1001 nights, but each story is about the storyteller, his lover, or the third in their relationship: death, who is a living entity in the tale in a play of magical realism.
Though the overall arc of the story is absolutely beautiful and incredibly poignant (it's clear how the author pulls from his own experiences as a gay refugee coming to Canada), the structure itself can be a bit of a struggle.
My largest issue was the perspective frequently switching—usually in ways that make sense, but also at times in ways that are difficult enough that they take you out of the experience. It could be hard to follow if the story was about the storyteller, his mother, someone else he knew, his lover, or that man's family/friends, or someone else entirely, especially when perspective would change between the magical realism of the "present" and the act of the protagonist remebering and the story he was telling. (One particularly egregious example involved recollections of his mother, which involved multiple perspective switches in the middle of a section. Clearly this was a purposeful choice, which I respect, but it didn't work for me.)
Unfortunately there were also issues with the prose being a little too lyrical and flowery for me, to the point that it felt repetitive instead of beautiful. (When I first read about a kiss being printed on someone, I thought it was beautiful. When that word is used for every single kiss, of which there are many, it stopped being so lovely)
While I have my issues with the prose, I'm very glad I read this novel. It's a unique story and perspective, and different from what I normally read.
If you're a fan of very lyrical prose, stories about stories, and the unmitigatable beauty of queer love, you'll want to check this one out.