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A review by siria
Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead by Barbara Comyns
dark
3.25
The most "what the fuck did I just read?" book that I've come across in a while. Imagine a bunch of comic grotesques from a Jane Austen novel who've gone feral and are set to wander through an English village in the 1910s that's got more than a bit of a Gormenghast vibe to it. Terrible things happen there, all of which Barbara Comyns recounts with deadpan dark humour.
Tonally, this is a kind of dreamily alienated, amoral comedy of manners. This makes it a page-turner, but also ultimately I think reduces Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead's overall power. There isn't much depth or heft to it. It's acidic without having actual bite.
Tonally, this is a kind of dreamily alienated, amoral comedy of manners. This makes it a page-turner, but also ultimately I think reduces Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead's overall power. There isn't much depth or heft to it. It's acidic without having actual bite.