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buddhafish 's review for:
Companion Piece
by Ali Smith
73rd book of 2022.
I enjoyed this more than Winter, Spring and Summer of Smith's seasonal quartet which this serves as a kind of companion (companion!) to. It's much of the same: contemporary setting with more lockdown and Covid, art, random threads and stories over several parts. I enjoyed the modern section where Smith's 'boomer' protagonist is thrown into dealing with two young twins, one being non-binary, both of whom end up moving into her house without her consent. There are some witty lines and Smith explores some modern themes. The last part went mostly over my head, as Smith tends to, and the first part was intriguing enough, too. As ever with Smith, I enjoy parts of her novels but when taken as a whole, I just can't be bothered to work out why she chose to write it, what connects to what, etc., because I don't enjoy them enough to care. So I read it for the wordplay and the thrilling paragraphs dotted throughout. When I come to the end I am always met with the same feeling of 'fun' but 'good riddance' and drop it off the side of my bed.
I enjoyed this more than Winter, Spring and Summer of Smith's seasonal quartet which this serves as a kind of companion (companion!) to. It's much of the same: contemporary setting with more lockdown and Covid, art, random threads and stories over several parts. I enjoyed the modern section where Smith's 'boomer' protagonist is thrown into dealing with two young twins, one being non-binary, both of whom end up moving into her house without her consent. There are some witty lines and Smith explores some modern themes. The last part went mostly over my head, as Smith tends to, and the first part was intriguing enough, too. As ever with Smith, I enjoy parts of her novels but when taken as a whole, I just can't be bothered to work out why she chose to write it, what connects to what, etc., because I don't enjoy them enough to care. So I read it for the wordplay and the thrilling paragraphs dotted throughout. When I come to the end I am always met with the same feeling of 'fun' but 'good riddance' and drop it off the side of my bed.