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A review by shelflyfe
Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is the third time I've re-read 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 by Sara Baume, and it never loses its impact. I've ugly cried at the desolate beauty within this book every time I've read it 💔
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𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐲. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤.
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The story follows Ray (𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬, 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈'𝐦 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫), an older man who is alone, lonely, and an outsider in his community. He adopts a rescue dog, who he affectionately names Oneeye (on account of him having only one surviving eye), and it's perhaps unsurprising that he opts for the grisliest looking dog in the shelter. Life has not been kind to either man or dog, yet they find some companionship in each other.
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𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝.
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Both Ray and Oneeye have been neglected and abused: Ray wasn't treated well by his Father, his only parent, and did not learn how to fit in to the 'norms' of society. He was told he was a strange boy from a young age, but in truth he wasn't, he was just never truly given a chance.
Oneeye was raised as a fighting dog, and he has been treated cruelly. He is missing parts of his ear, his lip, his tail, and his fighting instinct never leaves him.
Part of what makes the book so emotive is the fact that so many people grow up neglected and abused, and ostracised from society, when none if it is their fault.
So many parents raise their children as though they are pets, rather than people, and they do not help their children grow and develop in a healthy way. The impact of neglect and abuse never leaves you, even as an adult. It is hardwired into some of us based on the upbringing we had.
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𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐌𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐠. 𝐈𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐩.
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Before he brought Oneeye home, Ray tells the reader that he has never been anywhere, and never seen anything of the world. This is in contrast to his Father who collected trinkets and decorative plates that adorn the house, and who himself led a relatively 'normal' life, holding down a job and having relationships with other people in the community.
Ray has been confined to the bounds of his 'Father's house' and the small seaside town in which they live, and he finds some degree of safety in the familiar clutter that he accumulates, noticing the small details within his small world.
Ray tries to carve out small and safe portions of the world for Oneeye too, taking him for walks along mostly deserted streets, and along solitary parts of the beach that are not frequented by tourists.
Oneeye doesn't mix well with other dogs or people, but Ray doesn't try to change him; he simply accepts Oneeye for who he is because he knows about his origins, and he tries to make some space for him in a world that has made him the way he is, yet shuns him for it.
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𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈'𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬.
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I'm not going to give any spoilers, but Ray and Oneeye find themselves somewhat forced into going on a journey. They are fleeing, but at the same time it is very freeing to be breaking out of the confines that they previously had. They both see more of the country than they ever thought they would.
The world itself is perhaps not a scary place, and Ray appreciates the beauty of nature and what it has to offer, but the people within the world do frighten him and Oneeye and threaten their sense of safety.
While Ray can appreciate the beauty of the world that they see, his sense of sadness sets in if he lingers too long in any one place.
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𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨'𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠.
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Baume's title for the book is very clever as it mirrors the shift in the seasons, both external and internal, as part of this journey, and there is such clever poeticism in Baume's choice of language throughout.
Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither is a direct play on Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
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𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲. 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.
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There are times during the story when we have insight to Oneeye's perspective, as well as Ray's, whether through Ray's direct portrayal of Oneeye and his behaviour, or through Ray's dreams where he embodies Oneeye and sees the world through him.
I love the narrative device Baume deploys in the prologue and epilogue too, where we see Oneeye 'running, running, running'.
The way Oneeye's actions bookend the novel emphasise the fact that he surrounds Ray's whole existence, and is such a key part of his world.
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𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐲𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲.
𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧. 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐭? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮.
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There is a twist later in the book, and a significant revelation, which I won't give any spoilers for, but Baume does such an amazing job in the evolution of the narrative that I'd almost forgotten about this twist since my last reading.
So many books are either plot driven or character-driven, and very few manage to execute both confidently and effectively; usually I find that if there is a twist, there is less put into the characterisation, and so when the twist comes we may not always care about the impact on the character, and how this shapes what happens to them.
While there is a definite sense of tension, and a build to the end of the book, this ultimate twist/revelation is not the only focus of the story, and there is so much other content that is piercing and memorable throughout.
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𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬.
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I started crying about this book again as I was writing this review, and definitely have a book hangover every time I read it because it moves me so much.
I absolutely love Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither and will continue to reread it periodically until the end of my days 💔
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𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐲. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤.
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The story follows Ray (𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬, 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈'𝐦 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫), an older man who is alone, lonely, and an outsider in his community. He adopts a rescue dog, who he affectionately names Oneeye (on account of him having only one surviving eye), and it's perhaps unsurprising that he opts for the grisliest looking dog in the shelter. Life has not been kind to either man or dog, yet they find some companionship in each other.
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𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝.
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Both Ray and Oneeye have been neglected and abused: Ray wasn't treated well by his Father, his only parent, and did not learn how to fit in to the 'norms' of society. He was told he was a strange boy from a young age, but in truth he wasn't, he was just never truly given a chance.
Oneeye was raised as a fighting dog, and he has been treated cruelly. He is missing parts of his ear, his lip, his tail, and his fighting instinct never leaves him.
Part of what makes the book so emotive is the fact that so many people grow up neglected and abused, and ostracised from society, when none if it is their fault.
So many parents raise their children as though they are pets, rather than people, and they do not help their children grow and develop in a healthy way. The impact of neglect and abuse never leaves you, even as an adult. It is hardwired into some of us based on the upbringing we had.
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𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐌𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐠. 𝐈𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐩.
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Before he brought Oneeye home, Ray tells the reader that he has never been anywhere, and never seen anything of the world. This is in contrast to his Father who collected trinkets and decorative plates that adorn the house, and who himself led a relatively 'normal' life, holding down a job and having relationships with other people in the community.
Ray has been confined to the bounds of his 'Father's house' and the small seaside town in which they live, and he finds some degree of safety in the familiar clutter that he accumulates, noticing the small details within his small world.
Ray tries to carve out small and safe portions of the world for Oneeye too, taking him for walks along mostly deserted streets, and along solitary parts of the beach that are not frequented by tourists.
Oneeye doesn't mix well with other dogs or people, but Ray doesn't try to change him; he simply accepts Oneeye for who he is because he knows about his origins, and he tries to make some space for him in a world that has made him the way he is, yet shuns him for it.
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𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈'𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬.
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I'm not going to give any spoilers, but Ray and Oneeye find themselves somewhat forced into going on a journey. They are fleeing, but at the same time it is very freeing to be breaking out of the confines that they previously had. They both see more of the country than they ever thought they would.
The world itself is perhaps not a scary place, and Ray appreciates the beauty of nature and what it has to offer, but the people within the world do frighten him and Oneeye and threaten their sense of safety.
While Ray can appreciate the beauty of the world that they see, his sense of sadness sets in if he lingers too long in any one place.
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𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨'𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠.
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Baume's title for the book is very clever as it mirrors the shift in the seasons, both external and internal, as part of this journey, and there is such clever poeticism in Baume's choice of language throughout.
Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither is a direct play on Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
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𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲. 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬.
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There are times during the story when we have insight to Oneeye's perspective, as well as Ray's, whether through Ray's direct portrayal of Oneeye and his behaviour, or through Ray's dreams where he embodies Oneeye and sees the world through him.
I love the narrative device Baume deploys in the prologue and epilogue too, where we see Oneeye 'running, running, running'.
The way Oneeye's actions bookend the novel emphasise the fact that he surrounds Ray's whole existence, and is such a key part of his world.
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𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐲𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲.
𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧. 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐭? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮.
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There is a twist later in the book, and a significant revelation, which I won't give any spoilers for, but Baume does such an amazing job in the evolution of the narrative that I'd almost forgotten about this twist since my last reading.
So many books are either plot driven or character-driven, and very few manage to execute both confidently and effectively; usually I find that if there is a twist, there is less put into the characterisation, and so when the twist comes we may not always care about the impact on the character, and how this shapes what happens to them.
While there is a definite sense of tension, and a build to the end of the book, this ultimate twist/revelation is not the only focus of the story, and there is so much other content that is piercing and memorable throughout.
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𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬.
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I started crying about this book again as I was writing this review, and definitely have a book hangover every time I read it because it moves me so much.
I absolutely love Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither and will continue to reread it periodically until the end of my days 💔