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list.co.uk/books Reviews | BOOKS
LITERARY FICTION HANNAH KENT Burial Rites (Picador) ●●●●●
It’s grim in Northern Iceland in 1829, or at least it is for Agnes Magnúsdóttir, condemned to death for her part in the Illugastadir murders. Based on a true story, Burial Rites aims to fill in some of the gaps left in the history of this event.
Before the story begins there is a pronunciation key and a quick note explaining surnames, hinting at the level of detail to come. The author
spent nearly two years researching the historical setting for the book and her prose is full of deft touches describing the way people lived, from descriptions of homes to interpretations of sagas. Having said that, Kent has a lightness of touch that means her research never feels like an information dump, and she is excellent at the slow build.
It is clear from the start that this is an unusual case.
Murderers are usually sent away to the mainland to be dealt with, one character protests, yet Agnes is to be held in the district where she grew up, a place where everyone knows her – or thinks they do. Unable to give her version of events, Agnes makes a conscious decision to keep it to herself but, as the story unfolds, she begins to open up.
The narrative switches between first and third person, giving a sense of what everyone thinks of each other, enabling the reader to empathise with Agnes. There is lingering uncertainty as to her guilt, but ultimately that isn’t the point. Kent has said in interviews that she wrote Burial Rites as a speculative biography because records either paint Agnes as a monster, or ignore her completely. With this attempt to understand what she might have been like, Kent has created a haunting and immersive debut. (Ali George)
GRAPHIC NON-FICTION DR MATTEO FARINELLA & DR HANA ROS Neurocomic (Nobrow Press) ●●●●● TRAVEL MEMOIR ELIZABETH LAIRD The Lure of the Honeybird (Polygon) ●●●●●
How does the brain work? And what exactly is a neurotransmitter, serotonin or a synapse? Not, perhaps, questions pondered every day but if you ever require a quick and (relatively) simple guide to what scientists have learned about the brain, this Wellcome Trust- backed book does the job. It’s told in comic form – though the illustrations are basic and the ‘plot’ surreal – as a man travels through his own brain, meeting notable experts who deliver snappy precis of their research. Ultimately, it suggests, the way we use our imagination to read comics is not so different from the way our brain makes any connection into a pattern. There are some nifty representations,
but some of the more technical detail could do with fuller explanation. The lack of suggestions for further reading also seems like a missed opportunity. While the book doesn’t assume any prior knowledge, it’s probably of most use as a primer for a bright older school pupil or student thinking of embarking on more specialised study. (Andrea Mullaney)
‘Teret, teret, ye lam beret’ (once upon a time), there was a husband who turned a man into a donkey, a God who sat on a rock slitting his penis and a tyrannous king. While this roundup suggests that Elizabeth Laird has strayed into fairy-tale territory with her new novel, a glance at the cover tells a different story. The Lure of the Honeybird frames the traditional Ethiopian tales Laird has collected with a frank account of her travels.
From the explanation of why it’s dangerous to stand under a tree when lightning strikes (it’s the chameleon’s fault), to tales of sex, incest and adultery, this collection both invokes nostalgia and fascination. While the stories predominantly have simple structures (good triumphing over evil, love versus loss), Laird’s knowledge of Ethiopia is astounding and accurate, adding layers to the otherwise sometimes repetitive tales. Her ability to illustrate the hospitality, warmth and understanding of the local people is excellent and she writes with an empathy many writers lack. (Lydia Willgress)
DARK FABLE MATT BELL In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods (Soho Press) ●●●●●
Much like its title, Matt Bell’s debut novel In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods is beautifully written but a bit too long. Bell successfully turns a tale of
marriage in crisis into a dark fable, set in the mythical realm of the dirt, where an unnamed narrator and his wife set up home and try to start a family. At novel-length, however, the concept feels overstretched, and the biblical-style prose, although spot-on for the most part, eventually becomes exhausting. That said, when it’s good, it’s very
good indeed. There are breathtaking, visceral scenes as the man battles the bear that guards the woods, or cowers in his boat as fragments of an exploding moon crash into the lake all around him. The characters are drawn with just enough depth to keep the reader engaged, and moments such as the man’s discovery of his wife’s buried memories are genuinely moving. For all its flaws, this is a unique and sometimes extraordinary fairytale, and well worth a read. (Ally Nicholl)
SWISS-SCOTTISH FICTION PEDRO LENZ Naw Much of a Talker (Freight Books) ●●●●●
Inspired by a six-month residency in Glasgow, Swiss writer Pedro Lenz wrote this short, sharp novel in his native language; now it arrives in a remarkable translation into Glaswegian dialect by Donal McLaughlin. As the title ironically implies, it’s all about the voice; and what a voice it is. Our narrator is Goalie, a recovering drug addict, fresh out of prison and keen to settle down, perhaps with that local barmaid he quite fancies. Goalie is a teller of stories because they ‘urnae like crude fuckin oil, where yiv only a certain amount an’ wance they reserves ur gone, yir fuckt… There’s an infinite supply ae them’. The names and places are Swiss, but this story’s heart clearly belongs to Glasgow, and Lenz taps into the Glaswegian temperament perfectly. Goalie’s interior monologue can switch, in the same sentence, from a cuttingly funny observation to a sombre analysis of the human condition, while his ups and downs give him pause to reflect on life and love in language that is raw and poignant, and positively glows with humanity. (Paul Gallagher)
22 Aug–19 Sep 2013 THE LIST 41