list.co.uk/books Reviews | BOOKS
LITERARY FICTION DONNA TARTT The Goldfinch (Little, Brown) ●●●●●
The literary world has waited 11 expectant years for Donna Tartt’s third novel, after The Little Friend followed up her best-selling, award-winning 1992 debut The Secret History. In The Goldfinch, Tartt has delivered a character-driven masterpiece dealing with loss and survival in modern America. Theo Decker is just 13 when his mother’s death
in horrific circumstances sets in motion events
that bind him to Carel Fabritius’ painting ‘The Goldfinch’. It’s a motif that the narrative hangs on as we journey through Theo’s life, which sways between New York high society, Las Vegas and the criminal underworld. As in her previous work, Tartt adopts an assured adolescent
voice; indeed, Theo doesn’t reach adulthood until after the halfway mark of this hefty 800-page novel, by which time he has endured unbearable hardship and found his calling as an antiques dealer. The prose is masterful, pinned to a fragmented epistolary structure that allows the pace to flow unencumbered by Tartt’s poetically vivid depictions of Theo’s world. It is this that sets the novel apart and makes Theo so memorable, the only minor flaw being a seeming lack of emotion at certain crucial intersections.
Through multiple plot strands, her myriad supporting characters add depth, with the reckless Boris and paternal Hobie standing out. Throughout, the painting that forever ties Theo to his devoted mother hangs in the background before an explosive finale that delves into thriller territory. Eleven years is a long wait, and although the coming-of-age format is all too common, The Goldfinch, much like the painting itself, is a work of compelling beauty. (Kevin Scott)
HISTORICAL NOVEL LESLEY MCDOWELL Unfashioned Creatures (Saraband) ●●●●● MODERN FICTION ROSA RANKIN-GEE The Last Kings of Sark (Virago) ●●●●●
ARCHITECTURE JOHN GRINDROD Concretopia (Old Street Publishing) ●●●●● GHOST STORIES CECILY GAYFORD (ED) Tales from the Dead of Night (Profile) ●●●●●
In 1823, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a popular bestseller – but her childhood friend Isabella Baxter Booth is facing an actual monster: her violent husband. Mary wrote about a mysterious encounter between them; this novel imagines what happens after a distraught Isabella tries and fails to enlist her help. Meanwhile, young Scottish doctor Alexander has already caused havoc with his determination to find the perfect research subject to make his name in the new field of psychiatry. When Alexander and Isabella’s paths cross in Broughty Ferry, the doctor tries to establish the truth about Isabella’s marriage and about the causes of madness itself. Lesley McDowell writes in dense, lyrical prose that insists upon slow reading, not least because neither of her narrators can be entirely trusted. At times Alexander’s selfishness is a little overdone, though he’s enjoyably deluded throughout. While the Mary Shelley connection is only marginal to the story, it’s a neat nod to the tale’s roots in the Victorian gothic tradition. (Andrea Mullaney)
Jude is invited to the tiny, remote Channel Island of Sark to tutor socially awkward teenager Pip. Also staying with the family is Sofi, an eccentric and captivating cook who leads them on daring trips across the island when Pip’s father heads off on a business trip. Soon a fierce love grows between the three characters, but as the end of their stay arrives, they must all depart the island and face their lives without each other.
Rosa Rankin-Gee writes beautifully and vividly about the languid haze of summer and the power of longing, of difficult goodbyes and the thrill of a seemingly endless time. But once Jude leaves Sark, the novel takes a darker turn, and the magic of that season quickly evaporates. Unfortunately this darker section
is also the weakest, the prose faltering under the weight of too many different styles and voices. Overall, although this bittersweet love story is effective, the promise of the first section is never fully realised in the later parts of the novel. (Kylie Grant)
John Grindrod comes not to bury the postwar rebuilding of Britain but to praise it. For although tower blocks, prefabs and new towns have been unpopular with many traditionalists, including Prince Charles, he suggests that they were exciting projects built by visionaries and inhabited by pioneers. The book takes him around the country visiting what’s left of these structures. Of particular interest here are chapters on Glasgow’s Gorbals, where he interviews residents who are still proud of the unusual ‘hanging gardens’ created to ease the city’s overcrowding, and on Cumbernauld, where Grindrod is stunned by the ambition of its architects to create something entirely new. It’s not an entirely convincing
argument: as he points out, many of these new builds were poorly constructed and haven’t lasted well. And it’s not clear who this book is aimed at, as it’s not technical enough for real architecture buffs. But the author’s enthusiasm for a more idealistic age is appealing, whatever your view on concrete ‘carbuncles’. (Andrea Mullaney)
With Hallowe’en approaching, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good, old-fashioned ghost story: and they don’t get better or more old-fashioned than these. Classic tales from MR James, Edith Wharton and Rudyard Kipling mix with more modern pieces from Ruth Rendell and AJ Kidd.
The tales can feel a little repetitive, with plenty of spooky houses and wronged dead seeking vengeance, but even when the reader has figured out the ending on the first page, the merging of nostalgia and the uncanny is still appealing.
There’s really nothing new here, as the majority of authors are now decades- deceased, and connoisseurs will already be familiar with most of the stories. But there’s a lot to be said for good editing, and Gayford’s selection and ordering are both well considered. It’s a good choice for sharing with the family too: although there are plenty of spooky happenings, the shivers are subtle rather than graphic or violent. When it’s cold and dark outside and you’re in the mood for some mild spookery, this is just the thing. (Kirsty Logan)
17 Oct–14 Nov 2013 THE LIST 53