I had been meaning to read "Slaughterhouse 5" ever since it was highly recommended by Alison's sister Anne. I think I have her to thank for finding Kate Atkinson amongst others. However this novel was not to my taste. It wasn't so much the subject matter; the infamous fire bombing of Dresden is only a small part of the book, and is dealt with in quite a sensitive way. The main character is saved by virtue of being locked in a place that gives the book it's title. What I found really hard was the writing. It seemed very ordinary with lots of American slang. Well it was written in 1969. The main character, Billy, has few redeeming features. He believes that he time travels and this seems at complete odds with the main worthy concept of the novel which is the absurdity of war. And why does the author have to torture the reader by regularly dropping in "So it goes". I never want to read these words ever again.
When I watched a discussion on "The Review Show" on BBC2 about Stephen King's new novel "11.22.63", and heard what a good writer he is, I searched on Amazon for a non horror novel I might try. Having never read a single book of his, and also having been recommended by Linda at Book Club to try one, I plumped for his 1979 novel "The Dead Zone". I have to say that it was a gripping tale, and boy can King tell a story. But for me, plot, excitement, character and action was all we got. And for me that is never enough. In comparison with the something like "A Visit From The Goon Squad", by another American author, it just does not have the subtlety and literacy of the books I normally read. All the way through I thought it read like a film script. So when I finished the book, I went looking for one, and what did I find? A film by one of my favourite directors, David Cronenberg, with Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen. A DVD was £2.20 on EBay and is now waiting for me to play it. I can actually see why Stephen King is so popular. And maybe one day I will try him again. For now I will stick with books like the next one.
"The News Where You Are" is the latest novel from Catherine O'Flynne. We read her first novel "What Was Lost" for book club and it gained universal approval (see posting 6th September). Her new book is not quite up to the standard of her first, but that is not to say that it was not again a lovely read. It contains all the trade marks of her style, witty and profound.Again it is based in Birmingham where the main character, Frank Allcroft, presents the evening local news programme. He is haunted by the memories of his more successful predecessor who has been killed in a car accident. Or was it accidental? All set to a vividly described urban landscape of the second city. The author conjures up some wonderful characters, possibly just too many jumps between them. But a story that gives you a nice glow with just a hint of mystery. Probably too much of a contemplation of getting old for me.
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