I almost never read book reviews, either before or after I read a book, if I know I am going to read the book anyway. Take the Man Booker short list, for instance. Every year I try to read as many of them as I can and always the winner. I don’t care what anyone else thinks of these books. I don’t care what the book sellers think of the books (although they always say nice things so they can sell them). I don’t care what the NY Times thinks of these books. I’m going to read them anyway, so why spoil a wondrous adventure by reading what someone else thinks before I even get there. Now, this may seem a bit of a contradictory attitude from someone who writes a book view blog – and it is. I’m happy to tell you all what I think about a book, and I’m happy to hear what you think after I have read the book, but I just don’t usually ask for advice from strangers. I don’t think you should either so... let’s be friends.
Carol Birch has written an interesting book. I love the premise which is taken from a couple of real life situations. She did some homework and added some inspiration and made a story worth telling. Did I say this is a 2011 Man Booker short list book? It is! I opened it with excitement in my heart. I read about a little boy in the mid 1800s who is full of life. I read about a time that was hard and dirty in England. I read about a man who had a menagerie of wonder. It was all good and I was loving it.
Then I read about a ship that sailed to exotic places seen through the eyes of an innocent. I read about a friendship that felt real and people who were full of conundrums. I read about the wonders of being at sea and landing on foreign places, also full of wonder. I read about a hunt for a dragon.
Then I read – oops, not going to tell you this part. I’ll just say that the next part was hard going. It made me feel insane. I wanted it to end. I didn’t like it. I got scared and tired. It spun me around but it wasn’t spitting me out, it was holding me in there for too long. I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was tied down and it wasn’t pleasant. OK, enough! I’m not sure whether this was genius or crap and it will take me a while to make up my mind. Thank God I don’t have to do it right now. Birch writes with authority and conviction and that won points with me. It all feels authentic and I appreciate that. I’m just not sure.
When that part did finally release me, melancholy stepped in. Living with the past isn’t always an easy thing to do, and this was my favourite part of the book. It’s tender and sweet (mostly) and I have an enormous amount of empathy with the last 50 pages or so of this novel. And these characters will stay with me for quite a while. As I said, the main character in this novel is based on a real boy’s account of his traumas. Poor lad! Birch brings him back to life in the character of Jaffy in a way that is commendable. I won’t read this again (I hardly ever do re-read a book even though I often say I would) and I won’t recommend it without reservations. I’ll be interested to see how it does in the Man and I will read her next book as well. Carol Birch has just gone on my reading list.
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