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West Camel

Författare till Best European Fiction 2015

3 verk 38 medlemmar 9 recensioner

Verk av West Camel

Best European Fiction 2015 (2014) — Redaktör — 22 exemplar
Attend (2018) 13 exemplar
Fall (2022) 3 exemplar

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Recently I had the pleasure of reading Fall by West Camel and it wowed me (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2022/02/review-of-fall-by-camel-west.html); therefore, I couldn’t resist reading his debut novel, Attend. It’s one of the most unusual books I’ve read – in a good way.

As the cover suggests, the book has three intertwined stories. Anne, 45, is a recovering heroin addict who has returned to Deptford to reconnect with her family. Sam is a young gay man who has recently moved to southeast London. Sam and Anne’s live intersect when Sam falls in love with Derek, a man whom Anne has known for years. More importantly, their lives are connected by their separate friendships with Deborah, an old woman who tells them fantastical tales of her life, including finding an intricate needlework motif she found in a tunnel. She believes that motif has granted her immortality.

The three characters have much in common. As a recovering addict, a gay man, and an old woman, they live on the margins of society. They could be described as lost souls who are well acquainted with loneliness. They are struggling to be seen and are looking for a sense of belonging. Anne, for instance, is seeking a place within her family; her drug usage meant she was largely absent for years. Now she is trying to earn her family’s trust and reconnect with her mother, daughter and grandson. Sam, a newcomer to the city, is looking for someone who will understand, accept, and love him. Deborah, an old woman, is ignored by virtually everyone; in fact, she is surprised when Anne and Sam see her because “’Very few people do.’” (I found myself humming “Eleanor Rigby” when taking breaks from reading the book.)

The most interesting character for me was Deborah. Her stories of her past are heart-breaking, and now she is overwhelmingly lonely and feels invisible. There is a sense of mystery about her: more than once the reader will question if she is real. Certainly, some of her appearances can only be described as uncanny. At times, it seems as if she is prescient; at others, she behaves almost like one of the Moirai. Does she seek out Anne and Sam because she senses kindred spirits who might help her: “Everything was simply found by those who happened to be looking in the right places”? Though she wants them to attend to her, to be present and pay attention and take care of her, she ends up helping them. Her stories help Anne and Sam make sense of their own lives. It’s fitting that she’s a seamstress because she binds them together and helps them mend their lives.

The book is difficult to categorize: it doesn’t fit any one genre. It has mystery, romance, elements of historical and literary fiction, and touches of fairy tales (Hansel and Gretel) and mythology (the thread of life). Anne and Sam are both on journeys of self-discovery. And there’s magic realism. This latter genre does not generally appeal to me, but the author was not heavy-handed with the fantastical. Readers can opt for logical explanations for the surreal events or fully embrace the magical moments.

The narrative is not action-packed, but it is a compelling read. A very unique plot written in elegant prose reminds us of the importance of connection; by working together, all the characters find some contentment. Deborah is obsessed with a complex needlework motif, but she weaves an equally intricate tapestry when she brings Anne and Sam into her life.

When I have the time to re-read this novel, I’m sure I’ll notice more threads to which I should attend.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Schatje | 1 annan recension | May 27, 2022 |
I couldn’t help but fall for Fall. There is so much to unravel in this multi-layered novel that I could write several critical analysis articles.

Aaron and Clive Goldsworthy are 62-year-old twins who have been estranged for over 40 years. Aaron is the sole occupant of Marlowe Tower, part of a 1970s housing development designed by their mother Zöe on the banks of the Thames in southeast London. Clive is a successful property developer who wants to turn the tower into luxury flats, but Aaron refuses to move. When Annette and Christine Mayfield, a pair of black twins who lived in the tower in the 1970s, move back in, both Aaron and Clive must confront what happened the summer of 1976 and its aftermath.

From the beginning, there are many unanswered questions: Why are the twins estranged? Flashbacks to 1976, when the two were 18, show them being so close that they have a psychic connection. Now they live across the river from each other but haven’t communicated for four decades. What happened? Why do both of them fear the return of the two black women? When Aaron and Clive first met this slightly older pair of twins, they were immediately drawn to them and spent a great deal of time in their company.

Characterization is amazing. All characters are complex and flawed; in other words, they are realistic. At times I would feel compassion for someone and at another time, frustration with them. What especially impressed me is the characterization of the twins. Both direct and indirect characterization techniques are used. We are told that “Clive dislikes – intensely dislikes – having his plans thwarted” and that Aaron is so “infuriatingly obdurate” that he “can never be persuaded of anything.” Then we are shown these traits in their actions and thoughts. I had no difficulty distinguishing Aaron and Clive. Clive is the leader in that he is more forthright, whereas Aaron is rather diffident. The same is true of the women: Annette is more like Clive, while Christine is more similar to Aaron.

I found Zöe such a fascinating character that I’ve added her to my list of fictional characters I’d love to meet in real life. She is a strong, forceful person with a take-charge attitude. As an architect, she is able to help dictate how people move around, and she tries to do this with her family as well. It becomes obvious, however, that her sons do not know her as well as they think. Aaron’s comment that Zöe is complicated is really an understatement. As an architect, she struggled in a male-dominated field and had to make difficult choices between motherhood and professional advancement. Though she tried to build a space where people from different walks of life would live together and even moved her family there, she continued to send her sons to schools outside the area. Though supposedly concerned with egalitarianism, her including secret corridors and hidden doors in the building just for herself and her sons suggests a sense of ownership and superiority. I found myself aghast at some of her choices and in awe of others, but always she behaves in keeping with her personality and priorities.

Though it is Zöe who is described as having a God complex, the narrator also behaves like a divine entity. The omniscient point of view is carried to an extreme. In the novel’s opening, for example, the reader is given a bird’s eye view of London before being invited to swoop down: “We can drop even lower” and “And you might, if you trusted your wings enough to take you down even further, notice . . .”. The narrator has unlimited access to all his characters and reveals their thoughts and gestures in minute detail, thereby developing character - though he also withholds information to create suspense. It is the point of view that makes for such a satisfying closing in the last chapter.

The book examines a number of issues; one of the major ones is racism. Annette and Christine experience prejudice on a regular basis once they move into the housing complex. As events unfold, it becomes clear that racism determines the fates of virtually everyone, not just those of the black characters. Zöe’s options, for instance, are restricted not just because of gender discrimination but also because of society’s attitudes towards blacks.

The title is perfect because it works on so many levels. There are physical falls, fallings-out, and lives falling apart. The housing estate is falling apart. Reading the novel is a process of slowly watching everything fall into place. And how perfect is it that the last word in the book is fall!?

There is so much more I could discuss because there are so many admirable qualities: the elegant prose, the symbolic use of architecture, and the subtly foreshadowed plot twists. There is a great deal of tragedy because so much is lost by so many, but that does not mean there is no hope. I could criticize the slow pace at the beginning and some coincidental meetings , but that would be caviling. This is an extraordinary novel, both immersive and impactful.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
Schatje | Feb 14, 2022 |
Attend – An excellent debut.

It is clear from reading Attend that the author West Camel (person not the place in Somerset) has taken to heart the Stephen King idiom of read, read and read some more, and then when you think you know how to write, read some more. West Camel, besides editing many novels, and magazines is the epitome of the King idiom. Which is a good thing when you are writing your debut novel.

When I read the blurb, I thought I would be getting a literary crime novel, but what I got was something better. A multi-layered, multi-person novel where there is a crossover with one friend, Deborah. Who knows how old Deborah really is, but she is an enigmatic character that is a kind of seamstress, story-teller and seeming immortal. One thing she is, she is the mortar that binds the novel and the stories together.

Anne has moved back to Deptford having cleaned herself up, from her previous drug induced life, and in need of a friend. Sam, a gay man, has just moved to Deptford, and in need of a friend. Life is not very easy for Anne or Sam Anne’s former best friend commits suicide and Sam falls in love with local thug Derek. It Deborah that holds the friends together with her stories of a long-forgotten Deptford.

The story takes you on a journey of discovery, interconnected stories and as much as we like to think of ourselves as separate, we all have a connection somewhere. That as smooth as we would like life to be it really is a messy thing that we have to deal with.

An interesting and absorbing debut, that deeper you get in to the book the better it seems to get. This is a book that will leave a deep mark long after I have finished.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
atticusfinch1048 | 1 annan recension | Dec 11, 2018 |
I love unique translated fiction and wanted to add more diversity to my reading in 2015, so this collection of European fiction was the perfect first read of the year. This collection includes stories by authors from many different European countries, most of it translated and most stand-alone short stories. The few excerpts from longer works were also enjoyable and easily stood on their own.

Almost every collection of short stories will be hit or miss, but I think this collection will be downright divisive. I either loved or completely did not understand almost every story. Some of my favorites were those which were written in novel, creative formats. I was particularly blown away by a story in a format based on the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. This story was told through four different answers to each question, with each question having one answer from each perspective and all four telling a connected narrative. If you like experimental literature, I'd recommend picking up this collection for that story alone.

Other stories I loved for the feeling they gave me. For example, one rather strange little story about a woman who periodically coughed up living birds really resonated with me. The ending spoke to me of leaving your every day life and achieving an almost magical freedom. Other equally strange stories didn't resonate with me and I ended them wondering what on earth I'd just read. I suspect all the stories in this collection will leave people feeling that they connected to the story and feeling very confused, depending on the readers own personal experiences. A final group that stood out to me in this collection were those which seemed to have slightly heavy-handed morals, such as one about plastic surgery and inner beauty. Overall, the feel of this collection is somewhat dark, but I enjoyed that, particularly with an introduction that connected the feel of the stories to the current European ethos.

This collection was over-the-top creative and nearly every story was unlike anything else I've ever read. I'd particularly recommend this to anyone who reads translated fiction because it breaks convention.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
DoingDewey | 5 andra recensioner | Mar 26, 2015 |

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Statistik

Verk
3
Medlemmar
38
Popularitet
#383,442
Betyg
½ 4.4
Recensioner
9
ISBN
11