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Book Reviews Title Emotionally
Weird Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story On a peat and
heather island off the west coast of Scotland,
Effie and her mother Nora take refuge in the large
mouldering house of their ancestors and tell each
other stories. Nora, at first, recounts nothing
that Effie really wants to hear, like who her
father was - variously Jimmy, Jack or Ernie. Effie
tells of her life at college in Dundee, the land of
cakes and William Wallace, where she lives in a
lethargic relationship with Bob, a student who
never goes to lectures, seldom gets out of bed, and
to whom the Klingons are as real as the French and
the Germans (more real than the Luxemburgers). But
strange things are happening. Why is Effie being
followed? Is someone killing the old people? And
where is the mysterious yellow
dog? We
Say The first thing
to say about 'Emotionally Weird' by Kate Atkinson
is that the title is a pretty accurate summing up
of what to expect - it plays on different emotions
and in a very weird way. This is brave novel - one
that is prepared to fool around, subvert genres and
expectation and try something completely new.
Thankfully, it's a gamble that pays off and this is
probably one the most fun books I've read in a
while. The narrative
structure has the two main characters telling each
other stories. Nora's story is a family saga - but
it is told reluctantly and the revelations come
slowly, unlike in the usual method of recounting
these kinds of tales. Effie, her daughter, tells
her story almost like a fiction, something she has
made up. She throws in bizarre coincidences,
extreme comic characters and piles events on top of
one another. It certainly takes a while to get used
to this style and to accept that this is not
conventional fiction as we know it. The two voices
are entirely distinct and the two settings provided
are worlds apart. But this is just another way for
Kate Atkinson to throw out a challenge to her
readers. She has broken the rules but wants you
enjoy the rebellion with her. And I did. The
results are intriguing, funny and
effective. With all this
'wackiness' you may suspect that there is little
substance to this book. On the contrary, it becomes
clear that all of the strange things that happen
are important and relevant. The underlying themes
have realism at their core and it is to be praised
that Kate Atkinson makes such light and enjoyable
work of putting them across. With great comic
characters and plot with a few surprises,
'Emotionally Weird' is to be recommended as long as
you're prepared to take on its innovative
style. Review by: Rachel
Taylor |
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