(#gifted @womensprize) I love books that have no plot. I love books that are mostly made up of characters’ inner thoughts and musings. I love books with unconventional timelines. I love books that celebrate the everyday and the mundane. So why didn’t I love this book?? Honestly, your guess is as good as mine!
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Weather is an experimental little book, fragmented paragraphs making up a loose narrative. It’s hard to explain the plot really, because as I already mentioned there *isn’t* one really. It’s more a series of musings on various topics such as addiction, motherhood, family and climate change.
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I found Lizzie’s brother’s plight the most compelling, a recovering addict struggling to keep his head above water in the real world, despite (or because of?) his new wife and new baby. Lizzie acts as an unofficial therapist for a lot of people in her life - most of whom would benefit from seeing a legitimate therapist. Being a librarian doesn’t make you a shrink, Lizzie.
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The style and writing kind of reminded me of Ali Smith - except nowhere near Ali Smith’s genius. As soon as that comparison popped into my head, it did the book a bit of a disservice 🙈 It certainly wasn’t bad, I read it in one sitting so it’s obviously very readable, it just didn’t make a very big impression on me. I’ll be interested to see whether this one makes the Women’s Prize shortlist tbh, as it seems to be splitting readers. We shall see!