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erinreadstheworld 's review for:
Autumn
by Ali Smith
The first of Ali Smith's seasonal quartet, Autumn, is the kind of book that needs to be savoured. You can't rush it, lest you miss out on a key detail.
The writing is experimental and not every chapter relates to the plot. It's at times chaotic, at times deeply comforting. Dreams and reality become mixed, and much of the book is told through memories and flashbacks.
Autumn, the season, is associated with turning inwards. It's when we shed expectations and parts of our selves. A time to prepare to hibernate or to begin to transition from life to death.
We see this transition through Daniel. He's over 100, on the precipice of death and even dreams that he is dead.
I loved the enduring and endearing friendship of Daniel and Elisabeth, who originally bonded when she was a young child and he was her elderly neighbour. I adored the look at their memories and the ways he taught her to question time, perceptions and stereotypes.
Autumn is noted as a post-Brexit novel so I expected to see more of an exploration of the political and personal remifications of the Brexit vote but this is only briefly touched on. One chapter was superbly done. It shows the contrasting reactions of people on the day the results were announced - from those who were happy, to those who were deeply upset. I wanted more of this!
The relationship between Elisabeth and Daniel, and Elisabeth and her mother are the easiest parts of the book to understand. But there's many, many layers in the book to dissect. Some which you really need to work at understanding.
This is much like trying to understand a Pauline Boty artwork, a little known Pop-artist whose life and art is unveiled throughout the book. Is it a purposeful collage or a mish-mash of things? Do they go together or not? Does it have a deeper meaning? Is it a haphazard jumble or perfectly orchastrated?
That all depends on how you look at it, what you take from it and how long you spend ruminating on it.
Working to understand a book isn't a bad thing. It's just something you need to be in the mood for. I think I've only really scratched the surface and I look forward to following the crumbs in the other three books.
The writing is experimental and not every chapter relates to the plot. It's at times chaotic, at times deeply comforting. Dreams and reality become mixed, and much of the book is told through memories and flashbacks.
Autumn, the season, is associated with turning inwards. It's when we shed expectations and parts of our selves. A time to prepare to hibernate or to begin to transition from life to death.
We see this transition through Daniel. He's over 100, on the precipice of death and even dreams that he is dead.
I loved the enduring and endearing friendship of Daniel and Elisabeth, who originally bonded when she was a young child and he was her elderly neighbour. I adored the look at their memories and the ways he taught her to question time, perceptions and stereotypes.
Autumn is noted as a post-Brexit novel so I expected to see more of an exploration of the political and personal remifications of the Brexit vote but this is only briefly touched on. One chapter was superbly done. It shows the contrasting reactions of people on the day the results were announced - from those who were happy, to those who were deeply upset. I wanted more of this!
The relationship between Elisabeth and Daniel, and Elisabeth and her mother are the easiest parts of the book to understand. But there's many, many layers in the book to dissect. Some which you really need to work at understanding.
This is much like trying to understand a Pauline Boty artwork, a little known Pop-artist whose life and art is unveiled throughout the book. Is it a purposeful collage or a mish-mash of things? Do they go together or not? Does it have a deeper meaning? Is it a haphazard jumble or perfectly orchastrated?
That all depends on how you look at it, what you take from it and how long you spend ruminating on it.
Working to understand a book isn't a bad thing. It's just something you need to be in the mood for. I think I've only really scratched the surface and I look forward to following the crumbs in the other three books.