WatchSeeLookView With Words - Playing With Form Again

So I’m doing alright with one of the not-a-resolutions so far (well, two I suppose if you count trying to write more given that I’ve managed so far to stick to my weekday postings) in that I’ve definitely been reading more. Sure, I read plenty in terms of website articles, magazines and comics but actual, honest-to-goodness books were definitely slipping down the list last year. I started off on a “reading slightly unusual books” theme and have carried on with it so here are the next selection of novels that take a slightly different approach to the form.

253 by Geoff Ryman
In A Nutshell:- Book-based representation of a seven and a half minute Tube journey.

Certainly unusual in both format and origins, this book started life as an online novel in the mid-90s (when the internet was barely even a thing) and has transitioned to book form. It follows 252 passengers and one driver on a seven and a half minute journey from Embankment to Elephant & Castle. Each chapter details the inner life and thoughts of one person in 253 words (plus footnotes), some of which interweave in surprising ways. It’s an impressive achievement and Ryman manages to deftly conjure up a convincing picture of each passenger in a very brief description. Given that it’s the same format for every entry, it’s a testament to his ability as a writer that I didn’t get bored.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
In A Nutshell:- On the island of Nollop, as the letters disappear from the phrase “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog” on the town statue so too do they disappear from the novel

It definitely feels like a writing challenge - can you write a whole novel with fewer and fewer letters available to you? - but no less enjoyable for that, this is a book that feels very appropriate in the current climate. Written in 2001 as a commentary on both small-minded insular thinking leading to totalitarianism and unquestioning religious fanaticism, it feels disturbing relevant in the current Brexit/Trump climate. In format terms, It’s one of the oldest formats - an epistolary novel* - but that it the best way to convey the increasingly desperate situation that the islanders are lead to due to the censorship of language. While it does deal with heavy themes, the ways in which the letter writers attempt to cope with and get around the banned letters brings a sense of joy and humour to the novel.

The Call by Yannick Murphy
In a nutshell:- A vet’s life unfolds in a series of reports based around call outs he receives

In terms of format, I enjoyed this one as it’s a very similar structure to most of my blog posts(!), i.e. sub-headings followed by details fleshing it out. It’s a leisurely paced novel and, while there are major events that impact the family within, it unfolds fairly slowly. Where it works best is in portraying a relatively realistic relationship between a husband and wife and a father and his children. Stylistically, this is probably the one that is trickiest to get into but I enjoyed it overall.

If you're looking for a read then that's a little different to the norm, any of the books above would be worth a go.

* Yes, I am being overly wordy today - if you’re not sure what that is, it’s a novel composed entirely of letters sent between characters.