Summerwater - Nov 2022 Book Group discussion thread
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Nov 2022
8:09am, 2 Nov 2022
51,828 posts
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McGoohan
As chosen by The Scribbler, November's book is Summerwater by Sarah Moss. 'Superb' - The Times 'Sharp, searching . . . utterly of the moment' - Hilary Mantel 'So accomplished' - Guardian 'A masterpiece' - Jessie Burton 'One of her best' - Irish Times 'Beautifully written, intense, powerful' - David Nicholls It's not just them. Here's a five-star review from an Amazon reader, Ross Pond in Australia Ross Pond Reviewed in Australia on 30 October 2020 5.0 out of 5 stars The Cost Per Month. I only wish to buy. No TV Book to read. Excellent Service Very Pleased with Service Need I say more? Need anyone? |
Nov 2022
6:03pm, 13 Nov 2022
22,001 posts
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Columba
Finished yesterday. Goodness, I seem to be the first to comment, apart from McG's introductory above. It gripped me. "Most people live lives of quiet desperation" (Thoreau, apparently, - had to look it up). Most of these people are living lives of quiet desperation, as gathered through their streams of consciousness, which contribute (along with the relentless rain) to a dreadful feeling of "something awful's going to happen". And indeed it does, but was almost an anti-climax when it came; somehow failed to resolve the feeling of dread. In between the streams of consciousness are short comments on the Natural World around the holiday village, from which one learns that some of the wild animals are simply going to starve to death unless the rain stops PDQ, as they are unable to hunt. Going to flick back to the beginning, to see how they all inter-relate. |
Nov 2022
5:05pm, 15 Nov 2022
46,864 posts
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♪♫ Synge ♪♫
Are we allowed to talk about this before we have finished it? I read the first "Justine" chapter last night. The inner monologue seems at times quite banal, but I guess that's a fairly good portrayal of life. (I haven't read a description of the way men pee since the early pages of David Lodge's "Nice Work"!) I did find myself turning to the end of the section to see how many more pages there were, as I was starting to wonder how the author would fit in the stories of all twelve families (if indeed she does ... !). Without introducing spoilers, interesting development in the final couple of pages. What I wanted to ask here, though, is whether you think Sarah Moss is a runner. The narrative of her run seemed convincing to me. |
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Nov 2022
9:31pm, 15 Nov 2022
22,007 posts
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Columba
And to me too, Synge. On my second reading, I am seeing hints of how the final disaster comes about. |
Nov 2022
1:00pm, 28 Nov 2022
13,240 posts
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Little Nemo
This was a short read but I felt it was less than the sum of its parts. I lost track of who was narrating each part and how they were related on some of the sections, though this may be down to me not reading it in a coherent way. It ended just as I was getting into the story. Some parts worked really well, especially enjoyed the runner and the kayaker bits. Others were just a bit meh and I really hated the one that was mainly sex. Overall I felt we spent too much time in people's heads and it got too claustrophobic for me. I did like her writing style so I'll try another one of hers if I come across it. I gave this book a 6 although I've probably been a bit harsh. |
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Nov 2022
1:02pm, 28 Nov 2022
13,241 posts
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Little Nemo
I agree she *must* be a runner, especially the bit about the sports bra 
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Nov 2022
1:14pm, 28 Nov 2022
51,924 posts
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McGoohan
I had the last twenty five pages to read last night and fell asleep after 5 of em.
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Nov 2022
1:49pm, 28 Nov 2022
47,035 posts
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♪♫ Synge ♪♫
I'm not reading it in a coherent way either. I don't think a chapter at a time is the way to go with this book, because it is easy to lose sight of (or memory of!) the links. I have read the couple-on-the-ferry chapter, which was well-enough written but a bit humdrum, and what I assume is LN's sex chapter, which I found amusing. I haven't yet worked out what the mini sections between the main chapters are all about. One was on rocks and geology and I can't remember what the last one was about at all! I need to get back to this and give it a good hour or so of continuous reading instead of trying to do Killer Sudokus at bedtime. |
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Nov 2022
9:47pm, 28 Nov 2022
51,929 posts
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McGoohan
He sits to write a review but is unsure how to start. Shall I write it in the style of the book he thinks but reconsiders. Wouldn’t that be annoying. A bit like this keyboard. Look the A isn’t visible anymore, just a blank space where the A used to be. A to be. Funny that. Now it’s only familiarity with the keyboard that says where the A is or ought to be. To be. Not to be. Esa es la pregunta. Better do my Duolingo in a bit. And where should the paragraphs be? He’s never sure where to throw in a paragraph break. It’s not like there are any hard and fast rules or even if there’s much consistency between authors on the subject they just put them here or there or sometimes they don’t and a paragraph can just run on and on even over the page and across into the next chapter and that’s to say nothing of sentences. He starts a new paragraph and thinks about how thirsty he is. A glass of wine would be nice, but no, that’s for weekends only and this is a Monday and it doesn’t matter that he wasn’t in work today it is still a weekday. Cup of tea then? It’s a bit late for coffee, unless he has decaff but the trouble is it just doesn’t taste the same or maybe it does and it’s only the fact he knows it’s decaff that makes him expect a different flavour. Confirmation bias. Actually is that confirmation bias or is it something else? Maybe some non-science application of Hesienberg’s Uncertainty principle. He looked that up once but can’t remember the definition. There was lots about observations of electrons and energy states and such like. At least it isn’t raining. Sometimes it rains so much you can’t remember when it last wasn’t raining. The rain flows like… like… What does it flow like? Like the words of an unending internal monologue that is almost but not quite a stream of consciousness. Sometimes you also aren’t sure if a paragraph started in the first, second or third person and you, he or I are none of us convinced that the voice doesn’t travel between all three persons and several tenses on the way. And when they do that, it isn’t because the writing is shit necessarily but because they’re breaking the rules for their art. You can get away with that when you’re doing it for your art. People expect it, otherwise the writing is just meat and potatoes isn’t it? Breaking grammatical rules, using the wrong words here and there is just part of the internal monologue of everyone. Actually, should that have been ‘is’ or should it have been ‘are’. Subject, object agreement. Come on he thinks this is basic stuff. It doesn’t matter, so long as it flows. It flows. Flowing like a stream, like a stream of consciousness, mixing with the rain, the interminable rain pouring into the lake. The trouble with streams is, sometimes they contain crystal clear mountain water flowing with the unceasing rain into the grey loch. And at other times they contain turds. |
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Nov 2022
9:49pm, 28 Nov 2022
47,042 posts
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♪♫ Synge ♪♫
Nicely done, McG!
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