Patrick Gale is a prolific author but I was only introduced to his writing two years ago by my sister when she recommended Notes from An Exhibition(2007) and lent me a copy of The Whole Day Through(2009), the latter which I never reviewed for some reason, although I do remember liking it. Instantly hooked his entire back catalogue has now been added to my Wishlist. The only other title I have read so far is Friendly Fire (2005). I find that Patrick Gale is a particularly sensitive writer for a man but I think this may stem from the fact that he is gay. I hope this is the politically correct term to use, but I am not sure. However he is quite open about the fact and in the question and answer section at the end of this novel talks about his husband who is a farmer. The fact he obviously draws on personal experiences in life and location, they live on a farm in Cornwall are I am sure part of his success as a novelist. I am really looking forward to locating more of his books to read.Straight away I was drawn into this thought provoking and touching novel, set in alternate chapters of past and present. Patrick Gale has a love of the west of England and the sea and his evocative writing is very absorbing bringing the setting and the characters to life for me whilst I am reading. Julian, who changes his name to Will as an adult because of a nickname he was given at school is the main character and most of the story is built around a family holiday that did not go quite as planned when he was a small boy. As a man Will seems at ease with his sexuality but it is on another holiday that the traumatic effects of that long ago summer come back to question his happiness. Were his parents quite as happy and as normal as he always thought they were? The relationship between them in the present part of the novel where the mother is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's is very moving.I do not want to reveal the plot so cannot say too much here but it will keep you guessing with plenty of hints but exactly what happened is not revealed until the final chapters.More information can be found in my post at LindyLouMac's Book Reviewshttp://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogspo...
De roman is een vervlechting van twee verhalen: "Beachcomber" en "Blue House".Beachcomber speelt zich eind jaren '60 van de vorige eeuw af. De zevenjarige Julian gaat met zijn ouders John en Frances op vakantie in Cornwall. Daar voegen zich ook zijn oom Bill en diens dochtertje Skip bij hen. Zij woonden tot voor kort in de States waar hij onlangs zijn vrouw verloor. Julians vader is directeur van een gevangenis en terwijl zij aan het vakantievieren zijn, gaat een van de gevangenen er vandoor. Daardoor moet zijn vader eerder naar huis terugkeren.In Blue House krijgt Will voor zijn veertigste verjaardag van zijn zus Poppy een vakantie in Cornwall aangeboden. Hij neemt zijn bejaarde ouders John en Frances mee op vakantie in Cornwall. Francis heeft beginnende Alzheimer en Will wil graag dat zijn vader een beetje rust krijgt van de continue zorgen die hij aan zijn vrouw moet geven. Pikant detail is dat de man en kinderen van Poppy hen zullen gaan vergezellen. Weet zij veel dat haar man en broer een verhouding hebben?Wat schetst ieders verbazing als ze in het vakantiehuis dat van vroeger herkennen? Het huis waar blijkbaar iets heel ergs is voorgevallen. Ze durven het tegenover elkaar in ieder geval niet toe te geven, kennelijk bang om zaken op te rakelen.De rest van het boek ben je aan het zoeken naar de link tussen beide verhalen. Is Julian tijdens die vakantie doodgegaan waarna John en Frances nog twee kinderen gekregen hebben (Will en Poppy)? Is het eigenlijk wel hetzelfde huis? Is het een voorbode van opnieuw iets Heel Ergs? Welke onweerswolken hangen over beide vakantie?Lekker boek.Lees ook mijn blog voor nog meer...http://elsjelas.blogspot.com/2010/05/...
I read this for my Queer book club and initially I found the beginning rather boring but as I read on I started to really enjoy the story and get engrossed in it. The story is about the gift of a family holiday gone very wrong. The trip awakens old, painful memories and bursts open new, startling secrets. Love, family dysfunction and relationships all rolled into one. It jumps back and forth between the past and the present with quite a few interesting twists to it. The protagonist, Will, is gay, just turned 40 and coasting through life on auto pilot. He observes but never really participates in life. This trip to Cornwall with his family shakes him out of his waking slumber and calls into question his past and current life. It's well written and once you get past the first few chapters, it picks up and gets very good. I especially like the time shifting between the past and present because it all comes together well at the end.
—Mediaevalgirl
Will's family goes through two crises - one when he is a boy and one in the present when he is in his forties. He, his father and his mother are all given a voice by the author. Events in the story are narrated by each of them so you get an idea of how each perceived the events and what their reactions were. We come to understand motives and keep hoping that there will be more communication but know that is not their way. A lot of repressed emotions and a lot of sensibility of the others feelings. Although the topics are charged, the treatment is careful and caring so that we come away with a sense of empathy for all the characters, regardless of their flaws.
—Gloria
I was gripped by Patrick Gale's tale of a family, their secrets, memories, betrayals, love and life's complexities. He has successfully portrayed perfectly likeable and yet flawed characters. But never enough that you need to turn away. He holds back just a little, which invites you to keep moving forward into the story and manages to surprise you. He understands how to hold a reading audience. Great character development, it is as though you feel intimately close to them. This is the third book of his I have read and I've come to appreciate the care and understanding Gale has for the human story. He gives equal balance in showing us how much he understands both men and women, the young and the elderly. This book spanning childhood to old age and those that are in between. I cannot decide now which is my favourite, 'Notes From an Exhibition' or this. I'll have to read them over again to decide, later, I think I want to discover more on offer from Gale in the meantime.
—Jamie
