Reviews and comments
This is new territory for me so it's been fascinating so far.
There's an interesting response on Scott Pack's blog in which somebody mentions the recurring theme of 'outsider' boys painting to a deadline. There might even be a suggestion of 'borrowing' but perhaps that's just author paranoia. The contributor mentions Tom Sawyer, Paul Auster, Mr Vertigo amongst others...
So what were the influences? Well, I read Tom Sawyer a long, long time ago and can safely say that any influence there was purely based in the subconscious. I've never read Mr. Vertigo, though somebody gave it to me to read once upon a time. Did Paul Auster write it?
In truth, the beach hut idea was perhaps most influenced (and this was almost a conscious decision but not wholly) by Phillipe Djian's '37.2 le Matin' (later made into the movie 'Betty Blue', which I loved from the moment I discovered it (and not just for the extended love-making scene at the begninning...honest!) I read the book several years later and would argue that the authorial voice in that novel is up there with the best ever (as good as William Maxwell even, who remains one of my absolute favourite writers. I'll do a piece on him at a later date.)
And then there is the fact that I was living in Whitstable when the ideas for 'Asboville' first started to materialise. Haycliffe (the imaginary town in the novel) is effectively Whitstable, though if the novel works it ought to be representative of many seaside communities throughout the British Isles. There are plenty of beach huts in Whitstable.
I'm going to comment on Dove Grey Reader's response on her blog site too. It concerns the idea that the novel may in some way provide an 'ideal world' view of JB's rehabilitation. Now this was entirely enthralling for me and has something to do with bleakness and hope, novels and endings, publishers and writers, but I'm going to leave it there for a few weeks to see what transpires...I promise to come back to it in the future!
There's an interesting response on Scott Pack's blog in which somebody mentions the recurring theme of 'outsider' boys painting to a deadline. There might even be a suggestion of 'borrowing' but perhaps that's just author paranoia. The contributor mentions Tom Sawyer, Paul Auster, Mr Vertigo amongst others...
So what were the influences? Well, I read Tom Sawyer a long, long time ago and can safely say that any influence there was purely based in the subconscious. I've never read Mr. Vertigo, though somebody gave it to me to read once upon a time. Did Paul Auster write it?
In truth, the beach hut idea was perhaps most influenced (and this was almost a conscious decision but not wholly) by Phillipe Djian's '37.2 le Matin' (later made into the movie 'Betty Blue', which I loved from the moment I discovered it (and not just for the extended love-making scene at the begninning...honest!) I read the book several years later and would argue that the authorial voice in that novel is up there with the best ever (as good as William Maxwell even, who remains one of my absolute favourite writers. I'll do a piece on him at a later date.)
And then there is the fact that I was living in Whitstable when the ideas for 'Asboville' first started to materialise. Haycliffe (the imaginary town in the novel) is effectively Whitstable, though if the novel works it ought to be representative of many seaside communities throughout the British Isles. There are plenty of beach huts in Whitstable.
I'm going to comment on Dove Grey Reader's response on her blog site too. It concerns the idea that the novel may in some way provide an 'ideal world' view of JB's rehabilitation. Now this was entirely enthralling for me and has something to do with bleakness and hope, novels and endings, publishers and writers, but I'm going to leave it there for a few weeks to see what transpires...I promise to come back to it in the future!
posted by Danny Rhodes at 11:49 AM
6 Comments:
I read Paul Auster's Mr Vertigo about a year ago and can't remember any painting to deadlines, though that may just be my memory letting me down. There was some hole digging and a lot of levitating, though.
Best of luck with the launch of Asboville - I hope to pick up a copy once it's released. Maia look to be publishing some really interesting new books - Dreda Say Mitchell's 'Running Hot' is next on my reading list.
Thanks, Chris. I've yet to meet Dreda. I think her next book is on its way...
Paul Auster wrote a book called The Music Of Chance in which two acquaintances join forces in a private poker game. When they lose heavily they end up in debt and to repay the debt agree to build a wall on the estate of the winning player. The bulk of the book has the two men tackling the monotonous task each and every day. There are some parallels between that book and yours.
And the book of Betty Blue is wonderful, much better than the film which I also love.
I've seen you in Waterstone's Danny, they were stacking you high on the table yesterday and you're in the 3 for 2's, I did a bit of furtive facing outwards rearranging on your behalf!
Already? I think a trip to town is in order! Thanks for the tip-off...and the furtive rearranging. I fear I may never be able to set foot in my own local Waterstones branches (two now with the whole Ottakars thing) again...
Yes, I also spotted your book in Waterstones this afternoon, although I thought it wasn't out until 18th Oct (or 25th Oct according to Amazon etc)...have I missed something?!
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