There but for the is the sparkling satirical novel by bestselling Ali Smith. 'There once was a man who, one night between the main course and the sweet at a dinner party, went upstairs and locked himself in one of the bedrooms of the house of the people who were giving the dinner party . . .' As time passes by and the consequences of this stranger's actions ripple outwards, touching the owners, the guests, the neighbours and the whole country, so Ali Smith draws us into a beautiful, strange place where everyone is so much more than they at first appear.
'Playful, humorous, serious, profoundly clever and profoundly affecting' Guardian
First published: 2012
Pages: 384
Genres: Women's Contemporary Fiction
Amazon Rating: 3.5 out of 500 reviews
Our review in brief:
| 1. Rating: 2.7 out of 10 |
| 2. Recommended: The vast majority of members said they would not recommend the book. |
| 3. Audience: It would probably appeal to younger readers who are interested in globalisation and want to read a social critique with a touch of surrealism. |
| 4. Type of Read: The language of the book was not complex, but the story itself was. The reader needs time to think about the underlying meanings. It requires a bit of effort to fully appreciate the layers and nuances. The writing style was experimental with lots of word plays, that did not appeal to everyone. |
| 5. Quality of the Author: Although the book scored really badly, some members had read other works by Ali Smith and said they were much better. Some members also commented that although they did not warm to the story, the quality of writing was good. There were very mixed views on whether the members would read another book by this author. |
| 6. Other Observations: The book was a great choice for a book club, as it provoked so much discussion. Some members did not finish the book, because they were really not enjoying it. This is really unusual for the RV u3a book club. |