Disputed Land by Tim Pears

Read as part P of the “Along the Library Shelf” reading journey

Chosen because

I had mentally reserved “Stone’s Fall” by Iain Pears for my “p” book, but at the time of choosing that paperback looked a bit thick and gothic. Adjacent was this slim hardback with a contemporary and seasonal setting, and a prologue that drew me in.

The Review

The narrator, Theo, describes a watershed Christmas spent at his paternal grandparents’ farmhouse. Although the events took place when he was 13, they are contemporary, complete with I-pods and smart phones, but are related from his middle aged future. Cleverly this gives the narrative a mixture of innocence and maturity as Theo’s adolescent perceptions are presented and reviewed with adult hindsight.

The grandparents have brought the family together – their three children along with their partners and offspring - for a purpose that soon becomes apparent. Sibling rivalry, old sores and perceived favouritism quickly re-emerges. Young Theo tries to make sense of it all while at the same time dealing with the changing nature of his own relationship with his attractive young cousin Holly.

The backdrop is the timeless Shropshire countryside – the disputed land between England and Wales of which Theo’s grandfather is writing a history. But the title equally refers to the eventual disposition of the farm to the next generation.

The prose is elegiac and stylish; and the family relationships ring true; together providing a very pleasurable read.

Read another?

Probably – favourable review snippets for his previous book “Landed” are prominent on the back cover of this volume.

 

Saturday – Ian McEwan

Henry Perowne’s Saturday starts early when, waking in the small hours, he sees from his bedroom window an aeroplane on fire heading for an emergency landing at Heathrow. It could be a portent that his day off from his neurological surgeon duties will be eventful, and not just because of the family reunion dinner planned for the evening.

As we follow him through his Saturday morning rituals we also share his thoughts on life, his work, world events (as he muses on the news reports) and on preparations for the arrival of his daughter and father in law. This also fills in some of the family history, which apart from its gently upward trajectory is remarkable only for its relative lack of remarkability to date.

But drama lies in waiting for a man who appears to have everything – loving wife, children on the brink of successful transition to adulthood, a fulfilling well paid career, a fashionable London address and even a top of the range Mercedes.

It is when the Mercedes is bumped by a red BMW with dark tinted windows that the fragility of such a lifestyle begins to get exposed. This won’t be sorted out by exchanging insurance details.

The rest of the day is coloured by the incident and its potential effect. The backdrop of an anti-war demonstration in the neighbouring streets also brings to mind the external threats to his comfortable existence, for which he is appreciative but not complacent.

McEwan’s prose is dense and can look off-putting but reads as smooth as silk. Details of thoughts, emotions and events cram into moments of time; it takes five pages to cover a game of squash or perform a neurological procedure. The technicalities of one of these I can understand fully, of the other I have no idea, but both hold the interest equally firmly.

How the day progresses and concludes is well worth finding out. Does the burning plane land safely or are there casualties?

 

 

The Art of Fielding – Chad Harbach

Set in the small unfashionable Westish University on the shores of Lake Michigan, the book follows the interlocking lives of five main characters as they approach some individual watersheds.

Mike Schwartz is the apha-jock leader of the college baseball team, inspirational to others while suffering his own crisis of confidence in his post-graduation future. Henry Skrimshander is the ace baseball fielder in the key short-stop position, discovered, recruited and mentored by Schwartz, and seemingly destined for a career in the majors. Owen Dunne is Henry’s roommate and unconventional fellow member of the baseball team – more aesthete than athlete. Professor Guert Affenlight is the college Principal, an alumnus of the college and the team; and Pella is his prodigal daughter whose return threatens to upset an apple cart or two.

Although the baseball team’s progress provides the narrative backdrop it is the developing relationships between these five that drives the book. These are multi-dimensional – within the family, inside the team and, inevitably, between lovers.

The sporting context is nicely counterbalanced by the academic setting as Westish revers literature in general and Herman Melville in particular. This is due to a connection with the Moby Dick author, discovered by Guert Affenlight in his grad student days, and celebrated by the sports team’s nickname of the “Harpooners”. Poetry, philosophy and art are discussed almost as often as pitching, hitting and fielding (themselves considered an art by aficionados).

Such linkages and cleverly interweaved storylines add depth to the book, as do the complex and likeably flawed characters. Although in need of a good shake every now and then, their intentions are good and their errors, mainly due to their youth, are forgivable.

Knowledge of baseball is probably not essential to the enjoyment of this fine book, but as a keen follower I may not be the best judge. Certainly as a fan of the sport, I loved the book even more for its sporting context and references.