Blagging A Bestseller (The Liar)

I know I have professed my deep admiration for Stephen Fry in a previous post (reviewing Fry's book Making History), so I won't bore you with all that again. However, my interest in the actor/comedian/presenter/writer/genius (okay, okay) was re-awakened when I recently watched the television documentary which explores his battle with manic depression. In the aftermath of that insightful, yet tragic show I pulled out copy of The Liar that had been sitting in my wardrobe for a fair few months.

Published in 1991, The Liar was Fry's much-awaited first novel. It received rave reviews and became a number one bestseller.

Drawing heavily on many situations, settings and people from his own life, Fry's debut novel tells the story of protagonist Adrian Healey, a compulsive liar and extrovert whose dishonesty gets him in way over his head. The style is similar to the wacky, almost fantastical storytelling of Making History, but on a smaller scale.

When it was published, the main criticism of this novel was its extreme similarities to Fry's own life. Of course, every writer draws from life experience but, after reading Fry's autobiography, I have to agree with these criticisms to an extent. However, I also feel that the critics may have underestimated Fry's perceptiveness and ability to predict this feedback. Many of the situations from the book are surely embellished (and many are works of complete falsity), yet this merging of fiction and non-fiction works well to keep readers wondering about Fry's past.

It is hard for me to determine whether or not I truly liked this novel because I am biased. I suppose my feelings are best compared to those of watching a film with a favourite actor and appreciating his/her performance, but ultimately feeling disappointed by the overall package.

Nonetheless Fry's personality shines through and there are many a laugh-out-loud moment in this book. In retrospect, this was not a bad start to what is a thriving writing career for Stephen Fry, who (fortunately for the British public) is getting better with age.

Hardly An Accident (The Accidental)

I think most literature fanatics would find my reading habits fairly immature. I am a book whore of sorts. I commute to work five days a week, and I cannot face the bus/train journey without something to read. Seriously. It is a fixation. If I am faced without a book/magazine/newspaper, I will go and buy the first thing I see. This leads to many dubious choices, as well as the act of scrambling around for loose change to buy the most tattered book in the charity shop.

I make most of my choices by reading the reviews featured on the book. In terms of literature, this is probably the worst way of making a decision because every reader takes something different from a piece of writing. Yet, I have been reviewing every book I've read for nearly the last six months and there is something greatly reassuring about putting my thoughts, feelings and conclusions out there. Even though I get barely any readers on this blog, I find the process cathartic and feel that if I can help just one reader make a decision as to whether or not to read a book, I will be successful. Absolute bullshit, I know, but fairly accurate.

So it is fairly rare for me to want to re-read a book. Of course I have my favourites (Matilda, To Kill A Mockingbird) which I could read again and again. But my current state of book consumption is fairly limiting in this aspect. I move on from one story to the next in the hope of quelling boredom and learning something in the process.

Ali Smith's The Accidental proves to be the exception to that rule. Winner of the Whitbread Novel Award 2005 and shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize, the novel arrived to strong reviews, both good and bad. It is Smith's second novel, although she has also written two volumes of short stories.

The book did not start out well for me, as it is initially fairly cryptic and I felt myself getting bored (it was early morning, I hadn't had my Red Bull yet, give me a break). However, once Amber (a mysterious stranger) had arrived on the doorstep of the Smart family's Norfolk holiday home, I had been won over and intrigued by Smith's writing and style decisions.

Some reviews I have read attack Smith for being too clever, and I admit I am the first person to criticise gimmicks and false literary devices in contemporary fiction. However, I did not find Smith's techniques gimmicky in the slightest. True, she does change the narrative direction and voice throughout the novel, but I found this a help rather than a hindrance. The plot is secondary to the characters in this novel and their points of view and emotions play an integral part in understanding this story.

The entrance of hippy-like, enigmatic Amber into the dysfunctional lives of Michael (stepfather and philandering university professor), Eve (mother and unfulfilled author), Astrid (daughter and strong-willed filmmaker) and Magnus (son and guilty soul) is not only realistic, but also mentally thought-provoking and challenging.

The only criticism I would have of this book is that I think it has the tendency to age. Smith refers to various events/signs of our times and these could prove to be either timeless (as references in classics seem to become) or detrimental to its place in the wider realm of fiction.

Almost a week after finishing this novel I am still thinking about it and that, to me, is the hallmark of a great piece of writing. Ali Smith is a bright spark in the smouldering mess that is contemporary fiction and she deserves immense credit for The Accidental.