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I have to
applaud Stuart Aken for a memorable story that inhabits your mind long after
you’ve clicked that last page.
It starts with
a ‘broken’ Faith, a young woman abominably treated by her bully of a father, a
puritanical hypocrite. When she eventually manages to flee from her hell,
she is taken in by a successful photographer, Leigh, who is loved, adored
and revered by women. The idolatry he receives from thousands of women is
reciprocated with sex; lots and lots and lots of it, shamelessly and
flagrantly.
Faith’s
upbringing has, remarkably and against all odds, produced an innocent, direct,
honest and extraordinarily beautiful woman – inside and out - and Leigh is
smitten in a way he never imagined possible. They are irresistibly drawn
to each other, but Faith has ultimata and the road to their nirvana is
eventful, sad, tragic, and inevitable.
I did enjoy
the book but…there are some ‘buts’.
What did I
enjoy? It is very well written, it’s compelling and it’s
intelligent. The story was written in the first person from both Leigh’s
and Faith’s POV in alternating chapters. I was intrigued by this, and it
worked well. It’s a good story with some very likeable characters, some
of them funny, and some not so likeable; Leigh, in particular, is someone you
love to hate. He’s handsome, he’s kind, he’s generous – totally immoral –
but charismatic. The setting of the novel is in the beautiful Yorkshire dales
and the locals’ dialect and character add authentic flavour.
My
‘buts’? Despite the 1976 setting, I felt uneasy with the promiscuity and
the acceptability of it. Faith’s character developed rather quickly – for 20
years she was isolated with nothing but a bible, an atlas, a history of the
world, and a censored encyclopaedia and dictionary for company – she was disproportionately
worldly. There was an uncharacteristic neglect of her quadriplegic sister, for
whom she had cared tenderly for many years, after she was taken into social
care in very distressing circumstances. Unfortunately, I have to say, too, that
there were many editorial oversights (missing, misplaced, incorrect punctuation
and spelling errors) which jarred just a little.
However, the
story and Faith stay with you. I am glad I read it and would recommend it.
Thank you for this, Cathy. I suspect some of the spelling 'errors' stem from the differences in British and American spelling. The same is probably true of the use of semi-colons; a much more used punctuation mark in British English than in American literature. So, possibly more a difference of style than of what is 'correct'?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your thoughtful review.
By the way, I lived in the region through the 70s and the attitude to promiscuity was actually even more widely spread than is portrayed.
It's always good for an author to have someone read and review his fiction and I really appreciate your words, Cathy. Thank you, again.