Thoughts

I’m not sure what prompted me to pick this book up - I got it from the library and the idea of just reading a beautiful short book seemed ideal for the mood I was in. It’s the debut novel from Shapland, and it’s a powerful one.

Following the course of two men meeting, falling in love, and conducting a secret relationship in the heart of the Welsh valleys during the 80s, it’s a relatively small book covering an enormously important relationship. Short sentences, a handful of paragraphs per chapter, but each important, deep and impossible to ignore. The layout of the prose and spacing of paragraphs were part of the story too - it’s one of the things I noticed when flicking through the book before taking it home.

The writing in this book is perfectly crafted to share so much in so few words. This, from near the beginning of the book, as they chatter during their first real meet-up.

They lean in, gossip about the village, about the shop and work. Under the peak of his cap, B’s brow lowers as he speaks of the strike. The anger, the divisions. His brothers’ picketing, his parents adrift. They raise a solemn cheers in respect of their newly formed dead dad club.

It’s beautiful, arms-length prose. We never get to know the first names of these characters, they are just B and M, which adds to the feeling of secrecy and denial, of not being allowed to be who you are - that leaps out from every page.

Usually I can be a bit snippy about things that are overly arty, but this one managed the balance perfectly. There is a grounding of grief in this book, so approach with caution if you are going through anything yourself.

I’ve never read anything like it before, the kind of book that takes up much more space than its diminutive size would suggest. It’s a story that’s going to live with me for a good while, and for that reason, it’s a 5 out of 5.

Rating: 5 / 5