The Woman The Book Read by Sarah Hall, 2019
The magic trick:
Restricting our point of view to a character with a restricted point of view
Sarah Hall takes us to the beaches of Turkey today in what is an intense and somewhat frustrating story.
Frustrating because the entire premise is based on restricted access. We are placed in the point of view of a man who observes a past acquaintance along the coast, reappearing by surprise after many years.
Her presence triggers a flood of memories as he reassesses past events and relationships. He wants to know everything about where she’s been, what she’s done, and who she is now. We absorb this desire as we read and in turn take on his frustration. She is no longer part of his life, so all of these details about her life remain unknown.
Add in the extra narrative layer that keep crucial points about the nature of those past relationships nebulous to the reader, and the story really becomes a study in incomplete information.
And that’s quite a trick on Hall’s part.
The selection:
They were at the edge of the square. He tucked his shirt in as he walked. The feeling was incredibly strong, physical almost. Wanting to see her. No, it was that other feeling, her leaving, pain like a seizure in the chest muscle. He could have said something – Eymen knew about her, of course. But he didn’t want any questions, the difficult ones that would surely come, and the uncomfortable silence. They were walking quickly, obviously keen to have their swim before evening. Was it the first? Had they arrived only today? He remembered so well that moment of anticipation, of revelation, when he had been a visitor too. Meeting the sea, having journeyed the length of the country, or further.
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