annethology
  • Home
    • About Annethology
    • About me >
      • A little more about me
    • About my books
    • Author talks
    • Contact me
    • Forthcoming events
    • World Mental Health Day
    • Privacy
    • Sign up for my newsletter
  • Sugar and Snails
    • Acknowledgements
    • Blog tour, Q&A's and feature articles >
      • Birthday blog tour
      • S&S on tour 2022
    • Early endorsements
    • Events >
      • Launch photos
      • Launch party videos
    • in pictures
    • Media
    • If you've read the book
    • Polari
    • Reading group questions
    • Reviews
    • In the media
  • Underneath
    • Endorsements and reviews
    • Launch party and events
    • Pictures
    • Questions for book groups
    • The stories underneath the novel
  • Matilda Windsor series
    • Matilda Windsor >
      • What readers say
      • For book groups
      • Interviews, articles and features
      • Matty on the move
      • Who were you in 1990?
      • Asylum lit
      • Matilda Windsor media
    • Stolen Summers >
      • Stolen Summers reviews
  • Short stories
    • Somebody’s Daughter
    • Becoming Someone (anthology) >
      • Becoming Someone (video readings)
      • Becoming Someone reviews
      • Becoming Someone online book chat
    • Print and downloads
    • Read it online
    • Quick reads
  • Free ebook
  • Annecdotal
    • Annecdotal blog
    • Annecdotal Press
    • Articles >
      • Print journalism
      • Where psychology meets fiction
    • Fictional therapists
    • Reading and reviews >
      • Reviews A to H
      • Reviews I to M
      • Reviews N to Z
      • Nonfiction
      • Themed quotes
      • Reading around the world
  • Shop
    • Inspired Quill (my publisher)
    • Bookshop.org (affiliate link)
    • Amazon UK
    • Amazon US
    • books2read

About the author and blogger ...

Anne Goodwin’s drive to understand what makes people tick led to a career in clinical psychology. That same curiosity now powers her fiction.
A prize-winning short-story writer, she has published three novels and a short story collection with small independent press, Inspired Quill. Her debut novel, Sugar and Snails, was shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize.
Away from her desk, Anne guides book-loving walkers through the Derbyshire landscape that inspired Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.
Subscribers to her newsletter can download a free e-book of award-winning short stories.

TELL ME MORE

Holiday settings: Murmuration & The Summer House

8/7/2018

6 Comments

 
If you’re going on holiday this summer, you might be tempted to take one of these novels with you. The first focuses on the people who entertain and assist the visitors to a Victorian pier at an English seaside resort across a period of over a century; the second on a family taking a long holiday together on the coast of Finland. But, of course, while it might be all smiles and bonhomie on the surface, there are disconcerting undercurrents to keep you turning the page. Let me know which takes your fancy.

Picture
Picture


Murmuration by Robert Lock

Georgie Parr and Sammy Samuels are stand-up comedians with a penchant for sexual innuendo headlining at the theatre on the pier of an English seaside resort over a century apart. We first encounter Victorian Georgie when his career is on the ascendant, a loving wife by his side; we meet Sammy around the beginning of the twenty-first century when his career is very much on the decline. Both men become obsessed with a female performer – for Georgie a contortionist, for Sammy a pole dancer – and both find their nemesis in a confrontation with a sex worker.
 
Of course the two men never meet but, in addition to the similarities in their circumstances, the other characters connect their stories across the years. Mickey Braithwaite continues as the deckchair attendant into his nineties, having distinguished himself as a volunteer in the Observer Corps in the Second World War when a murmuration of starlings alerted him to an impending bomb drop over the town. Bella – a.k.a. Madame Kaminska – is a fortune teller who takes part in the pier centenary celebrations during the resort’s heyday in the 1960s. Colin Draper is an archivist with the council who suspects a miscarriage of justice in relation to the case of Georgie Parr.
 
The story unfolding chronologically, if I sometimes wondered where it was leading me, the engaging characters and exquisite period detail kept me hooked to the end. Overall, I found Robert Lock’s debut novel an original and entertaining chronicle of scandal, show business and masculinity and the development and decline of the English seaside resort. Thanks to Legend Press for my advance proof copy. For other novels with a similar setting, see
Owl Song at Dawn and Death and the Seaside.


The Summer House by Philip Teir translated by Tiina Nunnally

Julia has fond memories of childhood holidays at the summerhouse beside a tarn on the west coast of Finland but she’s never stayed there with her own children, thirteen-year-old Alice and ten-year-old Anton. But now, along with husband Erik, they’re going to spend several weeks there, enjoying time together as a family and becoming better acquainted with the natural world.
 
Despite some underlying tensions – Julia has never managed to escape her mother’s diktats, while Erik has just lost his job but isn’t yet ready to admit it – I found the story rather bland until, about a quarter of the way in, they meet their neighbours. Julia is surprised to reconnect with Marika, whom she remembers dominating her childhood summers, although only a year older. Catching up on the intervening years, Julia’s a little embarrassed to admit she’s published her first novel, given that it’s based on their problematic relationship.
 
Marika’s partner, Chris, is also surprising, the charismatic leader of a breakaway group of environmentalists acknowledging the inevitability of climate change, with a bit of free love, drugs and pagan ritual thrown into the mix. Along with a couple of ageing hippies and a few others, is Marika and Chris’s thirteen-year-old son, Leo. Initially shy of each other Alice and Leo soon pair off, leaving Anton feeling somewhat abandoned.
 
The jealousy of the less favoured sibling impacts also on Erik when his brother arrives from backpacking in Vietnam – a restless character whose
passion for travel reminds me of Steve in my second novel, Underneath – and takes up with another neighbour, Kati, a solitary figure who declines other invitations to socialise. Meanwhile Marika is struggling with Chris’s infidelity, much like the members of the commune in The Tyranny of Lost Things.
 
Just when I’d decided the novel was about triangular relationships and jealousy, another theme took hold. In Chris’s irresponsibility (failing to provide secure boundaries for his son) as in Erik’s increased alcohol consumption as a way avoiding thinking about his redundancy, along with the wider social issues of
climate change and Finland’s economic slump, was this a novel about denial?
 
Although Chris himself advocates mourning as the appropriate response to climate change, in general, certainly in the Western world (and I’m writing this in a heatwave) we’re collectively in denial. Meanwhile, Kati is actively grieving for a loss that becomes apparent towards the end of the novel. And aren’t holidays themselves a form of denial by turning our backs on ordinary life?
 
When some secrets come to light at the same time as the summerhouse cellar is flooded with brown stinking water, it seems a clear message from the author that we should read the novel metaphorically, although a pity he underlines this by having Julia “thinking that the strange smell down here was almost blatantly symbolic and Freudian” (p241). Or it could be – as is suggested by the last line – that the author is teasing the reader into looking for a deeper meaning that isn’t there.
 
Or perhaps it’s just me, trying to squeeze it into a recognisable shape following
my recent post about the limitations of the hero’s journey structure. Either way, I did enjoy Philip Teir’s second novel, although perhaps not as much as his debut, The Winter War. Thanks to Serpent’s Tail for my review copy.

Picture

For other posts on holiday reading, see
What constitutes a holiday read? and Two “novel” perspectives on tourism.

Picture


Incidentally, Kati in The Summer House is a therapist on sick leave who will (probably) get a mention in my next post for Counsellors’ Cafe Magazine. You might also like my most recent post on Famous therapists in fiction.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think. If you've enjoyed this post, you might like to sign up via the sidebar for regular email updates and/or my quarterly Newsletter.
6 Comments
Charli Mills
9/7/2018 03:58:18 pm

When I read your introduction, I thought I might like the Finnish book better, but your review of Murmuration caught my fancy. I like the idea of a timeline that spans so long two characters never meet and yet are similarly impacted. Your article places you as an authority on fictional therapists (although I always thought of you as such). Good to see you writing on that topic to get your author platform broadened!

Reply
Annecdotist
11/7/2018 12:58:40 pm

Glad you like the sound of Murmuration. Although I don’t go back hundred years myself, I found it quite nostalgic read for childhood holidays by the sea. In fact, although in the novel the town isn’t mentioned, the publicist has placed it at Blackpool where we used to go every year to visit my aunt and where my character Matilda went dancing on a teenage holiday. I wonder if, and how much, our English seaside resorts of those times differ from the US and European ones – apart from the weather perhaps as rain was pretty much a constant at ours. Not this year sadly, as we’re experiencing a heatwave and heading for a drought.

Reply
Charli Mills
22/7/2018 04:25:43 pm

While seaside (and Great Lake-side) port towns might differ in regards to climate and sand versus rock, I think there's a universal appeal to unwinding or vacationing along the shore. The heat wave is unnerving! We can see the shift in ocean currents this summer. Speaking of resistance -- that of thinking climate change is a hoax boggles the mind willing to accept change and frustrates efforts to impact changes we can make.

Annecdotist
23/7/2018 03:56:43 pm

I think there’s another level of resistance even among people who aren’t climate change deniers. Here, where your skin feels scorched the minute you step outside the door, there’s still a sense of celebration that the sun is shining. Understandable when it’s based on centuries of dull wet summers, but it shouldn’t only be gardeners who worry about our lack of rain. Yet the weather forecasters up talk the high temperatures and people continue to waste water on grass when they don’t even keep animals that eat it.

Norah Colvin link
15/7/2018 11:56:59 am

I'm inclined to agree with Charli and choose Murmuration over The Summer House. I like the idea of connections occurring over time - history repeating itself in some way. Relationships in the Summer House sound a little complicated.
I'm intrigued by your suggestions that holidays may be a form of denial. I wonder.

Reply
Annecdotist
16/7/2018 02:56:58 pm

Holidays as a form of denial – I was interested that this was what the publicist picked up in retweeting my review. It’s very easy for me to say that when I don’t take holidays anymore. For many, and certainly for me in the past, holidays are a way of recuperating from a stressful job or escaping from other everyday difficulties. And thereby avoiding facing whether life is on the right track and sorting out what really matters – but that’s a lot harder to do than booking a fortnight by the sea.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Free ebook: click the image to claim yours.
    Picture
    OUT NOW: The poignant prequel to Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home
    Picture
    Find a review
    Picture
    Fictional therapists
    Picture
    Picture
    About Anne Goodwin
    Picture
    My published books
    entertaining fiction about identity, mental health and social justice
    Picture
    My latest novel, published May 2021
    Picture
    My debut novel shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize
    Picture
    Picture
    My second novel published May 2017.
    Picture
    Short stories on the theme of identity published 2018
    Anne Goodwin's books on Goodreads
    Sugar and Snails Sugar and Snails
    reviews: 32
    ratings: 52 (avg rating 4.21)

    Underneath Underneath
    reviews: 24
    ratings: 60 (avg rating 3.17)

    Becoming Someone Becoming Someone
    reviews: 8
    ratings: 9 (avg rating 4.56)

    GUD: Greatest Uncommon Denominator, Issue 4 GUD: Greatest Uncommon Denominator, Issue 4
    reviews: 4
    ratings: 9 (avg rating 4.44)

    The Best of Fiction on the Web The Best of Fiction on the Web
    reviews: 3
    ratings: 3 (avg rating 4.67)

    2022 Reading Challenge

    2022 Reading Challenge
    Anne has read 2 books toward their goal of 100 books.
    hide
    2 of 100 (2%)
    view books
    Picture
    Annecdotal is where real life brushes up against the fictional.  
    Picture
    Annecdotist is the blogging persona of Anne Goodwin: 
    reader, writer,

    slug-slayer, tramper of moors, 
    recovering psychologist, 
    struggling soprano, 
    author of three fiction books.

    LATEST POSTS HERE
    I don't post to a schedule, but average  around ten reviews a month (see here for an alphabetical list), 
    some linked to a weekly flash fiction, plus posts on my WIPs and published books.  

    Your comments are welcome any time any where.

    Get new posts direct to your inbox ...

    Enter your email address:

    or click here …

    RSS Feed


    Picture

    Tweets by @Annecdotist
    Picture
    New short story, “My Dirty Weekend”
    Picture
    Let’s keep in touch – subscribe to my newsletter
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Popular posts

    • Compassion: something we all need
    • Do spoilers spoil?
    • How to create a convincing fictional therapist
    • Instructions for a novel
    • Looking at difference, embracing diversity
    • Never let me go: the dilemma of lending books
    • On loving, hating and writers’ block
      On Pop, Pirates and Plagiarism
    • READIN' for HER reviews
    • Relishing the cuts
    • The fast first draft
    • The tragedy of obedience
    • Writers and therapy: a love-hate relationship?

    Categories/Tags

    All
    Animals
    Annecdotist Hosts
    Annecdotist On Tour
    Articles
    Attachment Theory
    Author Interviews
    Becoming Someone
    Being A Writer
    Blogging
    Bodies
    Body
    Bookbirthday
    Books For Writers
    Bookshops
    CB Book Group
    Character
    Childhood
    Christmas
    Classics
    Climate Crisis
    Coming Of Age
    Counsellors Cafe
    Creative Writing Industry
    Creativity
    Cumbria
    Debut Novels
    Disability
    Editing
    Emotion
    Ethics
    Ethis
    Family
    Feedback And Critiques
    Fictional Psychologists & Therapists
    Food
    Friendship
    Futuristic
    Gender
    Genre
    Getting Published
    Giveaways
    Good Enough
    Grammar
    Gratitude
    Group/organisational Dynamics
    Hero’s Journey
    History
    Humour
    Identity
    Illness
    Independent Presses
    Institutions
    International Commemorative Day
    Jane Eyre
    Kidney Disease
    Language
    LGBTQ
    Libraries
    Live Events
    Lyrics For The Loved Ones
    Marketing
    Matilda Windsor
    Memoir
    Memory
    Mental Health
    Microfiction
    Motivation
    Music
    MW Prequel
    Names
    Narrative Voice
    Nature / Gardening
    Networking
    Newcastle
    Nonfiction
    Nottingham
    Novels
    Pandemic
    Peak District
    Perfect Match
    Poetry
    Point Of View
    Politics
    Politics Current Affairs
    Presentation
    Privacy
    Prizes
    Psychoanalytic Theory
    Psychology
    Psycholoists Write
    Psychotherapy
    Race
    Racism
    Rants
    Reading
    Real Vs Imaginary
    Religion
    Repetitive Strain Injury
    Research
    Reviewing
    Romance
    Satire
    Second Novels
    Settings
    Sex
    Shakespeare
    Short Stories General
    Short Stories My Published
    Short Stories Others'
    Siblings
    Snowflake
    Somebody's Daughter
    Stolen Summers
    Storytelling
    Structure
    Sugar And Snails
    Technology
    The
    The Guestlist
    Therapy
    TikTok
    TNTB
    Toiletday
    Tourism
    Toxic Positivity
    Transfiction
    Translation
    Trauma
    Unconscious
    Unconscious, The
    Underneath
    Voice Recognition Software
    War
    WaSBihC
    Weather
    Work
    Writing Process
    Writing Technique

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Picture
    BLOGGING COMMUNITIES
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from havens.michael34, romana klee, mrsdkrebs, Kyle Taylor, Dream It. Do It., adam & lucy, dluders, Joybot, Hammer51012, jorgempf, Sherif Salama, eyspahn, raniel diaz, E. E. Piphanies, scaredofbabies, Nomadic Lass, paulternate, Tony Fischer Photography, archer10 (Dennis), slightly everything, impbox, jonwick04, country_boy_shane, dok1, Out.of.Focus, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Elvert Barnes, guillenperez, Richard Perry, jamesnaruke, Juan Carlos Arniz Sanz, El Tuerto, kona99, maveric2003, !anaughty!, Patrick Denker, David Davies, hamilcar_south, idleformat, Dave Goodman, Sharon Mollerus, photosteve101, La Citta Vita, A Girl With Tea, striatic, carlosfpardo, Damork, Elvert Barnes, UNE Photos, jurvetson, quinn.anya, BChristensen93, Joelk75, ashesmonroe, albertogp123, >littleyiye<, mudgalbharat, Swami Stream, Dicemanic, lovelihood, anyjazz65, Tjeerd, albastrica mititica, jimmiehomeschoolmom