I love Jeanette Winterson’s writing – it’s always engaging, thought-provoking and beautifully-written, and ‘Night Side of the River’ is no exception.
This is a collection of short stories, billed as ‘Ghost Stories’ but actually so much more than a bunch of unconnected tales. Instead, Winterson divides her collection into four sections: Devices, Places, People and Visitations. There’s also mini-essay sections where Jeanette Winterson herself puts forward ideas about ghosts or personal perspectives – I particularly loved the introduction where Winterson explores the human fascination with ghosts and their place in different cultures.
Welcome to my stop on the tour for this quirky and engaging book – I’m the last stop on the tour but make sure you check out the other reviews too!
Thanks to Helen Richardson and Salt Publishing for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
From the Publisher:
A mix of memoir and narrative non-fiction, ‘White Spines’ is a book about Nicholas Royle’s passion for Picador’s fiction and non-fiction publishing from the 1970s to the end of the 1990s, when the publisher stopped its commitment to the distinctive white spine with black lettering.
‘White Spines’ explores thebookshops and charity shops, the books themselves, and the way a unique collection grew and became a literary obsession. Above all, it is a love song to books, writers and writing.
‘I’ve been a bit obsessed with this book since I saw novelist and short story writer Royle tweeting the ultimate in chic shelfies: a photo of his Picador fiction collection, which forms an array of 1,000 white spines, spanning from the 1970s-90s…In this blend of memoir and narrative non-fiction, he explores the bookshops and charity shops where he bought them,the books themselves, and how his collection grew to the point of literary obsession’
CAROLINE SANDERSON, Editor’s Choice THE BOOKSELLER
My Review:
I think most book bloggers and enthusiasts have some insight into what it is like to have a book obsession. Whether it is a passion for a particular author, the desire to collect the whole series or a burning desire to line up those beautiful sprayed-edged special edition hardbacks, we’ve all been there!
I thought I was obsessive – and then I picked up this book and realised I am an amateur!
In this book, Nicholas Royle documents the process of collecting his extensive collection of white-spined Picador books. Published between the 1970s and 1990s, these have a distinctive look and part of Royle’s collection can be seen in his author photo below – impressive! It’s quite lovely that Salt Publishing have used the same look and feel for their paperback editions of ‘White Spines’.
However, this book is about so much more than just collecting books. Yes, there’s a lot of documenting where and when books are added to the collection (not just Picador – there are several secondary collections also on the go!) – especially as Royle doesn’t use the internet to add to his collection, but instead frequents charity and second-hand bookshops across the UK.
Alongside this are conversations overheard in bookshops, bookish dreams had by the writer, stories from Royle’s experiences in writing and publishing…it’s a quirky and lively read that can move seamlessly from an anecdote about a writer (and Royle seems to know them all) to a bookshop review, from a meditation on book cover art to Royle’s own writing experiences.
I’ll admit to having read shamefully few of Royle’s precious Picadors, but it was great to read about the little highs and joys of being a book collector. I also loved that Royle isn’t in the market for pristine editions – copies that have a history, an inscription or inclusions (often bookmarks) such as tickets or letters hold more interest. I get it!
Royle is a charming, witty and engaging narrator throughout this book – although I’m not totally in agreement with him on the subjects of Kathy Lette and Southend-on-Sea! Reading this is like a chat with an extremely knowledgeable, well-read, but sometimes-slightly-random friend – and I’d recommend it for anyone who loves books about books.
On another note, I was also very impressed that Royle can read and walk at the same time. I feel I have been wasting my life by missing all that reading time!
About the Author:
NICHOLAS ROYLE is the author of four short story collections – ‘Mortality’, ‘Ornithology’, ‘The Dummy and Other Uncanny Stories’ and ‘London Gothic’ – and seven novels, including ‘Counterparts’, ‘Antwerp’ and ‘First Novel’. He has edited more than twenty anthologies and is series editor of ‘Best British Short Stories’. He runs Nightjar Press, which publishes original short stories as signed, numbered chapbooks, and is head judge of the Manchester Fiction Prize. His English translation of Vincent de Swarte’s 1998 novel ‘Pharricide’ is published by Confingo Publishing. He lives between London and Manchester and teaches creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
For more information visit: @NicholasRoyle http://www.nicholasroyle.com/
My next new release for 20th August is ‘Eight Detectives’ by Alex Pavesi. This is a seriously impressive and clever debut novel that plays around with our expectations of detective fiction.
This book offers a range of short stories all held together with an extended interview between a fictional writer and editor about the nature of murder mysteries. The stories explore some of the main permutations of classic crime that people will be familiar with from writers like the great Agatha Christie, but the plots and devices are then discussed and dissected.
The stories are framed by the discussion between Julia Hart, a book editor, who has travelled to an island in the Mediterranean to interview a writer, Grant McAllister, with a view to republishing his 30 year old book, ‘The White Murders’. Each of the 7 stories in this book is presented and discussed by Julia and Grant, the latter sharing his mathematical analysis of detective fiction – sets and subsets of victims and detectives and killers which allow for unlimited combinations in the imagination of the crime writer.
It is a really clever idea and I liked the stories and the analysis generally. I thought it was an interesting premise for a book and it opened my eyes to some of the ‘formulas’ used by writers I admire very much – I’d never really thought of it in these terms before. However, I did feel like some of the stories were so open that there weren’t really enough clues for the reader which did undermine my investment in the stories a little – I don’t know whether this would be an issue with all short stories, but I really like character development and lots of red herrings to think about!
I can see that lots of people will read and love this – it is clever and engaging. Personally, I like a bit more emotional investment in my detective stories that I didn’t always find here – I’m not sure if it was the short story element or the mathematical approach that stopped me from engaging fully.
Overall, I would say that this is definitely worth a read for fans of detective fiction as it is unusual and surprising. It is inventive and will keep you guessing from beginning to end.
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you would like buy this book, the link is below. I may earn commission on this at no extra cost to you.
