Written by Fanny Calder⭐ ⭐
|
This is a book which I won in a raffle some time ago. I was excited by the extract I'd read at the time and was delighted when I won the draw. So now that I'm trying to read some of the older books in my TBR pile, this seemed an ideal time to read this paperback, for which I again thank the author and her publisher.
The blurb:
The MenA darkly brilliant debut novel by Fanny Calder, and arguably essential reading for the feminist hedonist woman in your life.
City life in the 1990s. Anonymous, intense, paradoxical and sometimes lonely. A young, haunted woman falls in love with a singer. She finds she has been consumed by the relationship and when it ends - as it inevitably does – she feels unable to quite rediscover herself.
Cities can draw you into even darker places, and she embarks on a series of intense relationships with thirteen men of very different types, from a rough sleeper to a millionaire, and from a transvestite to a leading politician. As she is propelled through a series of extraordinary adventures and wild parties she finds she begins to lose her own identity. Is there a way out?
A raw and unflinchingly honest narrative with stripped down language that is liberating and sometimes challenging. It is a tale of urban human connections crafted with no judgement or deep introspection – a window on the author’s own life at that time that will resonate and stay with you.
“This is a quite extraordinary book. The stripped-down language matches the raw, openness of the unflinchingly honest narrative. A naked tale of urban human connections, told darkly, with both cool detachment and warm wit. You're drawn into the twisted spell of the wonderfully wild parties, recognising scenes we've all seen played out (in our naughtiest dreams?!), and catching glimpses of one's own behaviour in the complex but compelling characters that stalk off the page and into your imagination. It is a liberating, sometimes challenging, but deliciously evocative read, crafted with great passion and aplomb. An assertive debut and arguably essential reading for the feminist hedonist in your life...”
Women writers & Fiction
Contemporary fiction
My thoughts:
The Men is a novel about a number of men who have shared the writer's life during the 1990s. The writer does not give the female protagonist a name and the men are identified only by a nickname such as 'No-Name' and 'The Politician'.
This story was not at all what I was expecting and I have to admit that I struggled to stay focused as the story took me way beyond my comfort zone. Although described as 'fiction' it felt more like a memoir; one which did not resonate with me.
I would have to say that this book is not one for me. That said, I did manage to finish it.
No comments:
Post a Comment