"But you don't finish books, do you?" Asked my friend as we sat outside a Soho Cafe.
"Of course I do! Just not many...maybe two in ten."
I'm what might be called a 'fussy reader'. By which I mean if a novel doesn't impress me within the first 20 or so pages I close it for good. I've been told I'm 'too impatient' and that some novels must be 'given a proper chance'. That may be true, but I've seldom done it. I just know whether it'll be good, very quickly. Unfortunately, I've yet to master that art of discerning it's value when flicking through in a shop. That should be possible, though, shouldn't it? My mind plays a trick and convinces me a book's worth a punt, perhaps because of...the cover? Author? Premise? I don't know. Perhaps a part of me is trying to be optimistic rather than cynical.
The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers caught my eye because the spine consists of black and pink stripes (so the designer must be congratulated on doing a good job). I think the cover's great too. This novel is inspired by the real-life 'coiners' of Yorkshire in the 18th century, who you can read about on this great site. Myers evokes the rural atmosphere brilliantly, the integration of land and living, the language, attitudes, hard life and lawlessness of people, many of whom were about to witness drastic changes in the form of the Industrial Revolution. Sometimes violent, frequently poetic, The Gallows Pole is a damned good read. It must be because I actually finished it.
Here's a painting of mine from 2018...
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| RTomens, 2018 |
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