Stephanie Jane recenzis Distorted Days de Louise Worthington
A serious novel with a light touch
4 steloj
I was initially attracted to Distorted Days by its austere cover art - monochrome with a dash of mustard yellow - and the jagged font which suggested that this novel would be something different from the ordinary run of domestically themed drama stories. Within just a few pages I was gripped by Louise Worthington's prose and her circular storytelling style. We soon discovered that heart-broken Doris likes her wine rather too much and I loved the repeated refrains that accompany each return to the bottle. As someone who has struggled against alcohol addiction myself, I appreciated the authenticity of these scenes.
Worthington has a wonderful understanding of her characters. In less empathic hands Doris especially, but also Andy and Colleen, could easily have become overblown two-dimensional caricatures. Instead they felt so real that I found myself missing their friendship when I finally closed this book. Their believable reactions to what …
I was initially attracted to Distorted Days by its austere cover art - monochrome with a dash of mustard yellow - and the jagged font which suggested that this novel would be something different from the ordinary run of domestically themed drama stories. Within just a few pages I was gripped by Louise Worthington's prose and her circular storytelling style. We soon discovered that heart-broken Doris likes her wine rather too much and I loved the repeated refrains that accompany each return to the bottle. As someone who has struggled against alcohol addiction myself, I appreciated the authenticity of these scenes.
Worthington has a wonderful understanding of her characters. In less empathic hands Doris especially, but also Andy and Colleen, could easily have become overblown two-dimensional caricatures. Instead they felt so real that I found myself missing their friendship when I finally closed this book. Their believable reactions to what are unfortunately common life events depict how easily our mental stability can be derailed by unpredictable shocks. What was so poignant though was how their need to present a certain stoic face to the outside world exacerbated their suffering behind closed doors. It's all too easy to allow a person's public face to mask their inner turmoil and to accept their protestations of being 'just fine' when we have our own lives to navigate. Distorted Days' exploration of self-inflicted emotional isolation reminded me of Mile Marker 139 by Cynthia Hilston and I feel that readers who enjoyed Hilston's similarly themed novel will also like this one.
My review so far does, I think, make Distorted Days sound like a much heavier read than it actually is. Despite its serious themes, Worthington's writing has a humorous lightness that kept me happily engrossed in this story while also giving me a lot to mull over after finishing. I do like a novel that gets me thinking! Distorted Days, also, was definitely written by a keen reader so, from its frequent mentions of other books and authors to its hushed library setting, I felt very much at home.