Reviews

Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor

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best_lemon's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

thisotherbookaccount's review

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3.0

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This book’s synopsis will have you believe that it is about an Antarctic expedition gone wrong and how the survivors live through the ordeal. However, since it’s also a book by McGregor, who has a reputation, it isn’t JUST about that.

Robert ‘Doc’ Wright is a 33-year veteran of Antarctic expeditions. During a survey mission, Doc and his team are hit by a freak storm, causing one of them to pass away. Doc himself suffers a stroke, which then leads to a severe case of aphasia. The rest of the book, then, is about how he has to come to terms with his inability to communicate, relearn how to move and get back on his feet once more.

This book leans way too heavily on the technical details of recovery (how to button buttons, how to sip water, how to put on trousers, how to use the bathroom, how to pronounce words with more than two syllables) and not on the mental/emotional impact of trauma.

Part 2 is told from the perspective of Anna, Doc’s wife, who is suddenly saddled with her infirmed husband. How does she feel as a caregiver of her estranged husband? How does it feel to put aside her career? McGregor doesn’t explore this at all, choosing instead to focus on Doc’s slow but steady recovery. While still interesting, I cannot help but feel like he missed a huge opportunity there.

Part 3 is more of the same, but told from the perspective of a speech therapist. I get what the book is trying to say: that ‘recovery’ is more than just the ability to speak, but the ability to communicate and ‘tell stories’. However, when the book sometimes reads like a speech therapist’s handbook, you do wonder if it’s better to not tell stories at all.

Lean Fall Stand is not bad, really. As my first entry to McGregor’s works, it just tastes like a slice of dry pie. The reason why it doesn’t get fewer stars is because, having spoken to @gothookedonbooks, I’ve come to appreciate the work of Speech Language Pathologists.