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A review by kats05
Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
3.0
The Booker longlist was full of surprises this year, so many titles I had never heard of, and a lot of novels I expected to see on this list but did not. Well, I am always happy to be introduced to new authors, so I started with the shortest one on the list (160 pages) set between London and Edinburgh. A quiet story about a grief-stricken family with a now single parent (dad) with three daughters, the youngest of whom is 11 years old, called Gopi who is a squash prodigy.
I absolutely love racket sports (tennis and padel, especially) except squash which would be at the very bottom of the list. I'd sooner be hurling than playing squash, thanks very much. However, I did like the descriptions of the players' movements, the sound of the ball, their feet, the walls, the spectators - the writing conjured up crystal clear visuals in my mind, and I could almost smell the musty, sweaty air of the squash halls.
Where the writing fell short for me was getting into the heads of Gopi's family and even herself at times, in order to fully understand the dynamics, the desperation and any love they felt for each other. I kept waiting for some emotional climax or for the plot develop in an unexpected way, but unfortunatey, neither was the case, and I suspect that in a few weeks' time I won't be remembering much about this book.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for the "debut novel bonus".
I absolutely love racket sports (tennis and padel, especially) except squash which would be at the very bottom of the list. I'd sooner be hurling than playing squash, thanks very much. However, I did like the descriptions of the players' movements, the sound of the ball, their feet, the walls, the spectators - the writing conjured up crystal clear visuals in my mind, and I could almost smell the musty, sweaty air of the squash halls.
Where the writing fell short for me was getting into the heads of Gopi's family and even herself at times, in order to fully understand the dynamics, the desperation and any love they felt for each other. I kept waiting for some emotional climax or for the plot develop in an unexpected way, but unfortunatey, neither was the case, and I suspect that in a few weeks' time I won't be remembering much about this book.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for the "debut novel bonus".