A review by yecatherine
How to Be Both by Ali Smith
4.0
An English teenager, George, navigates grief through the art that her dead mother loved. A Renaissance painter, Francesco, overcomes the boundaries of gender in 15th-century Italy. George carefully observes Francesco’s frescoes and paintings in galleries and online, while Francesco attempts to comprehend the events of George’s life, watching her as a…ghost.
In her novel, "How to Be Both," Ali Smith delves into the concept of duality and the interconnectedness of past and present. Smith's prose is an ongoing stream of consciousness combined with non-linear timelines, which can seriously confuse a reader. Yet, those who stick around are in for an immersive experience.
I encountered George’s narrative first and, unlike many reviewers, I liked it much less than Francesco’s. From the very first pages, Francesco’s poetic observations conquered my heart (as opposed to George's sardonic voice). As a painter, Francesco is keenly aware of the details surrounding them, both obvious and covert, and often talks about the essence of being an artist.
“It is a feeling thing, to be a painter of things: cause every thing, even an imagined or gone thing or creature or person has essence: paint a rose or a coin or a duck or a brick and you’ll feel it as sure as if a coin had a mouth and told you what it was like to be a coin, as if a rose told you first-hand what petals are, their softness and wetness held in a pellicle of colour thinner and more feeling than an eyelid, as if a duck told you about the combined wet and underdry of its feathers, a brick about the rough kiss of its skin.”
My favourite parts of the book were Francesco’s visits to the “house of pleasure”, the revelations to Barto, and the ongoing tension of “will they uncover her?” And, of course, the beautiful vignettes telling the stories of people and faces on the frescoes.
This leads to my very subjective critique of the novel. While I appreciated both parts of the book (admittedly Francesco’s three times more), the parallels between the two protagonists were extremely weak. For me, the novel was about Francesco, so was there really need for George? The intensity of George's grief, while beautifully portrayed, felt somewhat disconnected from the rest of the novel, and certain themes, such as gender and sexuality, were not explored as deeply as they could have been.
Could there be someone else in the place of George, like an art historian uncovering the original layers of the fresco, or a modern painter finding inspiration in Francesco’s art while exploring the fluidity of gender identity? I mean…that reminds me of George’s mother, but then, should she have narrated the first part?
Overall, "How to Be Both" is a captivating, thought-provoking novel that tackles themes of duality, interconnectedness, and the persistence of memory with skill and grace. Although not for everyone due to its unconventional style, it is an immersive piece that will not leave anyone indifferent.
In her novel, "How to Be Both," Ali Smith delves into the concept of duality and the interconnectedness of past and present. Smith's prose is an ongoing stream of consciousness combined with non-linear timelines, which can seriously confuse a reader. Yet, those who stick around are in for an immersive experience.
I encountered George’s narrative first and, unlike many reviewers, I liked it much less than Francesco’s. From the very first pages, Francesco’s poetic observations conquered my heart (as opposed to George's sardonic voice). As a painter, Francesco is keenly aware of the details surrounding them, both obvious and covert, and often talks about the essence of being an artist.
“It is a feeling thing, to be a painter of things: cause every thing, even an imagined or gone thing or creature or person has essence: paint a rose or a coin or a duck or a brick and you’ll feel it as sure as if a coin had a mouth and told you what it was like to be a coin, as if a rose told you first-hand what petals are, their softness and wetness held in a pellicle of colour thinner and more feeling than an eyelid, as if a duck told you about the combined wet and underdry of its feathers, a brick about the rough kiss of its skin.”
My favourite parts of the book were Francesco’s visits to the “house of pleasure”, the revelations to Barto, and the ongoing tension of “will they uncover her?” And, of course, the beautiful vignettes telling the stories of people and faces on the frescoes.
This leads to my very subjective critique of the novel. While I appreciated both parts of the book (admittedly Francesco’s three times more), the parallels between the two protagonists were extremely weak. For me, the novel was about Francesco, so was there really need for George? The intensity of George's grief, while beautifully portrayed, felt somewhat disconnected from the rest of the novel, and certain themes, such as gender and sexuality, were not explored as deeply as they could have been.
Could there be someone else in the place of George, like an art historian uncovering the original layers of the fresco, or a modern painter finding inspiration in Francesco’s art while exploring the fluidity of gender identity? I mean…that reminds me of George’s mother, but then, should she have narrated the first part?
Overall, "How to Be Both" is a captivating, thought-provoking novel that tackles themes of duality, interconnectedness, and the persistence of memory with skill and grace. Although not for everyone due to its unconventional style, it is an immersive piece that will not leave anyone indifferent.