A review by serendipitysbooks
How to Be Both by Ali Smith

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 With How to Be Both it was the structure of the novel which was unique. There are two main sections, each from the perspective of a main character separated by centuries. George is a girl trying to come to terms with the death of her mother. Francesco del Cossa is a renaissance painter, a woman who lived as a man, and whose frescoes George visited with her mother. The unique aspect is the book can be read in any order. In fact two separate versions were printed, half with George’s section first, half with the Francesco’s. I was really interested in the connections, parallels and intertwining between the two stories, especially around topics like gender, the boundary between life and death, the link between past and present, not to mention the concept of seeing - what we see first versus the many different layers that can be seen by those who take the time to look. I do wonder how my reaction to this book was affected by the version I read. It’s no secret that I struggle a little with Ali Smith and with meditations on art. I initially felt a little all-at-sea and wonder if that could have been avoided had I read George’s section, which i found more accessible, before Francesco’s.
 
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