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A strangely dressed clergyman, wearing a pair of designer sunglasses, asks Peter for a lift to the Cathedral. And so starts four very strange and revelatory days of philosophical discussion on life and death, the nature of time and eternity, and resurrection. Desperately trying to understand, Peter is swept along from one situation to the next until finally he grasps what this strange and enigmatic man has been trying to explain to him.
A Red Grouse Tale which will keep you hooked and leave you with a lump in your throat.
My Review:
***I received this eBook as a free review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***
"Too many of us spend too much of our time looking and far too little actually seeing, and so only see what we want to see rather than seeing what is, actually seeing the truth."
This is the second novella I have read from the collection of Red Grouse Tales by Leslie Garland and oh boy, I must say that this one really threw me for a loop!
As with the previous Tales, a group of close-knit friends meet once a week in the Red Grouse Inn and spend the evening sharing experiences of their lives. On one of these evenings, the narrator of this Tale, Peter, decided to tell this story, which lay quite close to his heart. On the surface, the plot might seem to be about a series of coincidental meetings with a quirkily dressed clergyman, who appears to know more than he lets on. But there is more to him than meets the eye...
The plot of the novella is one of the points which I am unsure how to phrase because when it came to writing this review and I thought back on the actual storyline, it actually took me a little while to pinpoint what the story actually was. Yes, there is a story that the reader can follow and one that came to a somewhat predictable but still satisfying close and yes, I, of course, can recall what happened, having read the novella. However, the plot of the book, which is supposed to draw the reader in and prompt them to continue and eventually finish reading, was drowned out by the barrage of philosophical discussing the characters were undertaking. Oftentimes it almost felt like the philosophy and the plot were two different books, as the incorporation of the discussion did feel a little forced and unnatural for these characters. Seeing as this discussion was the main point of the novella, the author did achieve his goal. But having this span majority of the book is, despite the thought-provoking nature of the arguments, not what I am looking for in a story.
All novellas from this collection discuss and dissect certain themes and/or questions that the modern society as we know it takes for granted. This novella is no different and focuses intensely on our perception of reality and time. The quote above summarizes what I am trying to say very nicely in my opinion. This topic by itself is very interesting, intriguing and is something I could definitely spend some time discussing myself: seeing only what we want to see, believing what we want to believe. However, the theme was slathered on a little too heavy for my taste. It made me realize that despite its low page count, one cannot sit down and read this like any other novella by breezing through it. Some of the arguments and discussion points really left me scratching my head and rereading the passage several times (slowly this time) to allow my mind to process what my eyes had already read. Yeah, and to be honest, there are still several sections, where I think I understand the concept of what the author was trying to convey but it was still slightly beyond me to fully grasp. Now, this might just appear that way for me, as someone else may be able to read this without issue and glide over the theories with ease.
That said, I did enjoy the story elements of this novella. They were carefully crafted with little hints and clues strewn throughout by the protagonist, which all lead towards the ending. I had fun collecting and putting these puzzle pieces back together to predict the end. Additionally, the subtle shade of supernatural activity held its own appeal and was blended in well enough that it was satisfying to pick out, especially after finishing the novella and looking back. It made me realize the clever spin the author put on the story: not everything is as it seems and the reader will do well to remember that fact.
The writing style itself was easy to follow and pleasant to read; the author was able to emulate what the protagonist, Peter, was feeling and make him appear human and real. Like the previous Tales, this one was told out of the perspective of the narrator looking back on an event that happened years prior to the current retelling. Thus Leslie Garland built a framed narrative, which is a style I actually quite enjoy, as the readers were essentially guided through unfamiliar territory with the help of this story and then eased into the topic of the novella.
As for every story, the characters also play an important role. Leslie Garland did great crafting characters that were unique in their own way, while the protagonist was made to be relatable to the reader, as we went on this journey alongside him; we were just as blind and confused as he was and found out more information alongside Peter. Towards the end, it was starting to get noticeable though, that almost all of the other characters, besides the main character, were written with similar traits, speaking patterns and tones. I could distinguish them by name and by who they were supposed to be, but they all started to sound like the same recycled character. They weren't memorable to me as a reader, because they were missing that one trait in their speech, actions or body language that would set each of them aside from the rest of the cast.
All in all, the novella turned out to be an enjoyable read, that really let you think deeply on how we might perceive the world around us. Every person has different preferences, so I recommend this book to anyone who has a keen interest in theoretical philosophical discussions and can take their time going through this story. While it went a little overboard for me and the characters felt a little flat, I still liked the intensely thought-provoking nature of the novella.
Final Thoughts: thought-provoking, with an important message at its core.
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