Cultural Dessert

‘The Accidental’ by Ali Smith

26 May 2006

I have just finished reading ‘The Accidental’ by Ali Smith. We saw Ali Smith at an event at the Edinburgh Book Festival a few years ago and I have been meaning to get around to reading something by her ever since. ‘The Accidental’ won last year’s Whitbread novel award and was shortlisted for the Booker. I thought it was great. It tells what seems to be a fairly straightforward domestic story through the eyes of four members of a family on holiday in Norfolk – but all is not what it first appears. I don’t want to say too much about the plot because I particularly liked how the structure gradually lets things emerge. I guess it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea – plenty of ambiguity and an ending that leaves many things unresolved – but I really enjoyed it.

Labels: Books

posted by Robin Simpson @ 1:05 pm