ǽǾɯǽȄCY+ǽǻǽǻ .&.]]g JCʸ 31ɔɕ
Reckless
byChrissieHynde
Mostpopstarmemoiristsstruggle
tohittheirstrideuntilwegettothe
fameyears.Hyndesizzlesfrompage
one.She’sawareofthepersonshe
wasandwhoshebecame,andthe
vervewithwhichsheguidesyou
fromtheformertothelatteristhe
purestofjoys.ɔɖ
Head-On
byJulianCope
Fromnewlyarrivedoutsiderof
Liverpool’scompetitivepost-punk
ƫĜĪŲĪƸż ěżŲÿ ǿģĪƠżƠƫƸÿƣ᠁ żƠĪᡉƫ
gonzoidaccountofhistimeinThe
TeardropExplodesisa riotousread.
Hisaccountofcominguponacid
whileperformingonthesame
TopOfThePopsasBucksFizzcan
neverbereadenoughtimes.ɔɗ
Grant&I
byRobertForster
Astoryaboutthefriendship(with
GrantMcLennan)thatturnedRobert
Forster’steenagepopfantasyinto
a realitywithTheGo-Betweens.
Forster’stendertellingoftheir
escapefrom(andsubsequentreturn
to)Australiaisanart-housebuddy
moviewaitingtobemade.ɔɘ
BedsitDiscoQueen
byTraceyThorn
Theretreatfrommusicbrought
aboutbyparenthoodseemed
Ƹż ÿdzłżƣģ¼ŊżƣŲƸŊĪģŏƫƸÿŲĜĪÿŲģ
empathytospeakforboththe
teenagerinretreatfromsuburban
securityandthepost-punkoutlier
whofoundtheinitialclimbto
musicalsuccesswaseasierthan
knowingwhattodonext.ɔə
ManyYears
FromNow
byBarryMiles
Builtaroundextensiveinterviews
ǝŏƸŊ£ÿǀŧ rĜ ÿƣƸŲĪǣ᠁rŏŧĪƫᡉƸĪŧŧŏŲŃ
oftheFabs’risetoworlddomination
ǝÿƫ ƸŊĪǿƣƫƸěżżŤƸż łǀŧŧǣ
ÿĜŤŲżǝŧĪģŃĪrĜ ÿƣƸŲĪǣᡉƫƣżŧĪŏŲ
co-optingavant-gardeideasintothe
Fabs’evolvingsound.BrokenGreekbyPete
Paphidesisoutnow
(Quercus,£20)tracksEdward’sjourneyfromunspeakablegrief
toa trepidatiousacceptanceofadulthoodwith
masterfulgraceandilluminatinghumaninsight,
takingthereaderwithhimeverybabystepalong
theway.
Tomyshame,I knewnothingofRobert
àþŦƪĩƢ᠄Ʒʼnĩ łŎǼƷĩĢ®ǜŎƪƪ ǜƢŎƷĩƢŁĩƷĩĢ ĚǢ
fþǴţþ þűĢ NĩƢůþűűNĩƪƪĩ᠄ĚĩŁŻƢĩƷʼnŎƪ dr
Coetzee-forewordedreleaseofhis 1909 novel
JakobvonGunten. Walserhasa lifestorytorival
anylegendarytorturedgenius– a beautiful,
stylishyoungman,hewaspronetosevere
ĢĩƟƢĩƪƪŎŻűĚĩŁŻƢĩþűĢ þǼƷĩƢ þ ĚƢŎĩŁ ƪƟþƢţ ŻŁ
ĚƢŎŦŦŎþűƷĩƪƪþǢƪþűĢ űŻǛĩŦƪ᠄þűĢ ƪƟĩűƷ ʼnŎƪ ȀűþŦ
25 yearsina mentalinstitutionwritingnothing,
þűĢ ĢĩƪƷƢŻǢŎűłƪŻůĩ ƟƢĩǛŎŻƿƪĩDzŁŻƢƷƪ᠐Jakobvon
GuntenƟƢŻǛĩƪʼnŎů ƷŻ Ěĩ þű ĩDzŁŻƢƷŦĩƪƪŦǢěŦþƪƪǢ
ǜƢŎƷĩƢ᠕þƪ ĩŦĩłþűƷþűĢ ƷʼnŻƿłʼnƷŁƿŦþƪ dŻƪĩƟʼn¦ŻƷʼn᠄
heisalsoengaginglyexcitable,hiscry-outstothe
readerreminiscentoftheyoungDostoevsky.I
Ʒʼnþűţ®ĩƢƟĩűƷᡒƪ¼þŎŦ þűĢ ƷƢþűƪŦþƷŻƢ ʼnƢŎƪƷŻƟʼnĩƢ
rŎĢĢŦĩƷŻűŁŻƢ ĚƢŎűłŎűłƷʼnŎƪǜŻűĢĩƢŁƿŦűŻǛĩŦ Ěþěţ
tolife.@JaneannieDearEdwardby
AnnNapolitanoisoutnow
(Penguin,£12.99)JakobvonGuntenbyRobertWalser
(translatedbyChristopherMiddleton)
isoutnow(Serpent’sTail,£8.99)REVIEWThe tragic hero
Thisstoryofa 12-year-oldboynavigatinghisnewlifeasthe
solesurvivorofa planecrashhasJaneGrahamgrippedTop5 music
memoirs
I
t might not feel like a good time to
read about a catastrophic plane
crash with only one survivor, but
much of what Ann Napolitano’s
excellent Dear Edward has to say about
shock, adaptation and establishing a new
űŻƢůþŦŎƷǢŁĩĩŦƪƟþƢƷŎěƿŦþƢŦǢƪŎłűŎȀěþűƷ
right now. New Yorker Napolitano is best
ţűŻǜűŎűƷʼnĩîĚƿƷDear Edward, already
ƢĩěĩŎǛŎűłƢþǛĩƪŁƢŻůƷʼnĩŦŎţĩƪŻŁdŻʼnű
Boyne and Emma Donoghue – whose
Ȅĩ¦ŻŻů has proved the most popular
comparison among reviewers – could
be the novel to cement her international
reputation. ‘Compelling’ has become a
horribly overused word in book reviewing,
but I can’t think of a better description
of the powerful spell this story casts as it
moves backwards and forwards through
ƷʼnĩȀűþŦŁĩǜůŻůĩűƷƪŻŁƷʼnĩěƢþƪʼn᠄Ʒʼnĩ
interrupted daydreams of the passengers,
þűĢƷʼnĩƟþŎűŁƿŦþǼƷĩƢůþƷʼnŻŁƪŻŦĩƪƿƢǛŎǛŻƢ᠄
12-year-old Edward.
ȃĩĩDzŁĩěƷŻŁţűŻǜŎűłŁƢŻůƷʼnĩȀƢƪƷ
page that the LA-bound plane will crash
and only young Edward will emerge
alive is that even the most banal of its
passengers’ thoughts has a poignancy.
From wheelchair-strapped Crispin’s high
hopes for the best doctors in the world to
ȀűþŦŦǢěƢþěţʼnŎƪěþűěĩƢ᠄ƷŻþűǡŎĩƷǢᠸƢŎĢĢŦĩĢ
Linda’s plans for her reinvented life as a
Californian newlywed called Belinda; all
of Edward’s fellow travellers are musing
over the beguiling promise of going west.
When Edward’s mother savours a brief
hand-holding moment with her younger
son, or Edward is disproportionately
heartened by a tiny gesture of fraternal
support from his beloved older brother
dŻƢĢþű᠄ǢŻƿŁĩĩŦƷʼnĩʼnĩþƢƷƪƷƢŎűłƪƷƿłłŎűł᠐
Even before all is lost, you are willing little
Edward to win.
rƿěʼnŻŁƷʼnŎƪűŻǛĩŦŎƪþĚŻƿƷʼnŻǜŁƿƷƿƢĩ
plans propel us onward through life, and
how we cope when everything we love
and thought we knew goes up in smoke.
Neat symbols of humanity-shaking
events, such as New York’s Ground Zero,
are dotted throughout. Edward goes into
the plane as Eddie, a protected, innocent
and sensitive pre-teen, and comes out
as the instant international celebrity
/ĢǜþƢĢ᠐NĩʼnþƪƷŻƢĩĚƿŎŦĢʼnŎƪƪʼnþƷƷĩƢĩĢ
life not just as a bereaved brotherless
orphan, but as an unprepared creature of
łŦŻĚþŦŁþƪěŎűþƷŎŻű᠐NĩůƿƪƷŻƢłþűŎƪĩʼnŎƪ
memories, and decide where to place them
in the hierarchy of guides for his future.
And he must decide how to respond to the
heartbroken multitude of crash victims’
families, who cling to him as their last
connection to a precious past. Napolitano Illustration: rþƷƷʼnĩǜ ƢþǬŎĩƢPete
Paphides