Nights at the Shopping Centre

[commonpeople1]

Catherine O'Flynn, What Was Lost, 2007
I never knew ghosts stories could be this depressing. Either they scare you, make you laugh or leave you indifferent, right? Catherine O'Flynn breaks new haunting ground with this novel, winner of the Costa Fist Novel Award 2007, by exploring the sadness generated in a community after the construction of a glossy shopping centre in the 80s and the ghost that inhabits it. The novel centres around little Kate, who wishes to escape her reality by playing detective and following strangers in the mall; Lisa, who is going nowhere as deputy manager of the mall's mega music store; Kurt, a security guard recovering from a personal tragedy, who prefers the solitary night shifts; and Teresa, who would rather get abuse at school then stay at home with her violent father.

O'Flynn captures perfectly Britain's particular take on empty consumerism, lives going nowhere, relationships founded on killing time together rather than learning or enjoying anything. We all know people like these characters, and maybe we recognize parts of ourselves in their struggle to make sense of life.

Comments

[geosh.livejournal.com]

lives going nowhere, relationships founded on killing time together rather than learning or enjoying anything.

ooooohhhhhh *shivers*

We all know people like these characters, and maybe we recognize parts of ourselves in their struggle to make sense of life.

Great review.

How'd you pick this one?

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I read a profile of the author and was curious. She used to work as a mystery customer (she'd go into stores and then write reports on how they performed) as well as a postwoman. She now works as a Box Office assistant, and even though she has won this award and her book is selling, she's still sticking to her old job! She just struck me as an unusual person. :-)

Also, I like to read the first novels of writers and see how much they accomplished, what they went for first, etc.

[geosh.livejournal.com]

Wow. She sounds really interesting. Thanks for the heads up.

[live-life-like.livejournal.com]

i had a horror dream and i am going to turn it into a story!!!
would you like to be one of the proof-readers?

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Yes i Would!! I'd love to!

I had a nightmare last night with Freddy Krueger?! :-/

[live-life-like.livejournal.com]

haha...nope....maybe i have been reading a lot of Neil Gaiman lately!

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

Oh I read that awhile ago, after seeing a talk on "getting published" by the woman who runs Tindel Street Press. I absolutely loved the first half but was disappointed by the way it all turned out. Still, good work for a first novel. I'm amazed by how often I keep seeing this on people's reading lists given that it's "small press". Impressive!

I did like the way that the shopping centre felt very much based on the Kingfisher centre in Redditch, which is where I lived for many years.

Have you read any Jonathan Coe btw? I might've asked this before.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed by how often I keep seeing this on people's reading lists given that it's "small press".

Well, it did win the Costa award for first novel! That's the only reason why I heard about it; one of the broadsheets was doing a story on the writer and I thought she was a cool dudette. ;-)

I did read one Jonathan Coe once, The House of Sleep. Liked it alot. What do you think of him?

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

I really, really love him. "The House of Sleep" is nicely written, but a bit tooooo contrived. You should try "What a Carve Up!" or maybe "The Rotter's Club" and its sequel "The Closed Circle". He's one of my favourite writers.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to read The Rotter's Club because I have a copy of The Closed Circle here at home (I got it for free at the NT). We also have a copy of A Touch of Love (which Kevin just read and liked).

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

I'd lend you the Rotter's Club but I lent it someone else ages ago and never got it back! :(

It's well worth your time though.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I can borrow it from my local library! It's on my to-read list now.

[rag-and-bone.livejournal.com]

i want to read it but can't find a copy in america; i guess it hasn't been released here yet? maybe i'm missing something...

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

It could be; it was released through a small, independent publisher here. Also, it's so typically "English" I'd be surprised if American publishers took a chance on it.