Splinter

It always takes me a while to adjust to the worlds that Lloyd Jones creates. I think this is partly because of his quirky characters and partly because he expects the reader to put two and two together. Too often I’ve found myself a step behind but I enjoy his novels because they are thought-provoking and some turns of phrase strike home like describing London after WW2 as ‘a city smiling bravely through its broken teeth’ or the dawn as ‘the sun popping an eyelid above Wainui Hill’ in this novel.

Having started my reading of Lloyd Jones with his two latest novels, firstly ‘Mister Pip’ and then ‘Hand me down world’ and having worked my way back through what he’s written, buying what out of print novels I can find/afford, it seems that his earlier novels are all the more eccentric although the themes are relevant enough. In ‘Splinter’ I can see the way the past is represented in the title as something painful from the past that won’t go away even though the past is over. It’s an effective metaphor for Nick’s life.

It’s a complex book, though, and Jones only lets us know key relationships later in the novel so I now feel I need to reread in order to get more out of it – and judging from my rereading of his latest books, I’ll be well rewarded. ( )