Michael Frayn

The problem with book critics — and at a minor-league level I guess I am one — is that they tend to think they know better than authors how they should have written their books. You can imagine the possibilities, both comedic and dramatic, when a literary scholar marries his favorite author. Michael Frayn does exactly this in his 1989 novel “The Trick of It.”
Frayn tells his story in a series of letters from Richard, a professor in England, to his friend in Australia. Richard has made show more himself an authority, even the authority, on the author he refers to as JL, and sometimes as MajWOOT (major writer of our time). She accepts his invitation to speak at his college, they wind up in bed together and sometime later are married. Then the real problems begin.

Richard has no interest in teaching any other writers, yet lecturing about and writing about his own wife's novels has become awkward, eventually causing him to accept a teaching position in Abu Dhabi, of all places. JL follows him, though unhappily, on the assumption that she can write anywhere.

The bigger problem is that JL, who has never even read anything Richard has written about her, won't take his advice. He is convinced he knows how she can improve her writing, but she refuses to listen. Her popularity increases when one of her books is adapted for a television miniseries, while his own small place in the literary universe evaporates — except perhaps for those letters.

Frayn's novel makes amusing, and sometimes confusing, reading. Many readers will be put off by its showy narrative style, but I am not going to suggest how he might have made it better. I found it a delight. show less

I think the phrase from 'Constructions' that sums it up best is, 'The metaphorability of the universe is bottomless'. Frayn dwells on the preponderance and importance of metaphors, which he describes as modes of perception. This short, fascinating book is concerned with how human beings perceive the universe.

I found it a lot easier to read than I expect philosophy to be, and also oddly calming. Frayn handles huge metaphysical questions with gentleness, so as to provoke contemplation without show more causing pain or confusion to the brain of the layman. I particularly liked the sections on dreaming, which captured the combination of ambiguity and certainty associated with remembering dreams more effectively than anything else I've read on the subject. For instance, 'The dream disappears not only as we put it into words, but even as we attempt to recall it inside our own heads.'

What struck me during the section of the book that discusses the role of metaphor in language was the link to China Miéville's novel 'Embassytown'. In that, a race of aliens speak only a language that is utterly literal and precludes lying. During the novel this race is introduced to the concept of metaphors, which fundamentally and irreversibly changes their nature. Miéville seems to be effectively operationalising Frayn's point of view, although I have no idea whether 'Constructions' was in fact an influence.

I would describe this book as exploratory. It wends its way obliquely through a series of points, illustrating with anecdotes as it goes. I very much like the starting point that by perceiving the world around us we read it; bibliophiles like me are easily swayed by reading metaphors. 'Constructions' is definitely worth reading if you wish to contemplate your relationship to the universe. I also recommend it if you wish to be distracted from a headache. show less

An interesting story, as much as I wanted to shake some sense into the main character. A young couple goes for the summer to their country house and are asked to look at some old paintings that the local impoverished gentry has. The wife is an art historian and the husband a philosopher with some leanings to art history. He believes that one of the pieces is a lost and previously unknown Old Master but the real story is his complete obssesion with learning about it and trying to posses it by show more various nefarious means. No one comes out looking good in all of this; he gets so caught up in it that he manages to sabotage his marriage and the fate of the pieces. The owner and his wife are dealing backhandedly as well; the husband to try and shop the paintings else and the wife thinks it's all about seducing her away from her awful marriage. Of course, nothing good comes from it but the journey is compelling and the background research very interesting. The final few chapters were exasperating, though, as Martin is completely done in by his own myopia about the picture. I know that was the point but I just wanted someone, sometime, to tell the truth. show less

The novel opens with Stephen Wheatley, as an older man, reflecting on his childhood days during World War II when he and his friend Keith were playing at tracking German spies. Stephen’s naïve enthusiasm for their spy games gradually transforms into fear and confusion when he stumbles upon real secrets in the adult world. The storyline explores how innocence and imagination can lead to dramatic misunderstandings with serious consequences.

It is an unusual coming-of-age novel in that it show more focuses on psychological factors from a child’s perspective. Stephen narrates the story, so we are privy to his inner thoughts. I think the use of the same person in different stages of life is quite effective. Of course, Stephen as an adult can provide the context that younger Stephen misses entirely.

It is both a story of wartime intrigue and an exploration of how memory, perception, and guilt leave lasting effects. Frayn’s use of the setting, an isolated English neighborhood, enhances the suspense and sense of entrapment. The wartime atmosphere with its pervasive paranoia adds to the dramatic tension. Readers know something bad is going to happen and will try to anticipate what it might be. The author does a great job of keeping it under wraps until the end and I suggest going into it without knowing too much ahead of time. This is an impressive and well-crafted novel with something to say about how childhood experiences shape our adult lives. I loved it. show less