The Night Climbers

“The Night Climbers”, Ivo Stourton

Ivo Stourton’s debut novel was, for me, a classic library impulse borrowing. Nestling in that awkward genre somewhere between crime and literature, with an appealing cover and an engaging description it fitted easily into my late May borrowing, and then, regrettably sat on the shelf while other books competed with it for my attention – so much so that it very nearly went back unread.

That didn’t happen – and I am enormously pleased about that. The slim paperback made its way into my briefcase last week for a trip to Ankara, and proved the most pleasant of surprises – an engaging, erudite, and accomplished work that had me rechecking the author’s details, astonished my the maturity of the show more writing.

Set in a Cambridge that must be the late 1990s (although at times it feels much earlier, bygone era) and a contemporary London (it doesn’t pay to try and over analyse the dates, as I’m pretty sure they don’t quite add up – this however does not matter in the slightest) it follows the development of a young undergraduate, James Walker, as he moves from shy undergraduate, through socialite student, to prosperous lawyer. This transformation, from likeable youth to thoroughly unpleasant 30 something is an absorbing morality tale, accurately portrayed in the first person, as Walker punctuate his narrative with observations such as

How foolish it is to believe that you cannot love someone for their fortune.

This cuts to the heart of the novel. This is a story about the corrupting influence of money and its power to ruin. The undergraduate Walker is not rich, and does not come from vast wealth, his father now living in what is hinted at being somewhat straitened circumstances. To live up to his new found friends, who delight in flouting authority, from pirating essays to the nocturnal scaling of college buildings the title refers to, he spends profligately, if unnecessarily, and when his doomed friend, Francis, is cut off from his wealth, Walker is a ready accomplice in their descent into more extreme forms of crime – even if throughout he remains by no means the most criminal or corrupted of his set.

Make no mistake however, despite Walker not being the worst of people, the London lawyer he becomes is thoroughly unappealing. An arrogant, alcoholic-in-denial (with the damning tell-tale phrase of “I never really got drunk any more” appearing), habitual user of pornography and prostitution fails utterly to stir much sympathy in us, the ‘redeeming’ quality of his acquired wealth doing nothing to make him a better person. The roots of this behaviour are signposted throughout the novel; in particular his admiration for Michael’s sexual prowess is depressing.

He was much further advanced in seduction techniques than the rest of us, who still thought that sex in some way was linked to mutual affection.

Intriguingly Walker initially does not rashly plunge into friendships at Cambridge, following the advice of his father and Evelyn Waugh to choose his friends wisely not quickly. His reaction to Michael’s arrival through his window and ensuing introduction to the rest of the night climbers, which sets him on his path to ruin, show that perhaps he was not so judicious in his choice, and that the comment of the porter, initially chasing the climbers, that much worse could stem from what appears to be just youthful antics, was indeed prescient.

This is not a long book, it was read between arriving at Ankara’s eerie deserted airport to fly home and landing at Heathrow, and ultimately this is a fulfilling book, reminiscent in some ways of Hollinghurst’s “Line of Beauty”. There is a trace of redemption at the end, with some level of closure being found, and a realisation that Walker had been misled by others, as well as misleading himself. None of this excuses much of his behaviour or lifestyle, but by the end one starts to realise that his cold night odyssey with old fellow night climber Jessica, her beauty now faded, is a journey out of his depraved existence, in the same way his night climbing in Cambridge sucked him down. To close the book, and realise that you cared about his fate, is testament to the precocious skill that Stourton has brought to his tale. Following this up will not be easy for him.

Review archived at: http://southlondonbook.blogspot.com/2009/06/night-climbers-ivo-stourton.html show less

The Night Climbers by Ivo Stourton is an alluring depiction of a lush and decadent side of upper class student life at Cambridge. Of course, that life comes at a price, and perhaps that's more the crux of our story. James is a first-year student at Tudor College, so concerned that he might fall into the "wrong" set of friends that he ends up isolating himself from everyone rather well before he's even realized it. But a chance at something different literally barges into his life, giving him the opportunity to make the acquaintance of a particularly fascinating group and he latches on to them with fierce tenacity. Such a fierce grip is doubly important, as these friends have a secret evening pastime of scaling the buildings of show more Cambridge, challenging themselves with dizzying heights and dangerous climbs. Of course, we're not simply climbing buildings in this world, where status matters so much and to fall would mean complete ruin.
The story jumps between the "present" day, where Jessica seeks out James after nearly a decade of silence, and James' first year at college where the bulk of the story takes place as we learn about the various ways this group is bound together. Francis is the charismatic center, financing their pleasures with his father's money and practically personifying hedonism. Jessica is beautiful and rather calculating in her chilly exterior, though she is devoted to Francis and his well-being. Lisa strikes a rather odd chord, with a schedule full of often shady business ventures, and Michael is nicknamed Falstaff (he thinks for his wit, though the others point to his size), clearly interested in the status of their group more than the friendships. While living as though money is no object, Francis is cut off from his father and more than anyone else, he needs a new source of income... which sets the friends on a dangerous and thrilling money-making venture.
There are a few books that will provoke the phrase, "this is perfect for you" from my friends, but undoubtedly, I got that reaction from people when I told them about the plot. Full of fascinating characters, discussions of art, and beautiful prose, this book was a delight. Sure, there were a few small rough patches (for instance, his characters in their older state were not quite as believable as they were in their youth), but one might point to the fact that Stourton was a mere twenty five when this was published. I'm certainly looking forward to Stourton's other work, because I know that the Cambridge setting was certainly a bewitching thing for me (being an Oxford alum, I might have spent more time imagining my time at Oxford than the surroundings of Cambridge) -- and it will certainly be interesting to see if Stourton can produce something just as compelling with different scenery. If so, then he can certainly count on my reading whatever he produces. show less

I can't put my finger on exactly what is wrong with this book, but it is lacking something essential. The writing is just fine, but a bit too stiff. Every page has an awkwardly constructed metaphor or two (I will insert some examples later!). The characters are flat, and I found myself not caring if the whole lot of them fell off the roof while "night climbing."

The idea behind this book is really interesting - a group of Cambridge students who climb the university walls. The book is blatantly marketed towards fans of The Secret History (aren't they all?) and, as promised, follows Donna Tartt's formula to a T. However, it comes across as a cheap knockoff.

My hope is that Ivo Stourton hones his writing skills and character development show more and produces something original in the future. show less

Successful lawyer James Walker is unexpectedly visited by Jessica, a contemporary of his from Cambridge. As James revisits his memories of his youth, the picture which slowly slides into focus is that of an undergraduate's seduction by a fascinating and glamorous club of his peers, The Night Climbers (so-called because of their penchant for climbing the facades of Cambridge college buildings, unroped, after dark). Gradually, small acts of disobedience and rebellion led to a single serious crime - one which is about to be uncovered after so many years.

Stourton's prose is that of a born writer - fresh, incisive and insightful - but the plot is rather deja vu. (Take THE SECRET HISTORY, add a pinch of BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, stir and serve.) show more The characters aren't particularly deep when compared to their Tartt counterparts, either, and the criminal elements are a little inauthentic. However, what's most frustrating is that Stourton had the chance for an organic metaphor and bizarrely chose not to use it.

Simply, why did these "Night Climbers" never stoop to burglary? It would have been a vivid demonstration of how their glorious aspirations had turned squalid under the pressure of real life, and given extra resonance to that alluring title. But they don't - and to find out the exact nature of their crime, you'll have to read the book. Recommended for all fans of Bridesheady narratives. show less

On the back cover Nicholas Coleridge states that the book was 'so exhilarating, authentic and vivid it made... (him) want to become a Cambridge student all over again.' Well if that's the kind of devilment Cambridge students get up to yeah who wouldn't. Though I doubt it involves art forgeries.

The opening introduces the central character, James, who is trying to settle into college life and all the formalities that such a life offers. The rest of the characters Francis, Michael, Lisa and Jessica offer James a life of parties, friendship and freedom that he is hungry for. Little is mentioned about night climbing and it seems that the plot veers from strained friendship and inner clique politics to an art forgery and subsequent millions show more that are made. This takes the story down a slippery slope from which it can't escape.

The novel pretends to be clever with descriptive language though this lags and grows tiring and archaic. I kept on reading hoping to find out more about night climbing and the possible dynamics that might exist within a circle of friends. Apparently night climbing wasn't as important to the plot as I thought. Instead the author 'cleverly' decides to land you in an Ocean's Eleven plot. Come on! The characters were manipulative, vain, pretentious, greedy, childish, stuck up twats that I had no interest in. I ended up delighting in their misery and misfortune. If you lapped up The Secret History then this is not for you. show less

Although I found this quite laborious in places, I did enjoy it. There was a lot to admire in the prose style, but I felt it could benefit from quite a lot of pruning as the book went on. The plot was too lean to sustain the weight of ponderous description. For this reason, it took me some time to fully appreciate the thematic strands, as I initially mistook some key elements as extraneous description.

Stourton has a fine story to tell, and aside from some ragged edges, he tells it well. I did feel that his unwillingness to break paragraphs - many are over a page long - gives the book a heavy, ponderous feel. I also think that starting a sentence with "there" is weak and goes against basic elements of style (He even starts the book with this). But very fine characterizations and a strong grip on plot elevate this tale.