The Stars at Oktober Bend - Glenda Millard

The Stars at Oktober Bend - Glenda Millard

there are no capital letters on the first page of the stars at oktober bend. nor, indeed, on many pages of the novel. my auto-correct does not approve but my heart jumped a little. my eye, at first, couldn’t decide whether to side with my heart or the auto-correct. soon enough, my eye was swimming along very happily with my heart.

the stars at oktober bend - Glenda Millard

I love a novel that has an unusual voice.  I also like dual narrators whose voices are clearly distinct and interesting. The Stars at Oktober Bend delivers on both counts for me and I love it just a little bit for that. I love it a little more for telling and interweaving at least two uncomfortable tales about damaged bodies and injured souls.

The main story, and indeed the narration that carries the novel, is Alice’s story. At age twelve, Alice is attacked and left with a brain injury that affects her ability to speak clearly. It probably does a few other things too because she is given “mediocre-making” pills and is considered a forever-twelve-year-old. This plays around in her head when she is fifteen and it is at this point when we pick up her story. Alice also makes fishing lures and writes little poems that nobody reads: I loved the way Alice’s narration keeps unexpectedly moving into poetry. From here, Alice’s story and her “fishbone stiches” starts to unravel and spill out. And this is where the second narrator comes in.

Manny’s voice is more upright and less enchanting than Alice Nightingale’s wounded lyricism, but as you learn more about him, it really starts to fit.  Manny is a child refugee from Sierra Leone who now lives with a couple who have taken him under their wing, offering him a safe space. But finding a safe space is difficult when he is grieving deeply but also seeking redemption.

While there is a lot going on with the narration, there is also a suspenseful plot moving things along, particularly in the closing chapters.

Issues raised in the novel include having your voice heard (and accepted, tolerated, understood), rape, child soldiers and retribution. Despite these difficult topics, the novel’s lyricism adds an enchantment and the humour in Alice’s thoughts adds moment of light relief, making it suitable for some younger readers too.

I am so pleased to have found this novel. It might well prove to be my little gem on this year’s Carnegie nominations list: lyrical, alluring and quietly heartbreaking.

The Stars at Oktober Bend is the first novel published by independent publisher, Old Barn Books.

****

Publication details: Old Barn Books, 2016, UK, paperback

This copy: review copy from the publisher

Life of Pi - joint thoughts

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Our joint thoughts:

M: The main plot in Life of Pi is about a boy who gets shipwrecked and finds himself on a lifeboat with a tiger and some other animals with a sub-plot about religion and stories. This is all very beautifully, humorously and thoughtfully written.  

Little M finished the novel before me. I had only read Part 1 before we saw the film. After seeing the film, I realised I had to make a choice between two stories. And I could only do that if I finished the book. So I did and I’m pleased. Life of Pi has prompted more discussions about fiction between Little M and me than any other novel yet.



Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Little M: I liked that a boy was on a boat with a tiger because it showed that Pi was able to cope with the tiger; and also the fact he was stranded in the middle of the ocean on a life boat.

M: I like books that are meaningful but funny. I liked Pi as a narrator because I found him very funny. That is surprising considering the story he is narrating.

Little M: I think this is a very thought provoking novel, it makes you think about religion and God. I didn't think about this when I was reading the book but when I started talking to M, she got me thinking about the religion and the God part of the book.  

M: It was the aspects about religion that stood out most for me. In the first part of the novel Pi goes into great detail about his relationships and difficulties with a few religions. He questions what is really different about them. And for me that is what Life of Pi is about.

Little M: I agree with some of what you have said but I also think it is about a relationship with an animal too. The main aspect could be to do with God and religion but I think a sub-plot could be to do with a relationship between humans and animals.

M: The thing I liked the most about Life of Pi was that it was all about reliable narration, truths and story creations. Because of this, I could read part1, go and see the wonderful film, have a discussion, conclude multiple possibilities and then rush to finish the book. And then, still have lots and lots of discussion about what happened.

A discussion that started off about which story in the novel is ‘true’ soon became a discussion (and realisation) that authors can play games with their readers. This came about when Little M started to explain why she believed one story more. Yes, it was the story she liked more, but was it also because this story was more detailed? Yes. But why was it more detailed? Perhaps it is more detailed because this is the story that the fictional author, the writer who meets with adult Pi Patel, has chosen to write. Obviously, it was his preferred story too.  In the case of Life of Pi, there is more than one author and narrator. Our discussion moved on to counting how many authors are involved with this piece of fiction. Enter Little M’s first knowing encounter with the unreliable narrator.

Little M: Life of Pi was the most challenging book I have read so far. A few years back, M would never have thought that I would read a Man Booker winner before her (I never knew there was this award). So this read was a great achievement for me and I think I will always remember this book. 

If we had to dress up for World Book Day we would both go as Richard Parker. We will not tell you who Richard Parker is because that would be a bit of a spoiler.

 

Publication details:  2002, Canongate, Edinburgh (first published 2001, Alfred A Knopf, Canada)

This copy: 2009 edition, our own