As things start to unfold the questions that you have been looking for answers to start to get closer. Some of the characters that seemed so important at the start of the four book cycle have almost completely disappeared leaving you to concentrate on a smaller and more important number.
Without slapping you in the face with the facts some of the pennies start to drop about the movers and shakers in the police corruption and how things are connected.
Everything is connected with the same places, people and visions returning time and time again.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
1983 - post I
One of the immediate challenges for a reader going through books that are set years apart is to find a reference point that makes it clear what has happened in the in between years.
Having gone through 1980 with an alternate character narrative it picks up again this time weaving in the strands of thoughts from John Piggot, a solicitor looking to help with the appeal of the wrongly fitted up child killer from 1974 and Maurice Jobson a senior policeman.
Things start weaving backwards and forwards through time starting to fill in the gaps not just from 1974 but even before that.
The same dreams are there with references to underground kingdoms and wolves but there is from the start a clear indication the story will be told through the latest case of a missing girl.
Having gone through 1980 with an alternate character narrative it picks up again this time weaving in the strands of thoughts from John Piggot, a solicitor looking to help with the appeal of the wrongly fitted up child killer from 1974 and Maurice Jobson a senior policeman.
Things start weaving backwards and forwards through time starting to fill in the gaps not just from 1974 but even before that.
The same dreams are there with references to underground kingdoms and wolves but there is from the start a clear indication the story will be told through the latest case of a missing girl.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
In defence of the bookmark
Only a few years ago any museum, cathedral or exhibition you went to always ended with a trip to the shop and a bookmark purchase.
But these days there just don't seem to be as many bookmarks around. It can't be because people have stopped reading because that cannot be the case. It just seems to be less popular. First the leather and fabric bookmarks were replaced with magnetic ones that clipped half a page rather than stuck out at the bottom or top of the book. But even the magnetic ones are now hard to come by.
It's a great shame because bookmarks always remind you of a day, time and place that usually is connected with a happy day. I hope the current lack of bookmarks is just a fashionable fad and not something permanent.
But these days there just don't seem to be as many bookmarks around. It can't be because people have stopped reading because that cannot be the case. It just seems to be less popular. First the leather and fabric bookmarks were replaced with magnetic ones that clipped half a page rather than stuck out at the bottom or top of the book. But even the magnetic ones are now hard to come by.
It's a great shame because bookmarks always remind you of a day, time and place that usually is connected with a happy day. I hope the current lack of bookmarks is just a fashionable fad and not something permanent.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Damned United - post II
This is clearly going to be a day one through to 44 but each day uses plenty of historical material to not only sketch out the story of the present but how Clough got to be there.
As Derby become more successful under his management his relationship with Leeds starts to fall apart. The hatred of Don Revie becomes one of the defining relationships of his career and the hatred of Leeds is established early on.
That helps explain just why Clough might not be the right man to take over Leeds but the character of the man is all his own doing and like him or loathe him he does his best to get noticed.
More next week...
As Derby become more successful under his management his relationship with Leeds starts to fall apart. The hatred of Don Revie becomes one of the defining relationships of his career and the hatred of Leeds is established early on.
That helps explain just why Clough might not be the right man to take over Leeds but the character of the man is all his own doing and like him or loathe him he does his best to get noticed.
More next week...
Friday, March 27, 2009
1980 - post V
I am not going to give away the ending but just when you think progress is being made the case is closed on the Ripper but the old wounds reopen and the search for the truth in a corrupt world of policemen and prostitutes re-emerges to take centre stage.
As well as a poetry with the use of visual and textual repetition there is equally a return to places of the past. Most of the crime scenes seem to have remained largely undisturbed, even six years after some of the events. That provides those places with a haunted quality and a power to retain that sense of death, fear and pain with the ability to influence the present.
It puts the psycho back into psycho geography but does so in a clever way that creeps up on you and is sometimes shocking its in unexpectedness.
Having gone forward and suffered the plague of the Ripper the way is now clear to solve the original crime and work out just where the corruption in the West Yorkshire police started and who will finish it.
Onwards to 1983.
A review will follow...
As well as a poetry with the use of visual and textual repetition there is equally a return to places of the past. Most of the crime scenes seem to have remained largely undisturbed, even six years after some of the events. That provides those places with a haunted quality and a power to retain that sense of death, fear and pain with the ability to influence the present.
It puts the psycho back into psycho geography but does so in a clever way that creeps up on you and is sometimes shocking its in unexpectedness.
Having gone forward and suffered the plague of the Ripper the way is now clear to solve the original crime and work out just where the corruption in the West Yorkshire police started and who will finish it.
Onwards to 1983.
A review will follow...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
1980 - post IV
After the trials and tribulations of 1974 and 1977 you put your faith in the main character of Peter Hunter but he is being dragged down by the corruption and the atmosphere.
Dreams plagued with images of black wings and dead children put a unique Lancastrian spin on a Yorkshire hell. Hunter then falls victim to a classic fit-up job and the tables are turned and it is not some much a battle to fight corruption but a battle to fight and save his career.
he knows some major pieces of the jigsaw he just doesn't have enough to out them together. As he walks down a path partly trodden by those before him he not only starts to find out the same things but falls victim to the same sense of altered reality and fear that consumed those before him.
Last chunk tomorrow...
Dreams plagued with images of black wings and dead children put a unique Lancastrian spin on a Yorkshire hell. Hunter then falls victim to a classic fit-up job and the tables are turned and it is not some much a battle to fight corruption but a battle to fight and save his career.
he knows some major pieces of the jigsaw he just doesn't have enough to out them together. As he walks down a path partly trodden by those before him he not only starts to find out the same things but falls victim to the same sense of altered reality and fear that consumed those before him.
Last chunk tomorrow...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
1980 - post III
The lyrical poetical side of this book is becoming more pronounced as the killing continues and the pressure starts to mount on Hunter directly.
Lancashire has its own deep connections with Yorkshire as the Dawson brother illustrates and the connections start to mean that Hunter has to fight fires on both fronts as the blood spills on both sides of the moors.
Against that background the Ripper seems to be waiting for the moment to shatter any remaining confidence that Hunter has. The repetition of phrases and images adds to the almost literal sound of the moment coming nearer when something will give and the landscape will change again.
Can Hunter stop it? It seems highly unlikely that in his current situation he has the ability. But hidden in the files and the hundreds of interviews that have taken place over the years he knows and we do too that the answer is waiting to be found.
The only question is can he find it before the corruption distracts him, the Ripper kills again and Hunter loses his sanity?
More tomorrow...
Lancashire has its own deep connections with Yorkshire as the Dawson brother illustrates and the connections start to mean that Hunter has to fight fires on both fronts as the blood spills on both sides of the moors.
Against that background the Ripper seems to be waiting for the moment to shatter any remaining confidence that Hunter has. The repetition of phrases and images adds to the almost literal sound of the moment coming nearer when something will give and the landscape will change again.
Can Hunter stop it? It seems highly unlikely that in his current situation he has the ability. But hidden in the files and the hundreds of interviews that have taken place over the years he knows and we do too that the answer is waiting to be found.
The only question is can he find it before the corruption distracts him, the Ripper kills again and Hunter loses his sanity?
More tomorrow...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
book review - The Reader
When a book becomes synonymous with a film it is difficult to enjoy one without evaluating the influence of the other.
In my case I had not seen the film and picked up Bernard Schlink’s book at a charity shop a while ago. What drove me to read it was a quick flick through the first few pages. The style is taut and the chapters short.
The emotional depth has to be provided by the reader themselves as they piece together the things that are left unsaid between the 15 year old boy Michael and his 36 year old lover Hanna. The relationship is physical, lived in the gap between work and school and relatively brief in the wider scheme of things.
Of course for the boy it is a fundamental part of his growing up and his relationship lives on in the memory for the rest of his life having an impact on his marriage and other sexual entanglements.
But that is only half the story because the focus is on what the woman did during the war and the big questions of where guilt lies during war – with the individual or the system – and how different generations should react to it.
Is it possible to love someone who was responsible for hideous acts? In the end that is the struggle that destroys Michael and as he sits as a law student a few years after the affair and watches Hanna defend herself against war crime charges it is an uncomfortable experience.
What are those pushing the trials motivated by? Finding people to blame, even when the facts are vague at best, seems to be the desire to at least hold someone up as guilty to count for the debts and sins of others.
During the case Michael works out that Hanna cannot read and it is that fact that not only allows him to piece together why she relied on him to read aloud so much but why she also got prisoners in the camps to do the same. He could potentially save her when she lies but her pride is so much that she would rather go to prison than reveal her weakness. At the conclusion it is that pride that destroys her. She does not want sympathy.
In a way the reader is left working out what they feel about guilt, responsibility and the merits of chasing down people long after the event to get them to face some sort of justice. Are the Germans as a nation collectively to blame for their failure to resist the darkness of Hitler’s regime? If you answer yes then of course the individual fingering of Hanna seems to be unfair. If you believe not then the trial makes more sense but only slightly more.
A provocative book that for many will be about the power of relationships across the generations but for me was an intelligent way of looking at the consequences and reaction to some of the horrors of the Second World War.
Monday, March 23, 2009
1980 - post II
Hunter and his team start to go through the murders but the madness that is at the fringes of the Ripper hunt starts to infect Hunter himself.
Dreams detailing murders are shared by his wife and by himself. others in his team start to crack up under the strain of the Ripper hunt and the dangers that trapped Whitehead and some of the characters from the first two books start to come out of the shadows for Hunter.
In terms of portraying a pyschological as well as literal thriller this is growing in intensity and someone is going to crack up and make a mistake. You sense that it is a battle between the Ripper and Hunter with the pressure so far all coming on the policeman.
More to come...
Dreams detailing murders are shared by his wife and by himself. others in his team start to crack up under the strain of the Ripper hunt and the dangers that trapped Whitehead and some of the characters from the first two books start to come out of the shadows for Hunter.
In terms of portraying a pyschological as well as literal thriller this is growing in intensity and someone is going to crack up and make a mistake. You sense that it is a battle between the Ripper and Hunter with the pressure so far all coming on the policeman.
More to come...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
1980 - post I
There are always two approaches to a series of books. Either you read them all at once or leave gaps in between. Having taken the decision to read this straight after 1974 and 1977 there are clear benefits.
The story obviously progresses but with the gaps of time. But what remains are the images, dreams and motifs from the first two books. If anything they become even more important here with the Yorkshire Ripper still at large out there.
With 1977 ending with Fraser and Whitehead having run their course for now the focus of the next stage of the story is Peter Hunter. The Manchester thick skinned copper is sent into sort the Ripper investigation out and at the same time try to discover who and what is going on with that force.
he knows he will be unwelcome, he knows that he has to catch the killer but does he know just what sort of screwed up world he is walking into?
more tomorrow...
The story obviously progresses but with the gaps of time. But what remains are the images, dreams and motifs from the first two books. If anything they become even more important here with the Yorkshire Ripper still at large out there.
With 1977 ending with Fraser and Whitehead having run their course for now the focus of the next stage of the story is Peter Hunter. The Manchester thick skinned copper is sent into sort the Ripper investigation out and at the same time try to discover who and what is going on with that force.
he knows he will be unwelcome, he knows that he has to catch the killer but does he know just what sort of screwed up world he is walking into?
more tomorrow...
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Diary of a Nobody - post II
It's rare for humour to last across a couple of generations. It can still cause a smile but books like Scoop and three men in a Boat are hardly going to cause you to split your sides laughing.
There are moments when this feels the same with the gentle humour ticking away but then there are flashes of real brilliance as Pooter and his wife clash. The chapter on the Lord Mayor's ball is very clever with the wife filling in the misisng details at the end.
As a way to relax last thing at night it is hard to better this for a funny and distracting read.
More to come...
There are moments when this feels the same with the gentle humour ticking away but then there are flashes of real brilliance as Pooter and his wife clash. The chapter on the Lord Mayor's ball is very clever with the wife filling in the misisng details at the end.
As a way to relax last thing at night it is hard to better this for a funny and distracting read.
More to come...
Friday, March 20, 2009
1977 - post IV
The pace in the book is exhilirating towards the end and even though the ending isn't quite what you expected it is enough of a conclusion to leave you coming to 1980 with fresh expectations.
Without giving away the ending lets just say that the idea of angels that appears obliquely in 1974 via the swan motif is more dangerous here plaguing jack Whitehead the crime reporter.
For Bob Fraser now alienated after his prostitute girlfriend has turned up dead he discovers that on the family front not all is as it seemed anyway.
That sense of wondering who you can trust never leaves the narrative for a second. police follow police and journalists try to outdo each other. Even when you think you can turn to sleep the dreams and memories are there to destroy you.
A review will follow...
Without giving away the ending lets just say that the idea of angels that appears obliquely in 1974 via the swan motif is more dangerous here plaguing jack Whitehead the crime reporter.
For Bob Fraser now alienated after his prostitute girlfriend has turned up dead he discovers that on the family front not all is as it seemed anyway.
That sense of wondering who you can trust never leaves the narrative for a second. police follow police and journalists try to outdo each other. Even when you think you can turn to sleep the dreams and memories are there to destroy you.
A review will follow...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
1977 - post III
The parallel stories of Bob Fraser the policeman and Jack Whitehead the crime reporter are linked in several ways with both sharing a connection with the events of 1974 and both having relationships with prostitutes.
The horrors of the past appear in dreams and visions and the corruption and dissapointment of the present keep them mired in despair.
The trigger for both to consider their lot in life is the emergence of the Yorkshire Ripper. His brutality is something that is more genuione than anything the police themselves can construct and is far more worrying.
Whitehead coins the terms Ripper and Fraser starts to discover not ll crimes are quite what they seem.
more tomorrow...
The horrors of the past appear in dreams and visions and the corruption and dissapointment of the present keep them mired in despair.
The trigger for both to consider their lot in life is the emergence of the Yorkshire Ripper. His brutality is something that is more genuione than anything the police themselves can construct and is far more worrying.
Whitehead coins the terms Ripper and Fraser starts to discover not ll crimes are quite what they seem.
more tomorrow...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
1977 - post II
You have the twin characters of the policeman Fraser and the crime reporter Whitehead both losing control. Fraser has fallen in love with a prostitute and is watching his marriage fall apart. Whitehead is plagued by dreams of a dead woman and has clearly lost his competitive streak on the paper since Eddie ( from 1974) moved on.
Linking them both is the hunt for the yorkshire Ripper and as the police stumble around with their usual racist and agressibe tactics they display a complete lack of detecting ability. Meanwhile it is the papers that coin the term Ripper and without any real appetite for it Jack Whitehead is following one of the biggest stories ever.
The hunt is not so much for the Ripper but for the resolution of the demons that are tormenting the leading characters.
The problem is those demons are caused and supported by the very society they work and live in.
More tomorrow...
Linking them both is the hunt for the yorkshire Ripper and as the police stumble around with their usual racist and agressibe tactics they display a complete lack of detecting ability. Meanwhile it is the papers that coin the term Ripper and without any real appetite for it Jack Whitehead is following one of the biggest stories ever.
The hunt is not so much for the Ripper but for the resolution of the demons that are tormenting the leading characters.
The problem is those demons are caused and supported by the very society they work and live in.
More tomorrow...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Damned United - post I
When this book first came out it rather past me by. Being neither a Leeds United fan, that bothered about Brian Clough or a conniseuir of football books I couldn't see the interest. But that was before I read 1974 and started 1977 and got into the David Peace style.
As a result I knew that this was going to be about more than Clough and wouldnl be about a moment in time and a place - the north East and Leeds. So far, with the first few days of his Ill fated 44 days at Leeds and the history of Clough and the development of the legend are interwoven with tales of hard drinking chairmen, dirty footballers and a fickle general public and press.
Clough fails from the start to win over Leeds and the book looks set to become a painful one as the egos clash and the threat of the sack comes ever closer.
More tomorrow...
As a result I knew that this was going to be about more than Clough and wouldnl be about a moment in time and a place - the north East and Leeds. So far, with the first few days of his Ill fated 44 days at Leeds and the history of Clough and the development of the legend are interwoven with tales of hard drinking chairmen, dirty footballers and a fickle general public and press.
Clough fails from the start to win over Leeds and the book looks set to become a painful one as the egos clash and the threat of the sack comes ever closer.
More tomorrow...
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