You know that feeling? Butterflies in the gut excited
feeling. Counting down the minutes until the next meeting feeling. Time stopping
in the moment when you are together feeling. That staying up until all hours of
the night replaying key moments feeling.
Even though it’s Valentine’s Day, I’m not talking
about that feeling.In this case, it's the feeling of
discovering a new author.
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a book called 26a
by Diana Evans when I was scrolling through Libby looking for that little sticker
they put on the covers of award winning books.
From the first pages, I was hooked. Not only on the
story of growing up in eighties England, but on Evans’ style. The description
of twins Georgia and Bessi’s birth likened to roadkill (as weird as that may
sound) is gorgeously brutal. The trauma of this beginning foreshadows later
moments of darkness. Unfortunately, it’s a darkness that in the end proves unbearable
for at least one of the characters. And more poignant when you learn some of
Evans’ own story.
I’ve just picked up Evans’ 2018 work – Ordinary People.
And haven’t yet been disappointed. Where the focus of 26a was from the
perspective of the kids, this novel looks at life from the standpoint of the
parents. In chapter two, a wife asks her husband if he’s seen a purple fitted
sheet. This seemingly mundane exchange manages to capture perfectly the dissatisfaction both partners are feeling in their relationship.
Forget chocolate and roses. My heart rests in the
pages of a decadently written book.
