This is Now is not the sort of book I usually read. But it was longlisted for the Orange Prize, it was highly lauded, and my library had a copy. It seemed to be time to step of my comfort zone. And I’m very glad that I did.
The story opens with Patrick Oxtoby in his early 20s. He dropped out of university to become a mechanic, a disappointment to his family.
And then his fiancée deserted him. He decided to make a change. He found a new job in a seaside town and lodgings in a boarding house owned by a young widow where two other men are already in residence.
Soon it becomes clear that something is not right. Patrick is socially inept and he has absolutely no empathy with anyone else. He wants to fit in, but he doesn’t know how.
It could be depression. It could be that he falls somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Or it could be that he is a psychopath.
Patrick tells this story in the first person. Simply and clearly, reporting conversations, facts, events. It may not seem gripping but it is, it really is.
Some things go well for Patrick. He begins a tentative relationship with a barmaid, he socialises with his fellow lodgers, he gets on friendly terms with his landlady.
But things go wrong too. His equilibrium is disturbed by an unexpected visit from his mother. There isn’t enough work to occupy him and he has time on his hands. And everyone else seems to have their own life, things to do. Patrick doesn’t.
And Patrick can’t cope with things going wrong. Small things begin to annoy him. And that leads him to an extraordinary act.
It would be unfair to say exactly what happens, but it redefines Patrick’s life. He is more constrained, but in a strange way he is less troubled, and more able to cope.
I’m struggling to explain why this book works so well.
The prose is sparse, and yet it conveys everything that you need to know. And draws you into Patrick’s life. You see the world through the eyes of somebody you wouldn’t have noticed, wouldn’t have given a thought to otherwise. And you see things that you don’t expect to see, in life or in fiction.
It isn’t faultless. There are inconsistencies, there are some strange moments. But I was so gripped by the story that I didn’t want to stop. And there were far more things that were caught quite perfectly.
This is a book that will stay with me long after it goes back to the library.
A dark and dazzling piece of writing.
Fleur in her World 
I was absolutely gripped by this book too and it stayed with me so much – it was so compelling. But at the same time I was puzzled by why I felt like that as it was so unlikeable. I’ve read Hyland’s other two books now – very different, but I think this one was the most accomplished.
WOW – wonderful review! You have hooked me into putting it on the TBR list 🙂
I think it is great to step out of your comfort zone occasionally – it is often rewarding.
I was hooked by this book too. It was a bit bleak, but I’m still thinking about it weeks after finishing. I am very surprised that it didn’t make the Orange short list – I think it deserved a place.
I’m reading this one at the moment and am totally gripped. It’s not the sort of book I would normally pick up either but I recognised it from the Orange list and my library had a copy so thought I would give it a go. Glad I did and that you enjoyed it too.
A very good review of a troubling story. I enjoyed this book too even though I didn’t like the protagonist very much. I read Carry Me Down first and am surprised by her ability to plumb the psychological depths of troubled characters. I have just Bookmooched a copy of How the Light Gets In and am looking forward to it.