Book review - The Lie by Helen Dunmore

I don't often do a book review on this blog but this time I decided this was the right place for it. I'm a big fan of Helen Dunmore and I've just spent the last week reading her latest book, The Lie which is a Richard & Judy summer read. At 294 pages (paperback) it is a short read but delves into the mind of Daniel who has survived World War I when his childhood friend, Frederick hasn't. Daniel returns to England full of guilt and is haunted by what he saw and what he felt he should have done. As a young child Daniel gets to know Frederick and his little sister Felicia when his mother works in the house. Although they are from a different class their bond is strong. Daniel loves reading and works his way through Frederick's father library. While Daniel's education ceases at eleven so he can go out to work to help his mother, Frederick goes off to boarding school and has the education Daniel so desires. Yet while Frederick struggles at school Daniel is able to memorise poetry and large chunks of books.  When the two subsequently meet in France Frederick is an officer and Daniel a Private but the bond is still strong. To me the relationship between the two friends almost goes beyond friendship and certainly from Daniel's point of view I felt he wished it so, though Dunmore does not make this point in her conversation with Richard & Judy at the back of the book nor in her further writing about the book which follows.

On his return to England Daniel meets Felicia again, widowed at twenty with a small child. The two rekindle their friendship but disaster is about to strike. I do not want to reveal more or I will spoil it for you should you want to read the book. I enjoyed this book as it slowly unravels and there are flashbacks to Daniel's time at war with all it's gore, smells and terror. Daniel is disturbed more because he still see's his friend who visits at night caked in mud. He has distanced himself from everyone except Felicia.

I love the way Helen Dunmore reveals to her readers at the end of her books about how the book came about and how she saw the character. Insights into how writers work and get their ideas are always a fascination for me and it's great when they talk about it. I think it always gives a richer understanding of a book. Also Dunmore's descriptions are so beautiful and vivid - in this book it was dotted everywhere with flowers, fruit and vegetables (Daniel worked as a gardener before the war and comes back to work on the land for a sick friend of his mother's). A really insightful book looking at how war affected those who fought and the impact it had on those left as well as the families left behind.

The stress of online submissions and the decline of a good magazine

I think the world and his wife are online today - the internet is slow - well it is a wet, dismal Bank Holiday Monday. I've been spending the day catching up with my online courses, including the Start Writing Fiction course which is now into the fifth week. Our assignment was to write a scene about a stereotype who had a non-stereotypical attribute. Mine was about contract killer who rescued a dog from the building he'd set fire to with his victim tied to a chair and left for dead!

There are a couple of poetry competitions coming up, well deadlines looming actually, that I want to enter and I was in the middle of an online submission to the Bridport Prize, already frustrated because the site wouldn't recognise my previous login details and I was having to set up a new account. I'd just changed the password when WHAM the internet crashed. Cue my son after a day working and none to pleased because he said it was the wireless not the internet (of course I should have known!!). He sorts it out and I don't know where I am in my application. Both of us are getting a little heated, he's tired and I'm...well, me! Sorted it in the end and I'm plugged directly into the wireless now and I managed to complete my submissions....and breathe!

I'm wondering whether I can face another online submission today to Mslexia. Why do I get so uptight about it? Perhaps because I've had so much trouble with passwords and submitting online in the past. These poems are my babies and I've nurtured them and hope they are the best edit I can do, so letting them go is stressful enough without the hassle of finding my way around different online procedures. Am I the only one who feels like this?

On a very positive note I came back from holiday to find my copy of The New Writer waiting for me with a cheque for my second prize poem. Think I might frame it! The comments by poet and judge Helen Mort meant a lot to me. She claimed my poem yields more with every reading both in terms of its subject and style. On a sadder note this was the last issue of The New Writer owing to a decline in membership and the cost of producing the magazine. I am gutted as this is my favourite writing magazine and the re-vamp really made it stand out. The articles, news and tips are informative and I always follow things up. The competitions were numerous within the magazine and there was always something to' have a go at'.
I shall miss the magazine so much as it seemed unique to the market covering many areas of writing. It's such a shame. I don't understand why membership was so low - the magazine was a shot in the arm for me and I'm sure many others.

The funny side of food

Waitrose is running a Year of Poetry and wants your poems all about food. But you will have to be quick because the deadline is noon Wednesday 15th May. Waitrose Weekend newspaper has a front page article about the competition as well as an article on page six featuring Roger McGough who will judge the competition. There are some lovely examples of food poetry too! Roger will pick six winners from the months May, June, July and August and these will displayed in stores and from those a top three will be picked and announced on 2nd October which is National Poetry Day.

So get your brain around a turnip or an apple and write your thoughtful and witty poem (no longer than eight lines) and get your entries in.

Campus Digital Day and other stuff

My novel has come to a stop right now as time hasn't allowed me one way or another. However, I have still been writing as I signed up for The Poetry School Campus Digital Day. This took place on Wednesday when I took the opportunity to submit a couple of poems to the feedback section - Show Us Your Poems run by poet Kim Moore. Because so many people uploaded poems she was only able to feedback on one for each person, but that was fine. Kim was very positive about the poem she read of mine, making a couple of suggestions. It's always nice to know you are on the right track and having feedback from a published poet is helpful. You feel they know what they are talking about! One of the other participants gave me feedback on the remaining poem. It seemed he really liked it.

The day was very popular and the site was struggling to cope in the morning but improved as the day went on. I wasn't able to sign up to the live chat about first collections due to the volume of people wanting just that but the transcript was available shortly afterwards. I was interested to see how new writers were 'picked up' from slush piles, competitions and magazines and about the process of putting together a collection. Although I'd thought about how to order my poems I'd not thought about how they would look on facing pages. Worth remembering.

I entered the 24/7 Poetry Challenge but didn't win, still it was fun. We were given a set of words and had to write a poem no longer than 40 lines using each of the words. This is the sort of challenge I enjoy.

Meanwhile the Start Writing Fiction course with FutureLearn is going well. We've been submitting short pieces of writing and then other students are allocated pieces to feedback on. I did four feedbacks and I've had three on mine. All were positive which is good to know because I rarely let anyone see my fiction! I'm now trying to get a little ahead because I'm soon going on holiday and don't want to fall too far behind. Luckily the next week's activities are up.

Maybe I will get the chance to do a little on my novel over the weekend but my back is really playing me up so I can't sit at the table typing for long and I've had to cancel my sporting and walking activities which I'm sad about.

News

Just had a review published on What the Dickens? website.