Crudo by Olivia Laing was published in 2018, and it won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for that year, which is why I was reading it.
I doubt if I would have picked this book up if I hadn’t been working on a bit of a personal project to read the winners of that prize, I know that’s an impossibility as so many of the winners are now out of print, but I’ll read what I can get a hold of.
It’s really not the style of writing that I most enjoy, stream of consciousness, but I stuck with it and did end up being quite entertained by it.
It’s 2017 and Kathy is just about to celebrate her fortieth birthday, she’s álso going to get married to a much older man. She’s writng about her thoughts on what is happening in the world and particularly in America, with lots of Trump’s tweets featuring and all the mayhem that was going on politically with him and his followers.
I really disliked Kathy to begin with but warmed to her, however I might have given up on this one if it hadn’t won the prize.
Hi Katrina,
I’m wondering if Olivia Laing is a Scottish writer? Just curious because Trump’s stupendously stupid tweets are included–will we ever survive the looming of Trump? Anyway, interested in your take on this novel.
I’m also interested that she’s about 40–so many novels in the past few years have had women protagonists who are 40. Amazing how many.
Judith,
No she is apparently very English although Laing (pronounced Lang) is a Scottish surname. So maybe there is Scottish blood somewhere along the line!
I don’t think I would like the stream of consciousness style, although I haven’t really given it a real chance. But having Trump’s tweets in it would be the factor that would make me avoid the book.
tracybham,
The saving grace about Trump being in there via tweets is that she makes it very obvious what she thinks of him!