Of beasts and beings

A couple of weeks ago I purchased the novel 'Of Beasts and Beings' written by Ian Holding. I was fairly excited to read this as it looked really interesting but I was very close to being disappointed. Up until about the last three chapters I was fully prepared to give this a negative review, I stuck with it because the events were interesting but it was almost boring to read.

Whilst reading this I found the characters incredibly dull and emotionless. The words were there but there was no passion, no connection behind them. The story is told in two different perspectives by two different characters. The first is a slave who tells his story in a very cold and distant way. None of his companions are given names and are just referred to as 'he', 'she' and 'them'. This distant way of narrative is confusing because at one point he speaks of losing emotion along his journey. However the emotion was never truely there in the first place.

The second nararator is a school teacher in the process of packing up his life, selling his house and moving on. The lack of feeling here is appropriate for two reasons. First, the narrative is told in a journal form which is kept mainly for the purpose of recording rather than revealing secrets and true emotions. The second is that with this character he is experiencing a lack of care and overall feeling for his own life. However there are times in which emotion should have been present and wasn't. 

Yet I stuck with it, determined to finish the book and I'm glad that I did. The end revealed an incredibly surprising plot twist which explained the overall style of the novel and why emotion was all but abandoned.  For the serious reader, this book will be a worthwhile read and the ending will be much appreciated as it was for me. Until next time,

Catherine