Geoff Dyer
Stitches in Time
A boy, Patrick Lewis, grows up in rural Ontario among loggers and river drives. In 1918 a migrant worker called Temelcoff works on the construction of a bridge in Toronto; in heavy winds a nun is blown from the structure and Temelcoff, hanging from a spar, catches her. In the 1920s Patrick comes to Toronto to join the search for a missing millionaire and becomes involved with the wealthy man's mistress. Later he helps a thief called Caravaggio to escape from prison; they are painting the prison roof and Caravaggio is covered completely in blue paint so that he disappears from sight. Political terrorists attempt to blow up another of Toronto's ambitious constructions. In the midst of historical realities these diverse lives intersect. That's all you need to know of the story.
All Ondaatje's major work is concerned with hunting, pursuing, tracking down. In Running in the Family he is in search of his own family history; Pat Garrett's ruthless hunt for the outlaw is the dominant theme of Billy the Kid; in Coming Through Slaughter the detective who pursues Buddy Bolden
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
'It is the ... sketches of the local and the overlooked that lend this book its density and drive, and emphasise Britain’s mostly low-key riches – if only you can be bothered to buy an anorak and seek.'
Jonathan Meades on the beauty of brutalism.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/castles-of-concrete
'Cruickshank’s history reveals an extraordinary eclecticism of architectural styles and buildings, from Dutch Revivalism to Arts and Crafts experimentation, from Georgian terraces to Victorian mansion blocks.'
William Boyd on the architecture of Chelsea.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/where-george-eliot-meets-mick-jagger
'The eight years he has spent in solitary confinement have had a devastating impact on his mental health ... human rights organisations believe his detention is punishment for his critical views.'
@lucyjpop on the Egyptian activist and poet Ahmed Douma.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/ahmed-douma