“There but for the” by Ali Smith
January 2021
In true, and glorious, Ali Smith style, There but for the is a novel narrated from multiple perspectives, seamlessly weaving various timeframes, memories and characters together as their stories pivot around a central linked point. The pivotal point here is a dinner party gone dreadfully wrong. One of the guests, an almost stranger named Miles, excuses himself from the dinner table. He proceeds to lock himself in the spare bedroom and refuses to come out. Various characters are introduced into the story, helping to flesh out the life which has led Miles to this point.