Hugh's Reviews > Little Scratch
Little Scratch
by
by
Shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize 2021
Another very impressive book from the very strong Goldsmiths list, this book follows a day in the life of its narrator, a young woman who works for a newspaper in what would once have been seen as a secretarial role.
The book's layout is almost poetic, as fragments of thoughts and other distractions run in parallel columns, leaving the reader to decide for themselves what order to read them in and where to switch between them (when I see books that use these techniques, I always wonder how much of the experience is lost by those who only "read" audiobooks).
The thoughts are a mixture of the prosaic, describing the sights, sounds and feelings of a working day sequentially, and deeper undercurrents which gradually come to dominate the book (view spoiler).
Watson also plays with the expectations of autofiction, creating an expectation that she is writing about herself and then distancing herself by adding a few hints about her own place in the story.
Another very impressive book from the very strong Goldsmiths list, this book follows a day in the life of its narrator, a young woman who works for a newspaper in what would once have been seen as a secretarial role.
The book's layout is almost poetic, as fragments of thoughts and other distractions run in parallel columns, leaving the reader to decide for themselves what order to read them in and where to switch between them (when I see books that use these techniques, I always wonder how much of the experience is lost by those who only "read" audiobooks).
The thoughts are a mixture of the prosaic, describing the sights, sounds and feelings of a working day sequentially, and deeper undercurrents which gradually come to dominate the book (view spoiler).
Watson also plays with the expectations of autofiction, creating an expectation that she is writing about herself and then distancing herself by adding a few hints about her own place in the story.
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Reading Progress
October 6, 2021
– Shelved
October 12, 2021
–
Started Reading
October 13, 2021
–
Finished Reading