Doug's Reviews > The Colony

4.5, rounded down.

Had to mull my rating and what I felt about this book overnight - it IS thought-provoking and very well written - and yet I wasn't ENTIRELY satisfied; although of the six 2022 Booker nominees I have read thus far, it is clearly the standout (which actually says more about the dearth of anything amazing in this year's list, rather than the virtues of this entry).

Others have mentioned it was slow going in the beginning, but I found it quick-paced from the get-go. The storyline and characters I found compelling, and the prose often stunningly lovely. It also had an almost cinematic quality I found appealing - I liked the dialogue heavy scenes the best; if it weren't for the interior monologues, this might make for an intriguing film.

So why a curmudgeonly 4.5 rounded down instead of up? My qualms had to do more with structure and some lingering questions. Once it became apparent that the (usually) long narrative sections set on the island would be juxtaposed with alternating short chapters detailing lethal atrocities from 'The Troubles', set out chronologically, and just stating the facts in each case, I got anxious and 'antsy' - there were really no 'surprises' in any of those brief chapters and if it weren't that they were so short, I'd probably have skipped them all together. Yes, thematically it all ties together - somewhat - but ... ok, we get it - move on! Occasionally, the lack of quotation marks and the drifting into other characters minds/viewpoints within the same sentences/paragraphs threw me and I found that jarring as well.

There were other idiosyncrasies that also made me squirm. The island is supposedly inhabited by 92 individuals, yet we only really get to know 6 of them, all from the same family - I found this insularity disconcerting; surely with all those cliff walks our main characters would encounter SOMEONE else in an island 3 miles by 1 mile in four months (others are vaguely alluded to only when the curraches are carried in from the sea).

Minor point, but this ALSO irked me: Masson makes a point of disregarding James's desire to be known by his English name and insists upon calling him Séamus - and every time he does so, James corrects him. But there are two instances - once to his face, and once when talking to his mother - when Masson 'slips' and calls him James - why? Did the author just not catch that. or was there something else at stake? never figured it out. Nit-picky, I know!

Once I do more mulling - and complete the long list - perhaps I will alter my rating, but for now, I'll let it stand.