I don’t review books on this blog (who cares what I think about a new novel or film?) but I recently read a book that had such a distinctive voice, it got me hooked from the first sentence. The book is The Whale Road by Robert Low. It’s the first part of a trilogy in the genre of historical fiction, something I don’t often read. The story is set in 965AD and is about a group of wandering warriors looking for a fortune in a world that no longer needs them.
Low uses language in a clever and engaging way, and I’ve learnt a valuable lesson. Low uses Norse names and words to give the reader a sense of place while keeping the sentence structure clear and straightforward. The voice of the narrator, fifteen year old Orm Ruriksson, is uncomplicated but with the lilt of the storyteller. I was particularly impressed with the first couple of chapters of the book, when Orm is both relating events in the ‘present’ while referring back to his experiences of the near past without my getting confused.
While the book is clearly written, the psychological and political dynamics it portrays are anything but, and I was captivated by the push and pull of desperate men struggling to live with an oath that binds them to each other, all presented through the honest voice of young Orm. I’ve probably not done the book justice here (another reason why I don’t do reviews!), but it has got me thinking about my own writing style and how explanation and emotion can be woven into a story seemlessly without it feeling like a lecture. I can only hope to achieve that myself.
J-A Brocke - A Blog for Beginner Writers 