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Alphabet
Simon Austen arrives in prison at the age of 21, intelligent but illiterate, bitter, witty, vulnerable, good-looking, and guilty of a violent crime he refuses to discuss or address. Told he has a problem with women, but contemptuous of the resources he has to offer, he plans to reinvent himself according to his own vision and methods, his first step being to learn the alphabet and his second to find women to test himself on. To his surprise there's no shortage of women prepared to engage with him, guards, staff, visitors, even - and especially - when he does eventually reveal his crime. But can the love he finds wipe away his past or is something altogether more difficult required? What does it mean to 'come to terms' with being the perpetrator of a terrible crime? What kind of life is possible afterwards? Kathy writes, 'it's hard to express exactly how, but Alphabet is in some ways a twin, or half a pair, with The Story of My Face.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
8 people are currently reading
500 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Page
23 books47 followersShe has her BA from York (England) and her MA in writing from the University of East Anglia. A novelist and widely anthologised short-story writer, she has also written for television and radio. Her themes are loss, survival, and transformation: the magic by which a bad hand becomes a good chance. Her fifth novel, The Story of My Face, was long-listed for the Orange Prize in 2002, and is optioned for a feature film. The sixth, Alphabet, was nominated for a Governor General's award in 2005. Her latest title, The Find, 2010, is her first novel set in Canada: a story about discovery, inheritance and fate, and a moving exploration of the possibilities that hide within a seemingly impossible relationship.
Kathy Page has taught fiction writing at Universities in England, Finland and Estonia, and held residencies in schools and a variety of other institutions/communities, including a fishing village and a men’s prison.
She now lives in British Columbia, Canada.
Kathy Page has taught fiction writing at Universities in England, Finland and Estonia, and held residencies in schools and a variety of other institutions/communities, including a fishing village and a men’s prison.
She now lives in British Columbia, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
February 13, 2019
Even before I read Kathy Page’s bio I assumed that she had a background as a therapist in a prison and was steeped in the healing process, so reading the complete back story of this novel in the wonderful Afterword both thrilled me and confirmed all my suspicions about what this book is really about and what it took to write it.
Briefly, it is a kind of dramatized case study and healing journey of a violent offender in prisons in the U.K. I don’t want to say much more about plot because it’s best if you read it without knowing.
All of the characters in this story are real (meaning, true depictions—not taken from real life). There was not one second of inauthenticity—in character, thought, or in the paradoxical steps of healing. Kathy Page not only dramatized this journey, but she broke it down into real steps that anybody who has done deep work on herself or who has studied healing therapies will find familiar: reacting, keeping enough space around your reaction to really see it and take responsibility for it; therefore you then see a reality that is different from the one you reacted to; and therefore you can dissemble your reaction and consciously choose to do something else.
For me—a person who has investigated many healing modalities, as a client, a trainee, and as a journalist—this was as good as it gets because character, thoughts, emotions, actions, and ambivalence, fear, and paradoxes were so organic. Anybody who has been brave enough to change what seems unchangeable will recognize himself in this book.
It took my breath away.
Briefly, it is a kind of dramatized case study and healing journey of a violent offender in prisons in the U.K. I don’t want to say much more about plot because it’s best if you read it without knowing.
All of the characters in this story are real (meaning, true depictions—not taken from real life). There was not one second of inauthenticity—in character, thought, or in the paradoxical steps of healing. Kathy Page not only dramatized this journey, but she broke it down into real steps that anybody who has done deep work on herself or who has studied healing therapies will find familiar: reacting, keeping enough space around your reaction to really see it and take responsibility for it; therefore you then see a reality that is different from the one you reacted to; and therefore you can dissemble your reaction and consciously choose to do something else.
For me—a person who has investigated many healing modalities, as a client, a trainee, and as a journalist—this was as good as it gets because character, thoughts, emotions, actions, and ambivalence, fear, and paradoxes were so organic. Anybody who has been brave enough to change what seems unchangeable will recognize himself in this book.
It took my breath away.
July 17, 2009
Nominated for a Governor General's award in 2005
Alphabet is the story about a man named Simon Austen who serves a life sentence in a high security prison for strangling his girlfriend. The prison is in Britain.
Learning to read and write is his first step towards rehabilitation. He begins, illicitly, to correspond with a series of women on the outside.
Painfully, slowly, the protagonist’s personality undergoes a change.
He wonders: what kind of relationship is possible for a man like me?
Accept the fact that you will end up sympathizing with this murderer.
Be prepared to find yourself right inside Simon’s head, not necessarily a place you want to be.
Expect to stay up all night to finish reading.
This novel – to quote the back cover – is not just highly readable, but one of the strongest, most eloquent, most tightly constructed novels of {2004).
Alphabet is the story about a man named Simon Austen who serves a life sentence in a high security prison for strangling his girlfriend. The prison is in Britain.
Learning to read and write is his first step towards rehabilitation. He begins, illicitly, to correspond with a series of women on the outside.
Painfully, slowly, the protagonist’s personality undergoes a change.
He wonders: what kind of relationship is possible for a man like me?
Accept the fact that you will end up sympathizing with this murderer.
Be prepared to find yourself right inside Simon’s head, not necessarily a place you want to be.
Expect to stay up all night to finish reading.
This novel – to quote the back cover – is not just highly readable, but one of the strongest, most eloquent, most tightly constructed novels of {2004).
September 12, 2014
The first words that came to mind when I finished this marvel of a novel were from an Oscar Wilde sonnet: “Yet each man kills the thing he loves, By each let this be heard. Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss. The brave man with a sword!”
Alphabet is a book about a prisoner named Simon Austen – imprisoned in the British penal system and also imprisoned in his inability to achieve redemption for a heinous crime – and it’s also about the power of words.
After strangling his girlfriend because he could not handle the feelings that intimacy engendered (revealed very early on), Simon ritually tattoos his body with loathing words of self-definition: MURDERER, WASTE OF SPACE, WEIRDO, ARROGANT, CALLOUS.
Yet while serving life in an cruel system that can – at any moment – erupt into violence and self-negation, Simon learns the power of the pen. He begins to write letters to strangers on the outside, first providing a false version of himself and gradually writing more and more authentically. “It’s just a piece of paper, but he’s sitting there with it in his hand like it was some kind of life or death thing and that, he suddenly finds himself thinking, is the trouble with letters: the way they have their own existence, independent of both writer and reader, the way they can continue to have an effect even after you might have changed your mind…”
In a lacerating portrait, Kathy Page does not shrink at creating a character for whom most tender-hearted readers should not have any sympathy…yet infusing him with complex feelings and a push for transcendence. Indeed, Simon Austen embarks on the true Hero’s Journey, from the depths of the prison system to an experimental program, which, in its own way, causes more pain than all the gang-beating and sordidness of the traditional model. But more importantly, the journey takes him from being closed in in his own personal prison to finding his way to the two simple words that can free him: “I’m sorry.”
Alphabet – and its in-depth look at an unsettling character who is both manipulative and seductive yet brilliant and sensitive – is amazing. Ms. Page gets inside the deviant mind and reveals it to us – her readers – in ways I have rarely seen before. Alphabet gets an A+ from me.
Alphabet is a book about a prisoner named Simon Austen – imprisoned in the British penal system and also imprisoned in his inability to achieve redemption for a heinous crime – and it’s also about the power of words.
After strangling his girlfriend because he could not handle the feelings that intimacy engendered (revealed very early on), Simon ritually tattoos his body with loathing words of self-definition: MURDERER, WASTE OF SPACE, WEIRDO, ARROGANT, CALLOUS.
Yet while serving life in an cruel system that can – at any moment – erupt into violence and self-negation, Simon learns the power of the pen. He begins to write letters to strangers on the outside, first providing a false version of himself and gradually writing more and more authentically. “It’s just a piece of paper, but he’s sitting there with it in his hand like it was some kind of life or death thing and that, he suddenly finds himself thinking, is the trouble with letters: the way they have their own existence, independent of both writer and reader, the way they can continue to have an effect even after you might have changed your mind…”
In a lacerating portrait, Kathy Page does not shrink at creating a character for whom most tender-hearted readers should not have any sympathy…yet infusing him with complex feelings and a push for transcendence. Indeed, Simon Austen embarks on the true Hero’s Journey, from the depths of the prison system to an experimental program, which, in its own way, causes more pain than all the gang-beating and sordidness of the traditional model. But more importantly, the journey takes him from being closed in in his own personal prison to finding his way to the two simple words that can free him: “I’m sorry.”
Alphabet – and its in-depth look at an unsettling character who is both manipulative and seductive yet brilliant and sensitive – is amazing. Ms. Page gets inside the deviant mind and reveals it to us – her readers – in ways I have rarely seen before. Alphabet gets an A+ from me.
October 2, 2024
Een psychologisch sterk en overtuigend verhaal. Ik kwam er moeilijk in, maar toen het verhaal me eenmaal pakte wilde ik alleen nog maar doorlezen. Geschreven met kennis van het gevangenisleven en compassie met de gevangenen zonder iets goed te willen praten. Een bijzonder boek, ondanks het trage begin en het naar mijn mening iets te open einde.
January 23, 2019
I recently read "Dear Evelyn" by Kathy Page, and enjoyed her wonderful prose style so much that I took a friend's advice and purchased her novel "Alphabet". While the story, and the characters, couldn't be more different, Page's wonderful prose is present in both.
Both novels are told mainly through a male character. In "Alphabet", that character is Simon Austen, a murderer sentenced to life in prison. (Note: This novel is set in the UK, and laws and prison sentences are different there than in the US.)
The novel is about transformations and dualities; Simon is both sympathetic and abhorrent, and his time spent in prison (and in some questionable "therapies") in order to enable him to reintegrate into society, make for a riveting read.
Both novels are told mainly through a male character. In "Alphabet", that character is Simon Austen, a murderer sentenced to life in prison. (Note: This novel is set in the UK, and laws and prison sentences are different there than in the US.)
The novel is about transformations and dualities; Simon is both sympathetic and abhorrent, and his time spent in prison (and in some questionable "therapies") in order to enable him to reintegrate into society, make for a riveting read.
October 13, 2021
ABC
…die Katze liegt im Schnee. Okay, jeder von uns kennt diese Kinderlieder, die einem in Mark und Bein übergegangen sind. Wir alle brauchen Buchstaben zum Wörter und Sätze formen und für das, was uns verbindet: das L E S E N. Die meisten von uns lernen das ABC von klein auf.
Aber es gibt auch Menschen (2019 lag die Quote der Analphabeten weltweit bei 14% oder 773 Millionen Menschen; Quelle: Statistisches Bundesamt), die entweder gar nicht oder erst im Erwachsenenalter Lesen und daraus folgend Schreiben lernen.
Zu Letzteren gehört Simon – seines Zeichens Hauptprotagonist in Kathy Page´s Roman „Alphabet“, der im Original bereits 2004 in England und 2014 in Kanada erschienen ist, jedoch erst jetzt im Wagenbach-Verlag in der Übersetzung von Beatrice Faßbender ins Deutsche übertragen wurde – ein (so viel vorab) Glücksgriff für Liebhaber anspruchsvoller Literatur!
Simon sitzt wegen Mordes an seiner Freundin im Gefängnis – lebenslänglich. Die Haftbedingungen im Thatcher-England Ende der 1980er Jahre sind trüb, brutal und von Willkür durchzogen – wohl dem, der einen Fürsprecher hat…Während seiner Zeit in Haft fängt Simon an, sich lesen und schreiben beibringen zu lassen, macht schnell große Fortschritte und kann nach geraumer Zeit Brieffreundschaften zu Frauen außerhalb der Gefängnismauern aufbauen – nicht immer von „Erfolg“ gekrönt. In den Briefen lässt er sich auch unter anderem über den Strafvollzug aus:
„Unsere Gefängnisse platzen aus allen Nähten; Gefangene werden in beengten Verhältnissen festgehalten, haben kaum oder gar keinen Zugang zu jenen Bildungs- oder Sozialangeboten, die sie unter Umständen verändern könnten. Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn, befürchte ich. Ich meine, hier sollte sich etwas verbessern, finden Sie nicht?“ (S. 46)
Kathy Page war Mitte der Neunziger Jahre als „Writer in Residence“ in einem britischen Männergefängnis tätig und bringt hier ihren Unmut über die Verhältnisse zum Ausdruck. Auch wenn sich aus heutiger Sicht einiges getan hat, was sich „Resozialisierung“ nennt, gibt es sicherlich noch „Luft nach oben“. Natürlich darf man nicht dabei außer Acht lassen, dass viele Straf- und Gewalttäter andere Menschen umgebracht haben, aber unmenschliche Haftbedingungen müssen auch nicht sein – und jeder Mensch hat ein Recht auf Bildung…
Im Lauf der Handlung wird Simon immer wieder von einem Gefängnis in die nächste Anstalt „transportiert“ und abgeschoben (auch hier spielt wieder Willkür eine Rolle), lernt, mit seiner Tat umzugehen und über sie zu reflektieren, wird verprügelt und vergiftet und lernt auf der Krankenstation Victor kennen, der kurz vor einer Geschlechtsumwandlung steht und sich alsdann Charlotte nennt…
In schlicht schön formulierter Sprache hat Kathy Page hier einen (sozial-)kritischen Blick auf das Strafvollzugssystem geworfen, lässt uns (die Leserinnen und Leser) außerdem einen tiefen Blick in die Psyche eines Täters werfen und hat für ein Lesehighlight 2021 gesorgt.
Well done, Mrs. Page! 5* und eine absolute Leseempfehlung!
©kingofmusic
…die Katze liegt im Schnee. Okay, jeder von uns kennt diese Kinderlieder, die einem in Mark und Bein übergegangen sind. Wir alle brauchen Buchstaben zum Wörter und Sätze formen und für das, was uns verbindet: das L E S E N. Die meisten von uns lernen das ABC von klein auf.
Aber es gibt auch Menschen (2019 lag die Quote der Analphabeten weltweit bei 14% oder 773 Millionen Menschen; Quelle: Statistisches Bundesamt), die entweder gar nicht oder erst im Erwachsenenalter Lesen und daraus folgend Schreiben lernen.
Zu Letzteren gehört Simon – seines Zeichens Hauptprotagonist in Kathy Page´s Roman „Alphabet“, der im Original bereits 2004 in England und 2014 in Kanada erschienen ist, jedoch erst jetzt im Wagenbach-Verlag in der Übersetzung von Beatrice Faßbender ins Deutsche übertragen wurde – ein (so viel vorab) Glücksgriff für Liebhaber anspruchsvoller Literatur!
Simon sitzt wegen Mordes an seiner Freundin im Gefängnis – lebenslänglich. Die Haftbedingungen im Thatcher-England Ende der 1980er Jahre sind trüb, brutal und von Willkür durchzogen – wohl dem, der einen Fürsprecher hat…Während seiner Zeit in Haft fängt Simon an, sich lesen und schreiben beibringen zu lassen, macht schnell große Fortschritte und kann nach geraumer Zeit Brieffreundschaften zu Frauen außerhalb der Gefängnismauern aufbauen – nicht immer von „Erfolg“ gekrönt. In den Briefen lässt er sich auch unter anderem über den Strafvollzug aus:
„Unsere Gefängnisse platzen aus allen Nähten; Gefangene werden in beengten Verhältnissen festgehalten, haben kaum oder gar keinen Zugang zu jenen Bildungs- oder Sozialangeboten, die sie unter Umständen verändern könnten. Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn, befürchte ich. Ich meine, hier sollte sich etwas verbessern, finden Sie nicht?“ (S. 46)
Kathy Page war Mitte der Neunziger Jahre als „Writer in Residence“ in einem britischen Männergefängnis tätig und bringt hier ihren Unmut über die Verhältnisse zum Ausdruck. Auch wenn sich aus heutiger Sicht einiges getan hat, was sich „Resozialisierung“ nennt, gibt es sicherlich noch „Luft nach oben“. Natürlich darf man nicht dabei außer Acht lassen, dass viele Straf- und Gewalttäter andere Menschen umgebracht haben, aber unmenschliche Haftbedingungen müssen auch nicht sein – und jeder Mensch hat ein Recht auf Bildung…
Im Lauf der Handlung wird Simon immer wieder von einem Gefängnis in die nächste Anstalt „transportiert“ und abgeschoben (auch hier spielt wieder Willkür eine Rolle), lernt, mit seiner Tat umzugehen und über sie zu reflektieren, wird verprügelt und vergiftet und lernt auf der Krankenstation Victor kennen, der kurz vor einer Geschlechtsumwandlung steht und sich alsdann Charlotte nennt…
In schlicht schön formulierter Sprache hat Kathy Page hier einen (sozial-)kritischen Blick auf das Strafvollzugssystem geworfen, lässt uns (die Leserinnen und Leser) außerdem einen tiefen Blick in die Psyche eines Täters werfen und hat für ein Lesehighlight 2021 gesorgt.
Well done, Mrs. Page! 5* und eine absolute Leseempfehlung!
©kingofmusic
April 22, 2019
Oef! Het is uit. Eén van de saaiste, nietszeggende boeken ooit. Gaat nergens over. Gaat nergens heen. Heb me erdoor gesleept en een rondedansje gedaan toen ik eindelijk aan de laatste bladzijde kwam. Geen idee waar het over ging. Echt niet. Triest.
August 8, 2012
A wonderful psychological drama. In-mate Simon is terrifyingly pleasant some of the time, the rest he's just terrifying. He admits he commited the crime and he's trying so hard to find redemption but he, and those trying to help him, are struggling to get into his mind. I was blown away by this book and when I learnt that author Kathy Page was a writer in residence in a men's prison it wasn't a surprise. Her attention to detail is brilliant, the picture she draws of prison life in the 80s in Britain is sobering.
August 13, 2024
Het is een ongewoon boek om verschillende redenen. Het wordt geschreven vanuit Simon (die levenslang vastzit voor moord) zijn perspectief, en alles wordt aan elkaar geschreven. Hiermee bedoel ik dat het niet duidelijk is wanneer iets een conversatie is, of zijn gedachten. Dit maakt het moeilijk om te lezen maar wel leuk omdat het eens iets anders is. Daarnaast gaat het verhaal niet naar een climax en een einde toe. Omdat ik al veel boeken heb gelezen vind ik het heel leuk dat dit boek eens iets anders is, en ik heb genoten van het verhaal. Het zal mij zeker bijbleven. Maar ik kan begrijpen dat veel mensen hier anders over denken.
March 8, 2007
This book is oddly compelling. I kept wanting to find out what was going to happen, so I kept reading, despite the fact that the protagonist is a rather unlikable person. (He's serving a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend.) Strangely, he becomes a much more sympathetic character as the book progresses. One of the strongest suits of the author's writing is her ability to write in third person in a way that makes it seem like it's first person. She really lets us into the main character's head...and it's not necessarily a place we want to be.
The other thing about this book is that it made me think a lot about prison conditions and the (in)humane treatment of prisoners. I kept thinking that I would not be able to survive one hour in either of the two prisons our protagonist stays in. It raises interesting questions: if we put criminals in prison and treat them inhumanely, what happens when, inevitably, most of them are released back into society? Do our prisons actually make people worse than when they went in?
Anyway, great book. I highly recommend it.
The other thing about this book is that it made me think a lot about prison conditions and the (in)humane treatment of prisoners. I kept thinking that I would not be able to survive one hour in either of the two prisons our protagonist stays in. It raises interesting questions: if we put criminals in prison and treat them inhumanely, what happens when, inevitably, most of them are released back into society? Do our prisons actually make people worse than when they went in?
Anyway, great book. I highly recommend it.
April 14, 2013
This is a brave book. Its protagonist is Simon, who is serving a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend. During his sentence, he learns to read and write. As an intelligent and manipulative man, he sees the opportunities this brings to him – not only does he now have a saleable skill, but he begins writing to women outside the prison.
He also begins a course of therapy. Reading and writing have given him the power to look beyond the confined world in which he finds himself. But Simon will have to make himself vulnerable if he is to understand what he has done and what it meant. And in prison that brings risks.
Page brilliantly captures the way prison is both tedious and terrifying. Her prose is understated and there is a bleak humour which runs through the book. By telling the story from Simon's point of view, she challenges the reader. We identify with Simon as he confronts the dangers of change, and the possibility of redemption. Like him we have to face up to the implications.
He also begins a course of therapy. Reading and writing have given him the power to look beyond the confined world in which he finds himself. But Simon will have to make himself vulnerable if he is to understand what he has done and what it meant. And in prison that brings risks.
Page brilliantly captures the way prison is both tedious and terrifying. Her prose is understated and there is a bleak humour which runs through the book. By telling the story from Simon's point of view, she challenges the reader. We identify with Simon as he confronts the dangers of change, and the possibility of redemption. Like him we have to face up to the implications.
May 22, 2019
3.5 stars I enjoyed this book - felt it was very honest and real. It was really interesting to read about Simon's struggles and his rough road towards rehabilitation - even though he wasn't a very likable guy on many levels, I was cheering for him all the way. Will definitely look out for more books by this author.
November 19, 2009
Difficult topic approached in such a manner that you couldn't put it down. Not necessarily a book to "enjoy" as much as admire. Thought provoking on the value of skill training for inmates, and on the need for forgiveness in order to move on for both victim and perpetrator.
October 8, 2015
Very different. Very raw, not for the easily offended. A fascinating look at an angry (but likable) man's British jail time.
October 7, 2021
Seit acht Jahren ist der 29jährige Simon in Haft, verurteilt zu lebenslänglich wegen Mordes an seiner damaligen Freundin. Im Gefängnis lernt er Lesen und Schreiben, das er bis dahin nur bruchstückhaft beherrscht und holt den mittleren Schulabschluss nach. Er beginnt Brieffreundschaften mit Frauen, wobei er nicht weiß, dass eine davon erst 14 Jahre alt ist. Als deren Vater erfährt, dass seine minderjährige Tochter mit einem Mörder korrespondiert, wird ihm das Schreiben untersagt und den Brief, in dem er erstmalig seine Tat schildert, erhält seine neue Betreuerin Bernadette. Diese sieht Weiterentwicklungsmöglichkeiten bei dem jungen Mann und vermittelt ihm einen Platz in einem Therapie-Programm einer Sondereinrichtung für Gewaltstraftäter in Wentham.
Dort herrschen andere, bessere Bedingungen. Während im Gefängnis untereinander das Recht des Stärkeren dominiert und die Vollzugsbeamten unter widrigen Bedingungen und häufig voller Geringschätzigkeit für die Inhaftierten diese 'beaufsichtigen', gelten in Wentham Respekt und Wertschätzung für den einzelnen Menschen, egal welchen Verbrechens sie sich schuldig gemacht haben. Bei Simon machen sich Veränderungen bemerkbar, nicht nur in Form von aufkommendem Bildungshunger, sondern auch in puncto Selbstreflexion in Bezug auf seine Tat, die er bisher erfolgreich verdrängt hat.
Kathy Page hat diese Entwicklung Simons so überzeugend dargestellt, dass man seinen Gedankengängen, seinen Versuchen, seine Aggressionen in den Griff zu bekommen oder Vertrauen zu fassen, ohne Zweifel nachvollziehen kann. Auch ihre Darstellung des Gefängnisalltags macht ersichtlich, ohne dass sie dies ausdrücklich kommentiert, wie destruktiv sich Haftstrafen ohne Resozialisierungsmaßnahmen auf die Gefangenen auswirken. Auch wenn Simons Geschichte in den 1980ern Jahren spielt, ist das Thema aktuell, da immer wieder über die Sinnhaftigkeit solcher Maßnahmen diskutiert wird. Ebenfalls deutlich erkennbar werden die An- und Überforderungen an das Gefängnis- und Therapiepersonal. Insbesondere in den Gefängnissen ist ein Mangel an Allem zu verzeichnen; Gefangene werden ausschließlich verwaltet und das zu den möglichst niedrigsten Kosten. Schlechtes Essen, mangelhafte Unterbringung, unzureichende Versorgung mit allem Anderen führen zu einer ständig gespannten Atmosphäre, mit der die schlecht bezahlten Vollzugsangestellten tagtäglich zurecht kommen müssen. Während das Therapiepersonal über solche Defizite nicht klagen kann, obliegt ihnen jedoch die Verantwortung, eine Prognose abzugeben, ob ein Mensch künftig in die Freiheit entlassen werden kann, ohne eine Gefahr für Andere darzustellen.
Es ist ein sehr vielschichtiger Roman mit einem Einblick in eine Welt, von der die Meisten von uns nur in den Nachrichten hören, lesen oder sehen. Kathy Page hat uns diese Welt aufgrund ihrer einjährigen Erfahrung als Writer in Residence im Her Majesty's Prison Nottingham nahe gebracht.
Dort herrschen andere, bessere Bedingungen. Während im Gefängnis untereinander das Recht des Stärkeren dominiert und die Vollzugsbeamten unter widrigen Bedingungen und häufig voller Geringschätzigkeit für die Inhaftierten diese 'beaufsichtigen', gelten in Wentham Respekt und Wertschätzung für den einzelnen Menschen, egal welchen Verbrechens sie sich schuldig gemacht haben. Bei Simon machen sich Veränderungen bemerkbar, nicht nur in Form von aufkommendem Bildungshunger, sondern auch in puncto Selbstreflexion in Bezug auf seine Tat, die er bisher erfolgreich verdrängt hat.
Kathy Page hat diese Entwicklung Simons so überzeugend dargestellt, dass man seinen Gedankengängen, seinen Versuchen, seine Aggressionen in den Griff zu bekommen oder Vertrauen zu fassen, ohne Zweifel nachvollziehen kann. Auch ihre Darstellung des Gefängnisalltags macht ersichtlich, ohne dass sie dies ausdrücklich kommentiert, wie destruktiv sich Haftstrafen ohne Resozialisierungsmaßnahmen auf die Gefangenen auswirken. Auch wenn Simons Geschichte in den 1980ern Jahren spielt, ist das Thema aktuell, da immer wieder über die Sinnhaftigkeit solcher Maßnahmen diskutiert wird. Ebenfalls deutlich erkennbar werden die An- und Überforderungen an das Gefängnis- und Therapiepersonal. Insbesondere in den Gefängnissen ist ein Mangel an Allem zu verzeichnen; Gefangene werden ausschließlich verwaltet und das zu den möglichst niedrigsten Kosten. Schlechtes Essen, mangelhafte Unterbringung, unzureichende Versorgung mit allem Anderen führen zu einer ständig gespannten Atmosphäre, mit der die schlecht bezahlten Vollzugsangestellten tagtäglich zurecht kommen müssen. Während das Therapiepersonal über solche Defizite nicht klagen kann, obliegt ihnen jedoch die Verantwortung, eine Prognose abzugeben, ob ein Mensch künftig in die Freiheit entlassen werden kann, ohne eine Gefahr für Andere darzustellen.
Es ist ein sehr vielschichtiger Roman mit einem Einblick in eine Welt, von der die Meisten von uns nur in den Nachrichten hören, lesen oder sehen. Kathy Page hat uns diese Welt aufgrund ihrer einjährigen Erfahrung als Writer in Residence im Her Majesty's Prison Nottingham nahe gebracht.
October 23, 2019
After serving 10 years of a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend because she wouldn't take her contacts out & put on her glasses, Simon learns to read. Before long his intelligence shines through as he becomes an avid reader and writer, eventually beginning a college course. Prison administrators, seeing his potential, place him in a therapeutic setting, which he hates even as he sees how it benefits him, but he is unable to fully comply with the therapists' expectations, jeopardizing his potential parole. The author does an amazing job of getting us inside Simon's head and helping us empathize with the emotions of someone who is at once pretty sensitive but also a ticking time bomb who has great difficulty controlling his anger. I appreciated the reading experience but was unsatisfied with the ending. I can sometimes appreciate an author's unwillingness to resolve a story, but in this case, I found the absence of any kind of resolution pretty frustrating.
February 3, 2025
Ich lernte Simon eigentlich gerne kennen. Ein junger Mann, der wegen Mordes an seiner Freundin lebenslang eingesperrt sein wird und trotzdem versucht, sich innere Freiheiten zu schaffen.
Dann aber verliert sich der Text in ewigen Therapiesitzungen, in denen ich den Protagonisten nicht näher komme, nicht mehr verstehe. Ich kämpfte mich durch, weil ich unbedingt Vic/Charlotte kennenlernte wollte. Darauf wartet man bis zu den letzten 100 Seiten. Diese Begegnung versöhnt mich ein bisschen mit den Längen.
Dann aber verliert sich der Text in ewigen Therapiesitzungen, in denen ich den Protagonisten nicht näher komme, nicht mehr verstehe. Ich kämpfte mich durch, weil ich unbedingt Vic/Charlotte kennenlernte wollte. Darauf wartet man bis zu den letzten 100 Seiten. Diese Begegnung versöhnt mich ein bisschen mit den Längen.
July 8, 2020
Kathy Page's writing is such a treat. Just books to get lost in. Like her other books, this is a book that you recommend and pass along.
In many ways, reminiscent of Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks -- a convicted offender who is still sympathetic.
In many ways, reminiscent of Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks -- a convicted offender who is still sympathetic.
July 11, 2019
I will not trust a five star rating going forward. Story was all over the place. pointless.
January 29, 2018
Lu en français et découvert par hasard lors d'une de mes balades en bibliothèque. Le sujet m'a attirée tout de suite: un prisonnier condamné à vie suit un programme expérimental de réhabilitation. L'approche délicate du sujet et la personnalité particulière du personnage principal, fasciné par les lettres de l'alphabet, ont fini de m'accrocher. J'ai écrit à l'auteure pour lui faire part de la réflexion que son histoire avait suscité chez moi: ne sommes-nous pas tous prisonnier de quelque chose? N'avons-nous pas tous nos limites qui nous torturent et nous font demander si on peut jamais changer? Ne nous débattons-nous pas toujours à l'intérieur de nous-mêmes, comme prisonnier d'un même espace qui nous étouffe parfois? Un livre qui fait réfléchir quoi.
April 23, 2015
Spanning thirteen years, the fictional story of Simon Austen, an inmate incarcerated for murdering his girlfriend, Amanda Brooks, in 1979. The novel explores layers of the psychology of male inmates, their struggles with female relationships, childhood circumstances which led some of the young men to violence, their desire or lack thereof to examine their behaviors, attitudes, and to make change in their lives. Simon borrows library books while in prison and begins to define words and life with letters from the alphabet. His body is covered with word tattoos defining his ego, self-doubt, and emotions. Simon has "healthy" correspondence relationships with women. He misleads Vivienne Anne Whilden as to his true identity and she dumps him upon learning he is an inmate. A dysfunctional teen, Tasmin Rolls-Hamilton, needs more help than Simon. Simon is infatuated with his social worker, Bernadette Nightingale, and he uses sexual images of her in his therapy. A transvestite inmate, Victor, who becomes Charlotte final helps open psychological doors to Simon's future. Interesting twist of literature.
November 9, 2016
[Bill in Halifax told me about this]
I'll give this 5 as it convinced my totally, and was a great experience on the way.
The central character is in the nick for good reasons for a very long time and Page builds a picture of him and his inner self that seems compellingly accurate. The reviews from authoritative critics seem to confirm this, and she does it in a way that also creates a page turner. Forget all those televisations of UK prison life - this seems to be the real deal. But then - she spent a year as Writer in Residence at a UK nick and so, all the more, it seems likely that she knows what she is talking about.
And it's an examination of a chap with serious inner demons and his wrestling with them, which is not always pretty.
There's something just a little bit contrived about the closing developments but that's OK - it's not implausible at all. I'll read more of her books.
[Some 40 years ago I knew the author - she won't remember me, but I feel honoured!]
I'll give this 5 as it convinced my totally, and was a great experience on the way.
The central character is in the nick for good reasons for a very long time and Page builds a picture of him and his inner self that seems compellingly accurate. The reviews from authoritative critics seem to confirm this, and she does it in a way that also creates a page turner. Forget all those televisations of UK prison life - this seems to be the real deal. But then - she spent a year as Writer in Residence at a UK nick and so, all the more, it seems likely that she knows what she is talking about.
And it's an examination of a chap with serious inner demons and his wrestling with them, which is not always pretty.
There's something just a little bit contrived about the closing developments but that's OK - it's not implausible at all. I'll read more of her books.
[Some 40 years ago I knew the author - she won't remember me, but I feel honoured!]
January 29, 2016
This was not like a book I normally read. Much less pleasant and real-world-y. I wonder how realistic of a depiction of life in prison (in the late 80s-90s in Britain) this is. I'm sure prison is not fun either way. Don't think I would read it again but I did need to finish it to find out what happened.
July 21, 2014
This story shows the difference between a society that looks after its vulnerable and one that allows cracks to appear in the fabric of society.Simon a lifer has ad a very sad life.A single incapable mother who deserts him and a child welfare system that abandons him to the many cracks.His illiteracy alienates him on many levels and he is basically unable to even have a conversation with himself.He commits murder and becomes a lifer but a decision to learn to read opens up new worlds and ideas and even painful self reflexion.
January 8, 2015
* Admission: I judged this book by its cover. I was immediately drawn to the thick heavy paper with the obsessively typed letters, layers and layers and layers of them. I'm expecting a similarly stratified character in Simon.
I liked this, but I need to know so much more about Simon. A more detailed history would have been a good addition to the study of what makes Simon, Simon. Also, I know that this study could have gone on without end, seemingly like his life sentence, but the abrupt ending left me needing more. I'd love to read a sequel.
I liked this, but I need to know so much more about Simon. A more detailed history would have been a good addition to the study of what makes Simon, Simon. Also, I know that this study could have gone on without end, seemingly like his life sentence, but the abrupt ending left me needing more. I'd love to read a sequel.
August 11, 2015
Surprising and cleanly written, this book taught me a lot about how to create empathy for any character. I've never loved a book so much that was so far outside my normal reading wheelhouse and I credit all of that to Page's writing mastery. Well worth a read whether you loved Orange is the New Black but were looking for something deeper about prison or if you don't give a whit about prison lit. It's that good.
October 28, 2015
It did take me a little while to get through this book. I was on a reading binge and I think I wore myself out. But halfway in I really started to feel for the main character, even though he murdered his girlfriend for no reason whatsoever. Good job Kathy Page. It was a very interesting look at prisons and prison life and what goes on in reforming and reshaping the criminals so the can enter the world again and not end up back in prison.
September 14, 2010
Interesting idea. Following a prisoner as he learns to write and then writes his way through his sentence, coming to understand more and more about himself and the motivations behind his crime.
Thrilling, emotionally engaging and interesting. It seems Page made good use of her time as Writer in Residence at a prison.
Thrilling, emotionally engaging and interesting. It seems Page made good use of her time as Writer in Residence at a prison.
December 24, 2010
A young man is sentenced to life in prison in England and, in the guise of "therapy", he learns to read, and starts writing letters to women on the outside.
Of course, our sympathies end up with Simon, despite what he's done. Page does a good job of developing him as evil and sympathetic at the same time.
I'm pretty sure this book was nominated for the GGs.
Of course, our sympathies end up with Simon, despite what he's done. Page does a good job of developing him as evil and sympathetic at the same time.
I'm pretty sure this book was nominated for the GGs.
June 30, 2015
The 505 Vine book club chose this because we wanted to read something that would make us uncomfortable. It explores the question, "Are education and therapy sufficient to rehabilitate a confessed murderer--how much can a person really change?" I enjoyed seeing what Simon did on his own in addition to, and sometimes in contrast to, his formal therapy.
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