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The Sound of Loneliness
Manchester in 1991 is a town suffering under the weight of high unemployment and massive government budgetary deficits that is plunging the UK into a recession. To Daniel Crabtree, a struggling writer, it is the backcloth to his first novel, one that will see him become a famous published author. Living off mostly water and flour, Daniel has embraced penury into his life under the mistaken belief that many young artists have: one needs to suffer for success in art.
But Daniel is a terrible writer. In the three years since signing on the dole, of every morning chastising his Irish singing neighbour for waking him from his sleep, and scrounging food from his close friend Henry Soperton, Daniel Crabtree has produced one short story. His heart is bereft of words as much as his pockets are of money.
It is a story of love, and how a poor starving man chasing a dream came to the understanding that amidst the clamour of life, the sound of loneliness is the most deafening of all.
But Daniel is a terrible writer. In the three years since signing on the dole, of every morning chastising his Irish singing neighbour for waking him from his sleep, and scrounging food from his close friend Henry Soperton, Daniel Crabtree has produced one short story. His heart is bereft of words as much as his pockets are of money.
It is a story of love, and how a poor starving man chasing a dream came to the understanding that amidst the clamour of life, the sound of loneliness is the most deafening of all.
- GenresFiction
223 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2012
1 person is currently reading
452 people want to read
About the author
Craig Wallwork
31 books119 followersCraig Wallwork was born in Manchester, England. He is the three times Pushcart Prize nominated writer of over 50 short stories, and the author of the books The Sound of Loneliness, Bad People (Tom Nolan Book 1), Labyrinth of the Dolls (Tom Nolan Book 2), The Ghost of Stormer Hill (Tom Nolan Book 3), The Skin We Feel Most Comfortable In, Human Tenderloin, Quintessence of Dust, and Gory Hole. He lives in West Yorkshire, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
March 6, 2013
Daniel Crabtree reminds me of Ignatius P. Reilly. He's a self-professed writer who doesn't write, putting all his faith into the acceptance of his lone short story and its journey to non-publication, whilst deriding everything else in his path. Believing that solitude and suffering are the only way to create good art, he subjects himself to impoverished living on the dole, stringing his family along with predictions of his impending literary fame and its lifestyle accoutrements. The guy's quite an ass, though his descriptions of his world are bleakly hilarious and vile.
Wallwork's clever narration outshines his character's abilities, even as he's written in first person. That's my favorite thing about this book, that Crabtree is surrounded by colorful characters and events — if only the character could apply such skillful rendering to his own storytelling in the metadiegetic in-book writing. He does become more human and relatable over the course of the story as he allows himself to forge a couple of meaningful relationships that he knows are ultimately doomed.
There isn't a ton of plot in the book, mostly relying on description, and the pacing races a bit in the third act that I would like to have seen expanded more, but overall I found this very enjoyable with a grim sense of humor and some damn fine writing, which I've come to expect from having read the author's short stories.
Wallwork's clever narration outshines his character's abilities, even as he's written in first person. That's my favorite thing about this book, that Crabtree is surrounded by colorful characters and events — if only the character could apply such skillful rendering to his own storytelling in the metadiegetic in-book writing. He does become more human and relatable over the course of the story as he allows himself to forge a couple of meaningful relationships that he knows are ultimately doomed.
There isn't a ton of plot in the book, mostly relying on description, and the pacing races a bit in the third act that I would like to have seen expanded more, but overall I found this very enjoyable with a grim sense of humor and some damn fine writing, which I've come to expect from having read the author's short stories.
May 29, 2013
I just finished Craig Wallwork's Quintessence of Dust and couldn't wait to dive into Sound of Loneliness. The books couldn't have been more different from each other, a fact that I love. This is a very dark book that at times had me cringing at the edge of my seat. But I couldn't put it down. One of the first images that really haunted me was when he didn't have enough money for toilet paper and had to use his hands. I had wondered if this was one of those underdog stories where a guy rises from the ashes. Wallwork is too honest and good a writer to follow the tropes. More of a review to come later and mainly just wanted to express how much I enjoyed the book.
From the book: "Made real only in reflection, my life with Emma appeared a much better place once age became an insignificant equation. For that reason, I envied the path less travelled because it was paved with ideals and self-deluded pipedreams; those you know to be foolish yet are worthy of being labelled the fool for. By now her body would have ripened in my absence, the vile aspersions cast by those angry faces negated. There was no better time for a reunion."
From the book: "Made real only in reflection, my life with Emma appeared a much better place once age became an insignificant equation. For that reason, I envied the path less travelled because it was paved with ideals and self-deluded pipedreams; those you know to be foolish yet are worthy of being labelled the fool for. By now her body would have ripened in my absence, the vile aspersions cast by those angry faces negated. There was no better time for a reunion."
September 7, 2013
One thing I want to get across straight away about the 5 star rating: it's genuine.
My shallow taste in books does not usually allow for anything without a supernatural/sci-fi or fantasy element to it, and this book has none of those, so you would be forgiven for thinking that I gave it an automatic 5 stars because the book's in my 'authors I know' section, but I 'know' him because I have always admired his writing.
Anyway, there are plenty of good reasons why the 'it's amazing' tag is deserved.
The writing is exceptional. There was one particular chapter (19 I think) that really drove this home for me. For the majority of the book you get sucked into Daniel Crabtree's oxymoronic egocentric yet repressed personality in which the empathy is a meaty thing. You're enjoying the story, laughing at him (not really with him), feeling embarrassed for him, rolling your eyes at him, and then, that one chapter comes along. It goes flat. Numbingly flat. It's a deliberate stroke and it's genius - perfectly underlining that bleak episode of his life that should have been so fulfilling, but is utterly pointless for him. Absolutely masterful. And then Wallwork gets right back on the train with the remaining chapters and reminds you how good he is as a word-smith.
The emotional spectrum of this book is expertly handled too. One minute I am in grimacing hysterics over a particular funeral scene, and the next I'm gutted by the difficult decision he has had to make, or disgusted at something horrible he finds (and you're waiting for that thing to happen (I'm trying to avoid spoilers)).
Another aspect that I enjoyed was the way in which Daniel would often go into daydreams about how a particular situation would turn out. You just know it's not going to play out the way he thinks, and it's a clever way of showing the reader to expect the unexpected.
Yes, a fantastic book. Bitter sweet. It's grim up north.
My shallow taste in books does not usually allow for anything without a supernatural/sci-fi or fantasy element to it, and this book has none of those, so you would be forgiven for thinking that I gave it an automatic 5 stars because the book's in my 'authors I know' section, but I 'know' him because I have always admired his writing.
Anyway, there are plenty of good reasons why the 'it's amazing' tag is deserved.
The writing is exceptional. There was one particular chapter (19 I think) that really drove this home for me. For the majority of the book you get sucked into Daniel Crabtree's oxymoronic egocentric yet repressed personality in which the empathy is a meaty thing. You're enjoying the story, laughing at him (not really with him), feeling embarrassed for him, rolling your eyes at him, and then, that one chapter comes along. It goes flat. Numbingly flat. It's a deliberate stroke and it's genius - perfectly underlining that bleak episode of his life that should have been so fulfilling, but is utterly pointless for him. Absolutely masterful. And then Wallwork gets right back on the train with the remaining chapters and reminds you how good he is as a word-smith.
The emotional spectrum of this book is expertly handled too. One minute I am in grimacing hysterics over a particular funeral scene, and the next I'm gutted by the difficult decision he has had to make, or disgusted at something horrible he finds (and you're waiting for that thing to happen (I'm trying to avoid spoilers)).
Another aspect that I enjoyed was the way in which Daniel would often go into daydreams about how a particular situation would turn out. You just know it's not going to play out the way he thinks, and it's a clever way of showing the reader to expect the unexpected.
Yes, a fantastic book. Bitter sweet. It's grim up north.
Read
February 5, 2014I read an earlier version of this novel and loved it. It's very different from everything else I've read by Craig as it's firmly realism in the vein of John Fante and Charles Bukowski, with similar touches of humor and emotion.
Highly recommended.
My interview with Craig at Monkeybicycle.
Highly recommended.
My interview with Craig at Monkeybicycle.
February 7, 2016
Honest, witty and emotional, this book has much to offer and was deeply relatable to me. Well done.
April 17, 2013
The words of William Blake are quoted at the beginning of this novel:
‘Dear mother, Dear mother, the Church is cold, but the Alehouse is healthy, and pleasant, and warm.’
It doesn’t take long to work out that this opening is very apt.
Daniel Crabtree is a barfly of sorts – more of a pubfly really. The pubs he frequents don’t have any of the dramatic or romantic connotations that one often finds in American fiction, rather they are down to earth places where men hide out and hang out and do little of interest other than drink.
Crabtree is a writer. He’s written one story – a short story which isn’t good enough to get into his local rag. Fortunately, he has only a loathing for those who can’t see his genius and is convinced of his abilities as an author and imagines his future to involve literary awards and high praise.
In order to help his prospects, he moves out of his family home to live a life where a living is barely scraped together. Hunger, he thinks, will be the carriage of his muse.
The thing about Crabtree is that he has a point in regard to his own talents. When telling his own life story or having to invent tales on the spot to get out of tight spots he has a real ability to entertain. The detail into which he goes is often a little further than one might want him to , but he relates events with a curious and honest perception as well as with a wonderful sense of dry humour.
He is full of tales about his drinking, illnesses, his tricks for making sure his benefits aren’t stopped, his miserable living conditions, his encounters with women, fellow drinkers and his description of Salford and they are all superb. Episodes with his dying uncle had me laughing out loud and drawing unwanted attention on the train and there were many instances where I couldn’t believe that the words used had actually been written down (these are brave words completely unshackled by Politically Correctness, words which sometimes seem chosen to stick up two fingers at aspects of modern Britain).
It strikes me as appropriate that this was the book I was reading at the time of Margaret Thatcher’s death given that the novel is set in a post-Thatcherite world where there was a lot of polarisation in many different ways.
There was a time when I thought I’d celebrate the Iron Lady’s passing. Thought I’d put on Costello’s ‘Tramp The Dirt Down’ and dance on an imagined grave. Having lost my own mother last year, I can’t find it in me to feel good about it – I guess I’m getting old – but there’s a little happy bubble inside that I’m suppressing just now and it’s an act of suppression that Crabteree just wouldn’t understand.
The snapshot that Wallwork offers of an ‘it’s grim up north (and in lots of other places)’ Manchester pre-regeneration is clear and crisp. It certainly took me back. I’d like to think that one of Thatcher’s legacies was to set in motion voices of protest and a whole gang of reactionaries who turned to creative outlets and ended up presenting us with such fine works as this.
In ‘The Sound Of Loneliness’ we have a well-written novel that has many strands and many strengths. It’s a book that tells an interesting and entertaining story and that kept me engaged throughout. It follows a series of excellent works from Craig Wallwork and, as I’ve said before, he’s a man to whom admirers of a whole range of fiction should be paying attention.
‘Dear mother, Dear mother, the Church is cold, but the Alehouse is healthy, and pleasant, and warm.’
It doesn’t take long to work out that this opening is very apt.
Daniel Crabtree is a barfly of sorts – more of a pubfly really. The pubs he frequents don’t have any of the dramatic or romantic connotations that one often finds in American fiction, rather they are down to earth places where men hide out and hang out and do little of interest other than drink.
Crabtree is a writer. He’s written one story – a short story which isn’t good enough to get into his local rag. Fortunately, he has only a loathing for those who can’t see his genius and is convinced of his abilities as an author and imagines his future to involve literary awards and high praise.
In order to help his prospects, he moves out of his family home to live a life where a living is barely scraped together. Hunger, he thinks, will be the carriage of his muse.
The thing about Crabtree is that he has a point in regard to his own talents. When telling his own life story or having to invent tales on the spot to get out of tight spots he has a real ability to entertain. The detail into which he goes is often a little further than one might want him to , but he relates events with a curious and honest perception as well as with a wonderful sense of dry humour.
He is full of tales about his drinking, illnesses, his tricks for making sure his benefits aren’t stopped, his miserable living conditions, his encounters with women, fellow drinkers and his description of Salford and they are all superb. Episodes with his dying uncle had me laughing out loud and drawing unwanted attention on the train and there were many instances where I couldn’t believe that the words used had actually been written down (these are brave words completely unshackled by Politically Correctness, words which sometimes seem chosen to stick up two fingers at aspects of modern Britain).
It strikes me as appropriate that this was the book I was reading at the time of Margaret Thatcher’s death given that the novel is set in a post-Thatcherite world where there was a lot of polarisation in many different ways.
There was a time when I thought I’d celebrate the Iron Lady’s passing. Thought I’d put on Costello’s ‘Tramp The Dirt Down’ and dance on an imagined grave. Having lost my own mother last year, I can’t find it in me to feel good about it – I guess I’m getting old – but there’s a little happy bubble inside that I’m suppressing just now and it’s an act of suppression that Crabteree just wouldn’t understand.
The snapshot that Wallwork offers of an ‘it’s grim up north (and in lots of other places)’ Manchester pre-regeneration is clear and crisp. It certainly took me back. I’d like to think that one of Thatcher’s legacies was to set in motion voices of protest and a whole gang of reactionaries who turned to creative outlets and ended up presenting us with such fine works as this.
In ‘The Sound Of Loneliness’ we have a well-written novel that has many strands and many strengths. It’s a book that tells an interesting and entertaining story and that kept me engaged throughout. It follows a series of excellent works from Craig Wallwork and, as I’ve said before, he’s a man to whom admirers of a whole range of fiction should be paying attention.
November 28, 2013
The backdrop is Manchester in 1991 during high unemployment, befitting for the idealistic writer who starves himself to pen the next great novel. In Craig Wallwork’s The Sound of Loneliness, Daniel Crabtree goes through great lengths to prove he’s a good writer to everyone, even if it means lofty lies about his success.
There is just one problem. Daniel isn’t writing and his best friend’s paper has just turned down one of his short stories. For much of the novel, the reader follows Daniel in and out of pubs as he tries to keep warm and scrounge for food, and barely gets by on unemployment aid. Filled with too many smelly bathroom details for my taste, the novel finally begins to show what’s at stake, other than Daniel’s pride, in chapter five, when he has to check on his dying Uncle Billy.
A nurturing side of Daniel emerges versus the brooding sentiment that never leaves him. It is here that I would’ve liked the novel to begin, because only then do I get to see who Daniel really is. While the flashbacks of a dysfunctional relationship with his father showed how a disheartened attitude fostered in his life, the moments spent with Uncle Billy gave me someone to root for. In one touching scene, Daniel looks upon his uncle with fondness.
“As I said my farewells, I leaned into him and kissed his forehead. It was delicate, quick, but nonetheless, a kiss. I have never kissed a man before. It was hard enough finding a woman to kiss, but a man, no, it was not the done thing… After my father’s death, he was the only person, aside from my mother, who made the effort to console me.”
Wallwork’s description of detail and Daniel’s agony as an alcoholic is stunningly beautiful. His voice is witty, sarcastic, insightful and honest. One of my favorite passages is Daniel’s observation of a drunken man who “measured his life not in years, but in women… In truth, what I now recall from the conversation was that the man had been fucked over a lot, and had his heart broken in equal measure. He had become quite a misogynist…”
Later, when the 15-year-old Emma enters Daniel’s life, it is then that I realized Daniel was speaking about himself, not the old man. He did admit his summation of the drunken man was his own interpretation. When the story stops wasting Daniel’s time in the pub or the bathroom, or reminding us that he’s hungry and down on his luck, I didn’t want to put it down. This was especially the case when the book gets a little Joyce Carol Oates-ish when Daniel is conflicted with his emotions for the young Emma, being more than 15 years older than her.
A family nuisance to his brother, something to be pitied by his mother, and an outsider in his family, Daniel had not known real love until a young girl showed concern and interest. He is taken aback by Emma’s affect on him, and, at the same time guilt-ridden, but Wallwork makes a difficult, touchy topic easy to understand, without looking upon this unlikely relationship with disgust. It is the universal need to be loved and accepted that Wallwork taps into, underneath this forbidden attraction. By the end of the novel, he had managed to make me like Daniel, which I thought was impossible in the beginning.
There is just one problem. Daniel isn’t writing and his best friend’s paper has just turned down one of his short stories. For much of the novel, the reader follows Daniel in and out of pubs as he tries to keep warm and scrounge for food, and barely gets by on unemployment aid. Filled with too many smelly bathroom details for my taste, the novel finally begins to show what’s at stake, other than Daniel’s pride, in chapter five, when he has to check on his dying Uncle Billy.
A nurturing side of Daniel emerges versus the brooding sentiment that never leaves him. It is here that I would’ve liked the novel to begin, because only then do I get to see who Daniel really is. While the flashbacks of a dysfunctional relationship with his father showed how a disheartened attitude fostered in his life, the moments spent with Uncle Billy gave me someone to root for. In one touching scene, Daniel looks upon his uncle with fondness.
“As I said my farewells, I leaned into him and kissed his forehead. It was delicate, quick, but nonetheless, a kiss. I have never kissed a man before. It was hard enough finding a woman to kiss, but a man, no, it was not the done thing… After my father’s death, he was the only person, aside from my mother, who made the effort to console me.”
Wallwork’s description of detail and Daniel’s agony as an alcoholic is stunningly beautiful. His voice is witty, sarcastic, insightful and honest. One of my favorite passages is Daniel’s observation of a drunken man who “measured his life not in years, but in women… In truth, what I now recall from the conversation was that the man had been fucked over a lot, and had his heart broken in equal measure. He had become quite a misogynist…”
Later, when the 15-year-old Emma enters Daniel’s life, it is then that I realized Daniel was speaking about himself, not the old man. He did admit his summation of the drunken man was his own interpretation. When the story stops wasting Daniel’s time in the pub or the bathroom, or reminding us that he’s hungry and down on his luck, I didn’t want to put it down. This was especially the case when the book gets a little Joyce Carol Oates-ish when Daniel is conflicted with his emotions for the young Emma, being more than 15 years older than her.
A family nuisance to his brother, something to be pitied by his mother, and an outsider in his family, Daniel had not known real love until a young girl showed concern and interest. He is taken aback by Emma’s affect on him, and, at the same time guilt-ridden, but Wallwork makes a difficult, touchy topic easy to understand, without looking upon this unlikely relationship with disgust. It is the universal need to be loved and accepted that Wallwork taps into, underneath this forbidden attraction. By the end of the novel, he had managed to make me like Daniel, which I thought was impossible in the beginning.
April 18, 2013
Rich word choice and writing style grabbed and held my interest from the first page! I love words...parsimony, gormless, ameliorate, malodorous, lynched...you get the idea. These rich sprinklings add to the story itself, contributing to the irony of Daniel Crabtree longing to be a successful writer. "It is true that as September rolled in on the last of the warm breeze, I was dying, but not of starvation. Death was an all-consuming lack of confidence." Poor Daniel (his story, when rejected, was referred to as 'toilet fodder')...even the lady working at the unemployment office had a short story published in the Manchester Evening News.
Dark humor, one of my favorite story elements, was also an integral part of Daniel's story. "Being around my father had afforded me compassion to the lonely and deprived. From an early age, I had learnt that booze could centre a man when the world around him turned on an unsympathetic axis...One day my dream of being a professional boxer ended after the pub my father went in was converted to a Chinese takeaway [restaurant]. He walked in to the gym, put on my coat, and said, 'The Lord Giveth, son, and the Chinese take away.' "
The Sound of Loneliness contains excellent use of simile and metaphor, which in my opinion, is integral to an intriguing novel. When present in a story, precisely written and used appropriately, I get novel goosebumps (ooh, good pun). Craig Wallwork wrote some true golden nuggets:
"Structures of varying size plagued the road like panhandlers and tortured dogs."
"...Salford was a city endlessly caught on the final stroke of midnight, where a misplaced glass slipper lost in haste suggested an unseen beauty existed, but all that remained in its place were the much uglier sisters."
"Though no gates or fences prohibited me from leaving this town to see if happiness lay beyond its boundaries, I was scared to go anywhere lest the dream was more depressing than the reality. It is true to say I was tethered to these streets by some ethereal warden who delivered sermons on the unknown, and lectures on its dangers."
I don't write 5-star reviews often. This novel deserves 5 stars! The Sound of Loneliness is touching, interesting, and entertaining. It made me think of people I've come across in my life who resembled Daniel's thought processes. Have you ever met someone like Daniel Crabtree?
Dark humor, one of my favorite story elements, was also an integral part of Daniel's story. "Being around my father had afforded me compassion to the lonely and deprived. From an early age, I had learnt that booze could centre a man when the world around him turned on an unsympathetic axis...One day my dream of being a professional boxer ended after the pub my father went in was converted to a Chinese takeaway [restaurant]. He walked in to the gym, put on my coat, and said, 'The Lord Giveth, son, and the Chinese take away.' "
The Sound of Loneliness contains excellent use of simile and metaphor, which in my opinion, is integral to an intriguing novel. When present in a story, precisely written and used appropriately, I get novel goosebumps (ooh, good pun). Craig Wallwork wrote some true golden nuggets:
"Structures of varying size plagued the road like panhandlers and tortured dogs."
"...Salford was a city endlessly caught on the final stroke of midnight, where a misplaced glass slipper lost in haste suggested an unseen beauty existed, but all that remained in its place were the much uglier sisters."
"Though no gates or fences prohibited me from leaving this town to see if happiness lay beyond its boundaries, I was scared to go anywhere lest the dream was more depressing than the reality. It is true to say I was tethered to these streets by some ethereal warden who delivered sermons on the unknown, and lectures on its dangers."
I don't write 5-star reviews often. This novel deserves 5 stars! The Sound of Loneliness is touching, interesting, and entertaining. It made me think of people I've come across in my life who resembled Daniel's thought processes. Have you ever met someone like Daniel Crabtree?
March 24, 2013
This book was described to me as a writers book. I don't know what that means. If it means a lyrical delivery and staggeringly good prose, than yes, it is a writers book.
What I loved about this book is that the plot is thin, there isn't much undulations to it. I imagine the Author will hate me for saying it, but there isn't much going on, other than a pastiche of life itself. What is fantastic about this piece of work is in how it delivers the almost mundane and at times bleak narrative. Every single page could be torn out and used as a piece of poetry in itself. The prose sugar coats the painful, but just enough to want to get your mouth around. The bleakness is painted familiar, the tragedy romantic.
A tale of one man and his journey or lack of through ambition, and lack of talent. Love and acceptance that we are all not destined for greatness. It has been likened to 'The Catcher in the Rye' by Salinger, but it is in a whole league above in every aspect. The Sound of Loneliness, while bleak, is very funny. Superb descriptions with bitter wit and a honesty. There is a depth of feeling in this that you rarely get. The beautiful writing elevates the context and you can't help having a feeling of smugness because you get what Wallwark was trying to achieve, and does in a mighty fashion.
Bleakly beautiful, darkly witty and with a pace that is a true mirror of life, there is a romance to The Sound of Loneliness that I think is in us all. It is a master class and a wonderful piece of work.
What I loved about this book is that the plot is thin, there isn't much undulations to it. I imagine the Author will hate me for saying it, but there isn't much going on, other than a pastiche of life itself. What is fantastic about this piece of work is in how it delivers the almost mundane and at times bleak narrative. Every single page could be torn out and used as a piece of poetry in itself. The prose sugar coats the painful, but just enough to want to get your mouth around. The bleakness is painted familiar, the tragedy romantic.
A tale of one man and his journey or lack of through ambition, and lack of talent. Love and acceptance that we are all not destined for greatness. It has been likened to 'The Catcher in the Rye' by Salinger, but it is in a whole league above in every aspect. The Sound of Loneliness, while bleak, is very funny. Superb descriptions with bitter wit and a honesty. There is a depth of feeling in this that you rarely get. The beautiful writing elevates the context and you can't help having a feeling of smugness because you get what Wallwark was trying to achieve, and does in a mighty fashion.
Bleakly beautiful, darkly witty and with a pace that is a true mirror of life, there is a romance to The Sound of Loneliness that I think is in us all. It is a master class and a wonderful piece of work.
February 26, 2013
Before this I thought of Craig Wallwork as a friend in the writing community that we are both part of. He wrote a fantastic book. But, now, I guess it's a lot more - I think of him as a teacher.
February 2, 2013
I'm only a quarter of the way through this book, but I have to remember - I was sleeping, arsewipe. For my review. Too funny...
Yup, it made me laugh throughout, but uncle (writing) that arsewipe comment had me laughing the most. Here is my full review:
I said somewhere that after reading the first half of – Loneliness, it felt like I was experiencing my first real influence of 2013. Having just finished reading this fine story today that initial feeling still holds true.
I don’t really want to talk about the simple way Loneliness is written, in terms of sentence construction and word usage and how I always prefer reading stories written this way, but I guess I just have so that part of the review will have to remain.
We all get different things from a story, depending upon our own life experiences and I want to talk about the things I got from this story as both a reader and a writer. Okay, firstly, as a reader, I felt a connection with the story setting and characters. I was born and bred in North East England in the sixties, while this story is based in North West England in the nineties. Despite that, the author has captured and written part of my early life too. This tells me Loneliness has a great chance of longevity, it shouldn’t ever feel out of fashion, it will still feel relevant in twenty or more years’ time.
I recognised much about the way the characters live and behave as well as the humour that constantly runs through each page. If it wasn’t for the humour, you wouldn’t survive this sort of life. Loneliness had me smiling throughout, more so than feeling down and out. That’s testament to the author’s craft. Mr Wallwork certainly knows how to put across a distressing moment, without turning the reader off. And reading Daniel Crabtree’s story, it felt like I should really dislike this character, contrary to that feeling, I liked him a lot. He reminded me of Alex, in Clockwork Orange, not because of the things he did and the life he led, but because of his voice. The way he described people and his naïve manner, despite the harsh life he lived, was archetypal Alex for me. If Daniel lived in another world, a Clockwork Orange world, I could see him becoming Alex.
As a reader, after finishing Loneliness, I wanted to read more Wallwork, so I was pleased to download Quintessence of Dust, a collection of short stories that the author states as being different to Sol – it’s got magical realism, surrealism, bizzaro and absurdity, he said.
As a writer, I wondered how much of Craig Wallwork was inside Dan Crabtree. Quoting Mr Wallwork, – Any author who tells you their protagonist is nothing like them is lying. We are all our creations...maybe more exaggerated versions, but nonetheless we are the father, the son and the holy-fucking-shit to our characters. I guess that tells us there is a lot of the author in the main protagonist. I like that.
I also like the way the story felt, like it was grounding me, giving me a sense of my own writing and how I needed to keep things real, despite the crazy circumstances I put my characters into. It’s important that the reader believes in the authors characters, like I believed in all of the crazy characters in Sol. Being a relatively new writer, Sol also gave me a sense of how far I can take my own stories and the kind of things I can write about. Yeah, Sol has helped me to believe I can take my characters a little further on their paths towards a story end.
On a subconscious level, I think Sol is going to be an ever present influence when I’m writing and after I finished reading The Sound of Loneliness, as a writer, I wanted to sit down and write again. I think that is the best compliment I can give a writer.
Enough of me reviewing, I’ve got some serious writing to attend to, but thanks anyway Craig, I’ve found another book to place alongside those few I return to for inspiration and to read again.
Yup, it made me laugh throughout, but uncle (writing) that arsewipe comment had me laughing the most. Here is my full review:
I said somewhere that after reading the first half of – Loneliness, it felt like I was experiencing my first real influence of 2013. Having just finished reading this fine story today that initial feeling still holds true.
I don’t really want to talk about the simple way Loneliness is written, in terms of sentence construction and word usage and how I always prefer reading stories written this way, but I guess I just have so that part of the review will have to remain.
We all get different things from a story, depending upon our own life experiences and I want to talk about the things I got from this story as both a reader and a writer. Okay, firstly, as a reader, I felt a connection with the story setting and characters. I was born and bred in North East England in the sixties, while this story is based in North West England in the nineties. Despite that, the author has captured and written part of my early life too. This tells me Loneliness has a great chance of longevity, it shouldn’t ever feel out of fashion, it will still feel relevant in twenty or more years’ time.
I recognised much about the way the characters live and behave as well as the humour that constantly runs through each page. If it wasn’t for the humour, you wouldn’t survive this sort of life. Loneliness had me smiling throughout, more so than feeling down and out. That’s testament to the author’s craft. Mr Wallwork certainly knows how to put across a distressing moment, without turning the reader off. And reading Daniel Crabtree’s story, it felt like I should really dislike this character, contrary to that feeling, I liked him a lot. He reminded me of Alex, in Clockwork Orange, not because of the things he did and the life he led, but because of his voice. The way he described people and his naïve manner, despite the harsh life he lived, was archetypal Alex for me. If Daniel lived in another world, a Clockwork Orange world, I could see him becoming Alex.
As a reader, after finishing Loneliness, I wanted to read more Wallwork, so I was pleased to download Quintessence of Dust, a collection of short stories that the author states as being different to Sol – it’s got magical realism, surrealism, bizzaro and absurdity, he said.
As a writer, I wondered how much of Craig Wallwork was inside Dan Crabtree. Quoting Mr Wallwork, – Any author who tells you their protagonist is nothing like them is lying. We are all our creations...maybe more exaggerated versions, but nonetheless we are the father, the son and the holy-fucking-shit to our characters. I guess that tells us there is a lot of the author in the main protagonist. I like that.
I also like the way the story felt, like it was grounding me, giving me a sense of my own writing and how I needed to keep things real, despite the crazy circumstances I put my characters into. It’s important that the reader believes in the authors characters, like I believed in all of the crazy characters in Sol. Being a relatively new writer, Sol also gave me a sense of how far I can take my own stories and the kind of things I can write about. Yeah, Sol has helped me to believe I can take my characters a little further on their paths towards a story end.
On a subconscious level, I think Sol is going to be an ever present influence when I’m writing and after I finished reading The Sound of Loneliness, as a writer, I wanted to sit down and write again. I think that is the best compliment I can give a writer.
Enough of me reviewing, I’ve got some serious writing to attend to, but thanks anyway Craig, I’ve found another book to place alongside those few I return to for inspiration and to read again.
January 28, 2013
Superbly written tale!
Terrific Book!
Brilliantly Unique!
Daniel Crabtree is a magnificence main character. He is 'both' the antagonist and protagonist in his own life; which much more closely resembles real life.
The 'feelings', (anger, disappointment, frustration, hopelessness, hope, sadness, etc.), we experience through Daniel are universal --yet somehow Daniel's feels a little more 'extreme'.
I appreciate that the author never asks the reader to feel sorry for Daniel. In fact, you fall in love with *Danny*,(while at the same time want to smack him).
This is the first book I've read by this author. He gives a modern fresh voice and perspective to contemporary fiction. I love it!
People who enjoy J.D. Salinger might really enjoy this book. I think 'everyone' would enjoy it.
Its amusing --and entertaining --as well as powerful!
SIDE NOTE: Being an American ---I got a kick out of the way Craig Wallwork writes. I understand he lives in West Yorkshire, England. (its fun to read his 'SLANT' on words which just don't feel *American-style*).
Lines I smiled at were simple ones like this:
1)"I was *SAT* on the bench, eating a cheese and onion pasty, when she walked past."
2) "Nar fook off out of me sight".
3) "it later to paper".
4) "Take off your fooking shoes".
One of my personal favorite parts of this book was when Daniel was making up a story about a humble pie fitter for his Uncle Billy. (A Story of Mistaken Identity). Soooooo many charming moments on every page.
ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: About the COVER of this book! Its AWESOME!! I just want to keep looking at it!
I kept looking and looking and looking....
THEN...
made a little discovery:
(note I have great close-up vision for a 60 year old fart) --I do not need glasses yet.
I kept trying to read WHAT BOOK was the guy on the cover of "The Sound of Loneliness" reading??
Well, its "The Grapes of Wrath". How PERFECT is THAT!!!!
Here's a quote by John Steinbeck which I think fits 'both' "The Grapes of Wrath" and "The Sound of Loneliness":
"In the eyes of the hungry, there is a growing wrath"
FABULOUS BOOK!!!
Congrats to the author!
Terrific Book!
Brilliantly Unique!
Daniel Crabtree is a magnificence main character. He is 'both' the antagonist and protagonist in his own life; which much more closely resembles real life.
The 'feelings', (anger, disappointment, frustration, hopelessness, hope, sadness, etc.), we experience through Daniel are universal --yet somehow Daniel's feels a little more 'extreme'.
I appreciate that the author never asks the reader to feel sorry for Daniel. In fact, you fall in love with *Danny*,(while at the same time want to smack him).
This is the first book I've read by this author. He gives a modern fresh voice and perspective to contemporary fiction. I love it!
People who enjoy J.D. Salinger might really enjoy this book. I think 'everyone' would enjoy it.
Its amusing --and entertaining --as well as powerful!
SIDE NOTE: Being an American ---I got a kick out of the way Craig Wallwork writes. I understand he lives in West Yorkshire, England. (its fun to read his 'SLANT' on words which just don't feel *American-style*).
Lines I smiled at were simple ones like this:
1)"I was *SAT* on the bench, eating a cheese and onion pasty, when she walked past."
2) "Nar fook off out of me sight".
3) "it later to paper".
4) "Take off your fooking shoes".
One of my personal favorite parts of this book was when Daniel was making up a story about a humble pie fitter for his Uncle Billy. (A Story of Mistaken Identity). Soooooo many charming moments on every page.
ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: About the COVER of this book! Its AWESOME!! I just want to keep looking at it!
I kept looking and looking and looking....
THEN...
made a little discovery:
(note I have great close-up vision for a 60 year old fart) --I do not need glasses yet.
I kept trying to read WHAT BOOK was the guy on the cover of "The Sound of Loneliness" reading??
Well, its "The Grapes of Wrath". How PERFECT is THAT!!!!
Here's a quote by John Steinbeck which I think fits 'both' "The Grapes of Wrath" and "The Sound of Loneliness":
"In the eyes of the hungry, there is a growing wrath"
FABULOUS BOOK!!!
Congrats to the author!
October 4, 2014
3.5 stars
Did you take a good look at the cover? Isn’t it so creative? I really liked it. And the title is catchy too. Reason enough to pick this book? Maybe.
As usual having not read the blurb, I had no idea what I was getting myself into except for the title and the cover. So imagine my surprise at the raw and in-your-face tone of the book. It goes deep, much deeper than the words on the periphery.
If you give this book time (which is essential especially if you, like me, love a speedy read instead of one that barely moves), it evolves into something else entirely. There is this basic, raw feel to it which is kind of strange, even ‘eww’y at times but therein lies the reality, the crux of this book.
The feelings come through so stark naked – the desperation, the make-believe, even the chewing of food is felt. Did I just lost you there? Well, that’s how I felt while reading the book. I kind of got the insanity while at times wanting to slap the main character for his idiocy.
I’m not sure about the sound of loneliness but the book did make me feel so many things. It’s just unlike anything I have ever read. And even though I was tempted to give up a number of times because I am too ADD for slow-moving books, I held on and am glad I did. It was worth it.
The book is deep on so many levels that I hope to re-read it sometime in the near future to derive it all.
Overall, a raw-y, eww-y kind of deep, dark read that makes you fall off the wagon. :-p
Recommended for readers who aren’t looking for a nice, fluffy, happy-go-lucky book.
Did you take a good look at the cover? Isn’t it so creative? I really liked it. And the title is catchy too. Reason enough to pick this book? Maybe.
As usual having not read the blurb, I had no idea what I was getting myself into except for the title and the cover. So imagine my surprise at the raw and in-your-face tone of the book. It goes deep, much deeper than the words on the periphery.
If you give this book time (which is essential especially if you, like me, love a speedy read instead of one that barely moves), it evolves into something else entirely. There is this basic, raw feel to it which is kind of strange, even ‘eww’y at times but therein lies the reality, the crux of this book.
The feelings come through so stark naked – the desperation, the make-believe, even the chewing of food is felt. Did I just lost you there? Well, that’s how I felt while reading the book. I kind of got the insanity while at times wanting to slap the main character for his idiocy.
I’m not sure about the sound of loneliness but the book did make me feel so many things. It’s just unlike anything I have ever read. And even though I was tempted to give up a number of times because I am too ADD for slow-moving books, I held on and am glad I did. It was worth it.
The book is deep on so many levels that I hope to re-read it sometime in the near future to derive it all.
Overall, a raw-y, eww-y kind of deep, dark read that makes you fall off the wagon. :-p
Recommended for readers who aren’t looking for a nice, fluffy, happy-go-lucky book.
January 2, 2013
Craig Wallwork truly does have a steady voice of wits and honesty throughout the entire novel. The language used is both dark and beautiful. I don't think anyone would be disappointed in it.
I'd never read any of his work before and this was truly a treat. I recommend this book for writers. Craig Wallwork is a writer's writer.
Also, I've already coined using Crabtree as an adjective, you people are welcome for that.
Thank me later.
Sincerely,
Laramore Black
Editor of SYW Magazine
I'd never read any of his work before and this was truly a treat. I recommend this book for writers. Craig Wallwork is a writer's writer.
Also, I've already coined using Crabtree as an adjective, you people are welcome for that.
Thank me later.
Sincerely,
Laramore Black
Editor of SYW Magazine
January 22, 2013
Hear our complete review over at our website: http://www.bookedpodcast.com/2013/01/...
April 18, 2013
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Something has always resonated with me in the first stanza of the poem above by Christina Rosetti.
This has been a long, painstakingly, dreary winter and spring. There are still huge snow banks. The sidewalks have turned to ice skating lanes as the temperatures warm up during the day, but freeze during the night. Nothing about this winter made me desire to spend it anywhere other than inside the four or five rooms I call home.
So, I haven't left any more than necessary. I've read, and read and read some more, and cooked and plotted and planned for the ONE DAY SOON that spring will come. I've found treasure, the purgatory of Angel Falls, and a Stranger Will to make me keep plodding through all the snow.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, I happened upon a trio of excellence the third being The Sound of Loneliness, brought to me by the lovely Emlyn Chand.
This review may be more sparse than some of you are used to. Fear not, there will still be a recipe, a few star trek references or more, and all the craziness that is me.
However, this book requires thoughtfulness, and contemplation, and a quite black, white and grey aire to accompany it.
When I opened the email with my review copies attached, this was actually the first book I opened. It was the one I'd been lolly-gagging over on GoodReads for quite sometime, and am still contemplating buying a paperback. I think I'd like to add it to my very large book collection. It might just keep me company next winter, and everyone after.
I'd put a picture of a funny cat here, or even an angry one, but I'm just too sad and lonely to attempt a lame joke that underscores the book. It's a read that's meant to be imagined, in all it's sadness and tragedy. It's was not a book that made me laugh, but it was an important book to read. It made me feel not so lonely in the bleak midwinter. Even if the reason I don't feel alone is because I can identify with something as sad as this subject matter - I suppose that's still something.
This book made me think A LOT, especially about the world today and all the parallels we can draw between Canada, the UK, the USA, and how our class and social structures work.
This book is NOT for the light-hearted. It's meaty, and will make you ponder. It reminds me of a lot of Margaret Laurences writing, especially the Stone Angel and The Diviners. It's melancholy and dreary, and the perfect book for a long cold winter, and even colder more miserable spring.
I've spent a lot of my own time wondering just when we're going to head back into the 'Great Depression'. This book didn't make me feel any better about it. When I first tried to read it, I made it to Chapter 2 and decided to take a break. It was just too important to read in the wrong frame of mind. It was a little like wanting to watch Star Trek, and only having Star Wars around. There are times when both universes are
When we're alone, and especially in the case of our main character, sometimes our brain gets the best of us. This is a situation I am intimately accustomed to. On the one hand, it can inspire the writer to a whole new level of rantings, made up worlds and conspiracy theories good for story telling.
On the other, it's not the most particularly healthy way to live life.
This heart wrenching, and all to painfully real story whether set in the 1990's or today made me realize that writing and living the artist's life are worth it. Even if they are tragic.
About the Book - About the Author - Prizes!!!
Welcome to Novel Publicity's first ever publishing house blog tour. Join us as three new titles from Perfect Edge--we're calling them the Perfect Edge Trifecta--tour the blogosphere in a way that just can't be ignored. And, hey, we've got prizes!
About the book: Manchester in 1991 is a town suffering under the weight of high unemployment and massive government budgetary deficits that is plunging the UK into a recession.
To Daniel Crabtree, a struggling writer, it is the backcloth to his first novel, one that will see him become a famous published author. Living off mostly water and flour, Daniel has embraced penury into his life under the mistaken belief that many young artists have: one needs to suffer for success in art. But Daniel is a terrible writer. In the three years since signing on the dole, of every morning chastising his Irish singing neighbour for waking him from his sleep, and scrounging food from his close friend Henry Soperton, Daniel Crabtree has produced one short story. His heart is bereft of words as much as his pockets are of money.
The Sound of Loneliness is a story of love, and how a poor starving man chasing a dream came to the understanding that amidst the clamour of life, the sound of loneliness is the most deafening of all.
Pick up your copy of this Literary/ Urban Life/ Black Comedy through Amazon US, Amazon UK, or Barnes & Noble.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjJYK...]
About the author: Craig Wallwork lives in West Yorkshire, England. He is an artist, filmmaker and writer. His short stories have appeared in many publications in the US and the UK. He is the author of the short story collection Quintessence of Dust, and the novels To Die Upon a Kiss and The Sound of Loneliness. Craig is also the fiction editor at Menacing Hedge Magazine. Connect with Craig on his website, Facebook, GoodReads, or Twitter.About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win either of two $25 Amazon gift cards, an autographed copy of The Sound of Loneliness, or an autographed copy of one of its tour mates, Stranger Will by Caleb J Ross or Angel Falls by Michael Paul Gonzalez. Here's what you need to do...
Enter the Rafflecopter contest
Leave a comment on my blog.
That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win a $25 gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found here. The other $25 gift card and the 3 autographed books will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Perfect Edge Trifecta tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!
Perfect Edge Books was founded in late 2011 to unite authors whose books weren't "obviously" commercial. Our books tend to sit in various genres all at once: literary fiction, satire, neo-noir, sci-fi, experimental prose. We believe that literary doesn't have to mean difficult, and that difficult doesn't just mean pointless. We prefer to cultivate a word-of-mouth approach to marketing, and keep production as simple as we can. Learn more at www.PerfectEdgeBooks.com.
Learn more about The Sound of Loneliness's tour mates HERE.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Wait! I bet you want to know what I ate while I was reading THAT book now don't you.
Well, it wasn't bannock, although I have a few close friends who make bannock most excellent.
Instead, it was pancakes. You'll find the pancake recipe here later this afternoon, as well as more review. (In all likeliness.)
Pancakes you way? Where are my pancakes?
There's here: Naimeless
April 18, 2013
If you enjoy my review of THE SOUND OF LONELINESS - please visit my blog, it has TONS of great book reviews, writing, commentary, photos and other fun stuff: http://growinguplittle.wordpress.com/
The main character of this book is Daniel Crabtree. He is in his early 20′s and has recently moved out from his mother’s house, his father having died when he was 13 years old. He is now living on his own, considers himself a struggling writer and living from some sort of government welfare. He thinks that in order to become the great writer he believes himself to be, he must be subjected to great suffering. In this way, he will obtain the tools needed to write his great masterpiece. Suffering he seems to be willing to do but the actually writing… not so much.
Daniel Crabtree drives me crazy, which is why I ended up having a love/hate relationship with this book!
Let me explain.
First the love....
I adored the way the author described things. The imagery used in this novel, is five-star quality for sure. For example:
No matter what floor you arrived at, an old bicycle would be propped up against one of its walls, the front tyre missing or handlebars rusted. A few of the residents hung window-baskets or mounted brackets for hanging baskets. There were never any flowers in them.
This novel is FULL of gems like the one above. His description of people, places and things, goes way beyond average. For that alone, Craig Wallwork is one to watch.
I loved the dark comedy woven through out this story. An example is when Daniel enters into his cancer stricken Uncle Billy’s apartment to discover, what he thinks is his deceased body on the toilet. His reaction:
My experience in dealing with the dead was at novice level. I tried to remember films and television shows where the actor had stumbled upon a dead body to understand the correct procedure for such an event. They used the phone to ring the police, and when the police arrived, the person who found the body was usually accused of killing the person. I returned the receiver and sat on the couch to mull it all over.
Another example of this dark comedy was when Daniel’s son was born weak and with only half a stomach. His reaction:
I couldn’t see the complications of having a baby that needed only half the food of other babies, and probably shat less too, but I had to accept their efforts in wanting to provide us with a fully formed child.
Many characters in The Sound of Loneliness, suffer from alcoholism. The author describes alcoholism and its realities so vividly. At times the author relieves the reader and numbs that reality down effectively, with his use of dark humour… but the deep sadness of it, still remains and exposes a necessary and accurate truth. This is a difficult balance to achieve but Craig Wallwork does so quite gracefully. He writes:
It struck me that most of the people who drank were just waiting for their end, seeing out the hours among those already dying…
Now the hate.
By the end of the book, the main character made me nauseous with his way of avoiding responsibility for his own life and his own choices. As a reader, I had hoped and had expected him to obtain some self-awareness or some maturity by the end of the novel. It didn’t happen. The character remained stagnant. A true sense of himself, always out of reach and well beyond his reasonable grasp. His fanciful dreams and wishful thinking was supported only by his ego and certainly not by any actions taken on his own part.
Daniel ‘inherits’ Emma, when his Uncle dies. Emma is a beautifully compassionate and unselfish 15 year-old girl. A girl who, a character like Daniel certainly needs in his life but in no way deserves.
Emma wanted to understand me, and I guess she wanted to understand love too. Never had I wanted to sit with a person and talk about life and the silliness of it all more than I did with Emma. I wanted to brush the hair from her eyes and articulate the mistakes maturity brings. Wisdom does not come with age, only with experience.
The above quote (which is from Daniel’s perspective) is evidence of his self-delusion and his grandiose sense of self. Daniel is 8 years older than Emma but she already has more wisdom, kindness, and compassion for others than he does or ever will. The connection between Daniel and Emma, brings such hope to the reader that he will grow up because of her influence but he does not. He allows their age difference to be an insurmountable obstacle and he abruptly ends their friendship with no true explanation to Emma, an impressionable, young and vulnerable girl. The way that Daniel handles himself at the end of their friendship, is cruel and unforgivable.
Near the end of the book, Daniel returns to his home town, novel unwritten and all short stories he has actually written - rejected. He considers himself to be a lowly workingman with a mortgage, a wife and child – something he never wanted. Daniel expected better than that for himself. He feels that he has failed and he is right. Not because he is unpublished but because he can not appreciate himself, even see himself, as he is. He rejects the people and the love that is available to him. He is ungrateful, miserable and lonely and the only person or thing to blame, is himself.
As a reader, I can not forgive this character for being so unyielding, so depressing, so unaware of himself and so stuck.
For this reason, I awarded The Sound of Loneliness, four stars, instead of five.
So, there is your love and there is your hate. I love the dark humour, the wonderful imagery and the brave, open raw style Craig Wallwork has and for those reasons – this book is well worth reading. However, I hate that the author never allowed any real growth to happen in the dismal, stagnant, and truly selfish main character that he created.
My Favourite Quotes From The Sound Of Loneliness...
And so my anger toward people became the one constant fire that burned within me. (pg 9)
I find it hard to see how a person can place trust in the hands of God and Fate, when neither entity has provided for them in the past. (pg 19)
It was true that the only suitcase never moved from the top of my parents’ wardrobe in the twenty-one years I lived there, its role more concerned in keeping my father’s porno magazines safely hidden from view than allowing recreation to sully its interior. (pg 20)
In the infancy of life, the womb is more an ocean liner, gently rocked by shifting seas with access to the twenty-four-hour buffet. (pg 63)
Sometimes a writer forgets where fiction ends and their life starts again. (pg 72)
It seemed to me the only noticeable changes she ever made were the bed sheets. (pg 107)
I am one of those men willing to make the same mistake over and over. Not because I wish to experience the same anguish, but more that I can live in hope my luck will change. It never did. (pg 117)
Death has a weird effect on many people; for me it made me compliant and agreeable without dispute. (pg 120)
A female can be many things, but their candidness toward talking openly is a quality I have grown to appreciate. (pg 153)
Having Death breathing down your neck really adds to the absurdity of life. (pg 184)
Like me, he must have known loneliness allowed mistakes to be your own, risks undertaken of no consequence to anyone but yourself. You live life freely that way. (pg 202)
These are the solutions that mask the cracks in your heart, a life that allows you never to be dependent on anyone, or in turn, they dependent on you. (pg 202)
For that reason I envied the path less travelled because it was paved with ideals and self-deluded pipedreams. (pg 202)
Please note: I received a review copy of The Sound of Loneliness courtesy of Novel Publicity, in exchange for a written review with my honest thoughts, comments and opinions regarding this book.
If you have enjoyed my review of THE SOUND OF LONELINESS please visit my blog: http://growinguplittle.wordpress.com/
The main character of this book is Daniel Crabtree. He is in his early 20′s and has recently moved out from his mother’s house, his father having died when he was 13 years old. He is now living on his own, considers himself a struggling writer and living from some sort of government welfare. He thinks that in order to become the great writer he believes himself to be, he must be subjected to great suffering. In this way, he will obtain the tools needed to write his great masterpiece. Suffering he seems to be willing to do but the actually writing… not so much.
Daniel Crabtree drives me crazy, which is why I ended up having a love/hate relationship with this book!
Let me explain.
First the love....
I adored the way the author described things. The imagery used in this novel, is five-star quality for sure. For example:
No matter what floor you arrived at, an old bicycle would be propped up against one of its walls, the front tyre missing or handlebars rusted. A few of the residents hung window-baskets or mounted brackets for hanging baskets. There were never any flowers in them.
This novel is FULL of gems like the one above. His description of people, places and things, goes way beyond average. For that alone, Craig Wallwork is one to watch.
I loved the dark comedy woven through out this story. An example is when Daniel enters into his cancer stricken Uncle Billy’s apartment to discover, what he thinks is his deceased body on the toilet. His reaction:
My experience in dealing with the dead was at novice level. I tried to remember films and television shows where the actor had stumbled upon a dead body to understand the correct procedure for such an event. They used the phone to ring the police, and when the police arrived, the person who found the body was usually accused of killing the person. I returned the receiver and sat on the couch to mull it all over.
Another example of this dark comedy was when Daniel’s son was born weak and with only half a stomach. His reaction:
I couldn’t see the complications of having a baby that needed only half the food of other babies, and probably shat less too, but I had to accept their efforts in wanting to provide us with a fully formed child.
Many characters in The Sound of Loneliness, suffer from alcoholism. The author describes alcoholism and its realities so vividly. At times the author relieves the reader and numbs that reality down effectively, with his use of dark humour… but the deep sadness of it, still remains and exposes a necessary and accurate truth. This is a difficult balance to achieve but Craig Wallwork does so quite gracefully. He writes:
It struck me that most of the people who drank were just waiting for their end, seeing out the hours among those already dying…
Now the hate.
By the end of the book, the main character made me nauseous with his way of avoiding responsibility for his own life and his own choices. As a reader, I had hoped and had expected him to obtain some self-awareness or some maturity by the end of the novel. It didn’t happen. The character remained stagnant. A true sense of himself, always out of reach and well beyond his reasonable grasp. His fanciful dreams and wishful thinking was supported only by his ego and certainly not by any actions taken on his own part.
Daniel ‘inherits’ Emma, when his Uncle dies. Emma is a beautifully compassionate and unselfish 15 year-old girl. A girl who, a character like Daniel certainly needs in his life but in no way deserves.
Emma wanted to understand me, and I guess she wanted to understand love too. Never had I wanted to sit with a person and talk about life and the silliness of it all more than I did with Emma. I wanted to brush the hair from her eyes and articulate the mistakes maturity brings. Wisdom does not come with age, only with experience.
The above quote (which is from Daniel’s perspective) is evidence of his self-delusion and his grandiose sense of self. Daniel is 8 years older than Emma but she already has more wisdom, kindness, and compassion for others than he does or ever will. The connection between Daniel and Emma, brings such hope to the reader that he will grow up because of her influence but he does not. He allows their age difference to be an insurmountable obstacle and he abruptly ends their friendship with no true explanation to Emma, an impressionable, young and vulnerable girl. The way that Daniel handles himself at the end of their friendship, is cruel and unforgivable.
Near the end of the book, Daniel returns to his home town, novel unwritten and all short stories he has actually written - rejected. He considers himself to be a lowly workingman with a mortgage, a wife and child – something he never wanted. Daniel expected better than that for himself. He feels that he has failed and he is right. Not because he is unpublished but because he can not appreciate himself, even see himself, as he is. He rejects the people and the love that is available to him. He is ungrateful, miserable and lonely and the only person or thing to blame, is himself.
As a reader, I can not forgive this character for being so unyielding, so depressing, so unaware of himself and so stuck.
For this reason, I awarded The Sound of Loneliness, four stars, instead of five.
So, there is your love and there is your hate. I love the dark humour, the wonderful imagery and the brave, open raw style Craig Wallwork has and for those reasons – this book is well worth reading. However, I hate that the author never allowed any real growth to happen in the dismal, stagnant, and truly selfish main character that he created.
My Favourite Quotes From The Sound Of Loneliness...
And so my anger toward people became the one constant fire that burned within me. (pg 9)
I find it hard to see how a person can place trust in the hands of God and Fate, when neither entity has provided for them in the past. (pg 19)
It was true that the only suitcase never moved from the top of my parents’ wardrobe in the twenty-one years I lived there, its role more concerned in keeping my father’s porno magazines safely hidden from view than allowing recreation to sully its interior. (pg 20)
In the infancy of life, the womb is more an ocean liner, gently rocked by shifting seas with access to the twenty-four-hour buffet. (pg 63)
Sometimes a writer forgets where fiction ends and their life starts again. (pg 72)
It seemed to me the only noticeable changes she ever made were the bed sheets. (pg 107)
I am one of those men willing to make the same mistake over and over. Not because I wish to experience the same anguish, but more that I can live in hope my luck will change. It never did. (pg 117)
Death has a weird effect on many people; for me it made me compliant and agreeable without dispute. (pg 120)
A female can be many things, but their candidness toward talking openly is a quality I have grown to appreciate. (pg 153)
Having Death breathing down your neck really adds to the absurdity of life. (pg 184)
Like me, he must have known loneliness allowed mistakes to be your own, risks undertaken of no consequence to anyone but yourself. You live life freely that way. (pg 202)
These are the solutions that mask the cracks in your heart, a life that allows you never to be dependent on anyone, or in turn, they dependent on you. (pg 202)
For that reason I envied the path less travelled because it was paved with ideals and self-deluded pipedreams. (pg 202)
Please note: I received a review copy of The Sound of Loneliness courtesy of Novel Publicity, in exchange for a written review with my honest thoughts, comments and opinions regarding this book.
If you have enjoyed my review of THE SOUND OF LONELINESS please visit my blog: http://growinguplittle.wordpress.com/
April 18, 2013
Set in Manchester, England in 1991, The Sound of Loneliness follows desolate narrator Daniel Crabtree from his dreary apartment, to drearier pubs, and back again. Although Daniel is ostensibly a writer, he has only completed a single short story thus far, and has dreams of making it big, though little ambition beyond charging his friend “in publishing” with getting someone interested in the story.
Living off his monthly unemployment checks, Daniel begs or borrows (and occasionally steals) everything, from food and drink to the shabby furnishings in his apartment. Too proud to admit to his family that he is a starving artist, he makes up grandiose tales of his success for both his mother and uncle’s benefit. Is he kidding himself, or does he really think that this one story will one day make a name for him?
It’s hard to tell, as Daniel often comes off as delusional, thanks to his overinflated ego. Despite the fact that he occasionally realizes how awful his writing is, he continues to rage against the publishing industry that rejects him, do the bare minimum to receive his monthly welfare checks, and otherwise continue his sad existence.
If this sounds like a tale you’ve heard before, you’re right. The UK apparently has thousands – perhaps millions – of these aspiring author types, living off the government, avoiding an honest day’s work, and seemingly in thrall to the falsehood that suffering and poverty make Great Art. What makes Craig Wallwork’s book different than the dime-a-dozen plot is that the author himself sees through this ruse, and shows his audience what suffering and poverty really bring. To wit: bitterness, hatred, a growling belly, growing insanity, debt, and the inability to change one’s position in life.
Oh, and let’s not forget the alcoholism, for it wouldn’t be a tale of soul-crushing poverty in the UK without the omnipresent pub!
Oddly enough, though I thoroughly detested Daniel Crabtree as a character, I found Wallwork’s book quite engaging. Perhaps it was the dreary day that lent an English air to my reading, requiring a hot cup of tea and a purring cat for accompaniment, but I found myself curious to see where this sad sack (Daniel, that is) would take me. Though Daniel is, indeed, a terrible writer (and would be a terrible human being, were he real), readers might take pleasure in seeing him so thoroughly thwarted by his sorry attempts at publishing. After all, if the cream rises to the top, there will always be the chunks of whey and assorted detritus to sink to the bottom. What of these would-be writers?
They are the Daniel Crabtrees of the world, persistently beating their own heads against the wall, perpetuating the sorry stereotype of the starving artist, who suffers humiliations for his art. And yet here we see that this humiliations are not really for art’s sake at all. They are merely the pride that goeth before the character’s fall. Is it still a tragedy when one’s tragic flaw is the belief that one is actually better than all of the fools he reads about in books?
Though The Sound of Loneliness is truly a portrait of a young man desperate to become an artist who will likely never succeed, and thus a rather dismal view for aspiring authors, it is perhaps a more realistic take on artistic dreams. After all, we cannot all go from rags to riches, à la J.K. Rowling. Some of us will fail. And what then?
To find out what happens to this dream deferred, you’ll have to read The Sound of Loneliness.
Living off his monthly unemployment checks, Daniel begs or borrows (and occasionally steals) everything, from food and drink to the shabby furnishings in his apartment. Too proud to admit to his family that he is a starving artist, he makes up grandiose tales of his success for both his mother and uncle’s benefit. Is he kidding himself, or does he really think that this one story will one day make a name for him?
It’s hard to tell, as Daniel often comes off as delusional, thanks to his overinflated ego. Despite the fact that he occasionally realizes how awful his writing is, he continues to rage against the publishing industry that rejects him, do the bare minimum to receive his monthly welfare checks, and otherwise continue his sad existence.
If this sounds like a tale you’ve heard before, you’re right. The UK apparently has thousands – perhaps millions – of these aspiring author types, living off the government, avoiding an honest day’s work, and seemingly in thrall to the falsehood that suffering and poverty make Great Art. What makes Craig Wallwork’s book different than the dime-a-dozen plot is that the author himself sees through this ruse, and shows his audience what suffering and poverty really bring. To wit: bitterness, hatred, a growling belly, growing insanity, debt, and the inability to change one’s position in life.
Oh, and let’s not forget the alcoholism, for it wouldn’t be a tale of soul-crushing poverty in the UK without the omnipresent pub!
Oddly enough, though I thoroughly detested Daniel Crabtree as a character, I found Wallwork’s book quite engaging. Perhaps it was the dreary day that lent an English air to my reading, requiring a hot cup of tea and a purring cat for accompaniment, but I found myself curious to see where this sad sack (Daniel, that is) would take me. Though Daniel is, indeed, a terrible writer (and would be a terrible human being, were he real), readers might take pleasure in seeing him so thoroughly thwarted by his sorry attempts at publishing. After all, if the cream rises to the top, there will always be the chunks of whey and assorted detritus to sink to the bottom. What of these would-be writers?
They are the Daniel Crabtrees of the world, persistently beating their own heads against the wall, perpetuating the sorry stereotype of the starving artist, who suffers humiliations for his art. And yet here we see that this humiliations are not really for art’s sake at all. They are merely the pride that goeth before the character’s fall. Is it still a tragedy when one’s tragic flaw is the belief that one is actually better than all of the fools he reads about in books?
Though The Sound of Loneliness is truly a portrait of a young man desperate to become an artist who will likely never succeed, and thus a rather dismal view for aspiring authors, it is perhaps a more realistic take on artistic dreams. After all, we cannot all go from rags to riches, à la J.K. Rowling. Some of us will fail. And what then?
To find out what happens to this dream deferred, you’ll have to read The Sound of Loneliness.
April 18, 2013
Daniel Crabtree's life is anything but normal. He struggles to get by day to day, unable to fully make ends meet. He's yearned for a better life, one where he has an adequate roof over his head, and food to properly fill his belly. Never a day goes by when he doesn't wish to change his circumstances. He's tired of living in the pits of despair, tired of having nothing to his name. He needs to make something happen, but he's not quite sure as to what he needs to do in order to achieve that very fact.
Daniel spends most of his time lamenting his misfortune. Throughout his wayward existence, he's tried to produce a story that will change life as he knows it. Unfortunately, his writing leaves a lot to be desired. He's tried his best to pour his heart and soul into his words, but nothing he does seems to change things. Never-the-less, he's determined to find the silver lining beneath the cloud that hovers over his head. He knows it's there, but he just needs to look deep enough in order to find it.
His life takes a different turn when the young and lovely Emma makes an appearance. She's beautiful, a little shy, and stirs emotions in him he never thought possible. Deep inside, he knows he shouldn't entertain thoughts about her. She's much younger than he is, after all. Yet he can't help himself. She makes him think about things he knows he shouldn't, and makes him want to change the world she lives in.
The more time they spend together, the more things change for Daniel. With his writing on the back burner, soon all he thinks about is Emma. In his mind, she deserves the best of what the world can offer. She means the world to him, and he'd do anything to show her just how much. Unfortunately, with the way he lives his life, that's nearly impossible. Most especially with the fact that he barely has anything to his name. Never-the-less, he's determined to make the most of what he's got in hopes of achieving a bright and better future.
A thought-provoking book, The Sound of Loneliness is a look into a man's life as he struggles to find meaning within his bleak existence. Everywhere he looks, he finds that nothing changes. Not his life, his family, nor everything he does to try to see the world in a better life. He's lived with the idea that if he's to succeed in life, he must sacrifice the things that mean the most to him. Unfortunately, trying to keep everything balanced within his fragile existence isn't as easy as it looks.
Craig has written a story that captures the reader's attention as we try to understand what makes Daniel Crabtree tick. This story is definitely not for the faint of heart. There are quite a few situations that are described quite graphically throughout the book. Situations that might leave a person astounded by what the character encounters in his every day life. Despite that, though, the book is definitely an intriguing read.
Daniel spends most of his time lamenting his misfortune. Throughout his wayward existence, he's tried to produce a story that will change life as he knows it. Unfortunately, his writing leaves a lot to be desired. He's tried his best to pour his heart and soul into his words, but nothing he does seems to change things. Never-the-less, he's determined to find the silver lining beneath the cloud that hovers over his head. He knows it's there, but he just needs to look deep enough in order to find it.
His life takes a different turn when the young and lovely Emma makes an appearance. She's beautiful, a little shy, and stirs emotions in him he never thought possible. Deep inside, he knows he shouldn't entertain thoughts about her. She's much younger than he is, after all. Yet he can't help himself. She makes him think about things he knows he shouldn't, and makes him want to change the world she lives in.
The more time they spend together, the more things change for Daniel. With his writing on the back burner, soon all he thinks about is Emma. In his mind, she deserves the best of what the world can offer. She means the world to him, and he'd do anything to show her just how much. Unfortunately, with the way he lives his life, that's nearly impossible. Most especially with the fact that he barely has anything to his name. Never-the-less, he's determined to make the most of what he's got in hopes of achieving a bright and better future.
A thought-provoking book, The Sound of Loneliness is a look into a man's life as he struggles to find meaning within his bleak existence. Everywhere he looks, he finds that nothing changes. Not his life, his family, nor everything he does to try to see the world in a better life. He's lived with the idea that if he's to succeed in life, he must sacrifice the things that mean the most to him. Unfortunately, trying to keep everything balanced within his fragile existence isn't as easy as it looks.
Craig has written a story that captures the reader's attention as we try to understand what makes Daniel Crabtree tick. This story is definitely not for the faint of heart. There are quite a few situations that are described quite graphically throughout the book. Situations that might leave a person astounded by what the character encounters in his every day life. Despite that, though, the book is definitely an intriguing read.
September 6, 2013
I’ve been a fan of Craig Wallwork’s writing for a while, but this is the first time I’ve read a novel by him, and it was a much different experience. I think part of the difference was due to the subject matter of the story.
The Sound of Loneliness is about Daniel Crabtree, a young man in the UK trying to make it as a writer. In an effort to make his writing genuine, Daniel lives in poverty, scraping by on unemployment checks and intentionally starving himself. He suffers from severe delusions of grandeur, looking down his nose at everything and everyone around him, imagining how his current life will be viewed by his legions of fans and historians once he’s become popular. The problem is that he can’t get anything published.
Most of the first half of the book is dedicated to setting up Daniel’s life and how far removed he is from his delusions. Then an unlikely muse enters his life, and this is where the story really gets good. Daniel changes, and the contrast from his previously cynical, misanthropic attitude is genuinely moving. And then something else happens, and events shift yet again, but I won’t say in which way.
Though the first part of the book was a bit slow, and Daniel presented as a rather unlikable character, the “muse” that enters the picture really changes him, and I actually came to like and relate to him. This story is unlike the familiar story arcs, where we are immediately given a conflict and action to resolve the conflict. Instead, TSOL is more a character study, a glimpse in the life of someone who could be all too real. It’s like looking into the corner of someone’s mind that they wouldn’t normally show you: the narcissistic, morally ambiguous feelings, their secret hopes and dreams and sufferings, the hidden life that only the self knows about. These are what stood out to me.
The last quarter or so of the book was interesting. In some respects, I felt it went by too fast, but in other ways, I felt that I was given all that I needed to know about that part of Daniel’s life. And the details are so specific as to have an eerie ring of truth. Perhaps it also mimics the way certain patches of life can go by so fast, and yet so much can happen that in a few short years you are a totally different person than you were before. It’s like waking up from a dream and realizing you were someone else, and then wanting to go back to who you were before. But that past self is a ghost which we’ll never find, and this is what haunts me about the end of TSOL.
I wasn’t always sure where Wallwork was going with the story, but I trusted him, and I’m glad I did. Just when I thought I knew what was coming, I was pleasantly surprised.
Looking forward to To Die Upon a Kiss.
The Sound of Loneliness is about Daniel Crabtree, a young man in the UK trying to make it as a writer. In an effort to make his writing genuine, Daniel lives in poverty, scraping by on unemployment checks and intentionally starving himself. He suffers from severe delusions of grandeur, looking down his nose at everything and everyone around him, imagining how his current life will be viewed by his legions of fans and historians once he’s become popular. The problem is that he can’t get anything published.
Most of the first half of the book is dedicated to setting up Daniel’s life and how far removed he is from his delusions. Then an unlikely muse enters his life, and this is where the story really gets good. Daniel changes, and the contrast from his previously cynical, misanthropic attitude is genuinely moving. And then something else happens, and events shift yet again, but I won’t say in which way.
Though the first part of the book was a bit slow, and Daniel presented as a rather unlikable character, the “muse” that enters the picture really changes him, and I actually came to like and relate to him. This story is unlike the familiar story arcs, where we are immediately given a conflict and action to resolve the conflict. Instead, TSOL is more a character study, a glimpse in the life of someone who could be all too real. It’s like looking into the corner of someone’s mind that they wouldn’t normally show you: the narcissistic, morally ambiguous feelings, their secret hopes and dreams and sufferings, the hidden life that only the self knows about. These are what stood out to me.
The last quarter or so of the book was interesting. In some respects, I felt it went by too fast, but in other ways, I felt that I was given all that I needed to know about that part of Daniel’s life. And the details are so specific as to have an eerie ring of truth. Perhaps it also mimics the way certain patches of life can go by so fast, and yet so much can happen that in a few short years you are a totally different person than you were before. It’s like waking up from a dream and realizing you were someone else, and then wanting to go back to who you were before. But that past self is a ghost which we’ll never find, and this is what haunts me about the end of TSOL.
I wasn’t always sure where Wallwork was going with the story, but I trusted him, and I’m glad I did. Just when I thought I knew what was coming, I was pleasantly surprised.
Looking forward to To Die Upon a Kiss.
April 20, 2013
Daniel Crabtree exists in a council flat in Manchester in the early 1990’s.Forced by his own arrogance and delusions into poverty, he supplements sporadic and insignificant meals with floury drinks to stave off a constant insanity inducing hunger. A talentless writer, he believes himself worthy of literary success despite evidence to the contrary and an excruciating inability to get words from his head to the page.
Crabtree is a narcissistic loner who enjoys looking down on lesser people, deluding himself and others of his greatness. He is neither likeable nor easy to know, but he is an intriguing character and a fabulous reflection of the dark and dank society in which he lives.
As a writer, I empathised with his frustrations and the chronic self-doubt which stormed in to contradict an otherwise arrogant delusion of grandeur.
Craig Wallwork explores humanity in its surreal Sunday best and it’s grubby, often shitty downtrodden worst in The Sound of Loneliness – so be prepared to squirm in self-reflection occasionally – especially if you are a writer! ☺
You will take from this book a fresh literary read, an appreciation for this talented author, and the cozy knowledge that your life is not this bleak – I hope! It will also give you a butt-kick to write and not procrastinate – something I appreciated! ☺
Occasional typos popped up, but the majesty, eloquence and wit of language used erased any jarring these may have caused otherwise.
I loved this book. It’s not my usual genre, and I’d normally be disheartened reading about a protagonists I disliked, but now and then a blurb will strike me and throw me out of my comfort zone into something completely new, and this was one of those times. Of course, most of the time it’s a bad idea, though I always try to learn something from them. In contrast, Loneliness was a pleasure to read and a lesson in intense character exploration, and the simple pleasure and wonder of great prose.
Bravo!
Crabtree is a narcissistic loner who enjoys looking down on lesser people, deluding himself and others of his greatness. He is neither likeable nor easy to know, but he is an intriguing character and a fabulous reflection of the dark and dank society in which he lives.
As a writer, I empathised with his frustrations and the chronic self-doubt which stormed in to contradict an otherwise arrogant delusion of grandeur.
Craig Wallwork explores humanity in its surreal Sunday best and it’s grubby, often shitty downtrodden worst in The Sound of Loneliness – so be prepared to squirm in self-reflection occasionally – especially if you are a writer! ☺
You will take from this book a fresh literary read, an appreciation for this talented author, and the cozy knowledge that your life is not this bleak – I hope! It will also give you a butt-kick to write and not procrastinate – something I appreciated! ☺
Occasional typos popped up, but the majesty, eloquence and wit of language used erased any jarring these may have caused otherwise.
I loved this book. It’s not my usual genre, and I’d normally be disheartened reading about a protagonists I disliked, but now and then a blurb will strike me and throw me out of my comfort zone into something completely new, and this was one of those times. Of course, most of the time it’s a bad idea, though I always try to learn something from them. In contrast, Loneliness was a pleasure to read and a lesson in intense character exploration, and the simple pleasure and wonder of great prose.
Bravo!
July 30, 2013
I finished reading The Sound of Loneliness this morning and Daniel Crabtree continues to walk through my mind much as he lumbered through the streets of Salford. This is Craig Wallwork's first novel among his short story collections.
This read is as gorgeous as it is heartbreaking. Crabtree is a mostly detestable young man with such a hatred for the world around him, but Wallwork manages to spark the tiniest bits of pure human emotion in this character that you can't hate him but rather sympathize with him. I think everyone has a bit of Daniel Crabtree in themselves and that's what Wallwork pulls out his readers in this text
.
My only gripe with the story is Crabtree's age. In his early 20s, his outlook on life and people is that of a well aged man. I remembered myself in my 20s and recalled being mostly carefree, wondering where the next party was, but perhaps living in early '90s Manchester and being of lesser wealth and having a pretty fucked up family would age a person beyond their years. Crabtree seems more of a curmudgeon than the average 20-something, but I suppose that is what's refreshing (not sure that's the right word) about this novel. It has a familiar feel but is wholly original at every turn.
SoL is step out-of-bounds from Wallwork's other creations, which often border the surreal side of life, but still carries his signature voice, succinct and efficient with his words. There isn't much fat to trim with this prose. Craig Wallwork is definitely a writer on the rise!
This read is as gorgeous as it is heartbreaking. Crabtree is a mostly detestable young man with such a hatred for the world around him, but Wallwork manages to spark the tiniest bits of pure human emotion in this character that you can't hate him but rather sympathize with him. I think everyone has a bit of Daniel Crabtree in themselves and that's what Wallwork pulls out his readers in this text
.
My only gripe with the story is Crabtree's age. In his early 20s, his outlook on life and people is that of a well aged man. I remembered myself in my 20s and recalled being mostly carefree, wondering where the next party was, but perhaps living in early '90s Manchester and being of lesser wealth and having a pretty fucked up family would age a person beyond their years. Crabtree seems more of a curmudgeon than the average 20-something, but I suppose that is what's refreshing (not sure that's the right word) about this novel. It has a familiar feel but is wholly original at every turn.
SoL is step out-of-bounds from Wallwork's other creations, which often border the surreal side of life, but still carries his signature voice, succinct and efficient with his words. There isn't much fat to trim with this prose. Craig Wallwork is definitely a writer on the rise!
January 11, 2014
I feel so bad about this review because the author was so lovely to me when I told him I'd got the book. He was lovely and I don't want to seem rude for not liking it but it just was not the book for me at all.
It was brilliantly written, almost like a modern classic, but for me there was too much prose, and not enough dialogue. It was probably around a 4:1 ratio prose:dialogue. There was more speech towards the end of the book, and I began to enjoy the story more when that happened.
I found it hard to enjoy the story when I hated pretty much all of the characters. (Emma would be sort of an exception, but her naïveté throughout the whole story terrified me.)
This was probably the most real book I've ever read, and that might explain why I didn't like it so much. The kind of books I tend to read are very fictional, coming-of-age, almost chick-flick type books, high-school romances, and I enjoy the structured falsity of them. This book was too real for me, too deep.
100% my favourite part of this book was the last paragraph of the acknowledgements, that was a gem, and made me actually laugh out loud. I've determined that I like Craig Wallwork much more as a person than an author.
It was brilliantly written, almost like a modern classic, but for me there was too much prose, and not enough dialogue. It was probably around a 4:1 ratio prose:dialogue. There was more speech towards the end of the book, and I began to enjoy the story more when that happened.
I found it hard to enjoy the story when I hated pretty much all of the characters. (Emma would be sort of an exception, but her naïveté throughout the whole story terrified me.)
This was probably the most real book I've ever read, and that might explain why I didn't like it so much. The kind of books I tend to read are very fictional, coming-of-age, almost chick-flick type books, high-school romances, and I enjoy the structured falsity of them. This book was too real for me, too deep.
100% my favourite part of this book was the last paragraph of the acknowledgements, that was a gem, and made me actually laugh out loud. I've determined that I like Craig Wallwork much more as a person than an author.
January 24, 2015
Rating between 3-4.
I’m so unsure if I liked this book or not. It’s probably one of the most honest books I’ve read to date. It doesn’t give you fluffy, happy, cute moments. It’s raw, harsh and at times, gross. But it’s interesting. I was often torn between just wanting to put it away and wanting to continue reading the next chapter.
Daniel Crabtree aims to be a writer. It’s something he feels very strongly about. Now although he doesn’t appear to ever get anything published in the book, I will give him credit, for sticking with his dream for as long as possible.
I did think for someone so young, (Daniel was in his 20’s)… he probably didn’t need to take life so seriously. But the fact he did and his view on things made for a more interesting read.
In all honesty, if i’d not won this via goodreads, i’d probably never have picked it up. The cover, being grey, doesn’t draw you’re attention at first glance. But then again, sometimes the least assuming books, are the ones we should read.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
I’m so unsure if I liked this book or not. It’s probably one of the most honest books I’ve read to date. It doesn’t give you fluffy, happy, cute moments. It’s raw, harsh and at times, gross. But it’s interesting. I was often torn between just wanting to put it away and wanting to continue reading the next chapter.
Daniel Crabtree aims to be a writer. It’s something he feels very strongly about. Now although he doesn’t appear to ever get anything published in the book, I will give him credit, for sticking with his dream for as long as possible.
I did think for someone so young, (Daniel was in his 20’s)… he probably didn’t need to take life so seriously. But the fact he did and his view on things made for a more interesting read.
In all honesty, if i’d not won this via goodreads, i’d probably never have picked it up. The cover, being grey, doesn’t draw you’re attention at first glance. But then again, sometimes the least assuming books, are the ones we should read.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
May 18, 2015
This is very much in the vein of Fante and Bukowski (both of whom are referenced in the novel), but with the setting of a dreary, hopeless Manchester in place of dreary, hopeless Los Angeles. Another similarity is the fact that even though these pages are soaked in melancholia, loneliness, poverty and frustration, they're also counterbalanced by enough humor to lessen the weight of its subject matter; you find yourself laughing at Daniel Crabtree as much as you find yourself cringing at him. And as the story progresses the cringing is gradually replaced with empathy as he experiences universal growing pains and disappointments that are all too familiar to many of us, the braggadocio and defiance replaced with something like defeat and acceptance. 4.5 stars.
February 4, 2013
Craig Wallwork does a masterful job in bringing the reader fully into this world, which paints a relentless picture of an eternally hopeful young man experiencing many of the worst things that life can throw at him. This is an interesting book about the seemingly arbitrary choices that can be made in the face of overwhelmingly difficult circumstances, and the persistence of the human spirit. The protagonist fancies himself a fighter, which he physically is not, but on the inside he actually is. He is clueless, yet principled, and the good shines out of the heart of this book like light fighting through the panes of a soot blackened lamp.
September 25, 2013
"Melancholic" is a word that only scratches at the surface of this novel. Daniel Crabtree is a writer fully weighed down by small town inertia, an author big on ambition but short on work ethic, and a painfully close mirror to the everyday life of a writer. He's afraid of a lot of things, his past, love, exposing his writing to the public, remaining an anonymous hack... it all hit a little too close to home. There's a lesson in this book that nags like a loose tooth, about wanting something so badly you can't see what you already have, or might attain if you choose another path. I'm afraid it might haunt me for the weeks and months to come.
February 10, 2014
I won this book as part of Goodread's First Reads.
This is my first encounter with Craig's work and I will definitely be seeking out more of his material. This was a rare instance where I was left thinking about the book for a few weeks after reading it. It was written in a very steady, confident style and the story .. well, it's a tough one to describe. It's about life. As it is. Not dressed up in flowery prose but delivered in a raw, dark emotive voice which is rather unique. A very thought-provoking book.
This is my first encounter with Craig's work and I will definitely be seeking out more of his material. This was a rare instance where I was left thinking about the book for a few weeks after reading it. It was written in a very steady, confident style and the story .. well, it's a tough one to describe. It's about life. As it is. Not dressed up in flowery prose but delivered in a raw, dark emotive voice which is rather unique. A very thought-provoking book.
December 18, 2022
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July 7, 2013
Much to admire here, not the least of which are the author's depiction of a struggling artist, the meditations on loneliness, and the quality of the writing itself. At times I was reminded of Bukowski, Welsh, and even Nelson Algren. So yes, the material is dark; it's also quite funny. Really enjoyed this book.
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