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Electricity
Told in fits and starts, Electricity is an edgy, compelling novel and a distinctive debut Lily's epilepsy means she's used to seeing the world in terms of angles -- you look at every surface, you weigh up every corner, and you think of your head slamming into it -- but what would she be like without her sharp edges? Prickly, spiky, up-front honest and down-to-earth practical, Lily is thirty, and life's not easy but she gets by. Needing no-one and asking for nothing, it's just her and her her constant companion. But then her mother -- who Lily's not seen for years -- dies, and Lily is drawn back into a world she thought she'd long since left behind. Forced to renegotiate the boundaries of her life, she realises she has a lot to learn -- about relationships, about the past, and about herself -- and some difficult decisions ahead of her. 'An eviscerating debut novel . . . Its fast, furious plot, kaleidoscopic imagery, blunt observations and a wry, ingenuous, hugely compassionate heroine make Electricity a breathtaking assault on the senses' Guardian 'An energetic debut, bristling with talent . . . It's black, savage, funny and rather uncomfortably haunting' The Times 'Ray Robinson's Electricity is a thorny, uncompromising novel, with attitude. It is also -- thanks to Lily O'Connor, its sharp-edged, hard-living, tough-talking narrator -- mesmerising, uplifting and unexpectedly tender' JIM CRACE
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 17, 2006
10 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
Ray Robinson
6 books21 followersRobinson first won attention in 2006 with his debut novel, Electricity. It was shortlisted for both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Authors' Club First Novel Award. The film adaptation of Electricity, starring Agyness Deyn, Tom Georgeson, and Christian Cooke, made its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival 2014, and won Best Screenplay at the National Film Awards 2015.
Robinson's other novels are The Man Without (2008), Forgetting Zoe (2010), and Jawbone Lake (2014).
Forgetting Zoe was a winner of the inaugural Jerwood Fiction Uncovered prize and was the Observer's 'Thriller of the Month'. Robinson was hailed as 'among the most impressive voices of Britain's younger generation' by the Irish Times, and the Irish Independent called Jawbone Lake 'a literary thriller of the highest order'.
Robinson is a post-graduate of Lancaster University, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in Creative Writing in 2006, and is a Mentor for The Literary Consultancy. He has appeared at literary festivals around the world, including La Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, Mexico, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Robinson is currently working on a feature-length screenplay, and a novel for teenagers.
Robinson's other novels are The Man Without (2008), Forgetting Zoe (2010), and Jawbone Lake (2014).
Forgetting Zoe was a winner of the inaugural Jerwood Fiction Uncovered prize and was the Observer's 'Thriller of the Month'. Robinson was hailed as 'among the most impressive voices of Britain's younger generation' by the Irish Times, and the Irish Independent called Jawbone Lake 'a literary thriller of the highest order'.
Robinson is a post-graduate of Lancaster University, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in Creative Writing in 2006, and is a Mentor for The Literary Consultancy. He has appeared at literary festivals around the world, including La Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, Mexico, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Robinson is currently working on a feature-length screenplay, and a novel for teenagers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 13, 2014
Somehow I realized this book was different. The cover picture was a head turning one, and a surprising choice given the nature of the story. But Lily is an amazing girl. I loved the author's creativity. To actually capture in words a visual representation of what a seizure
might feel like was very thought provoking. I have also never before seen a book with the chapters numbered in reverse, so that you read down toward chapter one.
The language is so utterly and thoroughly British, and street smart and slangy that I often had to stop and figure out what exactly I had just read, only to marvel at the cleverness of it. Spot on as a quick easy read that will grab your imagination and make you identify with Lily and root for her through all of her daily activities and ordeals.
Lily reminds me very much of Dolores, from Wally Lamb's great book "She's Come Undone"..... tho Lily is a bit older and the epilepsy adds a huge 'edginess'. I also learned a bit about what epilepsy is like, and I suspect that was a large part of the author's intent.
I rated this a 5 star just because it was just such a surprise. I bought it at the Brewster Ladies Library annual book sale, probably just randomly tossing it my $5 bag-O-books. I didn't have any expectations, and I love when books open up and surprise me like this one did!
might feel like was very thought provoking. I have also never before seen a book with the chapters numbered in reverse, so that you read down toward chapter one.
The language is so utterly and thoroughly British, and street smart and slangy that I often had to stop and figure out what exactly I had just read, only to marvel at the cleverness of it. Spot on as a quick easy read that will grab your imagination and make you identify with Lily and root for her through all of her daily activities and ordeals.
Lily reminds me very much of Dolores, from Wally Lamb's great book "She's Come Undone"..... tho Lily is a bit older and the epilepsy adds a huge 'edginess'. I also learned a bit about what epilepsy is like, and I suspect that was a large part of the author's intent.
I rated this a 5 star just because it was just such a surprise. I bought it at the Brewster Ladies Library annual book sale, probably just randomly tossing it my $5 bag-O-books. I didn't have any expectations, and I love when books open up and surprise me like this one did!
June 26, 2016
This is such a hard book to review. It's powerful and real, and for me personally, sometimes too real. Robinson gets my admiration for his writing, his voice, the incredible detail and the research he must have done to write this novel. I don't think I've ever read a female voice so real to me as Lily, maybe made more real by how she shares my name. All the other characters in this novel -- they're not only believable but wholly flawed and unreliable people who I wouldn't doubt for a moment existed somewhere in real life if someone told me so. They don't feel like characters, they feel like people. Relatability? That word feels shallow compared to what I wish I could describe.
Which makes the content even harder to get my head around. That doesn't even feel like the right way to phrase what I mean. I don't know how to review this novel. It's hard to talk about the difficult parts without spoilering, but this isn't a book for people with abuse triggers. What happens to these people, what they experience, how they feel, how real and honest and their outlook and attitudes. How abhorrent and despairingly common people like Don are . . . that they grow old without consequence for such things. That even those they abuse can love them and want to hold on. I'm a mess inside but there are sparks there like a good life, too. How hard it is to find wonderful friends, how they come from tiny chances, tiny moments, but how beautiful those people are.
Ray Robinson is brilliant, and his portrayal of a woman with epilepsy, her dreams, her day-to-day, her past, her choices, her mind, the people she meets, is a fresh and assaulting insight that has challenged me emotionally and educationally. My head is a mess of half hating this book. It throws the lives and situations that are hard to talk about and are far too common into daylight. As a writer, I love this book. It's clever, so real. As a reader, my heart feels drowned and washed-up.
Which makes the content even harder to get my head around. That doesn't even feel like the right way to phrase what I mean. I don't know how to review this novel. It's hard to talk about the difficult parts without spoilering, but this isn't a book for people with abuse triggers. What happens to these people, what they experience, how they feel, how real and honest and their outlook and attitudes. How abhorrent and despairingly common people like Don are . . . that they grow old without consequence for such things. That even those they abuse can love them and want to hold on. I'm a mess inside but there are sparks there like a good life, too. How hard it is to find wonderful friends, how they come from tiny chances, tiny moments, but how beautiful those people are.
Ray Robinson is brilliant, and his portrayal of a woman with epilepsy, her dreams, her day-to-day, her past, her choices, her mind, the people she meets, is a fresh and assaulting insight that has challenged me emotionally and educationally. My head is a mess of half hating this book. It throws the lives and situations that are hard to talk about and are far too common into daylight. As a writer, I love this book. It's clever, so real. As a reader, my heart feels drowned and washed-up.
January 24, 2015
The best work of fiction I've read involving epilepsy. It really managed to capture in words the feeling and confusion of living with epilepsy outside of just having seizures. It was nice to see a protagonist who had epilepsy but had goals, relationships, and a life outside of her seizures even while they interfered. I don't feel so alone anymore, even though this was obviously not an autobiography. It was a beautiful story with a real and relatable protagonist.
September 20, 2020
*Electricity (2014) movie release date - 5th December 2014 featuring AGYNESS DEYN! *
After reading an article on Epilepsy Society, I was eager to scoop Electricity up!
My first read by Ray Robinson; Amazing, fast paced journey, I could relate to her!
This is the original book which was published in 2006; Ray Robison's website states a new revised version is appearing.
I wanted to know more, the ending was not enough for me, due to so many unexpected twists and turns.
After reading an article on Epilepsy Society, I was eager to scoop Electricity up!
My first read by Ray Robinson; Amazing, fast paced journey, I could relate to her!
This is the original book which was published in 2006; Ray Robison's website states a new revised version is appearing.
I wanted to know more, the ending was not enough for me, due to so many unexpected twists and turns.
July 19, 2015
I feel like I would have enjoyed the story more if less had been about Dave. Like take out 100 pages worth of blah-di-blah (as the author likes to call it) about Dave, and spend more time in the search for Mikey, or more specifically the search for the pub in Ireland and the possible family reunion. I am disappointed that this end was left loose. Especially considering the search for Mikey was the "main story". Though after finishing the book it felt as if the failed romance with creepy ass Dave took up more space.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2009
I picked this up because one of the agents I'm interested in represented this author. I'm loving it - it's really amazing! Set in England with a 30-year-old protagonist named Lily, who has severe epilepsy, Electricity chronicles Lily's unusual life and her experiences in London as she attempts to track down a long lost brother. Edgy, gritty, entertaining, and fun to read!
October 20, 2009
Powerful, and hard hitting. This book was a great read (started it at 5pm and was awake till 4.30am to finish it). Also nice to read something based around areas that I know.
A very very clever insight into what some cases of epilepsy must be like. I was shocked to discover the character’s age. For the 1st few chapters I though I was reading about a 20 or so year old.
A very very clever insight into what some cases of epilepsy must be like. I was shocked to discover the character’s age. For the 1st few chapters I though I was reading about a 20 or so year old.
August 20, 2016
Have to say this WAS amazing. As an insight into Lily's life, her concerns and how she handles them, it could not have been bettered. That it was written by a bloke, even more impressive. Also the use of text spacing - a minor think but one I find important.
I shall certainly seek more of this writer
I shall certainly seek more of this writer
December 21, 2007
This was a pretty good book about a young woman with epilepsy who goes to London to search for her missing brother after their abusive mother dies. It had some interesting epilepsy-related typographical features, which were ok. B.
January 9, 2012
really enjoyed this one, although the book itself is a little bleak, the descriptions were amazing... I really felt them....
June 5, 2008
It's trying way too hard for something that it is not accomplishing.
January 9, 2011
A book I discovered while on the hunt for books about epilepsy.
August 29, 2020
I found the main character a bit naive, but it was a powerful portrayal of life with epilepsy.
March 18, 2017
Amazing. Such a different style of writing than I normally read - I don't think it's a commonly used style of writing really - but so effective for the plot. So many things happening, which at times felt a little much, but also kept it interesting. It was overly explicit at times (definitely an adult's book!), which I felt didn't really add to the plot, but it did add to the atmosphere. Interesting subject matter tackled too.
August 7, 2015
Electricity is the story of Lily, a young woman who seeks out her missing old brother following the death of their dead-beat mother. She moves to London – the last place she knows her brother was – and begins to the search, beginning a new life for herself. But Electricity also looks backwards, focusing on Lily's childhood growing up with a mother and a stepfather (?) who abused her.
Entwined in all of this is Lily's epilepsy, a condition that dictates her life as much as she remains fiercely independent.
It's hard to know how to exactly review this. It's not a book that's necessarily enjoyable – Lily's story is horrific, though there is the sense of light and hope throughout the novel – and author Ray Robinson's writing style may take some adapting to. But it is an engrossing read, one that was very easy to get lost in.
I quite enjoyed Lily, the brilliant mix that goes into her character. She's as tough as nails, a survivor and fiercely independent – yet also shockingly naive and incredibly vulnerable. During the earlier chapters, I wanted to grab her shoulders and ask her what the hell she's doing. But I also wanted to protect her and kept on hoping things would work out well for her.
I also enjoyed Lily's two closest friends – Al, her father figure – and Mel, the woman she meets during one of her fits and later lives with. In particular, I adored the friendship between Lily and Mel, the intense loyalty and closeness they shared.
The one issue I do have is how dark and terrible this novel is. At some point, it feels like the tragedies in Lily's life are just piling on top of her. I don't want to get into too much detail because of spoilers. It wasn't a huge red flag for me because these tragedies are slowly introduced and revealed over the course of the novel. However, when you step back and start adding up all the horrible things that happen to Lily, it does look like a lot and you wonder whether it's too much to be realistic.
That said, Robinson never goes out of his way to point out how tragic Lily's life is and as I said, there is this sense of lightness and hope throughout the novel.
Altogether, this is a brilliant book, one that I was sorry to see end.
Entwined in all of this is Lily's epilepsy, a condition that dictates her life as much as she remains fiercely independent.
It's hard to know how to exactly review this. It's not a book that's necessarily enjoyable – Lily's story is horrific, though there is the sense of light and hope throughout the novel – and author Ray Robinson's writing style may take some adapting to. But it is an engrossing read, one that was very easy to get lost in.
I quite enjoyed Lily, the brilliant mix that goes into her character. She's as tough as nails, a survivor and fiercely independent – yet also shockingly naive and incredibly vulnerable. During the earlier chapters, I wanted to grab her shoulders and ask her what the hell she's doing. But I also wanted to protect her and kept on hoping things would work out well for her.
I also enjoyed Lily's two closest friends – Al, her father figure – and Mel, the woman she meets during one of her fits and later lives with. In particular, I adored the friendship between Lily and Mel, the intense loyalty and closeness they shared.
The one issue I do have is how dark and terrible this novel is. At some point, it feels like the tragedies in Lily's life are just piling on top of her. I don't want to get into too much detail because of spoilers. It wasn't a huge red flag for me because these tragedies are slowly introduced and revealed over the course of the novel. However, when you step back and start adding up all the horrible things that happen to Lily, it does look like a lot and you wonder whether it's too much to be realistic.
That said, Robinson never goes out of his way to point out how tragic Lily's life is and as I said, there is this sense of lightness and hope throughout the novel.
Altogether, this is a brilliant book, one that I was sorry to see end.
February 24, 2016
While searching for her missing brother, blunt Yorkshire girl Lily battles her seizures, changing medications and stigma from those who don't understand. Ive spent today with a seizure at the edges. Robinson's descriptions of seizures in their various forms are so absolutely spot on - the time jumps, the semi consciousness, your tells that always signal one is on its way. It has recently been made into a film, with both relying on @epilepsyaction And @epilepsyaction for accurate portrayal of life with seizures. I recommend it, as she and Mel are great characters. Dave is an absolute jemble though
January 30, 2016
I was really pleased by this, and really enjoyed it - picked up on a whim in a charity book sale, I wasn't sure what to expect (don't judge a book by the cover, but this had shiny gold bits on!) but was pleasantly surprised.
The book is a tale of a young woman with epilepsy, her quirks, her life, and her attempts to track down members of her family after her mother dies. In places it wasn't comfortable reading at all, but elsewhere it was funny and poignant and utterly involving. If forced to compare, it had aspects of 'The Curious Tale of the Dog in the Night Time' and also aspects of Richard Millward's 'Apples'. So yep, well worth the random punt :-)
The book is a tale of a young woman with epilepsy, her quirks, her life, and her attempts to track down members of her family after her mother dies. In places it wasn't comfortable reading at all, but elsewhere it was funny and poignant and utterly involving. If forced to compare, it had aspects of 'The Curious Tale of the Dog in the Night Time' and also aspects of Richard Millward's 'Apples'. So yep, well worth the random punt :-)
March 5, 2018
Not my cup of tea. Skipped through the bits with Dave in so was disappointed that he took up so much of the story, and that the main story wasn't resolved. I did like Dave's ending but it could have happened much sooner and got him out of the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2013
A book where nothing is really completed at the end. Might as well read a 1/3 of it and stopped. I need at least 1 conclusion.
May 17, 2014
I wanted to like this book, but I must admit, it was a very bizarre read. There were parts I really liked, but they were few and far between.
March 5, 2015
Very insightful story on a woman living with epileptic seizures and the process of being a "normal" person.
January 3, 2016
I wrote review on my blog.
December 23, 2022
Lily has epilepsy brought on following significant abuse at the hands of her mother. The epilepsy serves as another character in this book, as Lily navigates life as an adult who has come into a significant sum of money and tries to redefine what a family is. I suppose the jumping around and perhaps the lack of quotation marks and real punctuation act to draw the reader into Lily’s world of confusion and lost time but I found it annoying and difficult to follow. An easy read really, with not a lot that grips you.
June 21, 2020
Lily, an epileptic, goes in search of her younger brother after her mother dies, moving down to London from the small Yorkshire seaside town. Wonderfully written, especially in how he portrays Lily's fits. Reviewed in full on my blog here together with thoughts about the film. https://annabookbel.net/electricity-b...
August 21, 2022
Lily is thirty and has epilepsy. This novel really challenges you as it's from her point of view and life is hard. When she hears her estranged mother is dead she starts looking for her family, moves to London, shares with Mel, meets Dave. a very good read (the debut by this author).
October 5, 2023
Such an unexpected book- the ‘Never judge a book by its cover’ ethos absolutely fits this book. What a great cover though, and what a great book. So interesting, an unpredictable storyline, insightful and I just couldn’t put it down. I feel it’s a very underrated book.
August 29, 2020
I found the main character a bit naive, but still an excellent portrayal of life with epilepsy.
January 26, 2022
I was hoping for more at the end!
January 23, 2025
The unremittingly bleak picture painted by this book makes it very hard work. The description of epilepsy is convincing, but I was not keen to keep picking this up.
A poor person's shughie bain?
A poor person's shughie bain?
January 7, 2016
Starts off so well, with startlingly evocative prose and some clever typographical tricks. But then doesn't seem to know where to go with itself. The plot peters out and we're left with a character study of the protagonist which, while interesting, isn't quite enough to sustain the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews