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Cham
Byron started it. The original rockstar. It was thanks to Byron that Itchy wound up living in Chamonix Mont Blanc, the death-sport capital of the world, among the high mountains and low morals. For the last few years he tried to numb the pain of his past with alcohol and adrenaline, but now a serial rapist is stalking Cham's tourist-thronged streets, haunting the same shadows as Itchy and triggering an obsession which will lead him far from Europe's peaks, to the depths of the valley and himself. The promise of Jonathan Trigell's first novel, Boy A, is confirmed in this depiction of the world of extreme sports and adrenaline junkies, where all the violent mistakes of a man's life come back to haunt him.
- GenresFiction
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
5 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Trigell
12 books46 followersJonathan Trigell is a British author. His first novel, entitled Boy A, won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2004, the Waverton Good Read Award and the inaugural World Book Day Prize in 2008.
Jonathan completed an MA in creative writing at Manchester University in 2002. He spent most winters in Alps working in the Ski Industry and now lives in Chamonix, France.
Boy A is the story of a child criminal released into society as an adult. It has obvious and presumably deliberate parallels to the fates of the murderers of James Bulger, although the crime itself differs significantly.
Highly acclaimed critically, Boy A was described by Sarah Waters, Chair of the Judges for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, as "a compelling narrative, a beautifully structured piece of writing, and a thought-provoking novel of ideas. It's a wonderful debut."
Trigell's second novel Cham, familiar name of Chamonix , also acquired by Serpent's Tail publishing house, was published in October 2007.
He is currently working on his third novel, Genesis.
Jonathan completed an MA in creative writing at Manchester University in 2002. He spent most winters in Alps working in the Ski Industry and now lives in Chamonix, France.
Boy A is the story of a child criminal released into society as an adult. It has obvious and presumably deliberate parallels to the fates of the murderers of James Bulger, although the crime itself differs significantly.
Highly acclaimed critically, Boy A was described by Sarah Waters, Chair of the Judges for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, as "a compelling narrative, a beautifully structured piece of writing, and a thought-provoking novel of ideas. It's a wonderful debut."
Trigell's second novel Cham, familiar name of Chamonix , also acquired by Serpent's Tail publishing house, was published in October 2007.
He is currently working on his third novel, Genesis.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 2, 2015
Novel set in Chamonix (“go hard or go home”)
A novel that in many ways pays a bit of homage to Chamonix, the town in the Alps that is all about superlatives: “the longest; the highest; the biggest; the most dangerous”.
The author has spent a decade in the Alps working right across the ski industry and his experience shines through. He writes with an authority and relish that brings life on the slopes to the reader. Descriptive passages of snow and scenery are superbly rendered, “powder’ is afterall what it’s about – “It comes so infrequently, lasts unsullied by the sun, unblasted by wind, untracked by people for such a brief instant, that it is purity and transience and pleasure distilled”.
The author is clear that the Chamonix he depicts is very real in many aspects, but for the purpose of the noir undertone, he has used a little writer’s license. He depicts Cham Sud as the ghetto where the workers live, who service the engine that is Chamonix in the Winter. It is a run down area and beneath it is a large, decrepit car park, where a series of rapes take place.
Itchy is the main character who is motivated to track down the rapist, and discovers a lair – a kind of underground cave in the car park, from where he can monitor comings and goings, hoping to catch the rapist red-handed. This might seem odd (which indeed it is) but it is a device that allows the author to digress – the author is at pains to introduce the reader to the works of an exclusive group, living in or around the Villa Diodati on the shores of Lake Geneva in 1816. Byron, together with John Polidori, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley, spent much time in each other’s company and it was here that the story of Frankenstein found its beginnings. Frankenstein, too, lived in a cave, up in the mountains around Chamonix. Et voilà le lien, that is the link. In the Chamonix of “Cham“, the ultimate question is: who is really the monster? How does one atone for past misdeeds? How can one ever move on?
The story is well written, moves at a good pace until about half way through and then slides around as it loses focus. It goes back in time to move the story forward, it shares details of a competition at quite some length, and ultimately there are too many strands competing for attention. But the thing any reader will take from this novel is an insight into the edgy and heady lifestyle of a top ski resort in the Winter, experience Chamonix as a place, coupled with interesting observations along the way: for example, if you are a Parisian (staying during ‘Black Week’ when the locals hate the Parisians even more than they do the English, which is quite something!) you must not wear jeans to ski. Ok? Just don’t, it is not a good look.
“Cham” is a kind of Bildungsroman (oops wrong language) in its own inimitable way – a bit of history, a bit of culture, a bit of Chamonix – blended into quite a sinister storyline .
The review first appeared on the TripFiction blog: http://www.tripfiction.com/novel-set-...
A novel that in many ways pays a bit of homage to Chamonix, the town in the Alps that is all about superlatives: “the longest; the highest; the biggest; the most dangerous”.
The author has spent a decade in the Alps working right across the ski industry and his experience shines through. He writes with an authority and relish that brings life on the slopes to the reader. Descriptive passages of snow and scenery are superbly rendered, “powder’ is afterall what it’s about – “It comes so infrequently, lasts unsullied by the sun, unblasted by wind, untracked by people for such a brief instant, that it is purity and transience and pleasure distilled”.
The author is clear that the Chamonix he depicts is very real in many aspects, but for the purpose of the noir undertone, he has used a little writer’s license. He depicts Cham Sud as the ghetto where the workers live, who service the engine that is Chamonix in the Winter. It is a run down area and beneath it is a large, decrepit car park, where a series of rapes take place.
Itchy is the main character who is motivated to track down the rapist, and discovers a lair – a kind of underground cave in the car park, from where he can monitor comings and goings, hoping to catch the rapist red-handed. This might seem odd (which indeed it is) but it is a device that allows the author to digress – the author is at pains to introduce the reader to the works of an exclusive group, living in or around the Villa Diodati on the shores of Lake Geneva in 1816. Byron, together with John Polidori, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley, spent much time in each other’s company and it was here that the story of Frankenstein found its beginnings. Frankenstein, too, lived in a cave, up in the mountains around Chamonix. Et voilà le lien, that is the link. In the Chamonix of “Cham“, the ultimate question is: who is really the monster? How does one atone for past misdeeds? How can one ever move on?
The story is well written, moves at a good pace until about half way through and then slides around as it loses focus. It goes back in time to move the story forward, it shares details of a competition at quite some length, and ultimately there are too many strands competing for attention. But the thing any reader will take from this novel is an insight into the edgy and heady lifestyle of a top ski resort in the Winter, experience Chamonix as a place, coupled with interesting observations along the way: for example, if you are a Parisian (staying during ‘Black Week’ when the locals hate the Parisians even more than they do the English, which is quite something!) you must not wear jeans to ski. Ok? Just don’t, it is not a good look.
“Cham” is a kind of Bildungsroman (oops wrong language) in its own inimitable way – a bit of history, a bit of culture, a bit of Chamonix – blended into quite a sinister storyline .
The review first appeared on the TripFiction blog: http://www.tripfiction.com/novel-set-...
June 19, 2019
Way too clever....
After reading and enjoying Boy A so much I was keen to experience Cham.
I was very disappointed.
Yes, it’s very well written, achingly beautiful in parts, and well researched but I just didn’t get it.
I didn’t bond with any of the character and the story line never really pieced itself together.
After the success of Boy A is this Jonathan Trigell just trying to be a little too clever at the expense of not engaging the reader?
After reading and enjoying Boy A so much I was keen to experience Cham.
I was very disappointed.
Yes, it’s very well written, achingly beautiful in parts, and well researched but I just didn’t get it.
I didn’t bond with any of the character and the story line never really pieced itself together.
After the success of Boy A is this Jonathan Trigell just trying to be a little too clever at the expense of not engaging the reader?
October 6, 2018
In a #metoo era I feel mixed about the fallout from the event revealed as haunting the protagonist. However I really enjoyed the descriptions of Chamonix and the short stories weaved into the plot line.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2015
This book was better than I expected. I read it because I am going to Chamonix in a couple of weeks and like to read a novel based in the place I am going to travel to get a feel for the place. I am also reading Frankenstein for that purpose. This was good to read, because it is more current and there are some legitimate references to places to visit when we go. I expected this to be "pulpy" or like other crime thriller books. It wasn't. While the book was peripherally about a crime, it is really a book about self loathing vs self worth with beautiful descriptions of the area. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to recommend it, unless you were traveling there.
March 15, 2011
I wanted to read this because I spend so much time in Chamonix. He can obviously write but has chosen to write most of it instead in grammatically poor, staccato sentences. The characters are one-dimensional and unlikeable. The parts about Byron, Shelley and their circle went someway to redeem it, as did the descriptions of Chamonix but I didn't really enjoy it.
March 1, 2013
I loved this book! Maybe it was because I was living in Chamonix at the time. I love how the text of Frankenstein was woven through the book (so well that I can't actually now remember if I have read Frankenstein itself, or just this book)
October 15, 2015
Well this book has a lot of changes in tone and story.
Trigell has an understanding of narrative structure and it moves easily between the two stories.
The ruminations of sexual interaction are at times almost debating club (school) standard but its a fine read.
Trigell has an understanding of narrative structure and it moves easily between the two stories.
The ruminations of sexual interaction are at times almost debating club (school) standard but its a fine read.
March 6, 2015
The only parts that worked for me were the stories within the story. I honestly did not give a flying fuck about anyone or anything else.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews