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Scorper: A Novel
Scorper, noun, a tool used to scoop out broad areas when engraving wood or metal.
Scorper, novel, an uncanny and sinister tale of an eccentric American visitor to the small Sussex town of Ditchling, searching for stories about his grandfather. A tale of twitching curtains, severed hands and peculiar sexual practices. A book about Eric Gill's artistic legacy, his despicable behaviour and enduring influence. Scorper is a strange and beautiful English comic masterpiece, with added bird bones.
Scorper, novel, an uncanny and sinister tale of an eccentric American visitor to the small Sussex town of Ditchling, searching for stories about his grandfather. A tale of twitching curtains, severed hands and peculiar sexual practices. A book about Eric Gill's artistic legacy, his despicable behaviour and enduring influence. Scorper is a strange and beautiful English comic masterpiece, with added bird bones.
- GenresFiction
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2015
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 4, 2021
A scorper is a type of chisel used in engraving wood or metal. Well, the premise is straightforward. John Cull is an American who is having some sort of existential crisis; he’s only 30, so it’s not mid-life. He decides to visit the village of Ditchling in Sussex where his grandfather (also John Cull) came from. Ditchling is significant: it was the home of an artistic community led by Eric Gill. Eric Gill was a famous (infamous, but more of that later) sculptor, engraver, typeface designer and even architect, part of the Arts and Crafts movement, Fabian and socialist. He has left his mark on many municipal buildings in Britain and on the continent. He is responsible for a significant number of war memorials, the Stations of the Cross at Westminster Cathedral, various assorted sculptures on various municipal buildings.
John Cull comes to research his ancestor. This is an odd book as it rapidly becomes rather surreal and Ditchling seems to turn into Royston Vasey from The League of Gentlemen (a local town for local people): it really is that silly. We have incest, plenty of gothic interludes, an odd bed and breakfast establishment, a prophecy that involves chopping off a stranger’s hand (really!) The plot is convoluted and misleading and Eric Gill keeps popping up and talking to Cull.
More on Gill. He kept extensive and detailed diaries and was rated one of the most talented artists of his time. You probably use one of his many typefaces (about 20 in all). It wasn’t until a biography in the late 1980s that what was in the diaries was revealed. Gill was a paedophile. He sexually abused his daughters from their early teens and kept detailed records and measurements. He had a sexual relationship with his sister for many years. He also records his sexual adventures with the family dog (dogs). It doesn’t seem to have completely destroyed his reputation; the Stations of the Cross he sculpted are still in Westminster Cathedral.
Then why bring him into this and not even bother to mention or explore the obvious issues you raise if you do.
Don’t bother with this.
John Cull comes to research his ancestor. This is an odd book as it rapidly becomes rather surreal and Ditchling seems to turn into Royston Vasey from The League of Gentlemen (a local town for local people): it really is that silly. We have incest, plenty of gothic interludes, an odd bed and breakfast establishment, a prophecy that involves chopping off a stranger’s hand (really!) The plot is convoluted and misleading and Eric Gill keeps popping up and talking to Cull.
More on Gill. He kept extensive and detailed diaries and was rated one of the most talented artists of his time. You probably use one of his many typefaces (about 20 in all). It wasn’t until a biography in the late 1980s that what was in the diaries was revealed. Gill was a paedophile. He sexually abused his daughters from their early teens and kept detailed records and measurements. He had a sexual relationship with his sister for many years. He also records his sexual adventures with the family dog (dogs). It doesn’t seem to have completely destroyed his reputation; the Stations of the Cross he sculpted are still in Westminster Cathedral.
Then why bring him into this and not even bother to mention or explore the obvious issues you raise if you do.
Don’t bother with this.
Read
November 29, 2015Ended up skim-reading the second half of this, as it was so dull but I was intrigued enough to want to know where it was going. I shouldn't have bothered. After a rambling, surreal opening, it degenerates into a bad plot from an episode of The League of Gentlemen, with creepy villagers who have married their siblings reacting violently to an outsider. It doesn't end well.
August 22, 2017
Atmospheric horror in the vein of League of Gentlemen.
You are an American tourist searching for connections to your grandfather, a former apprentice of the child abusing artist, Eric Gill. The locals are a strange lot and there's talk of an ancient prophecy you seem doomed to fulfilling.
Shades of local shops for local people and the Wicker Man haunt this novel but the setting, the second person perspective and the energy of the writing give it enough of its own personality to overcome these intrusions. Personally, I missed the point of the switch to third person at about two thirds of the way through and I don't know enough about Gill and his entourage to spot the relevance of most of the stuff about the prophecy. The book loses a star for that because it left me a bit frustrated but I have to say that I found it difficult to put down.
One thing is certain. I won't be visiting Ditchling any time soon.
You are an American tourist searching for connections to your grandfather, a former apprentice of the child abusing artist, Eric Gill. The locals are a strange lot and there's talk of an ancient prophecy you seem doomed to fulfilling.
Shades of local shops for local people and the Wicker Man haunt this novel but the setting, the second person perspective and the energy of the writing give it enough of its own personality to overcome these intrusions. Personally, I missed the point of the switch to third person at about two thirds of the way through and I don't know enough about Gill and his entourage to spot the relevance of most of the stuff about the prophecy. The book loses a star for that because it left me a bit frustrated but I have to say that I found it difficult to put down.
One thing is certain. I won't be visiting Ditchling any time soon.
November 6, 2024
Comic (though not as comic as it thinks it is) and lightly-written grotesque tale of English village life which manages to overcome, if not justify, its use of second-person narration. The main problem with "Scorper" is that so much of it is familiar from stuff like Magnus Mills, early Will Self, Wicker Man, Miles Gibson, Third Policeman etc. It's not derivative, but it covers the same ground as these works, in a similar style, without breaking any new ground of its own. But it is very good in its satire of the English b&b, quiz night, village pub, "local heritage", town bully etc.; and the hero, a lumbering interloper from Los Angeles in search of his roots, is a likeable and pitiable character.
September 16, 2023
It's a local village for local people,
This book is bizarre and there's no other word for it.
John Cull, a tall American, visits the village of Ditching and soon finds that strangers aren't welcomed. A hallucinatory artist, a pizza shop romance, sibling lovers, a hostage situation with a chicken, a hand amputation, a pagan prophecy and village politics, yet the majority of the book is taken up by John reading a book,
It doesn't help that it's written partially in the 2nd person before moving seemingly randomly into 3rd person after 2/3rds of the book.
I kept waiting for the clever wrap up which makes sense of everything, but instead it just finished.
This book is bizarre and there's no other word for it.
John Cull, a tall American, visits the village of Ditching and soon finds that strangers aren't welcomed. A hallucinatory artist, a pizza shop romance, sibling lovers, a hostage situation with a chicken, a hand amputation, a pagan prophecy and village politics, yet the majority of the book is taken up by John reading a book,
It doesn't help that it's written partially in the 2nd person before moving seemingly randomly into 3rd person after 2/3rds of the book.
I kept waiting for the clever wrap up which makes sense of everything, but instead it just finished.
December 26, 2018
The two stars are solely for the amusing and (initially) rather sweet look at English village life from an outsider's perspective.
The plot, however... I'm afraid you lost me. Completely bamboozled. I did very much like John Cull as a protagonist though!
The plot, however... I'm afraid you lost me. Completely bamboozled. I did very much like John Cull as a protagonist though!
Did not finish
August 29, 2020My second attempt at reading this, and I'm definitely giving up. Just too dull for me, and the protagonist carrying on like the US and UK are practically separate universes is so grating.
November 29, 2021
Very decent grotesque little novel. Not your usual fare.. But I enjoyed it thoroughly
June 19, 2015
Reading 'Scorper' is tricky. At first, it is confusing. Towards the end, it is downright frustrating. The main protagonist, John Cull, is an American on a holiday trip to England, the land of his ancestors, searching for his family roots - or so we're told. As the novel unravels, though, it becomes pretty clear what Cull is in search of is inspiration. He's tired of being an editor in LA; he wants to breathe the life of an artist. He wants to sketch, to etch, to scorp - he even makes up some (bad) verses along the way. Can Ditchling, with its dodgy dwellers and the highly unreliable ghost of Eric Gill, help him become the man he longs to be?
The book grasps our attention by addressing the reader as if we were Cull, only to twist the "you" into "he" at a later stage, when Cull is experiencing some mild sort of dissociation after suffering a punch at the hands of Kevin, the belligerent boyfriend of Cull's newly found muse, Margaret. One hopes the transition in the narrative hints at some deeper meaning to Cull's impending transformation, but that never happens - even though he eventually launches at the man who publicly humiliates him on every occasion, he's still a victim, as much to others' as to his own actions - which ultimately see him to a hospital, his right hand prey to the local ancient prophecy, his recent allies turning their backs on him. It is this inability of Cull's to take action that irks the most. Throughout the novel, we watch him take blow after blow and humbly follow his fate - behaviour common enough in books, yet never really plausible here, never fully justified. There are quirks that are supposed to be out of place - lines that break the decorum, deadpan descriptions, remarks upon inconsequential details - some of which work, some of which don't. Some lines are undeniably brilliant: "The longer you sit on the bench, the more you fear you'll never leave Ditchling. The bench-makers of the world have been secretly trapping people for years. People sit down to rest their feet, and the next thing they know, they're dying." There are several gems like that spread throughout the book and well worth discovering. Overall, though, the book is a bit tedious and doesn't seem to lead anywhere. There is little by way of attachment we develop for the characters, and thus the story hardly stirs any emotion. It's not a bad read, but it's far too slow-paced for a novel where not much happens, and a tad too long for a literary experiment.
The book grasps our attention by addressing the reader as if we were Cull, only to twist the "you" into "he" at a later stage, when Cull is experiencing some mild sort of dissociation after suffering a punch at the hands of Kevin, the belligerent boyfriend of Cull's newly found muse, Margaret. One hopes the transition in the narrative hints at some deeper meaning to Cull's impending transformation, but that never happens - even though he eventually launches at the man who publicly humiliates him on every occasion, he's still a victim, as much to others' as to his own actions - which ultimately see him to a hospital, his right hand prey to the local ancient prophecy, his recent allies turning their backs on him. It is this inability of Cull's to take action that irks the most. Throughout the novel, we watch him take blow after blow and humbly follow his fate - behaviour common enough in books, yet never really plausible here, never fully justified. There are quirks that are supposed to be out of place - lines that break the decorum, deadpan descriptions, remarks upon inconsequential details - some of which work, some of which don't. Some lines are undeniably brilliant: "The longer you sit on the bench, the more you fear you'll never leave Ditchling. The bench-makers of the world have been secretly trapping people for years. People sit down to rest their feet, and the next thing they know, they're dying." There are several gems like that spread throughout the book and well worth discovering. Overall, though, the book is a bit tedious and doesn't seem to lead anywhere. There is little by way of attachment we develop for the characters, and thus the story hardly stirs any emotion. It's not a bad read, but it's far too slow-paced for a novel where not much happens, and a tad too long for a literary experiment.
August 14, 2015
Scorper, noun, a tool used to scoop out broad areas when engraving wood or metal.
I didn’t know that either until I read this strange book. I was attracted to it in Waterstones bookshop by the dust jacket, which contains an etching of a village I know well: Ditchling, located to the north of Brighton and the South Downs. And the first line of the book: “You are on your way to Ditchling”. What’s not to like I thought.
Scorper is an uncanny and sinister tale of an eccentric American visitor to this small Sussex village, searching for stories about his grandfather. A tale of twitching curtains, severed hands and peculiar sexual practices. A book about Eric Gill's artistic legacy, his despicable behaviour and enduring influence. Strangely comic, often sinister, often incomprehensible, but nevertheless compelling reading.
Is it a ghost story, is it Gothic? It is certainly dark and uncomfortable. I am edging towards awarding four stars....
I didn’t know that either until I read this strange book. I was attracted to it in Waterstones bookshop by the dust jacket, which contains an etching of a village I know well: Ditchling, located to the north of Brighton and the South Downs. And the first line of the book: “You are on your way to Ditchling”. What’s not to like I thought.
Scorper is an uncanny and sinister tale of an eccentric American visitor to this small Sussex village, searching for stories about his grandfather. A tale of twitching curtains, severed hands and peculiar sexual practices. A book about Eric Gill's artistic legacy, his despicable behaviour and enduring influence. Strangely comic, often sinister, often incomprehensible, but nevertheless compelling reading.
Is it a ghost story, is it Gothic? It is certainly dark and uncomfortable. I am edging towards awarding four stars....
May 14, 2016
Scorper is an odd but gripping novel about an American man, John Cull (in the throes of a mid-life crisis, it seems), who comes to the Sussex village of Ditchling to trace the history of his grandfather who worked with the sculptor and engraver Eric Gill.
It starts out in a relatively conventional way, except that the novel is written in the second person singular, which gives you some clue about how deeply peculiar things will get. From there, reality starts to slide into history, which slides into fantasy and the whole thing becomes a bit gothic.
I really enjoyed it. Cull is a wonderful, flawed character, and the village itself slips from a pretty, chocolate box village to an altogether more sinister and peculiar place, housing bizarre and murderous people. I did find the ending slightly disappointing, though I'm not sure where else Magnuson Smith could have gone with the story.
It starts out in a relatively conventional way, except that the novel is written in the second person singular, which gives you some clue about how deeply peculiar things will get. From there, reality starts to slide into history, which slides into fantasy and the whole thing becomes a bit gothic.
I really enjoyed it. Cull is a wonderful, flawed character, and the village itself slips from a pretty, chocolate box village to an altogether more sinister and peculiar place, housing bizarre and murderous people. I did find the ending slightly disappointing, though I'm not sure where else Magnuson Smith could have gone with the story.
April 18, 2016
Never judge a book by its cover. I got this from the library because it looked quirky and the black and white drawings on the front appealed (better than the drawing on the edition shown here). Umm why can't I choose the cover I actually read on Goodreads like I could on Shelfari? but that is another issue. Big mistake. It started off with an interesting premise of an American going back to his ancestral village in Sussex, booking into a B&B and exploring. All good, with wry comments on British v. American habits, language etc. The 2 stars I've given it relate to these first chapters. It ends up losing the plot and by two thirds through I didn't know what the hell was going on and what's more, I didn't care. As I said, never judge a book by its cover.
December 11, 2015
Ultimately a disappointment. I thought this was full of possibilities, with the English rural oddities acutely observed, and finely balanced on the absurd. I sensed an affinity with the writing of Magnus Mills, or perhaps Dan Rhodes.
However the encouraging start ran aground, and the descent into madness proved uneven and unsatisfactory. By the end, I was disinterested and unfulfilled.
However the encouraging start ran aground, and the descent into madness proved uneven and unsatisfactory. By the end, I was disinterested and unfulfilled.
June 15, 2015
weird and wild and slapstick and messed up and i dont think it really knows what it is. could be this pretty incredibly dark cultish ghost story but it peters out musing on uk/us identity and masculinity and other types of silliness.
April 5, 2016
Whimsical horror. Bill Bryson meets Wicker Man. Anglophilles have such amusing insights and the prose style was innately familiar.
May 8, 2016
I really enjoyed this. Good, plot-lead literary fiction. The protag is a very tall American who, on his therapist's suggestion, visits the small English town of his ancestors. Worth a look.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews