Things We Nearly Knew

by Jim Powell

'An engrossing read' Sunday TimesThere’s a bar at the crossroads on the way out of town. Or the way in, depending on whether you’re coming or going. Marcie and her husband have run it for years. After thirty years of marriage, there aren’t many secrets left between them. Couples often say that, don’t they? But it’s not always true.Arlene appeared in the bar one day, not long before Franky Albertino came back to town, hoping that she’d find a man called Jack. Franky was hoping that people might have forgotten the mess he’d left behind him the first time around. Franky’s problem had always been women. Women and money. What Arlene’s problem is isn’t clear. It’s obvious she has a history, but who doesn’t?As Arlene gets closer to finding Jack – her father? her lover? – the bar becomes the scene of a great unravelling; secrets buried a lifetime ago are dragged into the light. In Things We Nearly Knew, Jim Powell invites us to consider how much we know about the people we love and asks, would you want to know the truth?

Genres: Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 11, 2018

About the author

Jim Powell (born 17 May 1949 in London) is a British novelist, and is a direct descendant of the 19th-century novelist Thomas Love Peacock.

Reviews

[Zak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I loved Jim Powell's "Trading Futures". TF had a certain kind of dark humour laced with meaningful insights which appealed to me. "Things We Nearly Knew" felt a bit lacking in both aspects. Without that, the story itself wasn't interesting enough to wow me. The tone felt entirely different compared to TF, almost as if written by another author. Not to say the writing was bad, there were still some sparks of brilliance, but not enough for me to love it. [Final Rating: 3.5*]

[Chris Roberts · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review came to me in a dream, just like the author of this book. He woke up, I didn't.

What I knew and or know:

And I will be the first to acknowledge that I am mad. And I am supreme madness. And every form and diagnosis and every schizophrenic disassociation of the cognitive mind and every outburst of flame in the words of a schizophrenic and every grandiose height of soprano song of this beautifully wracking affliction. And I am bi-polar and the impossible heightened sensation of being alive and the non-stop imagination and the insane rush of rapid thoughts and action and I am the empty shell of feelings and the desperate candle that flickers low and in constant danger of the fatal wind of suicide that in its joy howls relentless and is successful in turning off the light in its greed.

And every known psychiatric condition and running in my veins every psychopharmacology. And every Thorazine and every Lithium and every Haldol and every Ritalin and every Valium and every and always Paxil. And every therapy. And every cold sheet pack and every sensory depravation and every electric shock treatment and every insulin shock. And every psychotherapy and every counting back to the cradle.

And remember this in the history of the cosmos and its equally small universal universe and the planets like pins and on this earth there has been nor will there ever be madness absolute none but mine. And in the history of mankind no one living before me who has trodden ancient dust barefoot then sandaled then clattering in heavy armor then booted in leather and then in patent sole has been mad they the whole lot are pretenders they are fakirs. And I alone am madness. And no one now who walks on concrete walks on asphalt streets on steel bridges is mad. And the hectic pace and the hustle are nothing of madness they are poseurs. And madness remains solely to me.

And no one in the future in the furtherance of humankind as they will walk absent flesh and organs and walk skeletal feet in the age of ages through cemetery’s scalding mounds will ever be mad. And future madness I claim also. And the land that is earth’s one-quarter surface I name AND every continent every mountain range every valley every cave every city every state every country every province every hill and every tunnel. And nothing nobody no beast no insect no bird no plant no microorganism no grain of sand escapes my madness. And I crumble in ecstasy with my bare hands all. And then to the other three-quarters of this planet’s surface the ocean the rivers the creeks the lakes the streams all forms of aquatic life every reef the surface of the sea’s floor I gather up in my arms and swallow it whole. And I am a non-existent planet and it is glory and it is emptiness and without it all I am gladly mad.

Chris Roberts, God Standing Behind You.

[Jackie Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things We Nearly Knew explores the lives of the regular clientele at a bar in a small town in America. The narrator and his wife own and run the establishment. Over time the regulars come and go, people move on, circumstances change. The story told here is set over a nine month period which saw the arrival and departure of one such drinker.

Arlene first showed up in February. She ordered a vodka Martini and asked after a local man named Jack. With no surname to offer it wasn’t much to go on. She demonstrated a marked reluctance to share much about her history saying that she came from many places.

All the customers start out as strangers. The more often they visit the more facts can be gleaned. Still though, the narrator only knows whatever customers are willing to tell, or what others might say about them. How well can anyone know another person anyway?

Davy, for example, may or may not have been married. He has pictures of kids in his wallet but they might not be his, he has never said. More is known about Nelson who has lived in the town for many years, as have the bar owner and his wife, Marcie. They went to school with Mike, another regular but one they would describe as a friend. Later Franky will arrive, much to Marcie’s displeasure. He left under a cloud and she would have preferred if he had stayed away.

The men are drawn to Arlene with her red lips, dark hair and slinky dresses. Davy will become involved with her, as will Franky eventually. And then, after nine months she will leave for good, her tenure at the place a much mulled over memory.

The narrator did not always run a bar. Once he was a teacher. He and Marcie keep no secrets from each other, but no one shares everything about themselves.

There are glimpses of personal histories, teased out by the casual interest of the curious alongside a reluctance to fully engage. The middle aged are survivors of their past – there will always be elements they would prefer not to have to share. This is made harder when others talk freely of events, when they were also there.

The voice of the narrator is anecdotal with an undercurrent of regret. He is recounting the months at his bar which revolved around Arlene but with widening ripples. He and Marcie have been through a great deal together and will be affected by the fallout from these events. Some things may be better left unsaid.

The writing is concise with an almost abrasive view of human interactions. There is a distancing from emotion, a numbing of the senses. The mysteries are solved with an outlook of stoicism for the pain life brings, and leaves in its wake.

This is a compelling read but a somewhat bleak perspective.

[beth.inprogress · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. The plot follows a couple who own a bar on the outskirts of a deadbeat town. The story follows their relationship to each other as well as their relationships with the locals who frequent the bar. However everything gets turned upside down in their little world when Arlene turns up asking after a Jack. Things further complicate when Franky returns to town. The last time he left the town was years ago over rather suspicious circumstances. This book dives deep into the inner psyches and motivations of all the different characters. Juicy and subtle revelations occur throughout the progression of this novel. It’s a story that will stay with you long after you finish. A book I would recommend to fans of revolutionary road or fans of character driven plots. An effortless 5 star read for me.

[Chris Waterford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Jim Powell's first two 5 star books, I had high expectations for this one. Alas, although the quality of writing was there, the story meandered without focus for much of the book. Disappointing.

[Babette · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Illusion is a parasite upon reality, and the other way about. They’re symbiotic. If you can’t define reality, how can you define illusion? They’re different facets of the same thing.”

When I picked this book up I was hopeful. The blurb on the back sparked my interest and I couldn't wait to get started. Sadly, I finished this book unsatisfied. Jim Powell knows how to set a scene, and it's amazing how he is able to capture so much of the story through the atmosphere and the bar. But the writing didn't captivate me the same way the blurb on the back had.

While the title connects with the feeling I never knew anything, it is called Things We Nearly Knew for a reason, I felt like there were too many loose ends for me to be okay with not knowing the full picture.

There were moments of brilliance, humour and good writing - which lead me to believe I should come back to this story in a couple years and look at it with older eyes - but for now, those moments were not enough for me to actually stick with the story. It took me more than a year to finish, that says enough.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this one in a second hand bookshop in Ostend (De Witte Zee) because of the beauty of the editing, and because I think you have to swim in uncharted waters from time to time. I loved the style and the writing, and recognised the setting, a small town bar, very well, both for the environment and for the bartender, who is a bartender as they should be, and for the clients, a collection of temporary or not so temporary losers. The story itself was a bit more disappointing, and this is why I gave it only three stars, but it has made me curious for more of this author.

[Nia Prosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Character rather than plot driven so not to everyone's taste. I loved that about it. Narrated by a bar tender who 'reads' his customers. Lots of life philosophy, musings, descriptons of various character and how they relate to each other, mysteries, psychology. Just like itself. If you need it all tied up in a bow at the end this is not the book for you. If you're fascinated by people, then it definitely is.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a read!
This author must have been a bartender. How could he write this man so accurately unless he was one?


Potential spolier...

And how did he have me believing that the narrator is my best friend despite never knowing his name? It's wizardry!

[shane enright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intersting

[Wendy McManus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the worst book I've read this year, literally nothing happened weak plot, unremarkable characters...avoid imo!

[Neems · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled through this.

[Gromit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do have a soft spot for books where absolutely nothing happens

[Vickska · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. Great writing and character development. seamless storyline. no actual plot, which i thought i would hate but didn't. I think the only reason i dropped one star is not a fault in the actual book. the book is called things we nearly knew. and by the end of the book, the mysteries we thought would be unraveled are not given entirely clear answers, its up to a lot of guess work. that's what really made me upset, not finding out the entire truth. but overall the plot is gripping and you keep on wanting to know more. very interesting read. not like most of the books i read last year.