Distance

by Ewan Morrison

They fall in love in New York City and spend a passionate week together before he returns to his home in Edinburgh, where they are to reunite in eight weeks. So begins a long distance relationship filled with phone calls, phone sex, emails, text messages and the pain of waiting. Back in Scotland, Tom's eyes are opened to the mess he's been living in, with a job he despises and a girlfriend, an ex-wife and son he can no longer relate to. As he waits for Meg he takes to drinking in secret. Meanwhile in New York, Meg has been inspired by Tom to throw in her job as a Hollywood script doctor, and to write from her heart, secretly recording every detail of their intense week together. They talk every day on the phone, her day is his night. Six time zones out of sync. As the weeks count down to her arrival their love turns increasingly obsessive and they face traumatic life choices. Does Tom really Love Meg, or is she a dream of escape? And what is Tom to Meg but increasingly a fiction? Only when she arrives they will know for sure. As he showed in his highly praised first novel, Swung, Ewan Morrison writes about relationships between men and women with extraordinary sympathy, insight and daring.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

410 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jasmine Lowen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was interesting in premise and design. A long-distance relationship and how immersive and consuming and heart-breaking they can be, whilst also considering the cultural differences, ambitions and the practicalities of an LDR. Great!

However, it seemed in my opinion to lack in execution. The book at multiple points appears very over-exaggerated, the emotions asking for too much suspension of disbelief in some places. In these parts, the book was nihilistic. It was trying very hard be clever, but did not see itself with irony - particularly in the parts narrated by Tom, it seemed to scream "not like other guys". In a later edit I will include some snippets to show you what I mean.

For the rest, it was rather dull, with heavy repetition, using the exact same references to pop culture throughout, unvaried descriptive language. It felt like nothing was happening, except for self-sabotage - which would be fascinating and even powerful in a better, more nuanced book, but here it seemed to be a caricature of itself, just too much and too little all at once. It was boring and tough to read, but also at points made you roll your eyes with how extra the characters were being.

Finally, sprinkle in some ignorance and performative diversity and mixed political messages including harmful takes on the socialism/capitalism debate (and an underwhelming love story (showing the disappointment of love in a better book could be very clever and hard-hitting, but here does not meet the mark)) and you have read this book.

[Vivienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I came close to abandoning this book but soldiered on as I wanted to be able to contribute to the book group discussion.

It was agony!

I'm still collating my thoughts so will probably amend this review later and give my reasons for why this qualified for 'fail' status.

[Steven Pilling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Morrison as a writer but...

This didnt work for me, the characters do not make me want to feel sympathetic towards them .

I wanted to like this but i felt if it wasnt a writer i liked i would have got rid of this title.

[Mike Finn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the idea but the writer has a fantasised notion of women. Too much unattractive read-it-all-before off the shelf alcoholic Scotsman. In the end tedious to the extreme