Vantablack

by Lee Rourke

Named after a black material developed by Surrey NanoSystems, a material which absorbs up to 99. 965% of visible light, Vantablack is a meditation on the physical properties of the colour black, on the black of grief, elegance, seriousness, formality, rebellion, darkness, death and sadness.

138 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2020

About the author

Lee Rourke is the author of the short-story collection Everyday, the novels The Canal (winner of the Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize 2010), Vulgar Things, and the poetry collections Varroa Destructor and Vantablack. His latest novel Glitch is published by Dead Ink Books. His debut novel The Canal is being adapted to film by Storyhouse Productions, summer 2020. He is Contributing Editor for 3:AM Magazine [www.3ammagazine.com]. He lives by the sea.

Reviews

[Zak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is black- this text is black- black into white onto white - there is black - blackness in heart- in soul - in social situations - blackness - dark is black- architecture- textures- grown - decayed - in black. Prose is black - most times it can only be black.
But like most black things, it isn't always clear cut, like this beautiful little book.

[Des Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This section, if not the whole book, is a staggering prophecy of blackdown or lockdown and its accoutrements and causes. Covivid, covidual (not individual, as in Jungian) and lucid dreaming, too. And em dash breaths between coughs?
I see the book was first published on 17 January 2020!

The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long to post here.
Above is its conclusion.

[Marc Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Video review https://youtu.be/EPi92T2euqA