Play Book Tag discussion

Spring by Ali Smith - 4* - My Review

This is the third book in Ali Smith’s seasonal quartet. There are two main storylines, both set in the UK in the same present time frame, which converge near the end. The first story involves aging television director Richard Lease, and his good friend, mentor, and scriptwriter Patricia (Paddy) Neal. As the story opens, Paddy has died, and Richard is attending her funeral. We gradually learn about the mentoring relationship of Paddy and Richard, a project Richard is working on (of which Paddy does not approve), and pieces of their backstories.

The second story involves Detainee Custody Officer Brittany Hall. She is working a job she does not like for a security company in charge of an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). A girl has gained access to the IRC and managed to get improvements made. This girl asks Brittany a series of questions, and Brittany ends of following her on a train traveling to Scotland.

The narrative jumps back and forth between the two stories in a rather disjointed way. There is not much of a flow here, though there is a lot going on, such as explorations of art, literature, scriptwriting, a number of political issues, grief, environmentalism, and economics. The main theme is the UK’s anti-immigration policies and what happens to detainees. She leaves a lot of loose ends for the reader to connect. Personally, I prefer a bit more of a straightforward story, but it is imaginative and clever, filled with lots of cultural and historical references.

I'm really on the fence with Ali Smith. I read Autumn, and while I enjoyed it, I found the overt politics to be really jarring.

She's such a good writer I feel like she could weave in her political message with a little more finesse.

There is definitely social commentary in this one too, regarding the treatment of detainees. Apparently, the UK holds people and basically treats them as criminals even though they have not broken any laws. I read the BBC from time to time, but I am no expert in UK politics.

I have read other books by Smith that aren't politically focused, such as The Accidental.