The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

Homesick by Jennifer Croft

Interesting one this in terms of its origins.

In that it is sort of translated. And it is a memoir in the US but a novel in the UK and different between the UK and US version.

It began life as a novel written directly in Spanish, Serpientes y escaleras.

The book was then re-written and re-presented in English in the US as Homesick in 2019, drawing on entries Croft had made on her blog. Croft is on record that neither version should be considered a translation of the other.

The US version, complete with photographs, was marketed, as her publisher's suggestion, as a memoir, although it has been presented as a novel in all other countries. Per Croft's Goodreads page:

All of the photographs (both color and black and white) come from my travels around Argentina, Europe and Uzbekistan over the past fifteen years. The only exceptions are a few childhood pictures of my sister Anne Marie and me, which were taken by our mom.

The 2022 UK version, published by Charco Press, removes the photographs and is again marketed as a novel, as Croft explains:

The UK version of the book is a kind of hybrid between that original Spanish version and the US version. I’ve once again removed the images to take the book back to where I first wanted it to be, the kind of slim novel that you could conceivably read in one sitting, and hope that the reader will trust the voice of the book enough to keep reading and keep thinking in the white space around and between the tiny ‘chapters’.
...
Writing it as a novel meant that while that kernel of truth inspired the book, I was more concerned with finding the right narrative arc, character traits, and voice for the story than I was with truthfully reproducing real-life events. ... In some ways this process might be comparable to a translation: the original coexists with the translation, and while the two are hopefully in sync with one another, they are inevitably also quite different.

I have the Charco edition of this (haven't read it yet). I think I might get the US edition too.

Must admit origins aside I didn’t find the rest of it that interesting - a coming of age story in relatively simple prose.

Homesick won the US-based 2020 William Saroyan prize for NON-fiction:

http://williamsaroyanfoundation.org/n...

Also the book is called "Homesick: A Memoir" in the press release.

That's what is so exciting about the list this year. It's nice to see a sense of adventure by highlighting works that straddle genres.

Lark wrote: "the book is called "Homesick: A Memoir" in the press release"

But not seemingly at the author's wish.

I will be intrigued if the text differs in UK vs US version.

Lark wrote: "Homesick won the US-based 2020 William Saroyan prize for NON-fiction:

http://williamsaroyanfoundation.org/n......"

I was wondering about that, I assumed it was non-fiction too.

What’s also interesting is that whereas we normally (correctly) have a go at the WP for it’s very prescriptive rules eg on book length; here I think this would not have been eligible for the Booker for being published elsewhere than the UK a more than 3 years ago. But the WP explicitly allows books published outside UK previously regardless of when.

I just discovered both versions are available in the US on Hoopla.

Charco now have a 100% success rate in women’s prize longlistings.

I just finished the US version- it was fine. I can see it being classified as a memoir, if it’s true. If not, then it’s a coming of age novel with some drama.

The most intriguing part was the story of Amy’s interest in the Russian language, and I wish there had been more of that.

I read Homesick yesterday and liked it more than I had expected. I think it is true (the US edition contains pictures of the author and her sister, predominantly the latter, and credits her mother as the photographer) and so in that sense I still feel that it maybe should not have been eligible. But I also think it works as a novel, told in a compelling and unusual way. It may be that my expectations of it were low, but I found myself very engaged in the story she was telling, and I liked the writing style.

It isn't all true (at least in UK version and I am still intrigued if the words changed at all from US), it is more autofictional.

Writing it as a novel meant that while that kernel of truth inspired the book, I was more concerned with finding the right narrative arc, character traits, and voice for the story than I was with truthfully reproducing real-life events

I am intrigued if the words changed between the US and UK versions as well. The photos bring a very autobiographical feel to the book.

Cindy wrote: "I am intrigued if the words changed between the US and UK versions as well. The photos bring a very autobiographical feel to the book."

Which is why she took them out I believe.

Paul wrote: "Cindy wrote: "I am intrigued if the words changed between the US and UK versions as well. The photos bring a very autobiographical feel to the book."

Which is why she took them out I believe."

Quite. But makes me wonder if it's really properly classified as fiction. Again, I liked it. But on this side of the Pond, it's not eligible for the Prize.

I don’t get how it is non fiction when it only contains a “kernel of truth” (her words). Ought to be DQd from any such prizes on the grounds it is made up.

Although of course a lot of memoir is selective memory with a touch of novelistic embellishment.

Would truly love to understand the decision to call the book (quite prominently I might add) a memoir in the US.

I think it’s the interplay between novel-memoir-novel, existing in different languages and different modes, that elevates this for inclusion in a literary prize. Reading just what’s on the page, it’s a standard fare coming of age novel and not all that interesting. But as an exercise in pushing boundary definitions, it has my interest piqued. It's actually a very Goldsmithsesque work to include. If only she had a side tumblr too.

* * *

Edit. There may not be a tumblr, but there is a companion website for this: http://jenniferlcroft.com/homesick

You can click on pictures, and then read the corresponding passage in English and various other languages (Haitian Creole, Polish, Spanish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Turkish, Swedish). The language options differ by photograph; I haven't been able to discern a pattern.

Whatever its merits as a novel, it's nevertheless a fascinating intertextual, multi-lingual, cross-medium project.

Should the US and UK books should be unlinked on goodreads? They are different books told in different genres.

Thanks for that link David. I will definitely take a good look. And I am considering buying the UK version of the book to see whether other changes besides the omission of the pictures have been made.

I am told (by an ex Costa judge) that Private Eye (for non UK readers - a leading satirical current affairs magazine) has an article in this book today “exposing” that it’s actually a memoir published several years ago. Not sure if it’s meant to be a revaluation given the inner flap makes that clear but then I think that’s the smugness of Private Eye all over. I will have to see if I can find a copy to see what it actually says.

If true that says a lot about Private Eye. Smug people who are nowhere near as clever as they think they are. Weren’t they rude about Ducks Newburyport once which is a classic sign of that phenomenon.

And they missed the biggest literary prize scandal of the last decade. The “But It’s Got a White Cover” controversy over The Years. Incidentally it turned out it did have a blue cover originally but the whole batch suffered severe scuffing on the way from the printers.

Private Eye “scoop”

COVERAGE of the Women's -prize for fiction rarely reflects 'low cruel the ostensibly sisterly and celebratory judging process can be. Reports on the award's longlist had no space, for example, to note that the latest efforts by Kamila Shamsie and Ali Smith, both recent winners, were not even rated among the top 16 novels by women in the 2022-23 season, and were judged by Louise Minchin's panel as inferior to no fewer than nine debuts. Also unmentioned was the omission of Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, a literary griller with topical themes which, perhaps uniquely, brought together Stephen King and Rowan Williams among its many admirers.

However, this may not be the end of the story. One of the debuts, Jennifer Croft's Homesick, was first published four years ago in the US and overtly tracks its author's life while renaming her "Amy". The New York Times's review called it "a memoir"; the LA Times's "a memoir of sorts". The major change made by Chaco Press for the UK edition was tactically omitting Croft's subtitle. She had originally called it Homesick: A Memoir, which is rather awkward for an award with "fiction" in its title. So there may yet be a disqualification, and a chance for one of the big names to get in after all as a replacement.

Small press day in Private Eye - the cartoon on the same page is about a Fitzcarraldo book.

(Polly Barton’s Porn: an Oral History which of course sets off the sniggers amongst the type of writer the magazine employs).

I think David got this exactly - it’s the multiple form interplay that elevates this.

And Paul you are completely right re Private Eye - puerile and pompous public schoolboys.

I am pleased to say that I did not pay any money to Private Eye to find what the mag said about the Women’s Prize. I perused a copy instead at that handy magazine library which is at all UK railway stations (oddly branded as WH Smith’s).

Gumble wrote: "I think David got this exactly - it’s the multiple form interplay that elevates this. "

Although I feel somewhat torn about saying that because I don't think it was by design. It feels like praising a book because of its cover art.

That does not really make sense to me - the author writes a Spanish autofictional novel, agrees to an illustrated English language fictionalised memoir, sets up a website to showcase some of the photos and translations of the book into languages featured in it, then gets a UK edition which goes back to her original concept - and that’s like cover art drawn by someone else?

That might not be a good analogy, but my focusing on the concept rather than what’s on the page seems to be giving the book short shrift.

Understand - not sure what’s purely on the page is that exceptional though

I think we are in agreement.

Paul wrote: "And they missed the biggest literary prize scandal of the last decade. The “But It’s Got a White Cover” controversy over The Years. Incidentally it turned out it did have a blue cover originally bu..."

Ha! That was excellent Paul.

Are the different versions of the novel (Unnamed Press vs Charco Press) quite different in content?

I read the Charco Press edition and thought the first half (focusing on childhood) was charming and evocative, but that the second half became rather vague and emotionally detached. It skipped over too many timelines.

Other readers found the first half a slog, but the second half very engaging. They mentioned enjoying the parts about her translation work and living in other countries.

My version (Charco Press) doesn't go into her translation work.

I wonder if the varying reactions to the novel, and the two halves, depend on the version you have read?

No one seems sure. We need someone who has access to both versions.

From what I've seen, the versions are quite different.

Bob the Bookerer read the Unnamed Press edition. He struggled with the early parts of the novel, but enjoyed the sections on translation (covering untranslateable terms like 'hiraeth'). He also talks about sections on living abroad and adapting to a new culture:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg65H... (see 5:05 onwards)

The video pictures the Charco Press edition, but he actually read the Unnamed Press edition (see video comments).

The version I read (Charco Press) had a very strong start, but skipped over Amy's later life. It did not cover her translation work at all, or adapting to new cultures, focusing instead on the sisterly bond.

So:

Unnamed Press: Second half is stronger, according to quite a few reader
Charco Press: First half is stronger, according to some readers

That was my assumption also (particularly on that untranslatable Welsh word) but also seen fairly large excerpts from the US one which seem identical.

This reminds me a bit about the Chats with the Dead / Seven Moons connection. Those books were eventually linked on GR although it was probably a close call. It sounds like this might be similar, although the Croft works have the same title in English which adds to the confusion.

The thought of Karunatilaka including photos is an intriguing one.

Those two books are not linked David - they were separated

It would help here if anyone could find an interview which explains the link between the two Croft texts (the relationship Chats and Moons was pretty explicit from early on even if exaggerated by people who had not read both books).

It's always interesting to see what other people think. I was prepared to find this mediocre after reading the comments here - and it ended up being an absolute highlight of my reading for the prize so far. The author is clearly very attentive to words, and I found the writing - an understated style with well-chosen, revealing details - heads and tails above some of the other contenders. I don't know, maybe it's because I have a PhD in English and relate so strongly with her realization that language is simultaneously everything and nothing, that it is a lifeline in a transitory world. For me, the only other one that approaches this (so far) is Pod. Edited to add: I read the US edition.

It’s still very unclear if the US version has the same text.

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "It’s still very unclear if the US version has the same text."

The versions are very different. Bob read the US (Unnamed Press) edition:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg65H...

He says:

"The book is interspersed with comments on the notion of translation. [...] She has these little bits in between where there are photos she talks about, or she comments on something about the world of translation, so for example, untranslatable words, or about the process of moving something from one language to another and how it doesn't always come across. [...]

The slow build of these untranslateable terms, which are almost always about home or longing or belonging and place, all of these come in to build into this really beautiful picture."

The version I read (Charco Press) has none of the above.

I really want to read the US version but it's expensive to acquire in the UK!

But_i_thought_ wrote: "Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "It’s still very unclear if the US version has the same text."

The versions are very different. Bob read the US (Unnamed Press) edition:
https://www.youtube...."

Not having the images and the text that goes along with them (some of which are available on the website that David linked to above) would change things a little, but if it was just the narrative text without those interjections, the thrust would be the same.

The images and their captions comprise (we find out toward the end) (view spoiler)[the letter that Amy struggles to write to her sister. (hide spoiler)] It does add a certain meta something, and the notes on language and translation are certainly interesting, but the narrative without them retains all of the meaning without them.

It would be interesting to know if the narrative parts of the text are substantively different between versions.

Elizabeth wrote: "It would be interesting to know if the narrative parts of the text are substantively different between versions."

From what I understand, the narrative text is quite different. You can compare to glimpses of the US text in this Instagram post (use the slider arrows to navigate):
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp_2K8pOzXZ/

In the Charco Press version, some of these captions are worked into the chapters themselves.

Slide two above shows the "Breeze at Tempelhof is gentle" chapter. Compared to page 205 of the Charco Press edition:
- The first few paragraphs are different
- The last paragraph is different and is actually a reworked version of a later chapter on page 211

Thanks.
The author as we have discussed has said the uk version is closer to her intentions but the us version sounds a much richer book.
I think the book deserves its longlist place for the different forms in which it has been published - but as a standalone text in the uk version it’s a little underwhelming

I did find reading the book (the US version) to be a genuinely rewarding and thought-provoking experience, but as I have mentioned before it read (to me) very much as a memoir and not as a novel. I'm grateful that it was longlisted because otherwise I doubt I would have read it, but it does give me pause that it is on the longlist because it simply does not seem like a novel to me.

But I don’t think you read what was long listed .