21st Century Literature discussion

Hello, everyone. For those who have read the book, please use this thread to comment and dissect each and every thought and line you want to share. Is there any passage you’d like to discuss in detail, or that wasn’t very clear to you?

When discussing a specific part of the book, indicate which part you are discussing (there are only three), and use quotes if needed.

Here are some general questions to kick-start the discussion:

Who was your favourite or most interesting character?
What did you think of the character development?
Which themes were explored in Gliff?
To what extent does the dystopian world of Ali Smith relate to ours?
Do you have any favourite quotes?
Would you read more by Ali Smith after having read Gliff?

Just finished the book. Ali Smith is a new favourite author. I loved Gliff. Didn't want it to end, and I'm so glad there'll be a companion!

I wanted to know more about Oona. Rose is my favourite though. There is so much beneath its surface that I don't even know how to rate it. Love love love!

So glad you've discovered Ali Smith, Carl--she's a treasure! I think it was this group that actually introduced her to me and she's been a favorite ever since. (Been a while since I read this, but if I refer back to my notes and do a little skimming, I hope to join more in the discussion.)

I'm very glad I found her, too, Marc. Her writing is unique, and there is so much sensibility that it makes my heart ache.

This one felt so sad so me compared to her other work. Like she’s tired and discouraged, despite the quasi optimistic ending. Word play in Smith is usually so fast I have to go back and re-read just to get it all, faster than anyone could reasonably think - I’m remembering “there but for the” in particular - and here it’s present but slower.

She has a soft spot for genius young women (girls when we meet them) who may yet save the world, able to transcend a street level view of reality. But again here it’s darker, for example in the discussion of the sublime - the terror in the face of a destructive god and the inevitable submission to this power. Rose’s protest is sullen, almost a temper tantrum that she would resist a petty man who seeks to terrify her into awe in order to make an example and cow others as the painter did the horse (the metaphors are not super subtle) by pulling out the ring and knocking down his easel. And later what is she doing to resist? Surviving (we hope) off the grid (the ring is out) and telling counter stories in caves (the earl is still standing). Dark.

I couldn't compare with her other books because this was my first. I'm aware Gliff is an outlier theme wise, but I really enjoy this bleak dystopian stories. I didn't find it sad. Just bleak (and frighteningly possible). I adored her wordplay and how she uses structure to convey a feeling. Like on page the Horse chapter (p43) where she writes "correct spot dance s that were other wise total all y fore ver in vis" and then she awakes. So delicious!

I totally agree with your "sublime" interpretation. So dark! Oona is one my fave support character. We'll probably see more of her in Glyph, if it follows Rose after her sister's kidnapping. To touch back on Smith's ability to play with structure, it is probably not the first time someone does this, but after the first part, when the subtitle "brave new world" starts appearing, and each time she drops a letter to represent Bri's memory reprograming (?)... did you notice this? And did you notice the meaning changing at certain point when Bri starts regaining their memory? Brilliant!

You will definitely enjoy the rest of Smith's oeuvre Carl - word play is her hallmark, and its often lightening fast, and there is more humor/satire. What you noted - the dropping of letters, new world into word then fading away and then regrouping into the old world -over chapters is emblematic of the molasses pace and heaviness of this for me, despite the lightness in the meaning of "gliff."

The theme of environmental crisis is all pervasive in her work as well, as is immigration and intolerance. And sexuality - which is true here too. Briar is a sibling not a sister: Rose at the end uses the pronoun they for Briar; Briar refuses to give a gender identity to Daisy when they join the community, and the only time masculine pronouns are applied are when Briar is working at the factory, and its one of the things they finally shed.

Thank you for the incentive! It is a delight when you find a unique voice that speaks to you. Even though it was a clever book, it never felt condescending, which I appreciate. All these themes are relevant to our broken world.

The scene where Bri is stripped down is degrading. I felt the violence and exposure. Smith did a great job in characterizing Bri, because from the start I saw as they, not him.

This book is full of nuances. There are many crumbles suggesting Rose is neurodivergent (perhaps ADHD). Her hyperactivity and ability to notice details no-one else notices and her mixing the words made me think about it.

Jenna wrote: "This one felt so sad so me compared to her other work. Like she’s tired and discouraged, despite the quasi optimistic ending. Word play in Smith is usually so fast I have to go back and re-read jus..."
That is a great description. I have read all of her novels and short stories, plus the uncategoriseable Artful, and she is definitely one of my favourite writers. What she will never do is tell a simple story - there are always digressions and usually artists and writers that inspire her, and these are often fascinating, and yes, there are plenty of precociously talented children.

This is also the first of a two part series, so it will be interesting to see how the forthcoming Glyph changes the perspective.

I’m in the midst of rereading this now and loving it even more than the first read. It deserves a revisit, for sure.

I had only read Autumn by Smith years ago, and always meant to follow up with more, but time slipped away and it was more a meditative read than pressing in my mind. when I took this out from the library, attracted by its cover, it was so totally unlike what I’d remembered from Autumn, that I was blown away. So immediate and full of characterization! I’m going to follow through on my earlier neglected resolution to read her other works. Back to my rereading before I comment further!

And thanks, Hugh, for the insight on her oeuvre.

i really enjoyed this one!

i agree that it felt very bleak and all-too realistic, but i was grateful for the spot of hope at the end, which also made me excited to read the next book in the series.

I loved Rose & Oona, but I wanted to see more of Colon; I thought there was some interesting development there and layers to uncover. seeing someone so proudly rooted in the scary bits start to question the world around them was satisfying. I hope that is explored more in the next one!
also grateful to have been introduced to this author and will definitely be reading more of their catalog.

Kelsey, I think we might see more of Colon in Glyph. Fingers crossed!

Marylin, I'm glad you picked it by chance! These are the best surprises.

I finished earlier today and will have to think about it a bit. I liked certain aspects of the novel more than other parts. It was sort of mixed for me. I like how there is an aura of ambiguity with symbolism throughout, but then there was almost too much opaqueness as well. I can see how there will be a sequel to shed more light on the concepts. It definitely does have a feel of a dystopian though, and it is presented in a unique way.

I like the fact that there is an unsettled sense of time - is this contemporary or past in setting or a future projection . Keeps the reader off base a bit - is it a gliff?

On second reading, I was moved more toward hope for our characters, as they carry on walking.

Other areas I thought were well done were gender/identity, neurodivergence, etc., to use into today’s labels. I’m not a big fan of labels, but they do have there uses. Glad to see Bri doesn’t bother with them. Behaviour, choice and self knowledge of all the characters were presented as a given, rather than questioned by the narrator. This is one of my favourite books at the moment.

I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, Marilyn. The similarities between our time and this dystopian world is harrowing. It feels like a very near-future with not much apparent technological development. It feels as there was a pivotal shift from, similar to what might happen with our AI perhaps.

This was a reread for me and I actually dropped it back to three stars from my original rating because, 1) It is too openended IMO for it to be finished and I haven't seen the sequel to comment on whether it comes to a satisfactory conclusion yet, 2) I thought it was a little less quality than what I usually get from Ali Smith. 3) The plot of the rescued horse destined for the abattoir is from a 1976 film Escape from the Dark/The Littlest Horse Thieves depending on British or U.S. release, but I have not seen this credited in my book or in any release by Ali Smith. This is unusual for Smith so something my be forthcoming in the sequel, but with it this not established, I dropped my rating.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lit...

I have felt this is Ali Smith's book aimed at a younger audience and still feel that way. It incorporates ideas from youth centered material and has much that would please that audience. I admire Smith but reserve my judgement on this till I see the sequel.

I liked this book for all the reasons i like Ali Smith's books,
First is word-play,

Second is the description of the world through children's innocent and uncorrupted eyes, hence coming up with 'small problems' which have big impact on our life, mostly goes unacknowledged by the adults, then coming up with small solutions , also unthinkable by adults.

Bonding among strangers in a world where we are told never talk to strangers.

Underlining major world-problems we are facing in the guise of fables and stories.

Gliff highlights on many issues of our present world by presenting a very near and easy to imagine world where being born human doesn't justifies a person a human fit for humane treatment. Humans have to to be verified on the basis of their thinking conditioned by the rulers of the state, of course thinking must be altered as the ruler changes.

I liked Bri's attempt to define 'trust' and the way children play with names and wonder how can a name is identity of a person and not the other way round?


I was not brave enough to read Brave New World but I will read it before reading this book's sequel, for those who have read .....
Could anyone guess the significance of the first lines ( Brave New World) of each chapter with missing letters?

Sorry I couldn't score a copy from my library during the month, but I'm happy to read another story from Ali. I'd assumed it was the story of two sisters until the outside world insisted on knowing. Spending time with Ali's precocious children is always rewarding. Too bad they have to deal with our current world - with just a little bit of magic to help.

Mark wrote: "Sorry I couldn't score a copy from my library during the month, but I'm happy to read another story from Ali. I'd assumed it was the story of two sisters until the outside world insisted on knowing..."

That's fine, Mark. I'm glad you liked it. They do feel real (probably Gen Z children, so not very far away!)