“The Pale North” is a book set in Wellington and elsewhere, by Hamish Clayton from Hawkes Bay. It tells a story about a man wandering the streets of Wellington, and another story about the author of the story about the man.
I’m liking
I liked the dreamy quality of the writing, the narrator’s voice, his trip down memory lane and the way I kept feeling that there were clues for me in the story. I think I found some of them, but I expect I missed others.
The book is partly set in Wellington, and characters wander the Botanic Gardens, visit Willis Street and walk through Courtenay Place. I enjoyed the feeling of the familiar and yet not-familiar setting. Some of the characters felt like people I might have met or people who might know people I know.
Things that made me go hmmmm
I found this book very frustrating! The story is in two parts and I felt cheated that there was no resolution to a lot of what I had read. Because of the two parts, the book felt almost like a literary experiment, or like a clever idea the author had but wasn’t quite sure how to finish.
The conclusion
“The Pale North” turns in on itself and would probably reward re-reading. I think it would appeal to a reader who enjoys literature and stories that don’t have a beginning, a middle and an end. It would make an excellent book club book, as it is short and would provoke discussion. I would like to read “Wulf,” Clayton’s first book.
However, I felt a bit cheated. The book reminded me a little of “To the Lighthouse” and “Cloud Atlas,” which also left me feeling cheated. So, if you like those books, you may well enjoy “The Pale North”.
This book features a large earthquake, so I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with earthquake issues.
