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Life is seasonal in Porthcawl,
or at least it is for the migrant workers who come to work at the
funfair and for the human flotsam and jetsam that live on its margins.
Robert Minhinnick has assembled a lively cast of marginal characters
many of whom assume the role of narrator as the story unfolds. There is
"The Fish" whose diminutive size, withered arm and love of alcohol
have condemned him to work collecting fares for a ride aptly named "The
Kingdom of The Damned". He spends the last night of the season sitting
on a pedestal in "The Kingdom" drinking absinthe and toasting "absinthe
friends". There is Donal, ex Special Boat Service, a veteran of the
"troubles" in Northern Ireland. A man infected with wanderlust and a
love of the sea. He has returned to Porthcawl after a failed Spanish
business venture. His bar in Spain was called "El Zorro". Named after a
freak wave that would snatch people off the beach and wash them out to
sea. At one point he reflects ruefully whilst swimming off the 'Caib':-
"And yeah, that wave, El Zorro, that people warned their children about? Well I was the one it swallowed, wasn't I? I was the one it snatched off the beach. Funny really. You might even call it ironic.How that bastard wiped me out."
Many other colorful characters stalk these pages including Lol ,the
geography teacher who sees a vision and goes native, camping in the
dunes for years and communing with nature. There is also Hal the local
Napoleon who owns much of the fair and many other things besides
including a beer mat signed by Richard Burton, his hero, which is
amongst his prized possessions.
It falls to the lot of these characters to narrate the tale of John Vine, a fifty year old English teacher who has left his job and family behind to live in a caravan on the Caib and pursue a new 'career' as a bingo caller at the fair. This crisis in his affairs was precipitated by an involvement with a young female student who subsequently disappeared. The action takes place over a seven day period and during the course of the week we are offered many fascinating insights into the characters of both John Vine and the many narrators. Of course the disappearance of John Vine's former pupil, Rachel is central to the plot but we are also presented with a vivid portrait and masterful evocation of life on the 'Caib'. Indeed so much so that the novel was nominated for the 2008 Ondaatje Prize, a literary award that is given for a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry which powerfully evokes the "spirit of a place". This is a novel for anyone with an appreciation of the transience of mans life and works and of the futility of resistance to time and tide. It is Robert Minhinnick's first novel and hopefully the first of many. First rate....highly recommended! A bigraphy of Robert Minhinnick can be found here.  Trecco
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NEWSt Winifred's Wellby John A. ShafferARCHIVE Reviews ArchiveArchived Book ReviewsALSO Our Library on GoogleBooksAn eclectic selection.Madoc Read Robert Southey's Madoc on iPaper. Topical in the wakeof the Madoc Plaque controversy in Mobile Bay.( a fair amount of scrolling is required) What is Anglo-Welsh Literature and Why Should Anyone Care? Read this article on Manuel Marino's Arts Weblog. Our Squidoo Page Anglo-Welsh literature on Squidoo. |
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