Eleanor Catton & Hannah Kent @Edbookfest

    The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, longlisted for this year's Man Booker Prize and tipped to win (I've read it, and it's mightily impressive). Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, a debut novel, the subject of an international bidding war, out this week and high on my TBR pile. The authors of these books came all the way from New Zealand and Australia respectively to talk to an eager audience at EIBF.

    Eleanor's book is set on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island during a gold rush in the 1860s, and it was the drama of that landscape, which Eleanor visited often as a youngster, which captured her imagination and inspired her story. Hannah's takes as its subject Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland, and an exchange visit she made to Iceland as a teenager planted the seed that would grow into a work praised by Madeline Miller as "gripping ... beautifully written ... outstanding."

    The Luminaries is a murder mystery, a ghost story, a psychological drama, a book of extraordinary complexity and richness written in perfect 19th. century style. In discussing her influences, Eleanor talked persuasively about her desire to "defend the adverb", how psychology changed the landscape of the novel forever, and how Agatha Christie's books taught her how to keep the reader reading. In Burial Rites, which tells Agnes's story from when she is found guilty of murder, sentenced to death and waits out the months until her execution at a farm in the north of the country, Hannah has used several narrative voices and fragments of letters, aiming by these means to explore the ambiguity, depth and humanity of her subject, contrasting that with received opinion which paints Agnes as simply and starkly "monstrous and evil".

    Both books are very well plotted, and on the subject of plotting generally, Eleanor talked about what is seen as a distinction between literary and genre fiction, i.e. that in the case of the former, plot is secondary. This fascinates and enrages her, she says, as she feels plot is every bit as important as structure, and that novelists could learn a lot from watching high quality television drama such as Breaking Bad which provide lessons in suspense and in keeping character and plot alive and developing. Eleanor wanted her book to be entertaining: "entertainment isn't necessarily low brow," she said. In Hannah's case, her plot was formed by actual events, although her research into them was gradual and laborious. She was researching and writing concurrently, "finding the dots and then joining them," so the suspense "just happened" as she waited to discover what came next, but the effort she put into understanding and shaping her characters shaped the plot, too.

    Hannah told us that her book is "a dark love letter to the natural landscape of Iceland", reflecting in some ways her own experience of living there, of the slow descent into winter, of the place and its culture. Eleanor, when asked whether her book could have been shorter (it is 832 pages), talked of wanting to do justice to the 19th. century style she'd adopted and to her large cast of characters by giving them space to evolve. She employs a structural conceit, too,  making each part half the length of the one before, thus "a golden spiral", a shaping force, and she admitted that she didn't know whether the ambitious task she had set herself was even possible until she had completed it. I can tell you that she's done it in fine form.

Comments

[Danielle]

I've got a copy right now in hand from the library of The Luminaries. I admit the sheer size and the fact that is is hardcover were making me think twice about starting it now, but you have convinced me to hold on to it and start reading (even if it means lugging such a hefty book about!). I am waiting for a copy of Hannah Kent's book as well--didn't actually realize that they sort of cover similar ground--now I am looking forward to both even more! Very cool that you were able to hear the authors speak! Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Martina]

Just finishing Burial Rites this morning. it is a most engrossing experience. We heard Hannah Kent in conversation at Sydney Writers Festival this year and were so very engaged and impressed. A fascinating writer and an appropriately fascinating subject.
The Luminaries is on reserve for me and so I can't wait for the notification especially after reading your post today.
Oh to be in Edinburgh for the Festival! But having your reports is the very next best thing. So grateful for them.

[Martina]

It's a long time ago, but I do recall really enjoying Rose Tremain's The Colour which also is set in the New Zealand goldfields. A very good read indeed.

[Cornflower]

They were both great, Danielle, and I find it fascinating to hear about the background to their books and something of the writing process.
The Luminaries is a big, heavy book and I thought hard about whether it 'should' have been shorter, i.e. whether there is extraneous material which might have been cut, but I concluded that it is just right as it is.

[Cornflower]

Can't wait to read Burial Rites, and how lovely that you heard Hannah, Martina - she is very engaging and very interesting.
Glad you're enjoying the Festival posts; they've involved a great deal of scribbling of notes in darkened theatres, but I hope I've managed to give a flavour of the events, all of which have been so enjoyable.

[Cornflower]

Yes, I've read that too and thought of it while reading The Luminaries.

[Danielle]

That's good to know--the sheer size of a book is sometimes a determing factor when it comes to deciding whether to read it or not--I will have to carry it about with me on the bus--but I don't mind when I know it is going to be an engrossing read! :) Interesting too that it has shown promise of winning the Booker.

[LizF]

I really want to read Burial Rites and have it on order from the library but I am in two minds about The Luminaries as I really couldn't get on with Eleanor Catton's first book.
Having said that I read and enjoyed The Colour so if The Luminaries comes my way (i.e it is on the library shelf when I am looking for new reads) then I might give it a try.

[Cornflower]

I haven't read Eleanor's first book, but from what I know of it I'd say The Luminaries couldn't be more different, so do have a look if you see it in the library.