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Profound, moving and entertaining: A Dish of Apricots beguiles on every level

My review of Ian Thomson's new novel, A Dish of Apricots may be found here on Amazon, and also on Goodreads where it appears under my nom de web. 

Below are some additional comments I shared with Ian and are not in a carefully structured review. This is not a book that spoilers can really spoil. Indeed, Ian gives the reader ample notice of what is going to happen.The genius is that it doesn't spoil anything.

What at first glance is an amusing yarn is really something else. It hit me about 50 pages from the end and will hit other readers at different times. I know these characters; for the most part, I like them; none of them does anything out of character, but they certainly aren’t puppets.

I also like how smoothly the narrative moves from the close detail of the first part of the book to a broader brush in the last third. That this was done without letting it feel anything but under perfect control was masterful. It never felt rushed.

I love the band names: Nagasaki Flange and Electric Ferret. Wholly believable and just enough to take the piss. Other bits I marked included a comment about not all gays being dab hands at soft furnishings; the destitution along the river; the room with hot water; “banged up with pros and cons” [Take a house point, Thomson!].

Philip’s two huge advantages at the YMCA was he was articulate and knew how things worked. It didn’t take him long to figure out the welfare system. This places him above his co-habitants, yet it is something else that rescues him.

Gethin is a wonderful character. The triplets with colour coded wellies that they mix and match is brilliant!

Of course, I may have mis-read things and it’s really an anti-structuralist murder mystery.



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