Well, this isn't a book for those put off by lengthy tomes. Saying that, it has only taken me a week to read the 838 pages. It is a very fast moving text, and could put off the reader reading for light entertainment purposes only.
I loved the way the characters narrate their parts of the novel, internally as well as externally, giving you their insights to the situation. At first I will admit I was a little confused, but once I realised how the book was meant to be read I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The incipient possesion of the characters was very well done, and the fact that Dory seems to have a strange personanlity to start off with all adds to the fun. I found myself laughing quite a lot at the antics. Some of the situations are farcial, but what else can you expect when one of the characters is suspected of being fathered by the deranged ghost of an evil 500 year old court jester. Although Darkmans himself is mentioned, by name, (as Darkmans,) a couple of times.
Some parts of the text are like a bad dream the reader has the priveledge of being in, but not suffering.
I liked this book a lot, and even looked up other books by the same author when I went to the bookshop.
I don't think I am alone in having liked the book, however some haven't liked it. http://booklit.com/blog/2007/10/03/nicola-barker-darkmans/ is a blog from someone who hasn't enjoyed it, but each to their own.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/may/05/featuresreviews.guardianreview3 The Guardian review is much more positive.
The brief bumph here is unbiased as it is from the Man Booker prize website.
http://www.themanbookerprize.com/prize/books/309
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/fiction/article1767199.ece Is an article from the Times, and when I read it, I must say, having read Alan Garner's The Owl Service, yes, the texts does have echoes of it.
http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth14 for more about the author.
Labels: literary fiction, Nicola Barker