Comments on: Monday Guest Blog by Lisa

By: Feather Man by Rhyll McMaster « Vulpes Libris

Feather Man by Rhyll McMaster « Vulpes Libris — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:55:45 +0000

[...] Elsewhere, I have likened Rhyll McMaster to Margaret Atwood. Atwood is brilliant, but in my view McMaster is even better. This novel is published by independent publisher, Marion Boyars, and I would say they did extremely well to sign this novelist. Feather Man has quite rightly won literary prizes in Australia and my money is on Feather Man making the Booker Prize longlist here. [...]

By: marygm

marygm — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:14:23 +0000

Interesting, thought-provoking questions, Lisa.
I can’t refer to this book as I haven’t read it but, in general, I will admit that child sexual abuse scenes would be a turn-off for me too. Not because I think the writer shouldn’t include these scenes if it is right for the creation of his world but because I think readers have a right to choose not to venture into that world if they don’t want to (no matter how well-written it is or how pure the intentions of the writer). There are many writers whose worlds I don’t want to live in even for a short while (Anita Brookner is one example) for very different reasons although I acknowledge her abilities and talent.

In answer to your second question, I don’t think I’d write a scene like this in the first place for the same reason. It may be that I’m cowardly but it’s a subject I don’t really want to explore as a reader or as a writer.

By: rosyb

rosyb — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:48:20 +0000

This is an interesting question. A bit hard to answer out of context but what I do find very interesting is the way that this has become an issue for this particular literary book, but not for the huge number of mislit titles that sell like hotcakes.

When I read the extract it struck me as very well-written but with a certain amount of emotional distance from the main character, Sooky. I found this aspect very powerful – that the main character, perhaps, was distancing herself mentally from horrible events as they happened. But I wonder if some people find that disturbing – that the victim is not being sufficiently “victim-like”.

I think there is something in the idea of a book’s “soundtrack” if you like in misery genre – that awful events are continually confirmed as being awful. In this extract, the awful events are still awful, but the writing is subtle – exploring how people try to distance themselves from something disturbing, not be a victim in mind as well as body, so to speak. As I say, I found that a powerful aspect, but maybe it is this that disturbs readers?

And in answer to the other question: No, if integral to plot and character and, most of all, what the book is saying. But I might be tempted to put it a bit later in the book if people are not going to get past that!