2023 Booker shortlist - Western Lane > Likes and Comments

Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

Well however bad this is it can’t possibly be the worst book about squash as McEwan’s Saturday (or 8 pages of it) have a permanent hold on that award.

If anyone wants to remind themselves how not to write about sport:

https://www.squashplayer.co.uk/McEwan....

Wow, that is the definition of unnecessary digressions! What a rabbit hole McEwan went down!

I’m looking forward to this one- starting it today.

McEwen - never an author to pass up a chance to inflict his detailed research on the unwilling reader.

This is the only one I’ve read on the entire list. It was fine. A quick read but pretty forgettable for me. It’s meant to be a novel about grief posing as a novel about squash. There were some nice scenes, but I found the whole thing to be unspecial (I know that’s not a real word, but it captures my feelings on this). Also, the 12-yr-old protagonist (or is she 11?) says/thinks some things that are well beyond most 12 yr olds (I happen to have a 12 yr old daughter). Child protagonists are tough to pull off.

Paul wrote: "Well however bad this is it can’t possibly be the worst book about squash as McEwan’s Saturday (or 8 pages of it) have a permanent hold on that award."

There is a great bouillabaisse scene in that book though...I can still remember it even though I read it 20 years ago (although if I would read it now perhaps it wouldn´t be all that great...).

I hated that scene.

I must have been hungry then...

I finished this last night. I liked it- some time in the life of a pre-teen and the choices she has to make while grieving for her mother.

I was impressed with, and surprised by, the maturity of Gopi, but I think this was written by the adult looking back, maybe?

I need to reflect some more, but so far, this was a good read.

This is a quick read about a child's (and her family's) grief at the loss of her mother at a young age. I liked it but didn't find it particularly memorable or noteworthy. I think there were many books we have discussed that deserve a place ahead of this one. I don't think it is necessary to know anything about squash to enjoy it - any sport could stand in for squash and the book would have the same meaning.

I am reading this and the crucial squash tournament takes place in Durham and it’s killing me this made the longlist and Cuddy did not.

I found the prose nothing more than perfectly serviceable - I guess though that works for a book on squash.

I don't understand why this book made the long list. There's nothing really wrong with it but it's hardly note worthy. Perhaps it's because I'm listening to it as an audiobook and not actually reading it? I'm just over halfway through and couldn't be less interested. Am I missing something? Vogue India have said the book has received extensive praise for its visceral prose and poignant and enthralling plot' - am I reading the wrong book?

Paul wrote: "Well however bad this is it can’t possibly be the worst book about squash as McEwan’s Saturday (or 8 pages of it) have a permanent hold on that award.

If anyone wants to remind themselves how not..."

At least the squash website seems pretty proud of it.

I do not think you are missing much.

Just posted my review where I have tried to be generous

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Your review makes a very good point about the lesser known books getting more scrutiny in light of the high profile omissions.

I am all for very short books where crucial parts take place in the gaps (silences, gestures, glances, observations, small details, off the page altogether) and this does this well eg we can work out the racism the girls experience at school but only by observation. And some things are completely unsaid and left to our imagination - what is causing the adult narrator to look back at her childhood.

This is all well done but for me a kin of corollary for a very good book of this type is that the prose be pared back but for me there is far too much squash and also too much repetition in the micro narrative.

I highlighted to myself rarely on as jarring a passage with 3 “ syrup”s in only a few lines and towards the end there are two paragraphs where the word “puris” is used 7 times.

I think Clare Keegan - who taught the writer - was a big influence, especially her belief that it is intrusive to show everything that the character is thinking!

Why is it in English writing (at least British English) that it jars to use the same word more than once in a sentence or paragraph, to extent even in business, let alone creative, writing one reaches for synonyms?

It doesn’t exist so much as an issue in Korean I’d say, almost the opposite sometimes. Although in Korean you can just omit nouns in any case if it’s obviously implied.

Not sure about other languages or indeed more global Englishes.

And there are style guides that suggest too much “elegant variation” is a bad thing even in English: https://amp.theguardian.com/media/min...

For a Keegan inspired book this seems very long - 176 pages. Or is it more like a 100 page book with spacing?

Maybe it's precisely because English has so many synonyms, reflecting the way it's absorbed different languages (Anglo Saxon, Latin, Norman French etc )

French, for example, has a far small vocabulary so repetition can be used stylistically.

Paul wrote: "Why is it in English writing (at least British English) that it jars to use the same word more than once in a sentence or paragraph, to extent even in business, let alone creative, writing one reac..."

I took the quiz and got 11/20 😂

One of Milan Kundera’s many ungracious rants about his translators was in this topic. He had used the same word multiple times on the first page of a book so his English translator amended with “elegant variation” (to use Fowler’s not entirely complimentary term). Kundera observed that the practice of variation was equally common in the language he used and he had gone for repetition to create an effect that the translator had then destroyed.

Turkey Hash wrote: "I think Clare Keegan - who taught the writer - was a big influence, especially her belief that it is intrusive to show everything that the character is thinking!"

Yes and interestingly Chetna Mario is featured on Claire Keegan’s fiction class website in the testimonies.

“In two days (Beginnings, Middles, Endings class in London) Claire’s insights, shared with clarity, humour and authority, changed the way I read and think about stories. I’ve also received Claire’s advice on two short manuscripts — in her feedback, she was direct and honest and got to the heart of things, breathing new life into my work. ” Chetna Maroo, London”

I am less clear if the relationship is wider than this.

The main mentoring I think she had on this book was more I believe from someone else I know we both admire TurkeyHash - Stinging Fly’s Tom Morris - one of the Granta Best Young British Novelists (although he has yet to publish a novel - his latest short story collection is out anytime now).

Yes, that’s right - I think her novel started as a short story and her mentor told her otherwise (I listened to an interview on the Otherppl podcast where she says this). Her short stories are worth checking out if you can find them online, they’re more direct for want of a better word. Interestingly this book has the same editor as Taymour Soomro’s book and seems similarly elliptical.

Pretty much concur with what is being said by others. Again a 4 or 5 out of 10 for me. There's too much about squash for my liking and just not enough wow factor about the writing to make it stand out.

I thought there were a few decent pages and the last 20 or so were pretty decent.
Really can't see why this would be longlisted. Nothing to really dislike about it but nothing really to remember about it either.
I thought the oblique references to race and cultural differences were a bit clumsy at times.

Paul wrote: "For a Keegan inspired book this seems very long - 176 pages. Or is it more like a 100 page book with spacing?"

I agree. This read to me like a short story/novella that was encouraged to be lengthened, and the lengthening only diluted the effect. This would’ve been better at 100 pages (and I have nothing against long books so long as the length is justified).

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "I am reading this and the crucial squash tournament takes place in Durham and it’s killing me this made the longlist and Cuddy did not."

I just finished this (read it in one go) and had the same thought GY, specifically about Cuddy but more generally about trying to understand why a book like this would be on the longlist and so many others are not. It was, as others have said, just fine. Not a bad read, but nothing that strikes me as memorable or noteworthy.

I am all for shining a light on books that otherwise would get less attention, but I would not have thought that's what the Booker longlist was for.

Starting this one now - if it weren't so short I would probably just DNF it but it is ok.

I love the comments on Ian McEwan, all his stories *besides Atonement* really grind my gears. I still have a few more on my list to push through.

This was a fine book. Had some really good moments, but lost me at other times. I agree with the general sentiment that the lesser known books are judged more harshly because of the big omissions. I heartily disagree with the comments above that, if you do not like/ care about squash, you will get through it okay 😂

I really don’t know what these judges were looking for that Cuddy didn’t have? Ben Myers effectively uses different writing styles, effective in that the style suited the section of the book without seeming gimmicky, it was historical fiction, but not overly cozy, it was readable, but intelligently written, and it was very British which is nice for a British prize.

I’m baffled by it’s exclusion and for others who agree with me I point you to Gumble’s inaugural Barker Prize Shortlist 2023, which doesn’t appear to have been mentioned here.

Thanks Wendy.

Because it is so short, elements that are important to me are left out. I want to know her name and what happened to her mother. I also want to better understand her heritage. These points might not be important to others.

https://youtu.be/tkAoVPF8wjE

I'd be curious to survey the judges' feelings about squash. Is one of them a big fan? I have no feelings on the subject either way; loved the book.

I haven't been commenting on recent books, barely having time for comments on the classics that occupy more of my time. But Western Lane was a five star read for me rounded up from four, my second five star of the seven I have read of this year's Booker, where The Other Eden was my first. I am somewhat surprised at the lack of love for the book, given how many positives there are to offset any negatives. But having been a naysayer on Milkman, a five star for almost everyone else, I understand that opinions differ. In the case of Western Lane, I see three main negatives, a sports theme, a preadolescent narrator, and the misfortune of being on a longlist that left everyone a little disappointed or puzzled. In the case of the third negative, I find the books chosen are often subjected to a harsher judgement and a more biting written critique, and I sense a bit of that here. As for the other two negatives, I don't feel they take me out of the enjoyment of the book and actually feel the sports element was especially well interwoven serving multiple purposes of meaning and depicted in way that someone like me with no experience with the sport could easily follow the game and be caught up in the drama of the last chapter. That leaves the narrative voice which like it or not, is perfect for what the author is conveying; my feeling is the author is entitled to choose her subject and the voice with which she opts to tell it and we must accept that and judge not her choices but her success in delivery. I felt she handled that well.

So what are some positives? Technically, I found the novel superior. The novel is tight and concise with multiple examples of the prose supporting the story; of foreshadowing and linkings; of metaphors and symbols. One of my least favorite devices, ellipsis, is exquisitely used by the author, reminding me of Alan Hollinghurst in the level of skill. I define ellipsis as the art of telling the story by specifically leaving things out, giving us the intended meaning through the description of a character's indirect actions or various other means. My problem is I don't like to guess at facts and prefer them spelled out without my having to the extra work or worse not get the author's intent. And I find it rare the author that uses this device well because I want them all to be as clear as Virginia Woolf and they aren't. But in this novel Chetna Maroo was.

Another aspect I liked about the novel was the depth of meaning and since this post is running long I will just note one example. Many have focused on how the novel handles grief from the death of the mother but further the novel explores the effects of the loss beyond grief. The novel explores the displacement that has occurred in the family's lives because of that loss, both physically and emotionally. We see these effects depicted and all delightfully understated as this novel evolves. So frequently there is a scene where a character looks at another character just reflecting in silence or making an gesture in an attempt to communicate that falls off unresolved. Maroo is a master with these scenes.

Finally there are the scenes, or depiction of scenes that right now feel unforgettably set in my memory, something that happens so rarely as I age. The ghosting exercises on the court; The father watching from above; The sound of the ball hitting the wall on another court; The father and Ged's mother talking seen from a distance. The aunt busy in the kitchen. The father and Gopi on the couch. Mona's look after Shaan talks with the skateboard girl at the funfair. The father's jaw. The walk across the suspension bridge. The Blue Cube. The last match. The Stars.
I like to sometimes picture books I have read being storyboarded by a specific director. Sometimes the author's prose limits those I can imagine. Sometimes I can't imagine the scene directed by anyone. With Western Lane I found this exercise was possible with multiple directors and settled with fantasizing with what Mike Leigh could do in an adaptation of this. I don't know if that makes it a better novel but I loved the thought.

I know many of you have read The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata. Kawabata also depicts a family in crisis using indirect prose to convey the intended meaning, with a grander sense of the macro seen in the micro struggles of the family. That is what I see in this. Maroo's depiction of the struggles of this family seem to reflect the grander themes of coping with life, of the acceptance of adversity, of the difficulty of assimilation, and those struggles are played out without complaint, with a proverbial stiff upper lip. and with the focus not on the overwhelming macro, but on the manageable micro of squash court employing strategies that lead to the minor wins which makes it all worth doing. I hope some of you can revisit this novel and see some of the redeeming qualities I saw.

Sam, you make a very compelling case and have helped me to see more positives in this book. Thank you for sharing your thoughtful comments. I hope you’ll add comments to the other threads on the other books you’ve read on this longlist! I’d love to read them.

Gwendolyn wrote: "Sam, you make a very compelling case and have helped me to see more positives in this book. Thank you for sharing your thoughtful comments. I hope you’ll add comments to the other threads on the ot..."

I try to keep my comments to a minimum, unless I feel I have something to positive to add or unless I am congratulating a group member. Usually anything I have to say is already covered by better contributors or soon will be. Here I felt my alternative view might be shared by others but no one had taken time to post those thoughts. I think Western Lane was a good novel, a noteworthy debut, and probably the best example of a prose that leaves a vivid visualization of the scene described, excluding some recent works I have been reading by Dickens. I am sure someone would have echoed thoughts similar to mine eventually, but if this upcoming author happened to visit the group as many now do, I would hate her to see that what she was doing well was not well appreciated. I like most here wish that Kevin or Derek had been recognized, not to mention numerous others, but I feel Chetna Maroo delivered a praiseworthy and Booker-worthy novel.

I am afraid I saw less in this second time around.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxI9URxr-...

I read the long list with a small group of folks in the U.S. This book was a favorite among our group. There's often one book where we strongly diverge from the general opinion in this forum and it's always fascinating to me when it happens.

I think any group is a small sample size, even this group with 50+ people putting their rankings in. So it doesn’t surprise me that there are favorite books here vs. elsewhere - but it’s always interesting to hear which ones resonate with different people.

What was it about WL that resonated with your group?

I think this is a beautiful, understated, underrated little book. The combination of the physicality of the squash and the stillness and inertness of the grief worked so well for me.

Thrilled for Chetna Maroo.

I agree and I’m so pleased to hear others loved it too!

I can absolutely see the merit in this novel— I do wonder if it wouldn’t have come so low in my rankings if it wasn’t for the fact that it shared so many similar themes with other longlisters. I mentioned this before, but having so many novels focus around (lost) motherhood would lead people to compare and contrast in a stronger manner than if we had a longlist with more diverse ideas.

honestly, I'm unsure what and how I feel about this one. at first, I couldn't focus enough to get through 20 pages but once I sat down and got to around 30% of the book I started to enjoy it. I know nothing about squash and I have no interest in it but I can see people who like sports like tennis/badminton liking this book a lot.

the ending is a bit rocky for me, but I don't know what kind of ending I wanted/was expecting. is it a showstopping novel? not really, at least not for me. but, in my opinion, it's also not the worst book on the shortlist.

I thought this was a good debut novel but not outstanding in any way. I admit to not realizing the sport involved was squash until about halfway through! (I thought it was tennis.)