Smoke Portrait

by Trilby Kent

Told partially in correspondence, this literary novel is a tragic tale of love, loss, and the lies we choose to believe Glen has left England to live with her aunt, who runs a tea plantation in Ceylon and fills her days with good works, among them the task of writing letters to a Belgian prisoner. But the letters go astray, and are received instead by Marten, eager to discover the wide world outside his small village, and desperately missing his older brother Krelis, who has vanished and is presumed dead. Marten decides to reply to Glen in the guise of the grown-up prisoner she is expecting to hear from, and as their correspondence evolves, they both assume identities that, while false in many respects, remain true to their own selves in other ways. Gradually they come to depend on each other, and their pen friendship proves to be crucial when events in their real lives take on a darker, more threatening significance in the shadow of the impending world war.

Genres: History

300 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Trilby grew up in cities in Canada, the United States and England. After studying History at Oxford University and Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics, training as a maps specialist at a London auction house and pursuing journalistic work from Belgium to the Philippines, she began writing fiction for adults and young adults. This led to an AHRC studentship to complete a PhD in Creative Writing, which produced her second adult novel. Her second book for children, STONES FOR MY FATHER, won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Africana Book Award in 2012 and has since been included on CBC Writes’ 100 YA Books That Make You Proud To Be Canadian. Her third novel for young readers, ONCE, IN A TOWN CALLED MOTH will be published in September 2016.

Trilby now lives in Toronto, where she continues to write fiction, review books for the Globe and Mail and Quill and Quire, teach creative writing at the University of Toronto and Humber College, and freelance as a writer and editor.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses on the correspondence between, Glen, a young English woman living in Ceylon and a thirteen-year-old Belgian boy called Marten Kuypers who she believes to be a POW. It is very much a coming-of-age novel for both of them because even though Glen is in her early twenties she’s only just out of university and has had quite a sheltered upbringing up until then. Glen thinks of herself as a modern woman but really that’s only what she aspires to be. In many ways what happens to her over her first few months away from home underlines just how much growing up she has to do. Marten, on the other hand, gets caught up in an organisation called the VNV, the Vlaams Nationaal Verbond, the Flemish National Union (think Hitler Youth and you’re on the right track), and struggles to reconcile the persona he uses when he writes his letter with the ‘real him’ he finds himself becoming.

I read the book over two days, two quite long days I have to admit – the book’s 310 pages and I am not a quick reader – but as we got into the final furlong I was keen to see how things were resolved. Of the two stories I think I found Marten’s the more compelling and I have to wonder if that was because his side of the story is written in the first person. You can read my full review on my blog here.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glenys Phayre volunteers to become pen pals with a Belgium prisoner. Due to a misspelling in the city’s name, her letters end up in the mailbox of 13 year old Marten. He is as desperate for companionship and a confidant as Glen is and Marten pretends to be said prisoner and writes back to her. Their correspondence gives each other a look into a different world from the one that they personally inhabit.

Their separate worlds are not so different when you look at them. Even though the book is set in 1936, a time between the world wars, their worlds are not that much different than ours even. Marten’s world is filled with hate that is based on religious beliefs and political views. Glen’s world is filled with hate based on race. Our world abounds with the hate for all three basis and then some: politics, race, religion, class, economics, social standing … this list can go on and on.

Some say that hate is based on fear of differences. That these differences could somehow make one inferior. Hatred helps tip the scales and make one feel superior instead of realizing that maybe they are the ones who are inferior. Personally, I think blind hatred magnifies the inferiority. We try to believe that society has come a long way, but racism and bigotry are still alive and well. We just create new targets, but the blind hatred is just the same.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always find a childs view of the world interesting and this was more so as 13 year old Martin was pretending to be a 36 year old convict in his correspondence to twenty something Glen following a postal error. I only wish that his letters were longer and more frequent as Glen provides most of the letters and she seems to get little in return although she seems unaware of this. Alternating between the two each chaptor moves the story forward between Belgium and Ceylon. It was disappointing that the loose ends were all tied up very quickly at the end in just the closing pages. I definatley got the feel of an exotic land and the love affair was very convincing and I would have liked more of this. At times the life of a 13 year old seemed slow and boring in comparison and I didnt really get the feel of the impending war. It was inevitable that the lie would be uncovered and It was just a case of when in the story it would happen.

[Sinead Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very slow to start, in fact I almost thought I wasn't going to bother with it, but all of a sudden it grabbed me. The story is set in 1936 between Belgium and Ceylon. A young English Lady writes to what she thinks is a political prisoner but in fact due to an error in addressing the letter it goes to a 13 year old boy who assumes the identity and writes back. His story is a little more interesting (in my eyes) as he is being drawn into a world of Nazi youth. Her story is set against an India looking for independence from colonial rule. The ending is a little abrupt as it fast-forwards to 1960 to "tie-up" the loose ends. Not a book for everyone and not one I would go out of my way to read again but definitely interesting.

[Adrienne Teague · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for book club, which generally means it's only okay, but I enjoyed this one much more than I expected. Glen (short for Glenys) decides to become a letter writer to prisoners in Flanders before she moves to Ceylon to find adventure. She accidentally gets the address wrong and the letter ends up in the hands of 12 year old Marten who is dealing with the accidental death of his older brother. He starts to write and tell her of her mistake, but then he decides to impersonate the older man.

They both get involved in questionable activities and their letters show the half-truths and outright lies they tell this person they've never met.

[For Books' Sake · Rating 4 out of 5]

The complex structure allows Kent to assume several different voices, dipping into Glen’s letters to let her speak for herself as well as Marten-as-Pieter, and every one of the characters are both distinctly and intriguingly drawn, although the abrupt switches of voice and location at each new chapter can often be frustrating before settling back into the alternate story.

(Excerpt from full review of Smoke Portrait by Trilby Kent at For Books' Sake)

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully descriptive, this book captures perfectly the anguish of pre-war Europe, and the outdated colonialism of Ceylon. The use of alternate chapters to set apart the characters is particularly well done with clear distinction between two very different people and lifestyles. The characterisation is excellent, they not always likeable as people but they have something very important to add to the story. I enjoyed this book - and look forward to more by this talented author.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book as I found the concept so fascinating - a 24year old woman writing to a Belgian prisoner except her letters go astray from Day one and are found and replied to by a 13 year old boy from a nearby town in Belgium( all down to a spelling error in the town's name). Cleverly written, sad and thought provoking - the book moves from England to Ceylon and back and forth to Belgium with great descriptions of life and experiences.

[Penny (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars= A very good read.

[Aileen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned too hard to get into

[Marleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit boek heeft heel lang op de plank gelegen voor ik er eindelijk aan begon. Ik weet niet helemaal wat ik ervan vind nu ik het uit heb. Het was heel wisselend.