I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning

by Keiran Goddard

Told through the alternating perspectives of five childhood friends from the same housing estate in England, I See Buildings Fall like Lightning is a story about friendship, place, loss, addiction and the ways in which lives, minds, and bodies can be limited by material conditions; it also speaks powerfully to the ways in which humor, loyalty, and family can bestow meaning and life even in the toughest circumstances. Only Rian has made it out of the estate and moved away to another city, but his money doesn't stop him clinging to a vision of the past that is quickly slipping away. Oli is fading by the day, drinking and snorting his way through the endless boredom. Things are looking up for Conor, but he is never too far away from chaos. Patrick and Shiv are as in love as ever, always the calm in the eye of the storm, but even they are rocked when old secrets begin to open new wounds. Bold, ambitious, and stylistically striking, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning lays bare the economic, psychological, and spiritual impact of poverty, explores the redeeming and transforming beauty of friendship and examines the true limits of hope and forgiveness.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Ireland, Literary Fiction, Friendship, Addiction, Novels

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 20, 2024

Reviews

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a thoughtful, quiet read regarding five lifelong friends who grew up together on a housing estate in England. Each chapter is narrated by either Shiv, Patrick, Rian, Conor or Oli, adding their perspectives on their intersecting lives. They come from simple means in somewhat grim surroundings. Rian is the only one to become a financial success and move away to a city of chrome and glass. However, Rian feels the constant pull to return to his hometown and reunite with his friends at the local ramshackle pub, the Trident. Other challenges faced by these thirty-something friends are drug and alcohol use, the propensity for violence, meaningful employment, life routine/structure, and the fluxuations in marriage. My favorite character was Shiv, the wife of Patrick and mother to their two young girls. I loved her sensible and inspiring outlook on life. My least favorite character was Conor, a walking timebomb of violence and darkness. Overall this was an interesting character study in a relatable, normal setting. I enjoy reading about everyday people living their simple lives, and this was a good, quick read that fit the bill.

Thank you to the publisher Europa Editions who provided an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.

[leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a quiet novel, following five childhood friends who grew up together on the same council estate trying to navigate adulthood. the novel doesn’t have much dialogue, instead consisting of the internal monologues of each character. it’s about growing up, dealing with grief, addiction, poverty, friendship, love, loss, hope. it’s about what to do when your expectations of your life don’t come to fruition, about how to make a life as an adult.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When deep down I know full well that everyone has secrets and darkness and an inner life that is probably really messed up, at least some of the time. And that you can’t protect things for ever. That there is no such thing as a safe life.
from I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning by Keiran Goddard

Rian, Patrick, Conor, Oli, and Shiv grew up together in the same estate, best friends into adulthood. Rian accidentally became wealthy and moved to the city. Patrick left university to marry his childhood sweetheart Shiv when she became pregnant; now they have three kids with Patrick supporting the family as a bicycle food delivery person. Conor is trying to kick his habit and, with a loan from Patrick, is hoping to change his luck by turning a brownfield into housing units. And Oli, deeply addicted, works on the building site.

Every month, Rian travels to the old neighborhood to stay with Patrick and Shiv and the kids, the old gang meeting up for drinks and drugs and camaraderie.

Each character tells his part of the story as their lives spin out of control, separating old friends until a crisis reunites them again. Each is tethered to the past. Only Rian has escaped poverty but he fails to be successful in his new life.

With beautiful writing, this heartfelt story of friendship and dreams is uplifting and hopeful in spite of tragedy and failure. Their love overcomes their mistakes.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

[Vaso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πέντε φίλοι που μεγάλωσαν στις εργατικές κατοικίες του Μπέρμιγχαμ, στα τριάντα κάτι τους, προσπαθούν να δουν τι θα κάνουν με τη ζωή τους. Μόνο ένας εξ αυτών, έχει ξεφύγει, αλλά συνεχίζει να επιστρέφει για τις δικούς του.

Ενα μυθιστόρημα, όπου καθένας από τους 5 φίλους, δίνει τη δική του οπτική, μοιράζεται μαζί μας τις σκέψεις και τα όνειρα του, τις δυσκολίες της επιβίωσης και της καθημερινότητας.

Με την ωραία πρόζα του, πλούσια σε εικόνες, ο συγγραφέας παρασέρνει τον αναγνώστη και τον βάζει δίπλα στους ήρωες του, κάνοντας τον να αναλογιστεί κατά πόσο μπορεί κανείς να αποκοπεί από το παρελθόν του;

[Nashwa S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book my teenage self would’ve been obsessed with - it was bleak, slow moving, eerie with a palpable sense of despair. As an adult, I enjoyed it because not only did it feel nostalgic, but I appreciated the writing so much more.

I am a character driven reader so I really enjoy when books explore feelings and thought patterns, instead of waiting for the next thing to happen. Even though, each incident was given from multiple point of views, it didn’t feel repetitive because each person’s thoughts were deeply explored.

I can’t read many books like this, but this one surprised me.

[em · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unexpected book for me. I found it by chance on NetGalley and the title interested me. Within the first few chapters, I was taken aback by the quiet beauty and emotion of this novel. Following the lives of a group of friends who have grown up poor, this book takes the reader on a journey through their lives, the struggles, the grief and the hope. It’s written in a way that makes you think and leaves you feeling hollow, but reminded of the hope in the world. I really enjoyed reading this, it was a beautiful and poignant story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #ISeeBuildingsFallLikeLightning #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Andy Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the large part of it, this novel, set on a working class unnamed British housing estate, appears to be going nowhere. Told alternately by its five protagonists as they adolescence into young adulthood, they attempt to transcend the crumbling conditions they find themselves in.

Rian has found a way out by earning a fortune by the standards of those he’s left behind, though he still cannot quite disconnect from them. Conor is a construction worker with ambition, after some financial assistance from Rian. Oli is lost in his addiction, also supplying drugs, seeing that as a way out. Patrick and Shiv were childhood sweethearts and now parents of two, the envy of many, but are trapped by the simple demands of keeping food on the table and a roof over their heads.
Some of the review I have seen include a spoiler, and if anyone was keen to read this book, they would be best avoided.

Goddard is primarily a poet, and that’s easy to see; the prose is rich in descriptions and to be admired. Overall though, this is a bleak novel with few, if any, lighter moments. Any redemption is quickly snuffed out by more darkness.

[Fien Vermeulen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eerlijk en raw verhaal over jongens die opgroeien in armoede en elk hun weg telkens vinden of verliezen. Eenvoudig geschreven, niet echt beschrijvend en hoog tempo. Mooi!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see buildings fall like lightning by Keiran Goddard follows the lives of 5 childhood friends - Rian, Oli, Conor, Patrick and Shiv - as they navigate lives as adults, growing apart but desperate to stay close.

Rian has made it out of the small town where they grew up, but inevitably finds himself drawn back in despite making a success of himself. Oli, once handsome, has been savaged by drugs and has not lived up to the promise he once had. Conor is desperate to make a success of himself and prove everyone wrong and Patrick and Shiv are desperately trying to keep their relationship alive.

If that sounds grim, then it is. At 256 pages, this book packs so much life into a relatively short space. The book centres on the complex relationships of the 5 main characters yet there is very little dialogue in the novel. Told from alternating perspectives, the lack of dialogue really draws you into the mind of each character and the struggles each of them face, both alone and together.

At what point do you let go of the past and those who you grew up with? Should you ever let them go, in fact, can you let them go? These are the complex questions which Goddard poses in a brutal, hard hitting yet honest way which will resonate with many people who have grown up desperate to be someone better.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Abacus, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. One of my favourite books of the year.

[Abby Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 but I'm on my phone!)
Such a beautiful novel. I read it during two travel days. The style of writing was immediately so addictive that found I couldn't put it down, even though there's not a huge pacey plot pulling you through. The pacing does feel perfect though. The character developments and gradual progress of time works really well, feels very natural and real. Of course, devastating, but also beautiful. Somehow almost comforting while also making you feel completely restless.

[Ceilidh · Rating 5 out of 5]

the type of book I dream of writing myself

[Isabel Scholtes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Liam Glass · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

It’s been a year of character driven stories for me, this one didn’t grab me as much as the others but still a quick and interesting read. A fine, relatively short story with unique characters I enjoyed digging in with, themes of class, nostalgia, and carrying on.

[Marius Evensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️
Read this together with my beautiful girlfriend, taking turns on reading aloud.
A very real book, an I enjoyed how we got the perspective of each of the 5 friends throughout the book.

[Will Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the different perspectives of the 5 characters following on from each other. The book felt very real and nothing felt over dramatised. I really enjoyed this one

[Lydia Omodara · Rating 5 out of 5]

'And then none of it happened.

All of the lives we were sure we would have. All of the freedom and the fever. None of it happened.'

Rian, Patrick, Shiv, Oli and Conor grew up together on the same housing estate. Best friends for as long as anyone could remember, none of them could imagine a life without any of the others and each dreamed of a big life beyond the bounds of the estate. Years later, Rian, the grifter of the group, is the only one who ever made it out, the others resigned to a lifetime of dead end jobs, disappointing relationships and bad choices, before eventually growing old and dying in the same estate as their parents. I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning follows the group through the beginning of their thirties, as they try to figure out if they still mean the same to each other as they once did, whilst navigating parenthood, poverty, addiction and finding purpose and pleasure within the lives they have built.

'There are days when I think I should just stop coming back altogether. Just cut the guide rope. But I can't leave it be. When I have nowhere else to go, I come here. Here is where I come to find things.'

I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning can be read in two ways: are the increasingly strained friendships between the characters an allegory for the inexorable urban decay of their hometown which provides the backdrop for the story? Or is it the other way round? Certainly Rian's philosophising (see above quote) could be taken either way. When he loses his way in his new life, he seeks comfort in the friends and the place where he last remembers feeling himself.

At its core, this is a quiet, beautiful story of friendship, and I was particularly moved by the gentleness with which the male characters describe each other, something which is not typically associated with male friendship. The author uses the motif of shared memories to great effect throughout the story, with various characters recalling episodes from their shared history from different perspectives. The reader is left to contemplate the meaning of this device for themselves - if an incident seems more important to one person than others, is that a sign of their waning connection? Is the shared importance of a memory a mark of that connection's endurance?

The narrative is infused with bleak humour, from Rian's observation that Oli, an addict who has lost a lot of weight since his friend last saw him, 'looked a bit like a baseball bat with a sad face drawn on it', to Patrick's declaration that 'Not all shit pubs have flat roofs, but all pubs with flat roofs are shit.' We can infer that this humour is variously used as a distraction from uncomfortable thoughts or conversations, a way of reinforcing shared experiences, or a coping mechanism in difficult times, as when Shiv muses that Patrick's refusing to speak to her for four days is maddening because they can't discuss 'who is doing what when, who is picking this thing up from that place, who has spoken to that person and who has filled in that form that we both agreed one of us needed to fill'. The way the author combines this tone with unfiltered emotions makes the characters feel much more real and defined. Shiv, Patrick's wife and the sole female among the main characters, is particularly beautifully written, her ponderings on relationships and parenthood both witty and profound.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about decay.
Five dear friends who have grown up together are celebrating one's 30th birthday. Now they find themself halfway through their lives and they all realize how unhappy they are. Rian is somehow shocked to find himself an adult, not a careless teen anymore. He turned out to be a successful entrepreneur but he is lonely and is well aware of how his not-so-successful friends are feeling about him. He doesn´t fit into the rich world or the poor world. Patrick is stuck in a meaningless job, he feels like an underdog and a loser, especially since he was once this promising golden boy, who had a chance for a bright future as he got into university. His dreams were shattered when his mom died. Shiv, Patrick's wife, always wanted a bigger life, but as a mother of two young girls, she´s unemployable and feels that she´s wasting her life. Oli is a fun boy, but his funny side is a masque that covers his addiction. Conor tries to be a good man, a good father and a good husband. But there is a dark and scary monster deep inside him waiting to get out there.
These 30+ years old friends grew up on one estate in England. Over the years they have been witnessing its decay. First was the library. It´s gone now. All the pubs in the area are gone too, except The Trident in which they meet. Then the community center disappeared. One by one everything falls apart. Rian feels sentimental about their home estate and is thinking about investing in it. But, as Patrick says: "He doesn´t get that there´s nothing left. Not here at least. It´s nothing, just the middle, where nothing meets a bit more nothing." This emptiness is everywhere. Both outside and inside, because these people feel exactly this. They´re stuck in their lives with very little if any hope for a change. Rian: "My days had been getting emptier and emptier. I only wanted money so I could have a different life."
This story is pretty sad, but it also brings hope. Oli, who got in a way crossed off by others proves that with a strong will, everyone can turn their life to a better way. In their collapsed and almost forgotten estate something is being built. A new block of flats is rising like a Phenix from ashes. It´s not perfect, but it´s a positive change. It brings jobs, and jobs bring income.

This is a beautiful piece of prose with sentences that are somehow lyrical and straight-to-the -point at the same time. This is a rare type of writing. The book itself is well thought through and thought provoking. Keiran Goddard is a name worth remembering.

[Nicole D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Goddard was "Hourglass" and I was blown away by the writing. This was good, but I was missing that "spark" - the genius lines that insist on a highlight were not there.

This book tells the story of a group of friends who grow up in the council estates and how their lives turn out and their friendship endures.

It's not a terribly original storyline, but it was very engaging; a very fast read.

[Sarah Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully observed emotional novel

A group of Young British, male friends tell of their life and relationships
Olly is a heroin addict and drug dealer,Patrick is a food delivery driver with a wife and, two children
Rian has a job and is making money and lending Connor money to build flats in their area
I enjoyed the way that a long-term relationships love was described as really looking at your partner when you sit opposite to each other during a train journey .
The author has a way of writing about the minutia of life in a way that is instantly recognisable The jobs of the young people are highly topical with one of them, being a food delivery driver this zero hours contract life and the poverty associated with it is described well in the novel
I have to admit that I spent most the time in the first half of the book, trying to work out where it’s set. I eventually decided that it must be set in Ireland as lots of talk of cathedrals and Catholic religion . ultimately reading the authors own acknowledgements at the back of the novel, I discovered that it was actually probably setting in Birmingham . I don’t know why I found not knowing where book was set quite distracting .
The author has the ability to describe characters perfectly, and you feel that you know these young people well by the end of the novel, their relationships with each other, and the way that this has influenced their life choices was well described and felt real.

Ultimately, this is a book where not very much happens but you see the way the men develop during the novel in the eyes of their friends. This feels real, and was deeply moving
It also has a clear easily red writing style, and the novel was an enjoyable read
I originally copy on NetGalley UK, the book is published in the UK on the 8th of February 2024 by little Brown book group UK
This review will appear on NetGalley, UK ,Goodreads and my book blog bionicsSarahsbooks.wordpress.com
After publication, the review will also appear on Amazon, UK

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

Following five thirty-somethings who've known each other since childhood, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning is an observation-based book that shares its chapters between each of the five characters. We’re on the periphery as they live their lives, come together, fall apart, explore their pasts together, and question their futures.

In many of the reviews I’ve read for this book the word ‘quiet’ has been used, and I’m inclined to agree with that observation. There’s a vibe of being just on the edge of the goings-on, observing the interactions and being taken along as their individual stories are woven together as life meanders on. The outlook of the five and their musings on their aspirations, adulthood, making money, staying in place, moving away, and everything else that’s discussed in the book, is very reflective and real. There are so many wry observations and downright funny comments it’s like being talked to by friends.

To read my full review check out my blog post: https://kayleighannaleise.blogspot.co...

[Joseph Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is grounded slow burner that worked really well for me in the main. It would have been easy for the story to take dramatic turns at certain key stages, and I think the author showed great restraint in keeping the narrative simple and real.

I think 3 of the 5 main characters are very fleshed out and recognisable in their tone. At times I did find Oli and Connor a little interchangeable in their tone and I could feel the writers voice through them rather than their own.

I recently saw this book is to be adapted into a film, which surprises me. Given the format, I think a series would be a more appropriate medium for the story.

“I See Building’s Fall Like Lightning” is unapologetically British to its core, touches on modern problems and doesn’t shy away from the honesty and humble nature of working class English people.

Could’ve finished this in a day if I’d sat down to do it, and did find myself gliding through the second half of the book with complete ease.

4/5 stars.

[LindaJ^ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of friendship and its evolution. The five friends are Rian, Conor, Oli, Patrick, and Shiv. Shiv and Patrick are married and Shiv is the only female. While important to the story, Shiv is not its heart, which is the relationship of the four boys. The story is set in the present with all five being narrators. Each of the five narrates the story, telling us about themselves and each other, often by looking back. They are at the very fringe of middle age. Only Rian left the area. He became very successful and is quite rich. But Rian has never let go of his childhood friends, even though their lives have diverged.

For a most excellent review see GY's at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kelly Rudolph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super quick read! And would actually give it a 3.5 star!

At first was thrown off by the no dialogue aspect but he has a very poetic way of writing that I vibes with. If you have friends from your childhood this will force you to reflect on how you all have grown up which did make me spiral about how monotonous life can seem in the moment but retrospectively realizing so much has changed.

[Alec Rothenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this from start to finish, such a gripping yet mundane story of these five friends. Was able to see myself and my friends in parts of the characters and was really able to put myself in their shoes in some instances.

[Molly Gorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant, moving novel — my main criticism is that I would have looooved some dialogue. Such a beautifully written ending I had tears in my eyes.

[Dominic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. I feel like I could relate to each character in some way.

[Colette Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up. Interesting structure, no actual dialogue, a lot of internal monologue. The quickly rotating viewpoints between five Birmingham friends kept the story moving along - with a lot conveyed in a brief word count.

[Liam Hassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you feel like your life is on fire, what else is there to do but warm your hands with the heat and walk away.”

“Sometimes there is just no room left for more words.”

Interesting to look at the friendships from home and how they digress along with growing up and change.

[Halley Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and powerful. This one just hit me right.

[Georgie Rea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keiran signed my copy of “I see buildings fall like lightening” at a panel event on Housing, at Foyles flagship store in London, on 26 March 2024. I attended the event to see one of Keiran’s fellow panelist’s, a good friend and colleague of mine, and was intrigued to see how a poet, journalist and lawyer had all approached the question of home amidst a housing crisis in their respective mediums; fiction, auto-fiction and manifesto.

At first, I found it difficult to relate to the characters in the novel, or really understand their world. But as you read it will dawn on you, there are no references to specific place names, brands, even decades, years or months, any identifying proper nouns at all. This is what alienated me; their world felt vapid at first glance, sparse and impoverished as the building they watched falls.

But the further you read, the more you see that this story could be playing out anywhere, and has just enough “concrete” detail to be ground the reader, and allow your mind to import the characters into whatever era, city or even country you felt they spoke from. During the panel, Keiran spoke about his West Midlands upbringing and this urban inspiration for the novel, but the fact that this tale could have been based at any time from the turn of the century to someone in the near future, in Birmingham, Newcastle, London, Cardiff, anywhere, made it all the more emotive.

The poetry of the novel further fills in the gaps left by the novels intentional anonymity. Each chapter explores a different thesis, of the housing crisis, working class existence, nostalgia and futurism, and so on, in a way that is just fleeting enough to make you hunger for the next chapter.

All that being said, whilst each character’s perspective was different and unique, the voice remained similar throughout; is that a reflection of the characters’ main struggle, to find their own identity among urban homogeneity? Or is it Goddard implanting his effortlessly poetic observations into each first person narrative indiscriminately?