Reach

by Laurence Fearnley

One of the reasons she was attracted to etchings was the deep, rich, black of the oily ink. A good layer of black ink was fathomless, like the sky or the sea at night. It was black as the unconscious mind, full of life but beyond reach.

Quinn is a successful artist creating new works for an upcoming exhibition. She lives on the coast with Marcus, a vet who left his wife for her and lost contact with his young daughter Audrey as a result. Entering their lives is Callum, a deep-sea diver with a love of the ocean. As the countdown to Quinn's exhibition progresses, each faces challenges and must make choices that will test their loyalties and have a far-reaching impact on their future.

A brilliant novel from award-winning author Laurence Fearnley, Reach is about risk-taking and the ways in which creativity, struggle and danger empower individuals and enrich life.

Genres: Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Laurence Fearnley is an award-winning novelist. Her novel The Hut Builder won the fiction category of the 2011 NZ Post Book Awards and was shortlisted for the international 2010 Boardman Tasker Prize for mountain writing. Her book Edwin and Matilda was runner-up in the 2008 Montana New Zealand Book Awards and her second novel, Room, was shortlisted for the 2001 Montana Book Awards. In 2004 Fearnley was awarded the Artists to Antarctica Fellowship and in 2007 the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago. Laurence Fearnley lives in Dunedin with her husband and son.

Reviews

[Trees · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't hardly wait to discuss this at Bookclub.

[Rick Yeowart · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down

I think this book had loads of potential. As unlikeable as the 2 main characters are (intentionally so and well written in that regard), and their relationship is a massive waving red flag filled mess, they had clear storylines and character arcs which needed a button, a full stop, a period, a tying up, an ending, a swan song, a finale, a conclusion, a climax, a culmination, a bit like this review, going nowhere.

Marcus realises very close to the end of the book that he needs to be ‘a better man’ and I totally agree, the guy is a total arsehole, but that’s as far as he goes, the next we learn is that he’s gone on his planned trip to Israel with his estranged daughter. So no conclusion at all.

And Quinn’s ending? It’s all pretty uninspiring.

I do hope Callum (the most likeable character in the book by a thousand miles) finds his peace in a community away from this mess of a couple. But he just disappears too without a trace or a bubble or ripple on the surface.

I had more books from this author on my TBR list. And now I’m reluctant to take the plunge.

[Ro Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a captivating tale.
Three people ....an artist, a vet and a deep sea diver, all make for a good love story. Or maybe it's more of a lust story? We read this in our book group and wee all agreed, it is a good read.

[Pip Lewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me it was just OK. I struggled to even want to finish this. I didn't like any of the characters in this book...all so self centred. ..But if that was the plan (I can't be certain of that) of the author it was pulled off perfectly but didn't make it an enjoyable read.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laurence Fearnley is an award-winning New Zealand writer, with a keen interest in writing about New Zealand craft artists. She is a prolific author, publishing a new novel every year or every other year:
•The Sound of Her Body (1998)
•Room (2000), shortlisted for the 2001 Montana New Zealand Book Awards
•Delphine’s Run (2003)
•Butler’s Ringlet (2004)
•Degrees of Separation (2006), written following her Antarctic Fellowship
•Edwin + Matilda (2007), runner-up in the fiction category of the 2008 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
•Mother’s Day, (2009)
•The Hut Builder (2010) was the winner of the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Award for Fiction. (See my review)

Reach, (2014) longlisted for the 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for Fiction is Fearnley’s ninth novel. It’s what I call an ‘intense relationship novel’, one which unravels the mysterious ways that people behave by revealing interior thoughts not shared with the other characters.

Quinn is a successful artist, well-known in the New Zealand art world but starting to brood about up-and-coming young artists. It seems to her that they are getting publicity for doing work that is derivative – but the critics are not acknowledging her influence. She is intensely focussed on her art, thinking about it all the time, but is very choosy about discussing it with her partner Marcus, (a vet who’s also a university lecturer). She says this is because she’s ‘not good with words’ but it’s really because she’s wary of his reactions. She has a rather prickly personality, and has a tendency to despise the people in arts administration:

Even when the conversation was about one of her exhibitions, she tended to have the distinct impression that the content of her drawings or etchings was of little concern to the people who worked in the art world. They weren’t interested in the thought or skills that went into each image. To all intents and purposes, her art was little more than a commodity, a status symbol for a select few. (p.75)

For most of the early part of the book, the focus is on points of mostly unspoken conflict between Quinn and Marcus, so much so that one wonders why they are in a relationship at all. Marcus left his marriage for Quinn, and his relationship with his daughter Audrey has also failed, just as she reached the age where she could share his passion for running. He met Quinn through a series of initially innocent encounters but eventually started an affair with her, compounding the betrayal by steadfastly lying about it even when he had reached the stage of leaving Vivienne.

To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2016/02/22/re...

[Emma McCleary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurence Fearnley's work provokes a strong emotional reaction in me and this was no exception. However, while The Hut Builder had me almost crying on the train home and Edwin and Matilda had me holding my breath and racing through pages, Reach was far more subtle - the emotion snuck up and lurked.

While all the characters were connected they were also at once on their own paths. Marcus - quite feckless, has no idea what he has and thinks only of himself (although ironically having a job saving animals); he was a perfect portrayal of a middle aged man. There wasn't a lot to like about Marcus but then there wasn't a lot to dislike - he was just a plain old not particularly wonderful human.

Callum was in a way what Marcus could have been - his alternative life path... Maybe they were two sides of a coin. I wanted to know more about him and enjoyed that the story didn't neatly tie into a bow at the end.

Quinn's story I found dark and grim but also so nostalgic. Her printmaking had me straight back at art school; the descriptions of technique were perfect and I longed to be back as my 20 year old self spending hours dedicated to art.

Her work and her relationship with babies I found much harder - very real and at times so raw.

Reach is a book I got through quickly but one that will linger with me for a long time. Highly recommended.

[Kelvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 'the hut builder' I had high expectations on this book and was not disappointed. 'Reach' is a gentle coastal Kiwi story that starts nowhere and finishes nowhere. It is full of emotion, choices and angst as it follows the intertwined lives and choices of an artist, vet and deep sea diver.

Laurence Fearnley's writing is simply stunningly beautiful. On her writing alone I give the book a 4/5. Unfortunately Penguin Random House once again let the side down with their poorly made eBooks. So overall sadly 3.5/5.

[Eske · Rating 3 out of 5]

reach focuses on the choices people make, and is full of Fearnley's close, meticulous observations of the tensions between and within individuals, backgrounded by those between the same individuals and their setting.

[Cath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, well written, but I didn't feel any empathy with any of the characters. As this was a book primarily about characters and relationships that was a bit of a miss.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving, beautifully written book

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book, very poetic, loved it.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

very well written