Girl on a Stick

by Kathleen Bryson

A floating blue apparition of the Virgin Mary. That's what Clementine Logan, jaded American, sees from the window of her No. 38 bus in London. This is the first in a series of alarming religious visions, triggered by her new relationship with fellow foreigner Per, a green-eyed Norwegian undergraduate. Set against a backdrop of gritty East London streets and post/pop-everything academia, Clementine's relationship with Per grows more twisted, the miracles grow weirder, and soon something's gotta snap. A young teenager, she was abused by her local priest, a priest whose joy lay in tormenting Clem through word-games, puzzles, and rebuses. As the story progresses, the reader realizes that Clem's religious visions add up to the greatest rebus puzzle of all -- as Clem finds herself in a world built on codes she never will crack. Break-ups, nervous breakdowns and breakthroughs feature here, yet the novel is also about the aftermath of a break: what happens after the cracking and splitting; how you can grow new skins or maybe even extra legs. Both blasphemous and reverent--and ostensibly an account of a troubled relationship--the real target of this novel is not only patriarchal institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church, but also mindless masochism.

Sassy, clever, bright, dark, true, and, most importantly, alive. A huge book, and full of goodness. -- Ali Smith, author of Booker Prize-shortlisted novels Hotel World and The Accidental

264 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2008

About the author

Author, artist and, yeah, evolutionary anthropologist.

Reviews

[Jonah Cavallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently re-read this as the author has a new book about to be published (finally). I found it as compulsive a read second time around as I did the first time. At the end of this relatively slim and fast read I felt like I'd read the best parts of at least 4 or 5 books which had been combined to create a solid, if at times deliciously surreal whole. Writing this I'm torn between mentioning my favourite parts but don't want to spoil the shocks and surprises for new readers. I highly recommend. I just hope her new offering, The Stagtress lives up to this!

[Mew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first paragraph was nearly enough to make me change my mind and pick another book. But I'm glad I didn't, the tone and pace took some getting used to but it was worth it. Realistic London scenes interspersed with haunting religious iconography hinting at the dark past of the main character.