2023 RofC UKI Longlist - The Last One

[Hugh, Active moderator]

The Last One by Fatima Daas tr. Lara Vergnaud (Hope Road)

[Paul]

HopeRoad was founded in 2010 by Rosemarie Hudson who has always wanted to encourage exciting new talent, publish those authors herself and bring them to our attention. Her emphasis has been to promote the best writing from and about Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, with themes of identity, cultural stereotyping, disability and injustices are of particular interest.

Rosemarie was joined in her venture by Pete Ayrton, founder of the hugely respected independent publisher Serpent’s Tail. Pete is Editor of HopeRoad’s imprint, Small Axes. He is looking to republish out of print post-colonial classics – those books which helped to shape cultural shifts at the time they were first in print, and which remain as relevant today.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

This felt unsubstantial to me and lacking in any impact - not sure why and I re-read it but could still not really remember it shortly afterwards.

[Lee]

Probably because it skims pretty speedily over the surface without going very deep, is broken up into brief chunks, and is intentionally repetitive every few pages (“My name is Fatima Daas…”). I liked it for all that but it does feel more like a representational introduction than a weighty piece of literature. Making the longlist and going no further seems right.

[David]

Agreed. I think I would have liked this better if Fatima Daas had explicitly positioned it as a counterpoint to standard French white feminist autofiction, but her praise of Ernaux in interviews left me wondering what the point of this was.

[Paul]

Have to disagree with you all on this.

I thought it was a fascinating counterpoint to Ernaux's work but from an attitude of someone not rejecting what Ernaux has done but rather taking inspiration from it to present their own, different, perspective. So the praise of Ernaux to me is a key and good to see people building each other up rather than tearing each other down. (And Ernaux herself doesn't claim her 'on' is universal, that more seems to be critics/readers).

The short-sentences and repetition of "My name is Fatima Daas…” also give the novel a feel of music or prayer, and fit well with the character's literal breathlessness (she is an asthma sufferer) as well as the need to continually assert, define and defend her identity.

I'd be delighted to see it on the shortlist albeit it is 6th on my list.

[Roman Clodia]

Completely agree with you, Paul - I also liked this and the rhythmic repetition was both lyrical and had narrative import, as you say, in the narrator's assertion of self-defined identity. Her 'my name is ...' can be read in different tones: defiant, questioning and shades in between. I found it a powerful piece.

[Lee]

Hugh wrote: "(NB I can't attach the correct edition in "this topic is about" because the book record is missing the ISBN)"

This issue is fixed now by the way. Wasn’t as simple as adding the isbn because another incorrect record had claimed it so had to call in the help of a Superlibrarian! to fix.

[Hugh, Active moderator]

Lee wrote: "Hugh wrote: "(NB I can't attach the correct edition in "this topic is about" because the book record is missing the ISBN)"

This issue is fixed now by the way. Wasn’t as simple as adding the isbn b..."
Thanks, now fixed

[LindaJ^]

I liked this. Paul's description is a good summary, I think. I think that just reading the works makes it feels more superficial than it actually is, as the rhythm seems key. I loved the repetition of "My name is Fatima Daas" -- keep reminding people that I exist and I'm not what I'm expected to be.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Thanks all - great comments.

[Paul]

Definitely one where I could have come down on the other side - as I also entirely sympathise with the more -ve comments. But it tipped into working for me.