Wall of Days - A. Bruce.rar

On an island in the middle of a waterbound world, Bran ekes out a meagre, solitary but not entirely unpleasant existance, knowing that his kingdom is slowly but surely washing into the sea. It is a matter of some doubt which will last the longest - him or the island. He has been exiled there by his subjects for terrible deeds but, one day, an unexpected, unbidden visitor means he must return home to face his past.

I was worried that this book might turn out to be pretentious or boring but from the moment I opended it up I was hooked. It's slow moving and by no means exciting, but it is profoundly absorbing. True, the story dragged for a while towards the end of the first half and I found the raft escape sequence a little far-fetched (indeed some of the aspects of Bran's survival on the island were a little hard to swallow). Soon after this, however, things became deeply intriguing and it developed into a bit of a page-turner. The latter half took on an almost supernatural feel and I have to admit that much of the meaning of the ending escaped me. I think that I'll have to read it again because, for one thing, I was reading so quickly at this stage to get to the denouement that I fear that much of the detail, and perhaps some of the explanation, escaped me.

The drowning world that Bruce describes is an interesting idea. The story takes the opportunity to explore the concept with tantalising glmpses into the world's past but, cruelly, the story never really follows this thread and we are left with so many questions unanswered.

Bruce's writing is highly accomplished, lucid and, yes, unpretentious. He paints his landscape with skill and he gives a real sense of place. The atmosphere he evokes is very dreamlike and this novel has the slightly unexpected feel (given its billing as a debut) of the work of an experienced and capable author.

The protagonist and narrator, Bran, is a sympathetic character and remains so even as the awful reasons for his banishment become clear. He has strong parallels with many of the characters who play on the international stage in our own world; people we revile as criminals or mad-men. In this way, Bruce poses some uncomfortable questions about our attitude towards and treatment of such people and about the complicity of the people who give them their mandate by inaction and apathy. The novel is about guilt but not Bran's guilt: ours.

I really enjoyed this read. It's not a book I would normally have picked up, but I'm glad that I did and the enigmatic ending, although unsatisfying in some ways, begs a return at some stage in the near future for a more careful analysis. I hope we see a little more of Alastair Bruce in the future.

PS: Note that this is not a book to rush through (as I did); it's one that deserves - requires - close attention, care and consideration.