If ever there was a candidate for next year’s Booker Prize, then this is it. I’ve never heard of Lousie Dean before, even though The Old Romantic is her fourth novel. She won the Betty Trask award in 2004 for Becoming Strangers and has also been long-listed for the Booker while also winning the Guardian First Book Award. Where have I been? The Old Romantic is so good.
As the book opens we meet Nick and his partner Astrid who are driving to Hastings to pick up Nick’s father Ken, a miserly, cantankerous old man, living in Hastings on the South Coast with his unfortunate wife June. They are all going to have lunch with Dave, Nick’s brother and his wife, Marina. The lunch will be dominated by Ken’s announcement that he wants to leave all his money to son number two, Dave, and expects Nick, a lawyer, to draw up the will which will so determinedly favour his brother. Astrid can’t help herself from exclaiming, “What about Nick?”, only to hear the irascible old man reply,
Thank you young lady, but you’re new to this family. You’re not even in the this family, matter of fact, so I’ll ask you to keep your nose out.
Ken’s appalling behaviour suffuses this book. He really is a wicked old man, blind to his own failings and judgemental about everyone else’s. When people treat him as he deserves he is puffily hurt and fails to see how his own provocations are at the root of his troubles.
We meet a fine cast of characters, most notably Ken’s ex-wife Pearl, who is equally outspoken, and lives off the charity of kind-hearted son Dave while proclaiming a bogus pride in her own self-reliance. I enjoyed the way that Louise Dean doesn’t just concentrate on Ken and his family but lets her readers into the lives of all her characters, even the minor ones like Nick’s ex-girlfriend Morwen, or the creepy divorced Dad who tries to make a girl-friend of his twelve-year old daughter. I enjoyed reading about Astrid’s delightfully-drawn, oh-so middle-class parents who meet Ken for a lunch encounter which for readers has much akin to watching a car-crash.
The relationship between the two brothers is surprisingly endurable despite heavy squalls along the way. Dave, the conciliator, trying to be at peace with everyone else, eventually loses his rag and blurts out some home truths. Upwardly-mobile Nick can’t help but revert to his father’s type when the chips are down, despite loathing what the old man stands for. Louise Dean delights in the set-piece encounters – the difficult lunch date, the meeting of fiancée and old girl-friend, the family re-union of people who would be better remaining apart. She has a dramatic capability which makes her readers feel they are watching a stage-play, the building tension, the digression into minor detail then a return to the action which make this a hard book to put down.
Norman Road, St Leonards, where Audrey's funeral parlour is located. Image grabbed from Google Earth Streetview
We go into some peculiar places in this book. Ken fills up his spare time by volunteering at a funeral director’s business in St Leonards, owned by the woman he idolises, the plump and business-like Audrey, turning a lustful eye not only on her appearance but also the money she turns over. Audrey gradually inducts Ken into the more subtle arts of funeral direction and I have to admire Louise Dean for her impeccable research which lets her readers discover the secrets of embalming (a couple of pages which are definitely not for the squeamish).
I suppose this book will be described as a black comedy, which it is to a degree. I was reminded of early William Trevor, and of course Graham Swift’s novel, Last Orders which has some synergy with The Old Romantic, not least the funereal theme! In no way am I suggesting this book is derivative, for Louise Dean’s voice is entirely her own: she writes confidently with a fine touch for the nuances of family life – and the dark concerns of embittered old men.
On a personal note, I appreciated the accuracy of the geographical detail as I used to work in the area described in this novel. Hastings is a run-down South Coast town with pockets of gentrification and Louise Dean obviously knows it as well as I do. In a recent interview on BBC Radio 4′s Open Book, she told listeners that she was born in the town and so knows it well:
Hastings has been on its uppers for many, many years – there are rumours, very much exagerrated, about Hastings having a revival . . . but its still humble and humbling, and fascinating and unkempt and wayward, and in some ways its very much a character itself.
Louise Dean obviously enjoys locating her books in the real-world of streets and pubs and it is easy to follow the routes taken by the characters as they go to the shops of visit relatives. If you know anything of the area within the triangle of Hastings, Rye and Tenterden you could enjoy tracking this story on Google Earth Street View.
As an unpaid reviewer of books, I am able to select what I want to read from a vast range of new titles, some of which I borrow or buy and others which are sent to me. With my limited time, I tend to concentrate on only those books which look promising, sometimes striking gold and sometimes being sadly disappointed. I am pleased to say that The Old Romantic will be one of my “best reads” for 2010 and I wish Louise Dean every success with this, her latest novel.
Finally, what a nice cover this book has – one Amazon reviewer commented that it makes the book look like chick-lit (which it definitely isn’t by the way). I don’t agree. I think its an excellent pictorial summary of the book: the fading sea-side town, the man in a funeral director’s clothes alone on the beach, the overflowing rubbish bin, the Eng-er-land flag hanging from a window. It just works.
Title: The Old Romantic
Author: Louise Dean
Publication: Penguin Fig Tree (August 2010), Paperback, 304 pages
ISBN: 9781905490196
Newspaper Reviews
Viv Groskop in The Observer
Alfred Hickling in The Guardian
Louise Dean sounds like the type of novelist I would like to read. You say for next year’s Booker longlist. Was it published too late to qualify for this year’s longlist?
Sold!
I haven’t read any Louise Dean either but this sounds as though it’s something I’d really enjoy.
Thanks.
An excellent review and I will be buying this book — there are times when strange Englishmen in the country are exactly what a reader wants.
This is off-topic but since you have confessed to knowing Hastings, do you have an opinion on Foyle’s War? I won’t offer mine (okay, I will — both Mrs. KfC and I think it ranks with the best television every done) but I would be interested in the thoughts of someone who obviously knows the area.
Tony – I don’t know whether she’ll get on the Booker longlist next year – its just my recommendation. The book was only published this week. Thanks for visiting.
Guy – its one of those books you want to tell the world about once you’ve read it. Hope its not just me!
Thanks for this review, Tom. I almost bought this book the other day and then changed my mind, because I wasn’t quite sure about it. Last month I read her second novel, This Human Season, and thought it was brilliant. But part of me wondered if it might have been a one-off. I’m glad to hear it wasn’t.
Here’s a link to my review: http://kimbofo.typepad.com/readingmatters/2010/07/this-human-season-by-louise-dean.html
Re: Booker Prize — it would be eligible for this year’s, as the book for the 2010 prize needs to be published between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2010. That means it would not be eligible for 2011.
Kevin – thanks for the comment. Foyles War is very good – the Wikipedia entry says – “The series is notable for its attention to historical detail and the drama is frequently moved along by historical events of World War II. Creator Anthony Horowitz considered that, to honour the veterans of WWII, it was important to get the details correct”.
I think there are still quite a number of people here along the South Coast with memories of that time, and there are many museums and historical sites which can provide material from the time, so yes, I think you and Mrs KfC can rest assured that its about as good as it gets.
Kim – thanks for the comment – I am sure you wouldn’t be disappointed in this one – its immensely colourful and rich in describing the difficulties of family life – while also being very funny. I must get hold of her earlier books I think and shall now read your review of This Human Season
Kim – how would that work for a book published towards the back end of the year then? Too late to be short listed but too early for next year!
It should work, because it is a calendar year – 1st of October to 30th September. This year’s longlist seems unusual in that all the books are already published and in the shops, but in past years the longlist has been announced and a handful haven’t been available to the public because they’re not scheduled for publication until late September. Does that make sense?
Hadn’t even heard of Louise Dean, Tom! So many thanks for the introduction. The family context being used to explore much wider moral and social issues sounds interesting; shall now be on the lookout for her.
Minnie – thanks for visiting. The black comedy aspects of this book are particularly well done.
Kim – well, I never knew that. I know there’s a long lead time on publishing a book, but I would have thought a new rule saying “books must have been in the shops before announcement of the long list would not be a bad idea
I have to say, I’m not a huge follower of the Booker and will only read three or four of this year’s selection.
I agree about the cover, I think it’s very appealing and I have a good antenna for detecting genre fiction LOL – I did a survey for a publishing company about book covers once, and so I know most of their tricks: it’s the font that’s wrong for chick-lit.
BTW We chez Tim & Lisa love Foyle’s War too.
Thanks for visiting Lisa. The font is wrong? Oh yes, its meant to be swirly if its chicklit isn’t it. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/jul/29/thegreatchicklitcoverup
Can’t you just imagine how insulted Fay Wheldon must have felt!
Thanks for the introduction, haven’t heard of Louise Dean. I’d adding this to my ever growing wishlist!
I was sent this book and thought I wanted to read it but wasnt sure, it sounds fantastic!!
I heard her talking about the book on Open Book at the weekend so hearing her and reading your review, I am sold.
I will pop
it higher up the TBR pronto!
Simon – I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Having puffed it up so far I’ll be very embarrassed if you don’t!
Kinnareads – I know the problem about the wishlist. How will we ever clear our backlogs if we keep adding new books?
I have heard such good things about Louise Dean and have never read her. Time to fix that, I can see! Thank you for the lovely review.
Litlove – thanks for visiting. I am sure you would enjoy this book as she’s a great writer with good remarks about her previous work also
This book sounds like my cup of tea! I’d never heard of Louise Dean, but she is now at the top of my list of books to buy. Great post – it really sold me on this book. As far as the cover goes, I have to admit I like it, but it does give the impression that the book is a light read (I wouldn’t have said chick-lit, but perhaps a rung above that genre).
Great review! I too haven’t heard of this author before, but she seems to have written quite a fine book… Thanks for bringing this book to light!
Hi Birdy = thanks for visiting. Yes, I now need to catch up on her other work.
I’ll add to the chorus. Haven’t heard of her, but it sounds well worth reading. As for the cover … it certainly doesn’t meet chick lit style – there is usually something relating to fashion, often high heels and/or handbags, sometimes a shapely leg or some red lips. (I read something on this a few months ago when I reviewed Toni Jordan’s Addition). Not a row of terrace houses. This looks more “olde worlde”.
Oh, and more Foyles War fans here too. (Sorry I’ve responded late — we went to the snow in the middle of the week and I’m still catching up.)
Sue – I must read a chicklit book sometime to find out what its all about – no, on second thoughts, perhaps I won’t!
[...] Old Romantic by Louise Dean – Tom of A Common Reader says this book “will be one of my “best reads” for 2010″. It’s described [...]
I saw this book and was intrigued, then I read a so-so review in the papers and the feeling wore off, but I value blog-friends’ comments more, so I think I was right to be intrigued first-off and would really like to read this if you get my drift.
BTW, the best chick-lit is really good, but most is absolute rubbish. One I really liked was ‘Elegance’ by K.Tessaro if you did decide to give it a try!
I hadn’t heard of this book or the author before so I am so glad you have highlighted this here.
Annabel. Thanks for visiting. I looked up Elegance and it certainly looks like a good read. The Slap is a compelling read – once you start it you want to finish it. Its a pretty unsettling journey, but its definitely one that will stick in the mind – for better or worse
OK – but there’s not much I can do about it as the publishing format is dictated by the platform – WordPress