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Review
“three hours of magical listening”
Choice February 1998
“Alan Cumming is one of the few male readers not to make female characters sound like drag acts.”
Independent on Sunday 14/12/97
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Customer Reviews
Lewis and his mother stay in Valentina's spacious luxury apartment in the centre of Paris. Lewis kills time by taking Valentina's dog Sergei for walks, playing computer chess and reading. Lewis also develops a crush on Valentina, which grows as he turn's 14 and events escalate into full blown love.
One day Valentina dissapears mysteriously and Lewis sets his chess mind to unravelling the mystery and beating the police at finding her.The novel ends dramatically but I won't give it away in case you have not read it yet.
The novel's strong points are its evocation of a Parisian summer, its poetic, sparkling prose which succesfully transports; its luxurious theme, its occasional humour and as always with Rose Tremain a, sort of, deep symbolic poetry that opens, resonates and illuminates the readers understanding of the charcters and their emotions, and through them, the human condition in general.
It has been argued that Tremain failed in her ambitious attempt to successfully 'get under the skin' of an adolescent boy. Having been one myself I think this is too harsh a judgement. She understands male obsession very well and the narration is beleivable enough to work. Lewis's precocity is a little exagerated, perhaps. I found myself questioning whether a 13-14 year-old boy could be that wise or emotionally developed and thinking he would be rare individual, remebering how I and my peers behaved. Nevertheless, this did not spoil the story for me.
The novel's weekest point is its ending. It is almost as if Tremain lost her nerve. Once again I have to be careful or I will spoil it but all I will say is that it could have been 'better'.
There is also the question of shady figures in Valentina's past - who are they? And why is she determined to keep the content of her new book so secret? The plot becomes even more murky when Valentina disappears - and Lewis, though in danger himself, believes that he is the only one who cares enough to save her.
Rose Tremain, author of such highly original novels as Restoration and Sacred Country, has created a suspenseful story which also brilliantly evokes the sights, sounds, and smells of a Parisian summer. The precocious Lewis is a wonderful mixture of adolescent angst and common sense, and the sheer quality of the writing ensures that The Way I Found Her is an exciting, page-turning, and moving read.
But what annoys me is the way this female writer has tried to write about a young male teenager's thoughts, about his masturbation, physical stimulation, and his fantasies. Much of the detail just doesn't feel right. Am I the first person to review this book who is brave enough to say so? Or am I the first male reviewer?
However, it is a good read nevertheless, but not as good as Music & Silence which is my favourite book of recent years.
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