Customer Reviews

In a Dark Wood

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Just finished this and am blown away on the back of the wind. It is such a wonderful exploration of the power and depth of fairy tale--and an object lesson on all the reasons that grownups should read and learn from them. Fairytales are too often dismissed as 'just for the kids'. They are not. Anyone who has read Clarissa Pinkola Estes' 'Women Who Run With The Wolves' will know that they explore the deepest parts of our psyches--and with that in mind, I found the speech given by the editor character Jane Holly to Benedick to be a perfect distillation of the impotence and anger I always feel when people dismiss books for children as something less than worthy of their adult attention.

But this excellent novel doesn't only contain fairy stories. It is also a (sometimes uncomfortable) look at the subject of manic depression and the damage it can cause if left untreated, and also of the ways that suicide echoes down future generations of a family. I have to say that Benedick (the 'hero') left me with mixed feelings--mostly because he made me look at bits of myself I don't necessarily like very much--but he's a powerful and brilliantly realised character. If I find myself shouting at someone within the pages of a book, I know that the author has succeeded in making him real--and Amanda Craig has certainly done that. I'd say she's one of the best writers of this generation--go and seek her books out and you won't be disappointed. They're intelligent, thought-provokig and beautifully written.

Having recently read and enjoyed Amanda Craig's excellent state-of-the-nation novel Hearts and Minds, I thought I would dive into her backlist, to see if it was of the same high quality. 'In a Dark Wood' is a different type of novel, but it is well worth seeking out.

Written in the first person, 'IADW' follows a single character, Benedick, as he struggles to come to terms with the failings of his life. Divorced, out of work and struggling to bond with his children, Benedick is forced to examine his past when he discovers a book of fairy tales written by his mother. His mother who killed herself when he was a young boy. As he tries to discover the origins of his mother's stories, he finds himself delving into his family's murky past. His journey takes him to the brink, and the novel's conclusion is startling and unexpected.

One of the greatest pleasures of Craig's writing is her ability to crystallise life's minutiae into elegant observation. She has a great knack for metaphor and simile, making her books a pleasure to read. Better still in this novel, are the fairy tales - 'IADW' contains a book within a book. Interspersed throughout the story of Benedick's travails are macabre fables of the highest order. A long time reviewer of children's books, one can't help wonder if Craig should try to write one herself. Her fairy tales contain the right blend of myth, allegory and horror; they ooze Grimm authenticity, and are unexpected delight. 'IADW' is cleverly structured, and full of surprises. The full conclusion is perhaps a little far-fetched, but don't let that put you off reading this excellent novel.

Benedick is miserable: recently divorced, acting career in the doldrums, at war with his father, and barely able to look after himself, let alone his two young children (who ex-wife Georgie keeps insisting spend time with him). Taking refuge in the home of Ruth, the woman who raised him as one of her own, Benedick suddenly realises he can remember almost nothing about his real mother, who committed suicide when he was six years old. Inspired by a book of fairy tales written and illustrated by Laura, he embarks upon a quest to discover more about her, whether she was mad as many of her `friends' seem to claim, and what drove her beyond the brink.

In the sheer unlikeability of lead character Benedick, Craig sets herself for a potentially huge downfall - he is irritating, whiny, hypocritical, rude, quite simply unpleasant. Those readers who force themselves beyond this, however, will be rewarded by a story that discovers unexpected pathways and diversions through the dark woods of the title.

At first, I found the switches between scenes a little choppy, and this combined with the focus on dialogue gave a slightly televisual feel. Craig also has the unfortunate habit of occasionally overstating the obvious: "Most artists have something they desperately want to communicate yet also need to keep hidden. Sometimes they don't even know what it is. Perhaps it's that which makes them what they are." However, once I settled into Craig's style, I was able to put my initial petty quibbles aside. Laura's fairy tales are re-told in full, and this is the first glimpse of Craig's capabilities - stories which are easily on a par with any other re-imagined fairy tales I have read. These are interspersed between very recognisable observations of human nature, as well as such vividly down to earth imagery as: "Several cats were lolling around like dollops of jellied fur".

Although Benedick and his increasingly manic behaviour is manifestly unlikeable, Laura (apparently based on Sylvia Plath) is harder to grasp - a glamorous and enigmatic figure who provokes strong reactions amongst her bohemian Primrose Hill `friends', none of whom really seem to have known her at all. Was she unbalanced or was she literally driven mad? We catch only glimpses of her personality, and the pervading sense of mystery is what drives the reader on, as well as Benedick to America to find her family, and perhaps some greater `truth'. But it is the stories and illustrations within 'North of Nowhere' which provide the greatest insight into the workings of Laura's mind, interpreting (mostly lesser known) fairy tales from various traditional sources in subtly original and semi-autobigraphical ways. Throughout, Benedick identifies with his mother, but one wonders how much of his affinity with her is merely projection of his own clearly troubled mind. Ultimately, the connections are all unravelled.

As the cover suggests, this is a story based on a story nestled within stories - it is about how our lives and those around us are interlinked, with stories told and re-told to suit our innumerable needs and circumstances. Despite Craig's neat, happily-ever-after ending, one is left to wonder about the future repercussions of all that has unfolded: we have been led through one dark wood already, and seen exactly where the paths of genetics and circumstance can lead...

Amanda Craig's ambitious fourth novel deals with manic-depression and the importance of our pasts to us. Actor Benedick Hunter (ex-husband of Georgina, the accomplished journalist and novelist of 'A Vicious Circle) has hit rock-bottom. His marriage has collapsed, his career seems to be going nowhere and he finds it increasingly hard to build any relationship with his two small children. He retreats to the house of psychotherapist Ruth Viner (mother of Tom from 'A Vicious Circle') to try to rebuild his life. The discovery of a book of fairytales written and illustrated by his mother, Laura, suddenly gives Benedick a purpose - to try to find out more about the life of a woman who killed herself when Benedick was six, when at the height of her fame as an illustrator and writer. Benedick's journey takes him from London to New York to Carolina, where he learns a great deal about his mother, himself and his relationship to his son Cosmo.

This is a gripping read. I liked very much the way that Craig used the mother's fairytales in the story, partly as clues to what happened to Laura - the fairytales were written in a very convincing way, and without any of the 'academic mannerisms' that can sometimes creep in when a writer is trying to take on the voice of another (as in A.S. Byatt's 'Possession' for example). As always, there are wonderful descriptions of London, and many vivid characters, including Ruth the cat-loving psychotherapist, Jane the wise children's book editor, and Benedick's needy son, Cosmo. Craig also brilliantly enters the mind of a manic-depressive - though be warned, the scenes describing both Benedick's depression and his mania are quite painful reading as they are so vivid. It is a strength of the novel that Craig doesn't get too bogged down in Benedick's agonies, as otherwise the book might be unbearably painful. Even better, she gives us hope that Benedick may be able to heal himself at least to some degree.

A very impressive achievement.