My last book group read was Lanark by Alasdair Gray. It has been described as 'a modern classic' and 'the best in Scottish Literature in the twentieth century'. So, no raised expectations clearly.
I approached it with some trepidation and put off starting it for so long that it was a good thing my book group was postponed and I got an extra couple of weeks to read it. When I finally opened it, it was much more readable than I expected. Despite the way the novel plays with structure, text and concepts, the narrative voice is straightforward and clear. I was surprised to find that I preferred Lanark's fantastical story to the more realist books about Duncan Thaw.
Lanark is packed with interesting ideas but when I got to the end I wasn't sure if I thought that what it was trying to say was coherent. When I thought about it, it sort of unravelled in my head. Part of the problem lies with me as a reader. When you read in a fragmented way (five minutes while standing at a bus stop, twenty minutes before you fall asleep at night), it's sometimes hard to see a novel as a whole, particularly when that whole is as long and challenging as Lanark. Still, it gave me a lot to think about and played with my expectations and perspective. Perhaps that's enough for now.
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