FFWD Weekly
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| Books by Gaelle Eizlini The Leper’s Companions Julia Blackburn’s new novel presents one of the more elusive narrators in recent fiction. The only thing we know about her is that she has recently suffered the loss of her love, we are not to know how or why. This loss provokes her desire to go away until she has no memory of her recent trauma. She decides to take refuge in a 15th century village somewhere by the English coast. The narrator eventually follows a group of people from this village as they embark on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. From then on the novel offers a myriad of characters, each of whom carries their own tragedies. While the overall tone is sombre, what makes Blackburn’s novel beguiling is her playfulness. We come across a mermaid and a woman surrounded by demons, old-timers who vividly remember great plagues, the shrivelled remains of saints enshrined throughout the countryside, and a leper who will ultimately lead a misfit group to the Holy Land. Blackburn adeptly plays with the fabric of time without ever quite losing her place, folding in mystical creatures and folklore without losing credibility or becoming clumsy. Nor does she encumber her novel with an affected parody of 15th century prose. Just who her narrator is and, more to the point, when she is, remains a mystery throughout. But whatever she is, there is the feeling that she is modern, and the lack of clarification is not problematic. Blackburn’s novel is a pilgrimage of sorts for its reader, and to enjoy the trip it is necessary to trust that your guide knows where she is going even if the final destination isn’t clear – it is usually that leap of faith which makes the voyage worth taking. |
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