Tuesday 14 August 2012

Book Review: Tinkers By Paul Harding

What sweet nectare, I pour down my throat. What great quality juices, and pulp, and glass that contains it.

If you will look past my strange metaphor, I would like to tell you about an amazing book. One that is rivaling A Game Of Thrones for my favourite of the year.

Tinkers by Paul Harding is this book. The first thing we should address is the  main reason I picked it up. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2010. Lets be honest, one of the main reasons we buy the books we do, is because of the awards that they have won. It tells us that we wont be wasting our time reading a book. It gives us more reason to buy another book, we probably wont read for a while. Because our 'to be read' pile is so huge it scares us.

You will definitely not be wasting your time with this book. Its beautifully written, in an interesting way. And its intellectual enough that you can proudly read it in the bus or on the train.

The book is about George, who is a clock-repairer by trade. He is on his death bed, and he is hallucinating about his life. More specifically about his father Howard. Through the novel you get to see these two characters. Their relationship with one another and their individual lives.

The one thing I really like about this novel, that I haven't found in many others is its similarity to short stories. Like short stories, it takes everyday occurances, and turns them into these amazing stories. Where the characters emotions and suffering is layed out, in a way you never would have seen them before.

The way this author sees life is truly inspiring. But the way he shows it to you, is like poetry. Sweet, quick, but full to the brim with meaning and emotion.

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