The Red House- Mark Haddon

Before I start I must admit to not being a huge fan of Haddon's highly acclaimed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I could appreciate it as well written,  insightful and empathetic, yet I just didn't really enjoy it. 

When The Red House was selected as the May read for my book group I wasn't sure it'd be my cup of tea.  The cover was gloomy and foreboding for starters, and my headspace hasn't been all that fantastic in recent months.  I didn't think I was up to coping with a depressing read (a Google search suggests that other editions of the book have a lighter cover- I wonder if owning one of those instead might have changed my perception of the book and therefore what I expected from it?).

However, The Red House isn't actually a depressing read.  Set around the Wales/England border (my old stomping ground!) it follows one week of a holiday.  It is an intense snapshot into family life where characters young and old wrestle with  the challenges of living- bereavement, marriage, sexuality, faith...Haddon certainly doesn't shy away from issues which other authors might be afraid to tackle for fear of offending.  But this is one of his greatest skills as a writer, his ability to explore and probe without preaching. 

There was no main character, and personally I didn't like that.  I wanted to be able to get my teeth into them (not literally, I'm not a cannibal) and felt that wasn't possible.  Daisy in particular, a teenager discovering Christianity alongside her burgeoning attraction to another female, interested me.  In some ways I felt short changed as she would have made a brilliant lead character-I want a follow up with just her story to see what happens to her next! (As an aside, you can read the letter I wrote to Daisy here ).

In some ways not much happens in The Red House.  There is no concrete ending, no happily ever after-this is not a spoiler, any book which follows just one week will naturally end before the story does.  Being honest, I can't say I enjoyed it.  It is well written and experimental without being out and out irritating (thinking of other experimental writers here who have used techniques that as a reader I found unbearable- Ali Smith's 'start in the middle of a sentence' in The Accidental for one), and I cared enough about a few of the characters to want to read on.  I also found it interesting to see how the relationships between the characters developed over the course of the week, and how some days were eventful; others more mundane.

This book walks the fine line between despair and hope.  And the hope was what kept me reading.  We can all benefit from a bit more of that in our lives.

The Red House is out now, published by Vintage.

Letter Writing Challenge linked to Jenny in Neverland blog- A Letter to a Book Character

My wonderful friend Jenny from the Jenny in Neverland blog came up with the idea of writing a series of letters.  These could be to all manner of people- your children, former teachers, your younger self...and I am taking part in her letter writing exploits too! 

This challenge was entitled 'A letter to a book character'.  I knew straight away who I needed to write to.  My book group read The Red House by Mark Haddon this month and although I could relate to aspects of many of the characters in the book, one touched my soul so deeply.  That was Daisy.  Daisy is a teen struggling with her identity, reaching out into the Christian faith and adjusting to the idea that she is a lesbian.  I am a Christian myself, and identify as bisexual.  There are times when I have felt saturated with guilt, feeling like these sides to my personality are a terrible clash.  I wanted to write to Daisy to give her hope, and to encourage her to be true to herself.  It took me far too long to reach that point, and I would love to be able to help her avoid the anguish I experienced.

Dear Daisy,

This isn't going to be a long letter, but is one I felt compelled to write.  I know that right now you are probably overwhelmed with emotions. It is incredibly hard to feel that you know who you are but that elements of your true self may not fit together neatly like two neighbouring jigsaw pieces, at least in the eyes of society.

But being gay and being a Christian are not mutually exclusive, especially in modern culture.  Of course, you will come up against people who don't understand your sexuality, or your faith, or both.  But there are other people out there just like you, there are churches which will welcome you and support you on all aspects of your journey and they will love you for who you are.  Jesus said many wise things, but when I contemplate my faith and sexuality the one I always come back to is 'Love one another as I have loved you'.  That is pretty self explanatory. Jesus used to hang around with an eclectic crowd.  People like Thomas, and Simon Peter who had faith which waivered and that they denied.  People like Mary, Martha and Lazarus- ordinary families with issues.  People like the lady at the well and the woman who poured oil on him, lepers, outcasts.  Jesus openly loved everyone.  Jesus openly loves YOU.  God the Father too- he is 'Abba', Daddy- the loving father, wanting happiness for his children.  INCLUDING YOU.

There will be times where you want to scream, times where you feel people are being self righteous pricks and only seeing the parts of you they want to see.  People mock what they don't understand.  They are afraid of difference.  It is only through honesty that these barriers can be broken down, so with the strength of the Holy Spirit go forward being true to others, but more importantly, being true to yourself. 

God bless you Daisy,

Katey x