Sep 14, 2023·edited Sep 14, 2023Liked by Eleanor Anstruther
Beautiful. A prose poem to a space and the woman and girl who both occupy it and no longer occupy it. I loved: “brilliant with compartments designed by someone who liked pockets and what to put in them” and “all mothers do” and of course the astonishing “keep returning,” a slender needle that assembles every word which precedes it into a crystallized whole. The room is now unforgettable for one more person. You are a master. Thanks to Adam Nathan for the introduction. I subscribed.
Also, because I'm trying to take my lead from others who are good at occupying their space without embarrassment or shame, I've quoted you on my About page. Hope that's okay? If it's not I'll take it down. (I am Very English).
I bought "A Perfect Explanation" and I'm a few chapters in. Suddenly, in Chapter four, reflections of the dining room. I can't convey how eerie it is to encounter flashes of that place surfacing in the novel. It's as if I were the audience volunteer in a magician's show, and rather than pulling a coin from my ear the magician pulls the toy I once played with as a child and haven't seen in decades, scuffed and colored just as I remembered it. I'm not explaining it quite correctly. Maybe it's this feeling: what is my memory doing in your book? The generative powers of words astonish me sometimes.
Wow that’s so wild. I get it completely. “What is my memory doing in your book?” That twists my head beautifully. I don’t think that’s happened before, I mean the order of things. When it first came out I’d not written such non-fiction pieces as I’m publishing now. Thanks so much Chris. This has made me smile a lot and also see all the doors in the universe sliding about.
I’m not sure if you’ll see this, but I wanted to write you, so here I am. I just finished your book a few minutes ago. I’m a slow reader. I once took four years to finish a book, but “A Perfect Explanation” got into me and I couldn’t put it aside. I don’t have anything insightful to say. It’s too close and raw at the moment. But I do want to thank you for writing the book, pushing forward across all those years to finish it. And mostly for the immense compassion of it all. And also for the glowing beauty of your love for your own father, the generosity of your posthumous care for Fagus, and for giving your father that gift when he was still able to receive it. Just thank you.
I saw The Vapors supporting The Jam on the Setting Sons tour in December 79 at The Rainbow. John Weller (Paul's dad) managed them and I think they were connected to Jam bassist Bruce Foxton somehow. I too was fascinated by that album cover, loved the track Jimmie Jones as it was “punch the air” a bit like Time for Action by Secret Affair and used to be a bit freaked out by the song Magnets, which was a bit suspiciously prog-rock for us second wave Mod-lings at the time. Sorry for the Mod music nerd intrusion!
Loving this Mod music nerd sidebar - for years I thought I’d imagined that cover till I got round to looking it up (original album thrown out by my brother 🤬) and there it was and all my memories came flooding back. Going to haul it from the archives and listen to it now.
Beautiful. A prose poem to a space and the woman and girl who both occupy it and no longer occupy it. I loved: “brilliant with compartments designed by someone who liked pockets and what to put in them” and “all mothers do” and of course the astonishing “keep returning,” a slender needle that assembles every word which precedes it into a crystallized whole. The room is now unforgettable for one more person. You are a master. Thanks to Adam Nathan for the introduction. I subscribed.
Also, because I'm trying to take my lead from others who are good at occupying their space without embarrassment or shame, I've quoted you on my About page. Hope that's okay? If it's not I'll take it down. (I am Very English).
It’s perfectly okay, an honor even. Thank you.
Gosh thanks Chris. That made me a bit teary.
I bought "A Perfect Explanation" and I'm a few chapters in. Suddenly, in Chapter four, reflections of the dining room. I can't convey how eerie it is to encounter flashes of that place surfacing in the novel. It's as if I were the audience volunteer in a magician's show, and rather than pulling a coin from my ear the magician pulls the toy I once played with as a child and haven't seen in decades, scuffed and colored just as I remembered it. I'm not explaining it quite correctly. Maybe it's this feeling: what is my memory doing in your book? The generative powers of words astonish me sometimes.
Wow that’s so wild. I get it completely. “What is my memory doing in your book?” That twists my head beautifully. I don’t think that’s happened before, I mean the order of things. When it first came out I’d not written such non-fiction pieces as I’m publishing now. Thanks so much Chris. This has made me smile a lot and also see all the doors in the universe sliding about.
I’m not sure if you’ll see this, but I wanted to write you, so here I am. I just finished your book a few minutes ago. I’m a slow reader. I once took four years to finish a book, but “A Perfect Explanation” got into me and I couldn’t put it aside. I don’t have anything insightful to say. It’s too close and raw at the moment. But I do want to thank you for writing the book, pushing forward across all those years to finish it. And mostly for the immense compassion of it all. And also for the glowing beauty of your love for your own father, the generosity of your posthumous care for Fagus, and for giving your father that gift when he was still able to receive it. Just thank you.
Oh Chris. Can't tell you what it took to get that book over the line. But I think you see. Thank you so much for telling me this.
I saw The Vapors supporting The Jam on the Setting Sons tour in December 79 at The Rainbow. John Weller (Paul's dad) managed them and I think they were connected to Jam bassist Bruce Foxton somehow. I too was fascinated by that album cover, loved the track Jimmie Jones as it was “punch the air” a bit like Time for Action by Secret Affair and used to be a bit freaked out by the song Magnets, which was a bit suspiciously prog-rock for us second wave Mod-lings at the time. Sorry for the Mod music nerd intrusion!
Loving this Mod music nerd sidebar - for years I thought I’d imagined that cover till I got round to looking it up (original album thrown out by my brother 🤬) and there it was and all my memories came flooding back. Going to haul it from the archives and listen to it now.