alx reviewed Burntcoat by Sarah Hall
Visceral and sensual
5 stars
This is the first pandemic-era book that I've read - and though the illness in this is not covid-19, its shadow looms very large over proceedings. The story's narrator is Edith, an artist living in an unnamed city during the spread of a disease known as Nova.
The narrative thrust of the story is secondary to the depiction of Edith's relationships - particularly those with her mother, and with her lover during lockdown. The prose is poetic, full of wonderfully unexpected imagery, and - especially as the story nears its end - unshowily devastating.
No reader of this will be surprised to learn that Hall has also edited a collection of stories titled 'Sex & Death': both of these are central to the story her narrator tells us. But more importantly, this is about how calamity permanently shapes those caught up in it, and the act of creation (both artistic, …
This is the first pandemic-era book that I've read - and though the illness in this is not covid-19, its shadow looms very large over proceedings. The story's narrator is Edith, an artist living in an unnamed city during the spread of a disease known as Nova.
The narrative thrust of the story is secondary to the depiction of Edith's relationships - particularly those with her mother, and with her lover during lockdown. The prose is poetic, full of wonderfully unexpected imagery, and - especially as the story nears its end - unshowily devastating.
No reader of this will be surprised to learn that Hall has also edited a collection of stories titled 'Sex & Death': both of these are central to the story her narrator tells us. But more importantly, this is about how calamity permanently shapes those caught up in it, and the act of creation (both artistic, and of the self) in its wake.