Items related to The Paraffin Child
The voice of "Papa" Goss booms from the talking clock across the estuary every hour, reminding those, like John Drean, of the Goss family's stranglehold on the town's affairs. In fact, forgetting is what John does best, though he can't move far without the ghost of his lost daughter, Pearl.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
"Blanchard--chisels a gnarled poetry from the wood of the ordinary." - "Guardian "A moving study of bereavement and healing--One of my novels of the year." - "Time Out "Haunting--his writing is the product of a highly personal and uncannily authentic gift." - "Guardian His descriptive gift is awesome." - "Guardian
From the Author:
A book about losing and finding.
Writing about loss in the form of a novel is a bit like trying to square the circle. The novel demands a certain amount of closure to be satisfying but, as we all know life is more open-ended than that. Things happen out of the blue, we lose touch with family and friends, problems are not resolved but we learn to live with them somehow. The loss of a child is unthinkable, a year-zero event, but I have supposed in the book that the people affected by the loss, the losers, continue to work, live, love etc. They seal away obsession with another threatened child -- the child of the title who the narrator, John Drean, suspects might have been involved in a caravan-fire. The other engine driving the book was my love of the flat coastal landscape between Hull and Flamborough Head, the setting of my childhood holidays -- a flat, open and dramatic space where the sky and sea seem to overpower the land and its endless caravan-sites. The only stronger thing is fire with its colour and heat -- destructive but also healing -- which draws John out of the past towards his new lover Enid and her vanishing son Sol.
Writing about loss in the form of a novel is a bit like trying to square the circle. The novel demands a certain amount of closure to be satisfying but, as we all know life is more open-ended than that. Things happen out of the blue, we lose touch with family and friends, problems are not resolved but we learn to live with them somehow. The loss of a child is unthinkable, a year-zero event, but I have supposed in the book that the people affected by the loss, the losers, continue to work, live, love etc. They seal away obsession with another threatened child -- the child of the title who the narrator, John Drean, suspects might have been involved in a caravan-fire. The other engine driving the book was my love of the flat coastal landscape between Hull and Flamborough Head, the setting of my childhood holidays -- a flat, open and dramatic space where the sky and sea seem to overpower the land and its endless caravan-sites. The only stronger thing is fire with its colour and heat -- destructive but also healing -- which draws John out of the past towards his new lover Enid and her vanishing son Sol.
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- PublisherChatto & Windus
- Publication date1999
- ISBN 10 0701168757
- ISBN 13 9780701168759
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages256
- Rating
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The Paraffin Child~Stephen Blanchard
Published by
Chatto & Windus
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0701168757
ISBN 13: 9780701168759
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paperback
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Book Description paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEWOver 1,000,000 satisfied customers since 1997! Choose expedited shipping (if available) for much faster delivery. Delivery confirmation on all US orders. Seller Inventory # 1054296
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Stock Image
The Paraffin Child~Stephen Blanchard
Published by
Chatto & Windus
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0701168757
ISBN 13: 9780701168759
New
paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Has stickers on cover. Otherwise in new condition.Over 1,000,000 satisfied customers since 1997! Choose expedited shipping (if available) for much faster delivery. Delivery confirmation on all US orders. Seller Inventory # 10028219
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