HIDING IN THE WORLDS WE WRITE

- Andrew Davidson (The Gargoyle​)

This is one of those rare moments I’m taking time out of my nightlife of fiction writing (because daytime is for the non-fiction career writing) to randomly post a short article on my website.

There’s plenty I’m doing on my fiction work, and I so rarely have time to post any updates to my site these days.

I’ll no doubt be publishing regularly when my current projects come to fruition. But, until then, it takes the random odd occasion to post. And today’s morsel of a monograph is about a quote that has quickly become one of my all-time favourites.

I’m currently reading The Gargoyle, by Canadian author Andrew Davidson. Like many books I read, I found this nestled in a charity shop, noticed the cover and title was to my liking, and made the purchase without a second thought. Charity shops are my targets when I’m out and about as a proper thriftier, and the book section is my haven.

Out of curiosity, The Gargoyle cut the queue of the “to read” section of my wonderful mahogany bookcase. I recently started ploughing away at it on the latter half of the first holiday abroad I’ve managed to take since 2019, owing the coronavirus pandemic.

I’m about halfway through the novel. It’s nothing like what I’d expected based on the blurb (in a good way, it’s brilliant thus far), and it’s certainly a page-turner and frequently has me laughing out loud. To get to the point, I recently read this line which absolutely struck me to the extent that I’m now posting a short article on my website about it:

“only a man unable to handle the actual world would create another one in which to hide.”

Honestly. This single sentence sums up one of the core reasons why I bury myself in my writing so much. Like many creatives out there (apologies for the stereotype), my mind can be a myriad of mayhem, my emotional IQ off the charts. Writing is an outlet for a brain fraught with the inability to comprehend and easily understand this world we live in, so Davidson’s line was a clean shot to the heart.

I guess all I can say is this: well done on a great line and hitting the nail firmly on the head. And if the first half of this novel is anything to go by, get yourself a copy and give it a read. I recommend it. That’s if you’re able to afford it given that the UK’s economy is currently teetering on the edge of a windy cliff, with local communities facing devastation as businesses collapse under the pressure of the profiteering energy corporations and inflation spiralling out of control.  Whilst I’ll apologise for the creative stereotypes, I won’t apologise for sliding that in. It doesn’t take my degree in economics to tell you that this government is wilfully allowing this situation to develop as it is.

Do take care of yourselves in these hard times, and I wish you all the best in not only enduring them but also in fighting back against greed and corruption. Because that’s what’s at the core of this frightening situation the UK finds itself in. Don't let them get away with it.

JM