The shudder in my son’s left hand
he cures with one touch from his right,
two fingertips laid feather-light
to still his pen.  He understands

the whole man must be his own brother
for no man is himself alone;
though some of us have never known
the one hand’s kindness to the other.

Don Paterson

from his Forward Prize-winning poetry collection, ‘Rain‘

…on what other readers made of Per Petterson’s ‘Out Stealing Horses’.

Is The Edinburgh Bookshop unique in running not one but three different book groups?  Within the space of 90 minutes – the length of the initial meeting, each group has established its own unique identity.  Tonight, the first group met up after reading its first novel, Per Petterson’s Impac Award-winning novel.

I reviewed this book some time ago – in August 2007 in fact – and so it has proven to be a good exercise to re-visit the novel and discover new things about the characters, the style of writing and the narrative.  After reading the novel for the third time, it is as though I have discovered a completely new novel that just happens to also be called ‘Out Stealing Horses’.

Italo Calvino once wrote (in ‘Why read the Classics?’) that the mark of a truly great book is not just one that we would recommend to others but one which we re-read.  In this sense, Per Petterson has written at least 2 classics (I’ve also re-read his incredibly stunning novel, ‘In the Wake’).

In discussion with Book Group Number One, I heard so many different versions of ‘Out Stealing Horses’ that I feel compelled to read it again.  so many factors made this book stand out for the readers: the language (which has survived the rigours of translation); the landscape; the light; the impact of memory on how we live today; the father-son relationship… of which it’s always interesting to hear a female reader’s perspective when it is felt some new insight into male psychology has been discovered.

We’ve chosen something a lot lighter for next time: David Sedaris’ latest ‘When You Are Engulfed in Flames’.

A year of reading from home without succumbing to the temptation to buy yet more titles to add to our collections would still leave many of us with a huge surplus of books to enjoy.  I was fascinated by the idea of this book when given an advance reading copy.  Susan Hill leads us through a grand adventure of books, authors, libraries, reading and writing, revelling in a world whose mysteries have never faded but open up to us each time we linger over a beloved narrative, fondly recall our years of learning or a treasured encounter with a sorely-missed mentor.

Having enjoyed a life rich in the vibrant heritage of literature in Britain, Susan Hill’s epic year embraces such differing experiences as the pop-up books of Robert Sabuda to an accidental encounter with an ageing E.M. Forster.  Each step of her journey through the tapestry of a life written with such verve and passion will be the envy of writers just beginning their careers.  As an autobiography to savour on the sofa or as a brief affair with one of England’s greatest living authors, this rich pageant is simply irresistable.

Link to publisher, Profile.