'Emotionally Weird' by Kate Atkinson

I absolutely love Kate Atkinson's writing. I have done ever since I read this book, after which I set about locating and reading everything she had ever published and devouring each book with almost indecent enthusiasm. She is just brilliant! If you haven't read anything by her then please do, she is probably the only author that has made me laugh out loud whilst reading. Her books are so carefully plotted that it's like following a piece of string to find out what is at the end, and so full of mysteries, dark secrets and connected characters that it's physically impossible to put the books down. Her latest novel, 'When Will There Be Good News?' kept me reading until the very early hours of the morning for a week over the summer. She somehow manages to take some of the darkest aspects of life-death, loss, deceit, grief-and twist them so that tiny glimmers of hope and humour may be extracted from them.

Although I have enjoyed all of her books, 'Emotionally Weird' is most definitely my favourite. It was my first experience of her writing and I also felt a kinship with the novel's heroine, Effie, who is studying English Literature at the University of Dundee (even though I wasn't at university or had plans to study the subject when I read it!). The novel's multiple narratives, deadpan humour and curiously philosophical tone just sucked me in and spat me out a changed reader.

I began re-reading it again recently and it resonates more strongly than ever, now that I'm at university and studying the same subject as Effie. The descriptions of seminars, essay deadlines and lecturers are now eerily familiar and amusingly accurate.

The novel is made up of the stories told by Effie and her mother, Nora, on a rugged island off the coast of Scotland, and their various narratives intertwine to create a tale which has more twists and turns than a country lane in Devon (and believe me, that's a fair few). At the beginning of the novel Atkinson includes an extract from 'Through the Looking-Glass' by Lewis Carroll, and there's definitely an influence here, with the dream-like quality and surreal characters and locations.

This won't be the last post about Kate Atkinson I'm afraid, as there is simply too much to say about her writing. I met her a couple of years ago, after a talk that she gave at a literary festival. My mum and I queued up afterwards to get my books signed, and I swear I have never behaved so idiotically in my life. I went all red and flustered and was hopelessly star-struck and could barely utter any of the sycophantic words I had been planning so feverishly in my head. She asked me my name and I managed to croak out a reply, after which she said (very kindly overlooking my slightly gibbering state), 'Oh, what a lovely name! I very nearly called my daughter that. You must love it, it's so unusual', which obviously tipped me over the edge and I had to be led away by my mum, nearly hyperventilating. THAT is how much I love this woman, people. READ HER!