www.gwales.com - 9780224063289, Stump

ISBN: 9780224063289 (0224063286)Publication Date June 2003
Publisher: Jonathan Cape, LondonFormat: Paperback, 214x134 mm, 230 pages Language: English Ordered on request Our Price: £9.00

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Gwales Description

A harsh novel about a one-armed Liverpudlian who wishes to create a new life for himself in Aberystwyth and about two members of a gang who are sent to execute revenge on him.

Nofel arw am wr o Lerpwl sy'n dymuno creu bywyd newydd iddo'i hun yn Aberystwyth ac am ddau aelod o griw o ddrwgweithredwyr a yrrir i weithredu dialedd arno.

Gwales Review

WINNER OF THE WELSH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2004

Not a book for the faint of heart, this gripping tale of addiction and revenge is another beautifully crafted cinematic work from Griffiths. Following two low-level gangsters in a rickety Morris Minor on their way to 'do something violent' to a one-armed fugitive in Aberystwyth, the simple plot offers delicious depth and enticing mini-twists. Set over a single day, the plot flits from the demonic world of criminal sleaze contained in the little car, to the sensitive and stark lifestyle of the recovering alcoholic, mired in his terrible memories, disfigured and forever struggling to cope with his gentle, sobering existence.

Each character is moulded beautifully: Darren, the thug who just wants to drink and fight; Ally, the gangster with a softer side and connections to Wales that leave him feeling a little torn between his violent, drug-fuelled existence and a youth of fishing with his grandpa; Stump, the man who has to fight his alcoholic thirst, adapt everything to fit his one arm, whilst looking after his rabbit and a one-eyed fox who soils his vegetables; and a whole cast of cracking personalities never fully explored but offered as a delicious insight into the world of the story.

What makes this book great though, is the stunning dialogue, as the 'heavies' progress on their way to snare their quarry, the brooding, tense atmosphere of the Welsh forests and imposing mountains, and the heart-shuddering descriptions of the effects of addiction. Blood, vomit and panic characterise the shock imagery that fills this book with compelling human misery.

Stump – fantastic!

Jack Clothier

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.

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Further Information:

Stump
Stump is Niall Griffiths' fourth novel. In it he continues to document life in the margins of British society.The narrator, a Liverpudlian alcoholic, has fled the violence and depravity of his life in the city. The man, nameless, now lives in the seaside town of Aberystwyth, west Wales, where he is seeking to rehabilitate himself and make a fresh beginning. A recent accident has resulted in the amputation of his left arm, leaving a stump. Learning to live with this handicap provides both a focus and a challenge, but he finds himself prey to terrible cravings for drink. Meanwhile, Liverpool hasn't forgotten our narrator. During his rough years there, brushes with sinister elements in the underworld earned him a dangerous enemy. Now, sentimental and weakened by his fight with alcohol, he sends a postcard from Aberystwyth to Merseyside. The gesture may prove fatal: word of his whereabouts gets around the 'Pool, and soon two thugs are driving through the mist and mountains of north Wales to satisfy a gang leader's lust for revenge. The book unfolds with alternate chapters set in Aberystwyth and in the southbound car respectively. The nameless narrator feeds a fox, visits the doctor, and watches gulls. Tension builds as the car nears Aberystwyth. Two distant, contrasting worlds orbit one another and are pulled together. Collision seems imminent: will the thugs accomplish their mission or, having reached their destination, find that their pursuit is futile and return north? Griffiths' Stump is written with a mesmerising command of idiom, and with a raw energy which has come to be associated with his work. Readers of Grits, Sheepshagger, and Kelly and Viktor will love it.
Cyfnewidfa Lên Cymru/Wales Literature Exchange

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