PREVIEW BOOKS
mam— Postcard from Blighty
As American writer Bill Bryson rediscovers his roots. he sends one last postcard from Britain. Craig McLean speaks to him about Notes F mm A Small Island.
‘Britain.‘ says the distant voice dovvn the phone line. 'is a hard topic tor a travel book . . . ' Especiall) it that book is primarin aitned at Britons. llovv to
make the commonplace seem attractive.
our neighbours seetn exotic. our smallness loom large'.’ llovv to make a series of thumbnail sketches and long journeys on dear old public transport readable?
Be Bill Bryson. that‘s hovv. With l989's The Lost (‘mi/menl the American writer compiled a masterpiece ol‘ humour. perception. socio-cultural observation and natural born tale-telling. Having left the mid- west black hole ot‘ his youth and pitched up in the UK in his Cill'l)’ twenties. the t‘ortysomething llt'vs‘otl was perfectly placed to go back home and root around small-tovvn America: he was both an insider and an outsider. able to relate and to dellate.
Now Bryson has done the same vvith is adoptive home. News From A Small Island is Bryson's valedictorv postcard. a compendium of images of a country he has since (albeit temporarily) forsaken for the States.
‘Britain is a hard topic lot" a travel book tor lots ol’ i'easonsj savs Br} son lrom his nevv home in New Hampshire. "l he tnain one being that it's small. .\nd it‘s ver_v unit‘ortn much more so than the British ol‘ten realise. ll l vvas in. sav. Bristol and I made some comment about .\laiks & Spencer. I could go to .-\berdcen and evactl} the sameobservations vvonltlapplv Bv the time I got to Scotland I lclt in a lot ol' vva_v's there vvasnt a lot ncvv to sav. l'tl said thctn alrcadv‘
'l'lic result is that Bi'v son has to dig deeper lot the ironies. inconsistencies and simple L'Vltletlct' til~ lllt‘ls rich tapeslrv that leapt otit otthe pages ol~ The lost ( 'mtlttri'ttt. 'l'his. Coupled with the sheet closeness ol the s'ttliiect. means that inev itabl} .\‘u/c'v from t.‘ .\‘mu/l lv/mn/ is rarclv as enthralling as its American counterpart
Still. Brv son's delt vv it continues to sparkle. vv hile his outsider/insider status here. too. enables him to otter tip a simple and lucid comtnentarv on the state ol' the nation liom the ruination
ol' the Health Service and the
debasement ol~ l’rinccs Street's architectural heritage to the hidden delights ot the London A
'lt‘s’ a vvonderlul position to be in. vvhen _vou‘re a l'oreignei living in a countrv vvlien things are going vvcll. voii cart step l'orvvaid and join the celebrations. When the} do something
stupid or cra/v or incompetent vou can
step back. and sa_v “Nothing to do vvith .iic”.’
.\‘oIev I'lrom xl Small Islmnl l.\' [Milt/ts/Iei/
' by [)(ttt/t/m/tt) (1/ £75.99
Bill Bryson: not much to say about Scotland
A DOVE SO
llOC {ng it tears
"Janet Inglis’swriling is wonderfully, brutally and I perceptiver honest’
Maureen Owen, DAILY MAIL
‘A harrowing story... I I believed it was all happening, and very
much wished i: itsgwasn’l’ /, '
‘ . VIC'I‘ nous
Jesslca. Mann, SUNDAY 'I’ELEGRAPH
.1“
.;.and so I
'n‘“ mntrm 1"" was? Silt" h" ‘lmrm ' H”
r'm'mlwv' t.,..
powerful »
you can’t tea r eyes fromtlie page. ’
'Out now in Corgi'fraperback conci