A Room With A View by E. M. Forster – analysis and review

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E. M. Forster was known for writing on the theme of hypocrisy. And he did so wonderfully in this 1908 novel, a sunny story about love and social convention – this has been called the most readable of Forster's novels. This is a critique of Edwardian restraint. It is also a consideration of expectation and propriety, and how they stand up to genuine feeling and truth. Though the Edwardian era may be an alien world to many modern readers, these themes are everlasting. Do we not still live in a world of people torn between expectation and genuine feelings?

Lucy Honeychurch is visiting Italy, with her prim and proper cousin Charlotte acting as chaperone. And this is the beginning of things. Between the unconventional Emersons – Mr Emerson and his son, George – and her family, Lucy is pulled between social expectation and what stirs in her own heart. Confused by her feelings, she begins to wander down the path that she believes she ought to travel. But signs that this is not the way of greatest fulfillment and happiness reveal themselves.

The heart and truth must win out . . .

At 114 years old, the conventions and hypocrosies that Forster critiqued here might seem dated to the modern reader. But what does not date or become irrelevant is the struggle of trying to bridge the gap between one's inner and outer life. That is something that many a reader can understand. The question of being true to oneself when that might just upset your whole world. 

Forster though, a gay man who lived in a time and place when it was criminal to be so, knew that the heart must win. That truth and real feeling should rise. A world without these, a world of empty ceremony and loveless engagements, is a confusing and suffocating world.

You can purchase a copy of E. M. Forster's A Room With A View here.

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Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson (and what I learned about myself)

 

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I am a smidge of yellow, green, and blue. Though there is not much red in me, if any at all, that I can see. Though I was in a relationship with a red and I did not enjoy that very much at all.

By this, I mean that I am optimistic, creative, and easygoing (yellow); considerate, thoughtful, and a good listener (green); cautious, methodical, and unassuming (blue).

My ex was ambitious, impatient, and controlling (red). 

But, enough of all that . . .

Surrounded by Idiots is a method for assessing everyone that we communicate with, and how to communicate more effectively. The book uses the DISC method  of describing human communication and behaviour, and from there discusses and explores better means of how to understand, and be understood by, the people we meet. 

Erikson points out that, as we communicate with others, whatever our intentions, the people to whom we are speaking or writing will always receive what we say through their own lens. We all have our own points of reference, our own experiences, and our own individual levels of intelligence through which we filter the information we receive. So, communication depends very much upon the recipient. 

Erikson posits that once the reader understands this the easier they will be able to express themselves to others, and that the communicator will be able to adapt their message to the recipient.

The book also makes an effort to point out that all colours, all behaviour types are needed, and are of value. Because, as it turns out, we are not surrounded by idiots, just people who are reading a different map than our own.

I began this post with a little tongue-in-cheek revelation about myself and an ex-partner. Well, sort of lighthearted. 

This book reminds the reader to consider themselves and how they relate with others. The relationship between two people depends upon the effort that each makes to understand the other. If you cannot meet the listener, the person you are trying to reach, if you cannot make the effort, at least, then the breakdown in communication is the responsibility of each of you.

But this is not a blame game. This is about getting better. And that always has value, and is worth a try. For that reason alone, this book is worth a read, and worthy of its popularity. 

You can purchase a copy of Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson here

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Eeny Meeny by M. J. Arlidge - analysis and review

 

Eeny Meeny by M. J. Arlidge (Photo from personal collection)

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The central theme of Eeny Meeny is a dark and terrible question - how much could you endure before you would commit a horrible act? 

A killer is abducting people in pairs, holding them captive, and forcing them to choose which of them lives and which of them dies. And, on the hunt for this monster, is DI Helen Grace, and her team, a DI who has her own demons, which she manages in her own way - the infliction of pain.

Throughout the novel runs a theme of people trying to cope with their demons. From the victims of the killer, to the killer too, who has taken the darkest of routes. But there are also the members of DI Grace's team, with their own pains and losses they are trying to navigate. DS Mark Fuller's problems with his ex-partner have seen him falling into a bottle. And then there is Helen Grace, dealing with emotional pains through the infliction of physical pain upon herself.

Yes, this novel could be considered an exploration into the ways which people further their own misery, through the unhealthy ways in which they manage troubles and pains.

This novel, Eeny Meeny, was the first Helen Grace novel, and it spawned a successful series. And, as I found out, back in March, when I had a little Q&A exchange with the author, M. J. Arlidge actively enjoys exploring those dark corners of what it is to be human. You can read that interview here.

In Helen Grace, Arlidge has created a unique and fascinating character. She does not turn to drink or drugs, like other fictional detectives before her, to deal with the darkness in her life. She controls inner torment with physical torment. She is a matter-of-fact woman, devoted to her work. But, though she gives little away to her colleagues, there are signs of a deeper and richer inner life to DI Grace. Signs of a good and caring heart.

She is a character I find myself wanting to know better.

The book is fast-paced, with chapters short and delivering only what is necessary to tell the story - there is little fat here on this lean tale. I used to read quite a lot of crime fiction when I was younger, and this novel reminded me of why. I really enjoyed Eeny Meeny and, since I read the book, other novels in the DI Helen Grace series have been added to my bookshelves.

You can purchase Eeny Meeny by M. J. Arlidge here

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