Fiction - paperback; Roast Books; 120 pages; 2008. Review copy courtesy of the publisher.
Where do I start with this one? Perhaps I should begin with a caveat. Life was so busy last week that my reading time was seriously curtailed. And knowing in advance that I'd probably only be able to snatch the odd few minutes here and there, I chose Churchtown: The Tale of Suzy Delou and Faye Fiddle solely on the basis that it was small enough to fit in my handbag. Sadly, I would have been better off reading one of those horrible free news sheets on my tube journeys instead of this book. And if you've ever read the Metro or the London Evening Standard you'll know what a back-handed compliment that is.
This novella tells the bizarre story of two women at loggerheads with each other: Suzy Delou is the local whore and Faye Fiddle her uptight neighbour. The pair live on an island that was once very religious, but has since been "converted" into a small society of drinking, gambling, sex-obsessed men. Suzy makes a habit of sleeping with as many of them as she can, while Faye tuts at her from a distance. When Faye falls in love with a visiting sailor, much younger than herself, things come to a head, because Suzy, with an insatiable appetite for men, wants him, too...
The second part of the novella explains the backstory of the two women and how their rivalry and differences came into play. It involves the disputed parentage of a baby boy: is he Suzy's by immaculate conception, or is he the result of Faye's one night stand with a visiting country and western star?
Yes, if you think it sounds odd, let me reassure you that it is very odd indeed. So odd, that I could not quite make head nor tail of it. Should I be repulsed, or should I find it incredibly funny? After a couple of days thinking about it, I'm still not sure...
And yet the writing is crisp and clear, so there's no problem with the prose style, and the characterisation, which is rich and vivid, is good too. But somehow the gross, sordid world presented here feels too seedy, repulsive and misogynistic for my liking. The Gothic, Deep South influence, with its religious overtones, only serves to make me even less enamoured of the whole thing.
