In the Approaches (Folio Prize Nominee)

If you don’t like quirky and off-beat, you probably won’t like this decidedly bizarre novel. Only the strange thing is that in spite of the fact that on the whole I myself don’t enjoy quirky and off-beat novels, I actually found myself quite entranced by this one. I’m not going to try and summarise the plot, such as it is. Essentially it’s the tale of Franklin D Huff who arrives in Sussex on an investigation of some sort and rents a cliff-side cottage form Miss Carla Hahn. So far, so straightforward. All sorts of bizarre characters and situations then ensue and all sorts of themes and ideas are incorporated – from the IRA and the Brighton bombing to Nazism, thalidomide, religion and even a bit of romance. It’s all quite chaotic and wildly inventive, but Barker just about manages to keep control of her unruly characters and subject matter and I thoroughly enjoyed it.