Watch Your Mouth

I've been reading, and mostly enjoying, a police procedural that has a pretty good plot. It also has great characters, a fine setting and decent pacing. 

Fairly early on, I found myself picking up on the use of mouth references, mostly employed to break conversation. 

It started to become irritating and definitely detracted from the read.

I'm not sure why the references bug me so. Perhaps its because these actions aren't visible to me in everyday life and in real conversation. I think it works in films to suggest many things, but when it's written, it completely turns me off. 

Towards the end, I was reading on a train with my pen marking the instances I came across. The journey was just over twenty minutes. 

Here's what I found: 

presses his lips together

T chews his lip

H licks his lips

his lower lip seems to tremble

moisture fills her mouth

clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth

she says, tight-lipped

sucks his teeth

sucks in his cheeks

presses his lips together into a tight, bloodless line

It's easily done, I know. We often write using pet movements and often don't even realise they're there. The writer is forgiven, just about, but the editor of the book is most definitely not. 

Be careful out there. 

One Man's Opinion: SITTING (IN SILENCE) by KITTY FALCON

 

I do enjoy Edinburgh during festival season. Perhaps that's because I don't live there anymore, but for me it has a buzz and vibrancy that's difficult not to love.

Wandering through the city, senses are bombarded with sparkly clothes, booming voices, dancing bodies, pumping music and a raging sea of flyers that parts as you approach. Everyone is vying for your attention and will do almost anything to get it. 

You have to remember, however, as you move through the throngs, that it's not always those who shout loudest who have the most to say; if anything, the opposite is often the case, something that certainly applies to the wonderful Sitting (In Silence) by Kitty Falcon. 

A young woman sits on a forest floor covered with white leaves. Her attempts at meditation are interrupted by her father, who arrives full of energy and rebellion to disturb her self-imposed contemplation. The pair are soon sharing memories tinged with joy, tenderness, sadness, humour and pathos. As is typical of family life, the emotions here run deep, and the actors show great agility as they step from the light into the shadows and through to the darkness and back again. Along the way, a weave of cleverly drawn hints shows the direction in which we're heading, though it's not until the end that the full picture becomes clear, a mark of the high quality of writing.  

The play is performed in the beautiful anatomy theatre of an old veterinary college in Summerhall; what better place could there be to witness the subtle dissection of complicated lives and relationships? 

For me, Sitting (In Silence) is the perfect antidote to the manic torrents of the fringe. I'm reminded of the way a gentle stream has the strength to cut its way down the hillside. This play carries all the force of water and, as the story unfolds, has the power to erode even the stoniest of hearts.  

Highly recommended.     

 

 

One Man's Opinion: JIMMY THE KID by DONALD E WESTLAKE

 

I was scouring a pile of second-hand books in a store a while back and came across this. 

Truth be told, I almost let it slip through my fingers, which I don't think I can be blamed for given the cover. It looks like a kids' book, the kind that will get a class of children laughing. 

Funny thing is, I reckon I could have read it to a class of children when I was still teaching (Primary 6 or Primary 7, maybe) and I also think they'd have loved it if I had. 

I certainly did. 

It's definitely an odd thing. A gang of misfit crooks decides to carry out a kidnapping based on a Parker novel called Child Heist by Richard Stark. It even quotes sections of the book to help to make sense of the gang's interpretation. It seemed so well written, I had to check in with my favourite search engine to make sure it wasn't a title I'd missed (which it isn't), and you won't be surprised that it sounded like authentic Stark given that Westlake was the writer. 

Of course, the whole thing unravels as the gang either trip over themselves, are hampered by misfortune or are simply outsmarted by their young hostage. 

Jimmy The Kid is often silly and playful, yet it's very well put together. The comedy is sharp, there's tension in spite of the obvious direction of events and there's some jolly good character and description, to boot. It also has a pleasing twist that does exactly what it should for the reader (well played).

I shouldn't have been surprised that it was actually very good or upon discover that it was even made into a movie. I'm also happy to say that I picked up a copy of Nobody's Perfect at the same time (similar awful cover), and I can't wait to jump in.