Monday 29 June 2015

I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers

Having read, years ago, Owen Sheer's non fiction book about his relatives in Zimbabwe, and enjoying it, I thought I would give his new novel I Saw a Man a go.  Sheer's is also a poet and it shows here.  His prose is economical but delicate.  But this story about guilt and grief suffers from difficulties with character development.  When we were young, I used to ask my sister Melanie "how are you enjoying that book?".  Sometimes her answer would be "meh".  Enough said.  That is how I felt upon reading the last page.  The plot is compelling:  the main character Michael's reporter wife Caroline is killed "inadvertently" by a U.S. drone in Afghanistan.  Michael is later the cause of the death of his best friend's four year old, also inadvertently.  The American responsible for the drone strike suffers guilt but is able to hide behind American policy. Michael is also able to hide: no one witnessed the child's death, and Michael never admits his culpability.

The novel failed for me in that, although the grief and guilt are stated and displayed, it is never truly felt by the reader, therefore making it difficult to fully engage with the plight of the characters.  They are never fully realised, but rather, remain cardboard props to present ideas of guilt, shame, restitution.  I think the ideas that Sheer's wanted to convey are brilliant, especially about the lack of resolution or redemption , but ultimately this novel is instantly forgettable. Too bad.  As my sister would say: meh.