Book Review: If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things

(Photo is mine).

“He sees a boy and a girl, the boy is sleeping, they are both naked and tangled up in each other, the light in the room is clean and golden and happiness is seeping out through the window, the girl looks at him and smiles and whispers good afternoon.” ~ If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, Jon McGregor

This was an amazing book. Gorgeously written, and it seems to bring forth some beautiful, eloquent version of reality. It’s set in the suburbs of England, on a single street, and alternates between the people living on the street, showing us insight into their lives, and how different and diverse, yet very human we all are. From the very beginning, we are aware that this day (the accounts are from one day) ended with a horrible occurrence, but we aren’t told what it is until the very end, thus casting a dark cloud over all the events.

I loved reading this because of McGregor’s style. It’s very poetic, very descriptive, and frequently feels like he has personally read your mind and put some of your thoughts into writing. It’s a book that made me want to read more of the author, that made me believe once again that beautiful, poetic prose is possible in a novel.