I had no idea that David Storey was such an esteemed British novelist when I picked up his 11th novel, published in 2004, entitled: Thin Ice Skater. The novel traces a period in the coming of age of a bright but not very well adjusted, young man, Richard, as he struggles to belong in a strange and rootless household headed by his significantly older playboy film producer half-brother Gerry. The title refers to the recurring metaphor of Gerry (Richard too?) "skating" frantically through emotional "thin ice" as if his life depends upon it. The stripped down style, much of it reduced to terse dialogues between the above two characters, followed by reflection and a bit of action, gives the book a strange feel, appropriate to the socially disassociated characters. Some family revelations of a disturbing and surprising nature get played out. The bulk of the story is set in 1971 suburban London, but it turns out the whole thing is told in retrospect 30 years on by Richard. I'm not sure if the book is a good introduction to Storey or not, but it is an interesting piece of modern domestic fiction.
For a review of the book from The Guardian, click here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/feb/14/featuresreviews.guardianreview11
For a review of the book from The Guardian, click here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/feb/14/featuresreviews.guardianreview11
