The Intimates 'Haunting, Evocative and Enchanting' says Tarttelin

Abigail Tarttelin, star of 'Schrodinger's Girl', 'Taxi Rider' and author of the forthcoming 'Flick' has written a review of my debut novel 'The Intimates' -


"An intricately wrought and enchanting first novel, The Intimates is a measured, literary piece of work as hauntingly evocative of its setting and characters as Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer prize winner Housekeeping. Mankowski acutely and dexterously peels back the layers of his flaw-ridden characters to reveal complexities of desire and influence that whir the cogs within us all. The setting is sublime, an atmospheric country home with a deceased ex-proprietor, a secret passageway and wild, untamed grounds; the story playing out on the evening of a party thrown, at first glance, in celebration of their host’s first published novel. But in some way each of the group is broken, and new author Francoise, who effervesces like a twisted Juliette Binoche seductively from Mankowski’s pages, intends to make her old friends confront their lapsed destinies and lost potential. Will this confrontation be a collision or a catharsis? Will the group be brought closer together or will this evening spell the end for The Intimates?

Mankowski’s real triumph is his ability to transport you to the world of his novel, the words less leaping off the page than ensnaring the reader in their aura, igniting our empathy for the stumbling, well-meaning innocence of its protagonist Vincent. The themes of the novel conjure Ibsen’s Ghosts, yet also register close to home, with a sensitively executed and poignant exploration of maturity, letting go, and living in the shadows of the past.

Mankowski creates an evocative and tangible landscape of missed opportunity and lost innocence, filled with characters at once idiosyncratic and familiar, building to a final act full of surprises. Adeptly rendered and keenly observed, The Intimates is a promising and perceptive debut by an exciting new talent."

Abigail Tarttelin's 'Flick' is published by Beautiful Books on April 7th.







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kristen Pfaff biography: representation for it, my TEDx talk, its first chapter and who has become a part of it...

Image
Now being at the point where the first chapter of this book is finally out in the world it is remarkable to think I was first inspired to write a book about Kristen Pfaff from Hole when I read her mother Janet's book about her daughter's life (available  here ) and it contained excerpts from Kristen's diary. An entry in which she describes as a young girl having a conversation with the sea was perhaps the most beautiful piece of writing I've read and it probably began all this work. I have been working on it with Jason Pfaff after I got in touch with him. Jason gives his side of how we decided to work together on  this  podcast. One reason the book has taken longer to write than anyone might have expected is revelations about Pfaff from people who knew her are still being offered to me. However much I know about Kristen the more news about the book comes out the more people come to Jason and me to talk and open up about their recollections of her. Jason Pfaff and I have
Read more

'Kristen Hovers At The Edge': Excerpt from 'I Know How To Live': The Life of Kristen Pfaff via 3AM Magazine

Image
This is the first chapter from  ‘I Know How To Live’: The Life of Kristen Pfaff  by Guy Mankowski  (with an afterword by Jason Pfaff). It’s 1993, and a teeming English summer afternoon. A crowd sways in front of the stage. The singer wears a guitar over her grey trench coat. Smoke flows through her hair as she waves her lit cigarette at the crowd. A man in the crowd shouts, with contempt, ‘she’s dyed her hair!’ There’s a woman next to her in a black miniskirt, carrying a black bass with the confidence of one who treats it as an appendage. The black hair that obscures her face is somehow more convincing than that of the singer, who doesn’t look at her. The singer strums, her singing inaudible at first and the woman to her right winds her mike stand, plectrum in her mouth. There’s a sense of growing conviction about her. Ear-splitting feedback. A sense of occasion, the clenched body language of a band determined to prove themselves to this huge crowd at The Phoenix Festival. Fatima Mansi
Read more

Update on Kristen Pfaff book

Image
  Just wanted to offer a quick update about the book about Kristen Pfaff. Along with Jason Pfaff, for some years a book about Pfaff has been in development. It has benefited from the input of many parties, not least Pfaff’s exes, Mike Huber and Robert Slammon and many others. It also benefits from access to Pfaff’s unseen archive, Jason Pfaff's video archive, as well as other exciting sources. Pfaff’s 27 years were used fitfully and the book will very much focus on her life rather than her passing. As an academic, activist, counsellor and musician Pfaff packed a lot into her years and this book will very much celebrate her life and her time as a key member of cult band Janitor Joe, putting the spotlight onto the years in which less is known about Pfaff. The book will also celebrate Pfaff and others contribution to the masterpiece that was Hole’s ‘Live Through This’. When there is news on the publication front we’ll be sharing it right away. I’d like to offer my thanks to the Pfaff
Read more