Books of the Month

'We're in Trouble' by Christopher Coake

I haven't been as excited by a new writer as I am about Christopher Coake for quite some time. His first book, a collection of stories called We're in Trouble, is nothing like a lot of first books these days. It's not cheekily precocious, it doesn't try hard to persuade us of the author's cleverness, kookiness or bizarre twisted streak, and neither does it foreground originality over craft. What it does do is perhaps somewhat old-fashioned: present brilliantly written, wonderfully observed, meaningful stories about totally convincing characters. I'll take that any day.

If you're not a fan of short stories because you don't like their levity, preferring instead to inhabit a book, to live within its world for a length of time, the believe me you will still find great satisfaction in these stories. Several of them are as rich and developed as novellas, and as visually realised as films. Coake's skill with relating the significance of past events to the present is such that many of them, while set in a short period of present-day time, encompass a much broader temporal canvas.

All the big themes are here: love (old, young, gay, straight, faithful, adulterous), memory, friendship, family, horror, and death. I could paraphrase some of the scenarios but it wouldn't do them much justice. They need to be discovered.

When I was reading the book I quickly experienced the unusual sensation of wanting to devour the next story, and the next, but at the same time not wanting the collection to end. There are some pretty amazing quotes on the jacket of We're in Trouble, but for once, I think, the praise is justified. Do yourself a favour and give it a try.

Susan Tranter

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