“Which came first? The drawing or the fresco?”
How to Be Both is a bold, intelligent and moving story (or stories). Narrated by Francesco del Cossa, an artist from the fourteen hundreds, and George a girl in the modern day who has just lost her mother. The novel consists of two parts, both numbered One; half the copies are printed with George’s portion of the narrative first.
I read a copy with Francesco’s portion first. The story is told by a disembodied spirit, seemingly trapped in ‘purgatorium’. In this section we explore the artists journey, gender, sexuality, politics, racism and historical accuracy.
In George’s portion we see how her life is unfolding following the sudden death of her mother. Each narrative has echos of the other and this novel is wealth of insight, knowledge and philosophy. It is cleverly done and keeps the reader on their toes – the kind of novel that stays in your head when you’ve put it down. You keep looking at it from different angles to see how it all fits together.
If you’ve read and liked Ali Smith’s How To Be Both you might also like:
Lincoln in the Bardo – George Saunders (fiction)
What’s it about? Willie, President Lincoln’s son, is dead. His spirit is trapped in the graveyard with a host of others – a strange purgatory, where ghosts mingle, gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. It is an astounding story of loss, familial love and mortality
Why might I like it? Like How To Be Both there is the idea of purgatory, penance and the disembodied spirit voices. Both are expertly told – daring ideas handled by masters of the craft and both novels deal with the idea of death, of mortality and the temporary nature of our existence.
You might also like:
The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt (fiction)
What’s it about? Theo Decker survives a terror attack in New York that kills his mother. During the attack he takes a small, mysteriously captivating painting of a goldfinch – one thing that reminds him of her and ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.
Why might I like it? How To Be Both and The Goldfinch both explore art. They both contain beautiful descriptions of pieces, discuss the nature and effect art has on individuals and both look at the link between the beauty of art and awareness of our own mortality. Again, these are both expertly written so you know you’re in good hands!
Have you read any of the books listed above? What did you think? Have you read any others that you think should go in this collection? Let me know in the comments below!
Secondary Reading 