'Still Life': On the absence of quotation marks
Edition 02 ~ September 2024
Two years ago, I read Still Life by Sarah Winman. There was something otherworldly about it, and I couldn’t articulate its genius enough – the review was a pretty vague collection of bullet points. However, after re-reading it this month, I wanted to try again. The novel’s too dense to discuss everything, so I’ve settled on…quotation marks.
During 1944, in a wine cellar in Tuscany, soldier Ulysses Temper meets art historian Evelyn Skinner. Their night of bomb raids and art discussions ignites something in Ulysses – what follows is a narrative arching across time. As decades flit between London and Florence, the reader witnesses an intertwining of Ulysses’ life with Evelyn’s. Big-hearted and epic, Still Life is an exhibition on fate, art and the impact individuals have on one another. Best enjoyed with an elegant carafe of red.
Still Life has no quotation marks. Not one. New paragraphs of dialogue are indented, but it takes the brain a little extra juice to work out who’s speaking. And while the generic technique is confusing, artsy and divisive amongst readers (Sally Rooney, anyone?), it’s also profoundly effective in immersion.
The absence of quotation marks removes part of the Story apparatus. Enclosing dialogue in punctuation signifies a fictionality: something happened and the narrator’s recounting it. However, without this signifier, the reader can be more immersed. Now there is one less thing to process – rather than acknowledging that Ulysses is speaking, the reader can witness it. The effect is similar to watching a film. There isn’t an external feature indicating that Main Character speaking (unless there are subtitles). Rather, you watch them open their mouth and form sounds.
Getting accustomed to no quotation marks takes time. However, once the brain knows to fill in that gap, the act of reading becomes something more. No longer is the reader a consumer of Story. Rather, as the divide between them and fiction becomes smudged, they are actively in, and engaged with, the story.
Still Life is a novel I consistently return to. Not necessarily to re-read (except in this instance), but to dwell on the characters. For a work so literary, the characters of Ulysses, Peg, Cress, Alys and Evelyn (and more) are so visceral that I crave to be in their company. Winman has etched part of my nerdy soul into her world, and that has to do, in part, with her lack of quotation marks.
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Bravepaw 01: The Heartstone of Alluria by L.M Wilkinson: the charm of Narnia with the heroism of Tolkien, this junior fiction fantasy is a cosy half-an-hour read.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran : confronting and thoughtful, this Miles Franklin Literary Award winner explores the experience of Sri Lankan migrants in Australia.
Paper Girls Vol 2 &3 by Brian K. Vaughan: just as witty and cinematic as volume one. The time travelling gets slightly confusing, but not enough to be deterring.
Perelandra by C.S Lewis: an essay wrapped in plot, the second book in The Space Trilogy creatively combines theology with science fiction and myth. Appealed to my nerdy-analytical-fantasy-Jesus brain.
Surrounded By Idiots by Thomas Erikson: an accessible and insightful dive into the four different personality types. Originally developed for those in business, but helpful for anyone wanting to improve their communication skill. Will also make you involuntarily categorise everyone you’ve ever met ever (including all the characters from The Office U.S.).
The Inheritance by Kate Horan: an addictive drama throughout two families and across class. Entitled brats, a struggling journalist and the age-old mystery: WHO IS THE REAL FATHER??? Coming January 2025.
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: like a crime show, but with badass, independent, trauma-proof* teenagers. Some characterisation is a little clichéd, but there’s witty banter, mystery and a classic love triangle. Team Dean all the way.
*Ok, they’re not completely trauma-proof but, in reality, if your mother was murdered by a serial killer, wouldn’t you be more emotionally scarred?
Melbourne!
Dad and I took a short road trip to Melbourne for a cousin’s wedding. Shout outs of fun go to:
the very ~suave~ giant brussel sprout at the wedding venue (It was on a brussel sprout farm. In the Yarra Valley. Absolutely beautiful. The closest the Australian landscape can get to Romanticism.)
Tom and Dominic from The Rest in History podcast. I now more than I did (which was nothing) about the Kaiser of Germany in 1914
the skyscrapers of Box Hill that made my short writing sessions highly motivating
the rockstar moves of my ladies on the dance floor (especially a certain two-year-old)
the new Mitsubishi Outlander that was only bought the day before we left. It’s smooth and has working Bluetooth purely for the purpose of screaming Taylor Swift bridges
Writing two novels simultaneously is interesting. Not necessarily because I’m juggling two long-form projects (patience, patience, patience) but because they’re both in the same duology. I’m oscillating between characters and a plotline in different positions – I’ll be writing Gaheris (the second book), where character arcs and plotlines have advanced, and then slide back to Phoebe (the first book). In each of these novels, the characters are swinging back and forth between emotional maturity and it’s a delight to discover that I know them well enough to determine how they’ll behave in each story.
However, I will admit that I’ve hit the periodic wall: writing either of these drafts is a SLOG. To keep myself entertained (and possibly to indulge my insanity), I’ve taken to writing unhinged editorial comments. They have no substance – they’re just fun to purge from my system.
Finally, for all of you who are interested more in quantitative progress, I’ve got just over a third of Phoebe before draft three is complete, and have almost finished the first 5000 words of Gaheris. Those 5000 words are all I need for this major project subject, so I’m going to pause the novel there and focus on editing those.
Wowee! (My new expression of excitement.) The Red-Haired Book Nerd has made it to a second edition! Thanks for taking the time to read (or skim-read) and allowing me a spot in your inbox.
As we tie up, please enjoy this hilarious, cute and charming reenactment of ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman?’
Until October (and the downhill run of 2024),
Jess :)
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