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Something to Answer for P H Newby 9781898436010 Books

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Something to Answer for P H Newby 9781898436010 Books

Like the others who have reviewed this book, I was lead to it because it was the first recipient of the Booker Prize. I had read a couple of Booker winners previously which I enjoyed, and thought the list of winners would be a quality reading list to help me get over the paralyzation I suffer when trying to pick my next book. After finishing "Something to Answer For", I am excited for the trip I have in store!

What I loved about this book was the uncertainty; trying to figure out what was real and what was not. I felt this kept me more engaged and reading more carefully for the little clue that would make it all clear. Newby does a fantastic job of making you connect with the protagonist, Townrow, and after a long stretch of reading I couldn't help but carry a little bit of his confusion with me, making me question some of my basic assumptions about who I am. It is also refreshing to have stories like this where the character, even after making some dubious choices throughout his life, can still draw you in and remind you that it isn't always black and white: doing something considered morally suspect does not make one a bad person. I love when books make you connect and feel for a person that you might otherwise judge based on a few of their actions.

"Something to Answer For" kept me enthralled from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it for a challenging, insightful read.


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Something to Answer for P H Newby 9781898436010 Books Reviews

This book is different and at times really tests your patience to breaking point. It is best read in big dollops otherwise it will appear to be just one big discombobulation of words. In the end it sort of all becomes clear but it's a tenuous journey. I enjoyed it eventually but it is quite challenging and I can see why it has such mixed reviews and also why it never rose to any great heights on the Bestseller list.
P.H. Newby (1917-1997) won the first Booker Prize in 1969 for his novel "Something to Answer For."

I'm working my way through the Booker Prize list and found this novel along with David y's "Saville" the most difficult to come by.Indeed, most or all of Newby's eighteen novels seem to be out-of-print.

That's not to say this novel is not worth reading. It is a challenge though. I would call it a piece of fictional deconstruction. Our Hero, or anti-hero, Townrow, is living in England and manages a fund which gives money to deserving causes. Townrow, we learn later, is skimming money from the fund and feeling no remorse about it. He receives a letter from an old friend in Egypt where he was stationed during his years in the service. Mrs. Khoury writes that her husband has died - she suspects he was murdered - and would Townrow come and help her get things in order if she pays for his ticket.
Townrow agrees and off we go! This is where the fictional deconstruction starts. Is Townrow after her money? Is he English or Irish? People along the way call him by different names. Major this or Sergeant that. What exactly was is history in Egypt?
Townrow has a habit of reliving the past again and again in his mind and this is thrown in to the mix muddying the waters. On top of that he is brutally attacked and receives a vicious head injury. Questions lead to more and more questions.

All this is set against the backdrop of Nassar's Egypt in 1956 when the country nationalized the Suez Canal and Britain, France and Israel answered with force.

For me, the deconstruction of the usual advantages of knowing
time, place and identity leave us with a stripped down character of Townrow - with passed uncertain, loyalties uncertain, questionable character and future unclear and no personal relationships - does a man have "Something to Answer For"? It forces the reader to rethink what is truly important to one and where to take a stand and why.

I enjoyed this novel and recommend it to those who want a literary challenge that keeps you thinking long after finishing it. As we all know, writers go in and out of fashion to be rediscovered at a later time. I wonder if this intelligent and thought-provoking writer is due for a resurgence soon.
This has the distinction of being the first novel to ever win the Booker prize, otherwise it may have been forgotten. There are influences of Graham Greene, but one could better spend one's time by re-reading Greene.
Stream of consciousness overlaid on brain damage!
Absolutely awful. Unclear to the point of being impossible to follow, with characters you won't feel any empathy or compassion for.
Deserved Prize Winner, with great spirit of place
An interesting tale of a man out of his element but still somehow sure of himself, it can be a little hard to follow but is ultimately rewarding.
Like the others who have reviewed this book, I was lead to it because it was the first recipient of the Booker Prize. I had read a couple of Booker winners previously which I enjoyed, and thought the list of winners would be a quality reading list to help me get over the paralyzation I suffer when trying to pick my next book. After finishing "Something to Answer For", I am excited for the trip I have in store!

What I loved about this book was the uncertainty; trying to figure out what was real and what was not. I felt this kept me more engaged and reading more carefully for the little clue that would make it all clear. Newby does a fantastic job of making you connect with the protagonist, Townrow, and after a long stretch of reading I couldn't help but carry a little bit of his confusion with me, making me question some of my basic assumptions about who I am. It is also refreshing to have stories like this where the character, even after making some dubious choices throughout his life, can still draw you in and remind you that it isn't always black and white doing something considered morally suspect does not make one a bad person. I love when books make you connect and feel for a person that you might otherwise judge based on a few of their actions.

"Something to Answer For" kept me enthralled from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it for a challenging, insightful read.