Adrift In Craceland

The new novel by a unique writer lacks the fierce power of its predecessors.

- Anna Rogers

‘Something rich and strange’’: Ariel’s famous words from The Tempest perfectly describe the original, unquantifiable, daring fiction that has earned Jim Crace a unique place in contemporary writing. He announced that the extraordinary Harvest, shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize, was his last novel, but he is back with The Melody.

As so often in Craceland, we’re not quite sure where we are either in place or time. The Brit has a knack of creating disturbingly unidentifiable settings and vague periods. The seaside town in this book seems to be Mediterranean, with its decorative architecture and parks, and the time seems to be the 20th century. There are certainly familiar sharp social divisions: wealthy, comfortable homes contrasting with the hovels and shelters of the homeless in the wonderfully named Mendicant Gardens.