BOOK OF THE WEEK

Lean Fall Stand by Jon Mcgregor, 4th Estate, £14.99

The latest novel from Jon Mcgregor, this is the story of Robert, an Antarctic field researcher, and Anna, his academic wife. For decades, Robert has chosen the tundra over his family. But when he suffers a stroke during an expedition gone fatally wrong, Anna becomes Robert’s primary carer. With honesty and grace, the book follows both characters as they adjust to their abruptly altered lives.

The book is divided into four sections. The first section, “Lean”, covers the expedition, in which a snowstorm separates the researchers. At first, the situation is tense, but more in the vein of an adventure thriller. A new kind of horror emerges with the onset of Robert’s stroke. Though he is unable to understand what is happening to him, it slowly becomes evident as Robert’s focus and his grasp of language unravel.

This is one of the major themes of the novel: communication. It is most obviously present in the fact Robert now struggles to verbally communicate.

But it is also present in the radio he does not use to call for help, in the distance between himself and Anna. Even the communication between Robert and the reader breaks down, as his narration loses coherence.

“Fall” focuses on the period immediately following Robert’s stroke, from Anna’s point of view. Whilst “Lean” jumped between perspectives, “Fall” clings tightly to Anna as her world shrinks to caring for Robert, alienated from friends, family and colleagues; another communication breakdown. Robert emotionally neglected Anna for decades, and Mcgregor explores the impossibility of her situation with delicacy and tenderness.

In “Stand”, the novel becomes as much an exercise in compassion as in communication. The narrative expands to include other characters again, as Anna and Robert join a local support group for individuals with aphasia and those who support them. Whilst no part of the book feels unnecessary, these chapters are the most engaging, and I almost wish there were more of them. Here, Mcgregor explores the innate drive to tell our stories and have them heard. In emails, Morse code and body language, Robert and Anna are both looking for understanding, and finally reach a stage where they can dare to hope to find it in each other.

I will not spoil the final section. Suffice to say it, like Mcgregor’s writing throughout, is a beautiful

meditation on isolation and connection.