BOOK OF THE WEEK

Still Life by Sarah Winman, 4th Estate £16.99

Still Life is a momentous tale, spanning decades and crossing countries with interests deeply rooted in history and art. However, it is also a tender exploration of the human capacity for love. Winman’s rich and poetic prose captivates from the first page, but it is her quirky band of well-drawn characters who hold us there. Still Life is out to prove that hope, beauty and family preside, even in a world uprooted by war and flood.

When we first meet Ulysses Temper, he is a young British soldier in Italy during the Second World War. Here, he crosses paths with an exuberant 64-year old art historian: the “unforgettable” Evelyn Skinner.

Holed up in a wine cellar in Tuscany as bombs fall around them, Ulysses is forever changed by Evelyn’s outlook on life. “The beauty of art opens our eyes to the beauty of the world” she declares, solidifying themes of truth and beauty, and the impact of art and poetry on human experience.

In 1946 Ulysses returns to a sad, grey London. He takes up work in a shabby pub called The Stoat and Parrot, surrounded by the rugged-but-loyal figures

of his past; “same faces less teeth”. A divorce, a death and a debt repaid sees Ulysses pack up his room above the pub and head for Florence. He sets off with his makeshift family in tow – his ex-wife’s young daughter, a friend called Old Cressy with an affinity for talking to trees, and a parrot named Claude.

What follows is a feast of adventure, love, food and friendship. However, Winman never shies from concerns of gender, class and alienation. “Why are all the statues men?” a younger character implores.

But the true success of this novel lies in its ability to capture the magic of the everyday; the minute moments of beauty and emotion that constitute a life.

The detail packed into this book is remarkable. A dazzling array of settings are laid before us and each one hums on the page. “Glimpses of sunflowers and a turquoise sea, and the air piqued with salt and that herbaceous tang”, Winman writes.

This attentiveness transcends to the nuances of human interaction. Stolen glances, unspoken words and knowing smiles combine to create moving and believable relationships.

I would describe this novel the way Ulysses describes the universe, as an “endless canopy of

chance and wonder”.