READING IDEAS FOR THE WEEK

The Exquisite Art of Getting Even by Alexander McCall Smith, Polygon, £12

We speak of revenge in noir shadows and sweet red lips. It creates a balance – karma always comes back around. But is getting even something to truly be revered? That is the question that Alexander McCall Smith sets out to answer in his latest short story collection, The Exquisite Art of Getting Even.

Each of these four stories takes place across the globe (from the London publishing world to Melbourne), yet this concern over getting even does not waver.

Despite McCall Smith being a very well-established author, this was my first experience with his work, but I will certainly read more.

These deep philosophical questions may seem a little heavy for some, but McCall uses his expertise to balance his study of the moralities of revenge through his recognised wit and humour. Even in the darkest of moments, his warmth still comes through.

Admittedly I was unsure about the short essays that prefaced each story; a personal essay that discussed what the story was going to be about.

I am the type of reader who does not like to be handheld through a story. As a result, after the second of these essays came up, I decided to leave reading them until I had read the story itself (allowing my own ideas to flow more naturally alongside McCall’s).

Nevertheless, the stories themselves still shone through.

My personal favourite was ‘One, Two, Three’. It follows the story of Sam, a publisher, and his relationship with the bestselling author Brock Maxwell – an egotistical man who many agree has no real talent for writing. It is all about resentments and selfishness – and how we adapt to such poisonous emotions. I may be a little biased in my favouritism here, as many others who are heavily involved in the literary world would be, for it is lathered in references and inside jokes those of us who have studied English and Publishing will be well keyed into.

This collection was a very short read but I know I will be returning to it time and time again for its questions and discussions over revenge. Even now, these have yet to leave my mind.

To McCall Smith, the answer to getting even is found in kindness, “revenge may be entertaining, but ultimately, we must acknowledge that to exact revenge is the wrong thing to do. It just is.”

Do you agree?