On reading a new book

Beginning a new book (reading one, that is; not writing one) is a bit like meeting a new person. It often takes time to form a relationship, and if that relationship is good, then it's really sad when it's all over. But if it takes a lot of time, or the relationship doesn't work out, then that's a different matter, and occasionally, the relationship ends before it should.

I've just done a rather stupid thing. As a reviewer for Amazon Vine, I've foolishly chosen the latest Gerald Seymour. Now, I've enjoyed many (though not all) of his books, he writes very well, and reasearches his subjects so thoroughly that it feels as though he's writing everything from personal experience.

But I do have a problem with his writing. Firstly, he tends to introduce a great many characters at the beginning, so it's easy (for me) to get confused, and he often omits names when he starts a new section, beginning with a personal pronoun rather than a name. For example, he might start a chapter thus: "he lay in the long grass watching them through his binoculors" (I made that up, but that's the kind of thing he does). It can then take several paragraphs for the reader (or this reader) to find out whom he's talking about.

His latest book is long and complicated, and I'm reaching the stage where I'm thinking - only thinking - of ending the relationship. I do my reading at night, when I'm not at my most alert, and I'm finding it quite heavy going. On the other hand, the book is a freebie (albeit an unedited proof freebie), and I feel duty bound to read it (although we only have to review 75% of what we receive). Also, the plot is a promising one, if only I can get my head round what exactly is going on, and who it is that's lying in the long grass.

Oh dear...