Ali Smith (Scottish Author, playwright, academic, journalist.
Ali Smith has written several books and plays, mostly fiction with one nonfiction titled “Shire”. In 2014, she is awarded the Women’s Prize for Fiction (A prestigious UK Prize for fiction), and the Costa Book Award (also a UK award) for “How to Be Both”.
For this audiobook listener, “How to Be Both” is a difficult book to grasp.
It is two stories separated by eight centuries. The two stories are written from the perspective of a camera and what is categorized as “eyes”. Smith has the book published in two ways, i.e., with the first of the stories to be a photograph of “life” and the second, presumably, “life” as it happens. One can read either story first. The audiobook version of this listen is the camera version first. The two stories are related to each other. Camera takes place in the 21st century while “eyes” is in the 15th century.
The book is a little too clever. Both stories are well written, but each is entertaining on its own.
The tie between the two stories is about living lives, the inevitability of death, and the heart break of loss from death of those we love. The themes are viewed as a camera’s picture in one story and evolving events in the other. The tie between the stories is the loss of a mother who views a painting with her daughter, Georgia, by a 15th century painter, Francesco del Cossa. Georgia’s mother dies soon after seeing the painting with her daughter. The story of the painter’s life is part of its relevance. The painter’s talent is undervalued by his own standard just as Georgia seems undervalued by her 21st century belief about herself.
Georgia, like del Cossa, is tutored by an insightful and intelligent person (her mother) just as the artist is trained by a talented and aged painter of the 15th century. Georgia promises a great intellect just as del Cossa is eventually recognized as a great painter by his contemporaries.
“Triumph of Venus” by Francesco del Cossa.
There are many parallels one might draw in the two stories, but it is tiresome to contemplate what they are, and trying to ferret them out will make some reader/listeners quit this review, let alone the audiobook. Ali Smith is a good writer of interesting stories if one judges this audiobook as an example of her skill. However, to this reviewer, dissection of Smith’s intent spoils its entertainment value.
REVIEWS AND VIEWS OF LIFE 