In our new series of book reviews, we will be reviewing a wide range of titles. We'd love to have your suggestions of books you think we should read, or if you'd like to submit a review, get in touch with sarah@studentworldonline.com
Title: A Life Discarded
Author: Alexander Masters
Genre: Non-fiction/autobiography
What the blurb says: “One breezy afternoon, 148 tattered, anonymous diaries were found in a skip. They were filled with urgent handwriting. ‘Hope these books aren’t blown up before people can read them. They have immortal value.’ For the next five years, this astonishing, intimate five-million-word diary took over Alexander Masters’ life.
Who was the mysterious author of these books, which began in 1952 and ended half a century later? What was the ‘grand passion’ that had convulsed the writer’s life? Who was ‘E’, the forbidden and shocking lover? And why the focus on cauliflower, blood and Michael Barrymore?”
What I thought: I heard of A Life Discarded because an extract was published in The Guardian at some point during 2016. My interest was immediately piqued, but being budget-conscious, I waited until it came out in paperback to buy a copy.
As soon as I started reading, I found myself wanting to race through the book. Although it’s non-fiction, it bears many of the hallmarks of a thriller. As I read, the dead-ends, red-herrings and misdirections left me constantly surprised and engaged. There are surprises of all sorts; many of which make you question the assumptions you had made about the author of the diaries and of the people mentioned in them.
As with any non-fiction, you aren’t guaranteed a nice, tidy ending with all loose threads tucked away. On the whole, though, I felt satisfied that the majority of the questions I had were answered.
The format of the books is satisfying too; there are a number of photographs, sketches and snippets of the diary featured throughout. Much is made of the diarists handwriting, and I appreciated being able to see it for myself.
The book made me ask a lot of questions of myself. I am a minimalist so I have no journals, no diaries, no scrap books; what will be my legacy? How does that make me feel? And for the other point of view, if a person was a diarist, would they want their diaries read by a stranger in this manner? The writer of these diaries clearly wanted their work to be read; is that everyone’s intentions when they write?
This book was a quick, easy, interesting read. It’s thought-provoking on many levels. It would be ideal for a book group. If you read it, I would love to hear what you thought!
