Titus Groan review

[alobear]

I was rather stupidly writing my Titus Groan review in my head while I was still reading it and, up until I finished it this morning, this is what it said:

The style, the language, the imagery - some of the best I've ever read. It just seems a shame that such beautiful writing is used to describe such unpleasantness. I liked Flay and Steerpike (but still not Prunesquallor, I'm afraid, despite discovering that his idiotic and annoying public persona hides a sharp mind and a good heart) but most of the plot and characters seemed pointless and horrible.

Then I read the last page, my brain went *sproing*, and I saw the light. Now I understand and I am converted. This book is absolute genius from start to finish.

Peake spends nearly four hundred pages imbuing the endless ritual of the Earl's life with such gravitas and importance - and then has Titus drop the symbolic objects in the lake as his first direct action - absolute genius. Then, when Rottcodd realised he hadn't seen anyone for a year and a half, and wondered what could have happened in that time (the dual meaning that a lot could happen in eighteen months, but can't have done because nothing ever changes at Gormenghast), everything clicked into place and the cleverness of the whole thing took my breath away. The fact that so little had actually happened, and yet the fundamental nature of life at Gormenghast had utterly changed nearly broke my brain - the stagnation of what came before is what makes the acknowledgement of change so cataclysmic and it turned the whole book on its head.

I shall be fascinated to see where Peake takes it in the next book - but I think I need to read something else for a bit first!