ManBookering discussion

This is a discussion thread for Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor. Please be courteous of spoilers; if you are going to discuss them, give fair warning of page/chapter number or use the spoiler tag. Thanks! Happy discussing.

I read this over the weekend and found it very impressive - it will take something truly exceptional to persuade me it would not be a worthy winner. I really enjoyed the way McGregor reshaped familiar landscapes to suit the story, and he has a real feel for the community he describes and its natural surroundings.

Definitely the winner for me and I would be surprised if this year the winner is not British

I also thought this was an excellent book. For me, it was a better book after I finished it and I could look back on it than it was during the actual reading of it. In my review, I likened it to what I have since been reminded is called pointillism: it is made up from a lot of individual dots but, when viewed as a whole, creates a beautiful picture.

I loved this. I really love his style of writing - the small fragments of daily life, characters and nature that build up to something whole.

There are so many characters that it is sometimes hard to keep track of who everyone is but I don't think that entirely matters - I still enjoyed the little snapshots in time and the beautiful rhythm of the book.

Just the second book on the longlist that I've read so a long way to go yet but I'd be happy if this won

All this praise is making me even more intrigued by it! I might have to purchase it since I don't think my library has it, unfortunately.

I just bought this one. Don't think it's published in the U.S. yet. Doesn't sound like I'll be disappointed.

***Possible spoiler***

Question

Am I the only one who associates the title with the location of the missing girl? 13 years, 13 chapters, obviously this number is significant. I've never heard anyone ask the author why that Reservoir in particular. Any one else come upon the same conclusion?

I have seen that view expressed elsewhere, but there were 13 reservoirs in all as I recall, so I think it was supposed to simply be one chapter for each year of her life till she disappeared / years since her disappearance / each reservoir.

And 13 is obviously a superstitious number, plus as the Guardian put it, the 13 year time span meant that: with his antipathy towards “big drama” he was also relieved to have sandwiched the book between the foot-and-mouth crisis of 2001 and the 2016 Brexit vote.

Added: actually I always thought there were 13 reservoirs, but not so sure it actually says that: more Reservoir 13 is the highest number named.

There were also at one stage 13 main characters and 13 birds/insects. But none of it has any significance as to understanding what happened to the girl as the author himself has no idea.

http://bookanista.com/jon-mcgregor/

Simply beautiful writing - at times i'm reminded of an extended poem of sorts.

I'm trying to avoid reading these forums until I finish the book, but I'm currently reading this one and feel sort of disconnected from it, though I am enjoying it. I'm about 100 pages in. Anyone have/had similar experiences?

I enjoyed reading Reservoir 13. I understand that it may not be for everyone but you've got to admire the way McGregor manages to make everything sound beautiful

Neil wrote: "I also thought this was an excellent book. For me, it was a better book after I finished it and I could look back on it than it was during the actual reading of it. In my review, I likened it to wh..."

I just finished this book and read your comment, Neil. Well said. I wasn't able to read this in long stretches of time until this weekend, which is why I think I had a hard time getting into it. But now that I am finished and spent sufficient time with it, I truly enjoyed what McGregor has done.

I read the whole book over a weekend - I have no idea how big a difference that made but it did probably make it easier to keep track of the characters. This is still my favourite book on the longlist.

As mentioned in the general thread, here is a brief comment from the podcast interview with Lila Azam Zanganeh (LAZ) and Colin Thubron (CT) on the longlist selections.

Reservoir 13
CT: An interesting one that’s unusual in as much as it’s based on the disappearance of a young girl close to a rather traditional English village. It becomes, in a way, less about the girl than about the interactions or failure to interact of those residents. So, it’s almost like a portrait of a village, but told with such delicacy and such acumen that that community, although quite recognizable to many of us, is made new.

I just read McGregor's first novel

The contrast between them fascinated me

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm about 100 pages in right now as well and finding it hard to enjoy. I don't like how he's not really introduced the characters in a memorable way, so I just can't keep track of them. If anyone has a character list with defining features anywhere that would be very helpful. It also took me 3 or 4 chapters to realize that each one was another year, so now that I've noticed that I think it'll help me get more grounded in the story while continuing on. I can't bring myself to DNF it because I bought it and also am really trying to read all the longlist (this is #12 for me).

Character list I made for what is easily my favourite book on the shortlist

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C...

Paul wrote: "Character list I made for what is easily my favourite book on the shortlist

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C..."

Thank you!!

Though I enjoyed this one, I do think he failed to write some of the characters in a memorable way. Because of this, I think the book could be more focused without changing the overall feel or aspect of the novel. In the beginning, I felt that perhaps things would come together a bit quicker, but as I read, I started to see it for what it is, and I found it refreshing. The writing has a way of drawing the reader in, even without the suspense. I don't find it as poetic as Autumn, but it is certainly so at times. That being said, it's not my favorite structure for a novel overall even though I can appreciate what he's done here. I'm not yet sure this is shortlist material...I still have 3 to go. I wonder if the judges would only pick either Lincoln in the Bardo or Reservoir 13 for the shortlist and not both. For me, the overall structure/process and "reinvention" of the novel are somewhat similar, though I had a very different experience and journey with each of them.

Ernie - interesting idea, but I'm not sure how easy that would have been. Developing the characters more would have made the book longer, and would probably also have made it harder to keep the chapters consistent, and for me the rhythmical cyclic nature of the story was one of its strengths. It also mirrors the experience of a newcomer to a village, gradually gaining familiarity with the people, events and seasonal changes.

I also appreciated the rhythmical cyclic nature of the story, but I guess for me, the issue was almost a little too much cutting and reorganizing. Not necessarily development...but staying a bit longer on characters. It felt a bit choppy sometimes. I can see the mirroring as a newcomer to a village idea, but even so, we're not touched by the same people over the years, and we don't discover new things about people over the years necessarily as well. For me, that seemed sort of formulaic in the novel. In a sense, I almost feel like he didn't go far enough. I enjoyed it, but I am not sure that I would discover anything new about this novel on a second read.

One thing that definitely reflects life in English villages is the ageing of the population - the gang of teenagers in the early years becomes one or two by the end and sadly this is all too common!

A very good interview as to why McGregor decided to use the approach he did:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

As to the 'bit choppy' point - he actually wrote the different parts/characters separately then "went back and cut it all up and rearranged it. There was a point when it was purely collage.”

Indeed - definitely picked up on that. But is the population dwindling? Shouldn't there be additional characters over the years? Maybe I missed that aspect of it.

Not dwindling, just ageing. It is very common in English villages for younger people to be priced out of the housing market...

Paul wrote: "As to the 'bit choppy' point - he actually wrote the different parts/characters separately then "went back and cut it all up and rearranged it. There was a point when it was purely collage."

That is what I was referring to regarding too much cutting and reorganizing. I think it could have been a bit more focused and still keep the style and key elements without changing the overall feel or aspect of the novel. At least for me, that is where I thought the novel missed the mark a bit.

I think though it was a deliberate style choice to write something different to a typical novel.

I have one chapter left and can't wait to be done, to be honest. While I can now see in hindsight what the author was going for and appreciate it, I didn't enjoy the reading experience very much. I also agree that while this style was a unique take on a novel, I found it hard to get inside the characters' heads, especially with switching perspective multiple times in each paragraph. I wouldn't be surprised if it was shortlisted though because the MB judges often like these types of stories. I'm just not the biggest fan.

Interesting to see the different perspectives: compared to 4 3 2 1 (which I am painfully slogging through) and several others on the list, this was 100% pure reading pleasure for me.

There was an interesting discussion on another thread that this seems to have gone down better with readers on the east side of the Atlantic than the west.

Paul wrote: "Interesting to see the different perspectives: compared to 4 3 2 1 (which I am painfully slogging through) and several others on the list, this was 100% pure reading pleasure for me.

There was an ..."

That is interesting! And yes, definitely fun to see which ones resonate with some and not others. I've been quite surprised by this year's list, enjoying ones I knew little about or didn't expect to live, and the opposite being true as well. That's the fun of making your way through the longlist though

I don't think it is a typical novel, and I'm glad it wasn't. I found it refreshing, but I do have some issues with the book. I don't think it is flawless. For me...it was almost there, but not quite, for the reasons I mentioned. I do think there are several other stronger books on the list, and I while I thought it was a pleasure to read, I can say that I would be surprised if it ends up with the prize. I go back to my comment regarding a second read...I'm not sure it has anything else to offer. But perhaps the judges (and others) see it differently.

I'm reading Solar Bones now and still have Elmet...and saving 4 3 2 1 for the last read in case I don't finish it before shortlist announcement. So far, Reservoir 13 is middle of the pack for me.

Interesting about east/west readers and this book. I don't know anyone local that has read it. It isn't out here yet. A friend of mine was coming back to NYC from London and brought back the missing books for me since they are not out here yet.

Still pretty enjoyable reading experience with the list this year. There are so many strong books, well-written and beautiful. I only started this last year, and eek...that was tough...and then to top it off, my least favorite book won! Lincoln in the Bardo still remains my least favorite this year, so definitely hoping last year doesn't repeat itself in that respect.

I have read this twice - once on publication and once on longlisting and loved it both times for the unique way it captures the different rhythyms of life in the English countryside.

In regards to a second reading (which I think is an important factor in considering a winning Man Booker book), the only thing I imagine reading this one a second time would illuminate is keeping track of all the characters and their actions/life events.

I re-read it simply for pleasure.

I found that reading the whole thing over one weekend helped with remembering the characters, but seeing them listed makes you realise that there are a lot of them! For me this is a book that succeeds brilliantly on its own terms but may not be able to gain the wider support it needs and a lot will depend on where individual judges side. I will be very disappointed if it misses the shortlist.

Coincidentally....... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPMYT...

Thanks for sending, Robert. I noticed that the channel was for Waterstones. Is that a famous book shop? I noticed that the copy my friend brought back for me from England has a Watertones Limited Edition label on the cover, and in fact, it is signed by McGregor.

In U.K., Waterstones is just about the only chain of high street booksellers still going.

I think my copy is signed but if so it isn't the most legible of signatures. This did not surprise me because I bought it in Nottingham and McGregor works there...

Neil - yes unless you count the glorified stationers WH Smith or a few much smaller chains...

It is famous - yes.

We have a w.h. smiths here and the selection is beyond horrible

My first year following the longlist. Really enjoyed the reading and the discussions here inn this group. Reservoir 13 will be my last one--the 10th out of 13.
I wish I have seen the character map Paul put together before reading. The overwhelming number of characters and the lack of flow are my two major complaints. I did enjoy the writing of the individual pieces. If reading again I plan to take a random chapter for a refreshing evening ride.
Still think Autumn should win it.

Paul wrote: "Character list I made for what is easily my favourite book on the shortlist

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C..."

Paul, this is the gift that keeps on giving. My in-person book group is going to be reading Reservoir 13 in November, and I'm sure we're going to be very happy you made this!

Paul wrote: "Character list I made for what is easily my favourite book on the shortlist

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C..."

Thank you for creating this list, Paul. I'm about halfway through and have begun to get a handle on the cast, but this helps so much.

Based on a chat last night we can add Ali Smith to the list of those of us still shocked that this was omitted from the shortlist.

Reason number 5675 on why ali smith can do no wrong