The Night Book-Mobile

So it’s now May and my last update to this blog is dated... February. Oops. And my intentions were so good!

I’d like to try and get this blog going again – I’ve been reading lots since I’ve last written and I’ve got some new ideas about my own reading patterns to get down. I think I’ve stopped writing here because I’ve been afraid of doing justice to the books I’ve read. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m writing for my own pleasure, not submitting reviews to The Times Literary Supplement. So stay tuned for reviews of H. P. Lovecraft and China Miéville (my new favourite author). First up though, I have a few pages of notes from graphic novels I read back in February that

I’m going to type up. So let’s start with...

The Night Book-Mobile, by Audrey Niffenegger

The Night Book-Mobile is a graphic novel, originally serialised in The Guardian, from the author of The Time Traveller’s Wife. Nothing about it is conventional – from the oversized format (it sticks out on the shelves like a child’s picture book, with a short, wide shape rather than the traditional comic book size) to the lovingly painted interior art and spidery handwritten lettering. At the risk of sounding trite, it’s clearly a very personal book for the author. As if that wasn’t enough, a quote on the cover calls the book “a treasure”. And it’s from Neil Gaiman. That’s right folks: this book comes with the Gaiman seal of approval.

Short enough to read in one sitting, The Night Book-Mobile is a fable of a constant reader and her love of books. As it’s so short, I’m reluctant to give too much away about the plot, but it starts when the main character finds her own personal book-mobile, a mobile library that contains every book she’s ever read. Ultimately, it’s a bittersweet and thought-provoking meditation on why we spend our time reading when we could be out living our lives. Why choose to live vicariously, through the imaginations of others, often long-dead authors.

These are questions that many readers will have thought about at one time or another – and perhaps even have had to justify themselves in the face of such accusations - what's the point in reading? it's all make-believe anyway, isn't it just unnecessary escapism? (I know this reader has spent a lot of time puzzling out the kind of concerns that this author has).

The Night Book-Mobile is well worth reading and re-reading: ask your library to order it in! This story will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

...and as an update, you can read the whole thing online. It's all available on the Guardian website here. So now you can no excuse not to experience this little treasure. [A Google search also brings up many other reviews, each more informative and exciting to read than this - damn you, Google!]