Lenny - Laura McVeigh

Author: Laura McVeigh

Narrator: John Chancer

Genre: Literary Fiction

Rating: 4.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: If you are looking for a book that will captivate you and at the same time, shatter your heart, this is the one. It is all things good and all things depressing. I hated it and yet I loved it. (Go figure!)

Story:

False River, Louisiana, 2012.

Jim: A war veteran who is struggling with PTSD and unemployment.

Miss Julie: An old widow who can’t move about much and spends her days talking to her long-dead husband.

Lucy: A young librarian who has borne much loss early in life and still tries hard to make a difference in a disillusioned town.

What is common to these disparate characters is a little nine-year old boy named Lenny. Jim’s son; Miss Julie’s neighbour and friend; Lucy’s young customer at the library. Lenny wants to help out all these people, and even their town of Roseville, which is facing a bleak future after a sinkhole threatens to destroy it. Will Lenny succeed in his mission?

The story comes to us in a third person omniscient narration from two timelines: Louisiana in 2012 and Ubari Sand Sea, Libya in 2011.

Where the book worked for me:

❤ Lenny is the perfect titular character. Unlike so many recent novels I have read, he is a 9 year old child who behaves like a 9 year old child. His chatter, his personality, his uncertainties, his bravery, all will end up ensuring that he stays in your heart long after the last page. In other words, I want to give Lenny a bigggg hug and shower him with all the love he deserves!

❤ This is a character-driven book all the way. And for a character-driven book to make an impact, you need well-carved, memorable characters. How the book delivers on this promise!!! Every single character, whether main or secondary, whether active in the narrative or only mentioned in passing, is etched beautifully, never leaving you in doubt about their motivations or actions.

❤ The writing suits the characters perfectly. Lenny’s dad has supposedly gone to "go fly planes, help some folk needing help." Miss Julie is “as old as the ancient bald cypress trees." I loved the way the characters’ personalities shone through the writing. It doesn’t go OTT on the descriptions at any point and yet you can visualise everything clearly.

❤ The town of Roseville is a character unto itself. It has a constant presence in the background, with its environmental damage, its unfortunate denizens and its insecure future. Through the town’s experience, the author delivers a stinging commentary on abusing nature and natural resources, and how humankind, in its quest to enhance the short-term bottomline, has forgotten its long-term security on this planet. We need to remember that it is we who need the planet, not the other way around.

❤ Usually, when two timelines are close to each other, the story ends up sabotaging either one of them. Not this time. Both the timelines are beautiful and have their distinct role to play in the overall narrative. I enjoyed both the timelines and found them equally thought-provoking.

❤ Though it is set just a decade ago, the story has a very old world feel to it because of its setting and characters. Yet, in some other ways, it has a very dystopian future sort of feeling because of the gloomy town environment. I found this unusual mix intriguing.

❤ The story covers many dark and depressing themes. The struggles of helplessness, hopelessness, depression, loneliness, financial difficulties, and homelessness come out strongly, and balancing out the gloom are the ideas of courage, loyalty, and friendship. The book handles all these elements beautifully.

❤ If you are a fan of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s ‘The Little Prince’, you will love how it has been used in this story. The entire narrative becomes stronger through this allegorical reference to what was already an allegorical novel.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

I can’t think of anything which I didn’t appreciate about the book. But it might be a tad slow if read. Then again, it’s literary fiction, which is supposed to be slow. I heard the audiobook, which helped keep the pace going, and I also was in the mood for a reflective read. So no complaints about anything from my side.

The audiobook experience:

The audiobook clocks at a little more than 9 hours and is narrated excellently by John Chancer. How beautifully he brings the characters alive! Without sounding caricatural, he manages to create a distinct personality for each character. I simply loved his performance.

For the first time ever, I found myself crying while hearing an audiobook.(And I hardly ever cry! Not even while reading!) The credit (or blame) for this is distributed equally between the author and the narrator.

Mind you, the audiobook will work for those accustomed to audiobook listening. Because of the way the ending is structured, I don't think it will be an easy read for audiobook newbies.

This book isn’t for everyone. It’s very literary in its essence and will disturb you if you aren’t in the right mind-space to read it. But I do hope you pick it up, and at the right time, so that you may have as mesmerising an experience as I did. The human in me is broken-hearted but the reader in me is enthralled. It was the perfect introspective read, making me contemplate both the external natural environment and my own internal environment.

One line from the book that hit me hard, and describes the book aptly:

“A story can end all sorts of ways...happy, sad, and sometimes, it doesn't end at all, it's just beginning.”

4.75 stars. (If you know me, you know that I rarely rate contemporary fiction this high.)

My thanks to Saga Egmont Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Lenny”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.