Autumn by Ali Smith (2016)

An old man and a young girl who love each other, grow together and separately through turbulent times in England.

Book review: Autumn was my introduction to Ali Smith, and a quite positive introduction at that. The main character is a junior art lecturer in London, and art is an integral part of the book. As such, Smith's writing can be likened to Cubism as it shows various sides of issues and life at the same time; to collage as it patches together separate, disparate bits to create a whole; to simple sketches as the entire piece is never given in depth; but I prefer to think of it as pointillism as she gives us numerous points of light, generously mixing time and memory, to create her novel. If I can't use art as metaphor, than Woolf is the author the reader is most likely to draw to mind. The main time line occurs shortly after Brexit, but Smith also brings in the Profumo/Keeler affair and other real world moments. Our main character, Elisabeth, whose surname is the none too subtle "Demand," confronts the world, bureaucracy in particular, only on her own terms regardless of who she hurts, including herself (the fairy tale Goldilocks is described as a "bad wicked rude vandal of a girl"). She has a wonderful, loving, life-long friendship with Daniel, a man 69 years her senior, which forms the central relationship of Autumn. What is particularly valuable about the relationship is that the two are just people, ungendered, and it doesn't matter that Elisabeth is female or Daniel is male (and gay). The relationship doesn't carry the typical fictional baggage of a friendship between two women, two men, or a woman and a man. The two are free to be just themselves, just richly and delightfully human -- which leads to the telling moment of the book. Smith doesn't go deeply into the characters, but her subtle writing suggests depths for readers to find on their own. Autumn was an enjoyable, quick read. Although Smith plays with time at will, jumbling up lives and history, she always provides helpful signposts so the reader is never misplaced beyond a line or two. There are serious moments and issues raised, but generally the tone is light, fresh, and warm, with only hints of darker times. She puns, she talks about story telling, it seems that Smith enjoyed herself writing this, and though probably untrue, it feels that it was written in a heartbeat, dashed off in a moment. The book is also a love letter to the talented and beautiful Pauline Boty, real-life 60s London Pop artist who died young and who Smith wants us to remember. Finally, what is also striking is how much of Ali Smith's spot on description of Britain after the referendum ("It is the end of dialogue") is also a spot on description of the States after the presidential election. After reading Autumn, I certainly want to read more by Ali Smith. [4★]