Rooting through an oversized rucksack as he is introduced, Alan Warner brings out various items before discarding them: keys, a wallet, a packet of cigarettes…Eventually he pulls out a green file, inside which, he explains, is the draft of his new novel. It is still a working manuscript – he shows the audience a page scrawled with biro – but as soon as he begins to read, the characters and situations leap off the page. We visit an engine room, a garage yard, a local pub; we meet teenagers and train drivers and ex-soldiers; we are completely enthralled. Warner’s skill as a writer is prodigious, and his reading is full of life: the audience are spellbound for the entire hour.
ScottishPower Studio Theatre, 13 Aug, 8.30pm (9.30pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp8
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Sections: by Ellie Blow - ED2011 Book Reviews | Tags: Edinburgh International Book Festival
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