STILL LIFE by Sarah Winman

A book that will linger in your thoughts and heart for a long time to come.

The novel Still Life by English author Sarah Winman is a beautiful piece of work that traces the life of WWII soldier Ulysses after meeting art historian Evelyn Skinner in Italy, 1944.

I had read the back blurb of this novel many times but not until last week did I realise that the whole novel is not telling the story of that night, which is what had put me off. I am so pleased I made this connection because I have been missing out on a truly excellent book

It is fair to say that this is a novel that covers several decades in the life of Ulysses and his merry band of men and women and, while so much happens, there is no one moment on which the story hinges. There are a myriad of wonderful characters in this book - for me most notably Alys, Cressy and Claude. Alys and Claude in particular provided the many laugh out loud moments I had when reading Still Life, and Cressy…well, if you’ve read this novel you know, and if you haven’t, you will get it by the time you turn the final page.

I absolutely hated turning the pages on this novel, mainly because I knew each turn took me closer to the end and I simply didn’t want to step away from characters I’d quickly come to love. The descriptions of Florence were also breathtaking - having not been to that city, I felt like I could see it vividly in my mind’s eye.

I have seen commentary around whether this should be classified as a queer novel. While there are certainly many queer characters, I did not read it as a novel centred on that element of their humanity - it was part of the story but not so much the centrepiece. For me, this is simply a novel that has gay characters and they are portrayed, rightly, as like anyone else - loved and loving humans.

This is a gorgeous novel and one I loved reading - there is nothing about it which I can criticise. A heads up to those who don’t like the recent phenomenon of direct speech without quotation marks - this novel follows that styling and I know it grates on many. For me, it is simply a style and one Sarah Winman employs extremely well.