The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
I would like to thank Nazia from Orbit Books for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – Orbit
Published – Out Now
Price - £8.99
For his entire life, Charley Sutherland has concealed an unusual ability he can’t quite control: he can bring characters from books into the real world.
But when literary characters start causing trouble throughout the city and threatening to destroy the world, he learns he’s not the only on with his ability. Now, it’s up to Charley and his reluctant brother, Rob, to stop them – hopefully before they reach The End.
Now I suspect dear reader of my blog that you will agree with me reading is definitely magical. Our brains turn text into picture and voice; even now you have your impression of what I sound like (some assume Bernard Cribbins) and when we turn to actual books we create whole casts and worlds just in a few pounds of grey matter that have the consistency of porridge. Its pretty impressive and yet we all know in our hearts (not our brains) that the stories are true. In H G Parry’s wonderful debut that love of reading is turned into a dramatic story where the real and literary worlds collide but remind us that actually in both its all about being human.
Our narrator is Rob a successful thirty-year-old lawyer in Wellington New Zealand who has an annoying younger brother that keeps calling him to help him out of tight spots. While for other siblings this would be sorting out accidents or giving them a lift; for Rob’s brother Charley its helping him deal with any characters from a book has accidentally brought into the real world with a life of their own. In this case a very dangerous knife wielding Uriah Heep awaits. Charley is a child prodigy reading whole books like the work of Dickens from the age of 3 and Charley is now a prominent academic on English literature. But from three years old Charley’s ability to summon characters from books has gotten strong but usually only occurs by accident – when you’re analysing books that can lead to some interesting interpretations or playing games with Sherlock Holmes. Rob’s exasperation though becomes concern when the brother discovers a whole number of other literary characters now live in Wellington not summoned by Charley and there are whispers that a new world is about to descend.
It’s really tempting when we talk about the ability to make literary characters real to default to parody and humour. If you are thinking novels such as Jasper Fford’s Thursday Next where it’s all for humour, then Parry makes it clear that from the beginning of the book that this is not a novel for laughs. Her literary versions are human and very clearly dangerous. They can harm us (and vice versa) – a key part of this being successful if although the character that arrives is from the book, they carry influences of the reader that summoned them. Dorian Gray is imagined as a modern internet blackmailer for example. These people have adapted, and they were fairly brilliant in their own novels.
There are moments of humour – there are five versions of Mr Darcy here all reflecting changing tastes over the centuries and yes one looks like Colin Firth. The White Witch of Narnia drives a motorbike, but the true focus of the novel is human drama. We soon grow to see these people as real (a key question the novel asks through the story) and we care for our world and theirs. A really good example of this is a fictional 1930’s children’s book character (that Parry has created just for this novel) – Maddie who in books solves crime sand has adventures but found herself cast out in our world and had to struggle to survive – she’s clearly someone from a book in her mannerisms and language but she understands humanity to a level we would not really associate with a stereotype. Parry clearly loves the classics but is not afraid to interrogate and adapt them to suit the wider story and our world – this is done brilliantly rather than with an arched eyebrow.
What makes this book pulse though is the human dimension and here it’s the fascinating relationship between Rob and Charley that powers the novel despite its literary conceits. Charley is someone who really lives up to the absent-minded professor – puts his phone in his fridge; gets distracted by a new idea and it’s Rob the non-literary lawyer who wants to be the classic older brother. But as with any sibling relationship its more complex and the books investigates sibling rivalries and our views of our nearest and dearest change how we are when we are with them. It’s a complex relationship and I really liked that Rob’s narration helps show us the things he himself isn’t conscious of such as some jealousy/resentment. As much as the world’s fate is important the parts of the book that really sucked me in are the brothers discovering who each other really is and how they must help each other. All of this also makes the book avoid heading into becoming a literary game where the writer is just wondering what would happen if this character fought that one (which happens a lot too but it’s not the primary focus).
This is a brilliant standalone fantasy and threading through the books are two mysteries. Who is behind this larger group of appearing literary characters and why is Charley now viewed as so important to their plans? It does have echoes of Victorian drama and even if you don’t like Dickens then helpfully as Rob is a self-confessed non-reader of the classics, we get to see new characters and books from his eyes. But there are some lovely asides other types of readers will appreciate. The mysteries here really work to expand the world and the relationships and the pay-off is hugely satisfying
It’s an original standalone with a unique premise and importantly a huge focus on character and personal dynamics. It’s very immersive and gives the reader a lot of food for thought as to what our relationships with those characters in books are. Are they the author speaking to us; our interpretations of the world or are they from something even weirder and more wonderful. If you love reading and want to hear a new voice in fantasy, then I strongly urge you to pick this up.
