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Naturally I was curious about
what Celia Ahern's book, P.S. I Love You was like, so I picked up a
copy in the newsagents and had a quick read of the first page, where
I found the main character grieving over the death of her husband.
The descriptions were not original, but sufficient, and as a
beginning to a book there is no hook discernible that might draw the
reader further into the story.
But, of course, I am only a man.
A woman would feel differently about emotional issues. Whereas I
would tend to avoid such things in literature as being too painful
(and isn't there enough pain in real life?), most of my female
relations and friends rather like to wallow in it.
I read an outline of the plot in
previews and it goes something like this: Woman's dead husband sets
her certain tasks to perform in his will. Whether there were
penalties for not fulfilling them were not revealed. As a plot it is
quite good and indeed intriguing. It has huge potential. But it is
described as "chick-lit" and I am afraid that this may be
just a modern slant on Mills & Boon.
Ms Ahern has come out in
interviews as saying that being the daughter of the country's first
minister has nothing to do with her success. Of course, you wouldn't
expect her to say anything else, but I think she knows, as all the
rest of us know, that it has almost everything to do with it. Why
else would a publisher offer a first writer novel a one million euro
advance for a subject that is not startling and prose that is just
adequate? Obviously, as well as the normal market for women's novels,
the publisher is banking on a large number of curiosity buyers.
Given that they make their living
from their business, it is hard to blame the publishers, but I have a
feeling that they have made a rather costly mistake this time. I
shall watch the coming years with interest. |
