Work Like Any Other by Virginia ReevesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another Booker longlist read. We follow the life of Roscoe T. Martin, a reluctant farm owner who ends up in prison for trying to make a better life for himself and his family. That, and because he did something illegal which caused the unnecessary death of another man.
The story takes place in the 1920s, in rural Alabama. Life is tough, but it's even harder when you're stuck doing something you don't want to. Martin is an electrician, and he had a good job going for him. But then his wife, Marie's father dies and someone now has to look after his father-in-law's farm. Marie's more than happy to take it over, but the work's got to be done by Martin, and he's not willing.
The only thing that keeps him grounded is electricity, so one day he hits upon a great idea - plant some brand new lines in the farm and siphon off electricity to make life easier for themselves. He enlists the help of his black neighbour Wilson and they get a grid up and running. Prosperity soon finds them, but it is followed closely by tragedy.
An accidental death due to the electrical lines brings everything out in the open and Martin and Wilson are both sent up the river. But Martin's in luck, he's white and gets sent to the newly constructed rehab prison called Kilby. Wilson - well he's black and the only thing that black convicts were good for then, apparently, was working the mines. With no news of his whereabouts, everyone assumes Wilson ended up in a mine. Martin's better off, but just barely.
Martin is not a nice man, we are introduced to his more unpleasant tendencies in the very first pages. This puts him on the backfoot and none of his later sufferings drum up enough empathy for the man. The author paints him like a Henchard-esque tragic figure. A man who has done wrong, but is repentant and willing to pay his dues. One could say he suffers disproportionately for his crimes, but that's not how I felt.
With Martin being in the forefront, most of the other characters become little more than plot devices. Marie, despite being given a more rounded character makes no sense. Partway through, as you read her thoughts and feelings towards Martin you begin to wonder why she married this man at all? There was nothing forcing this union, and she sounds like the kind of person who would have been courted by greater gentleman. Why choose this guy? He wasn't just horrible after their marriage - problems surfaced during their courtship, why go through with it?
She is written inconsistently, and it is apparent that the fleshing out of this character was not on the author's agenda. In the acknowledgements, the author mentions that one of her students suggested giving Marie more body, and it feels exactly as tacked on as that sounds. Marie disappears for long stretches, and it feels like everyone in her life is ready to condemn her for 'abandoning' her husband, when in reality, he deserved it all.
It's also a bother that Wilson's view isn't given at all. At first I thought all the characters were black, but when it became evident that the Martins weren't, I was disappointed that no characters of colour have a voice in the novel. Wilson's suffering is worse than Martin's by dint of him being an unwilling accomplice and especially because he's black.
Thankfully the author writes the Wilson Grice family well and makes them seem human and real. There's a kindness with which she paints their relationship that is completely missing from the Martin family.
Part II of the book is a prolonged drag that makes me wonder if the author and editor were a bit lost as to how to show the reader the world that Martin has to end up living in. There's a sub-plot that turns out to be a lie, which is a sign that no one knew what they were doing at that point. The pages drag with pointless thoughts and descriptions, all of which are just a retread of previous pages. The entirety of part II felt like a hurried add on to fill some unknown quota. It could easily have segued from the main story and still been a good 30 pages shorter. Had it not been for this segment, I would happily have rated the book much higher.
Beautifully written and thought-provoking, the only telling sign that 'Work Like Any Other' is a debut novel is the repetitive meanderings near the end. It's similarity to great prison stories and novels of yore makes it a compelling read. We can expect many more awards for this new writer.
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