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British author spins evocative tale

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by Amanda Beyer

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Although infidelity is hardly new, stories of affairs are in the news and tabloids constantly. Thus, a novel on the topic can hardly be fresh and entertaining material, right? Usually this might be the case, but author Lionel Shriver’s take on the subject in her novel, “The Post-Birthday World,” transcends the topic to make it readable and, above all, actually enjoyable.

In the novel, the reader is taken down two separate paths, representing the crossroads faced by the protagonist, Irina. To begin, we find that the friendship that sparked between self-described “think-tanker” Lawrence Trainer, his long-time partner, Irina, and feminist Jude Acton began when Irina created the illustrations for Jude’s latest children’s book. This threesome then became four when Jude’s husband, Ramsey, a famous snooker player (“snooker” being the obscure British term describing competitive pool), joined the group.

As is tradition in British culture, statements such as “We really must get together sometime” are not to be taken at face value. In this instance, something that had began as a coincidence had morphed into tradition. The gathering of the two couples for Ramsey’s birthday, for example, had always been the social event which kept the group connected. Shriver’s story centers on this annual celebration, using the interwoven relationships between each character to tell a compelling tale about love in our modern world.

The plot really begins after numerous years of this once-a-year party, the events of the most recent past year having caused significant changes in the group’s dynamic. The Actons have gotten a divorce and Lawrence had to take leave to go on a business trip to Sarajevo. With small calculations done, this means that Irina and Ramsey are left alone to celebrate his birthday. After one too many drinks, Irina and Ramsey’s friendship crystallized into something more.

In what becomes a battle between good and evil, Irina struggles over where her loyalties truly lie. She must choose between a husband who has strict morals and is very content with the monotonous life they live and the dangerous, foreboding life of a snooker player, who are notorious for sleeping around. Leaving Irina with an it’s-him-or-me ultimatum, Ramsey hops town on a snooker tournament, and she returns home to figure things out.

While entranced in Irina’s predicament, the reader can’t help but feel sorry for Lawrence, the man who has seemingly done nothing wrong. He is always there for Irina and their healthy sex life is definitely something most middle-aged women long for. This leaves the reader to wonder, “Why on earth would she leave that?” Especially for someone she isn’t entirely sure she can depend on.

Shriver uses these conflicting sides in a rather unusual way, devoting a chapter each to the rivals. Labeling them both with the same number, the reader can get an inside look at both sides of the argument and decide for themselves which one is reality. This organization is an intriguing way to go about this type of predicament, but it is also difficult to understand at first. The extensive vocabulary, style and unfamiliar British idioms make this a tough read. Though, in surviving the hard-to-swallow language, “The Post-Birthday World” is very well done. The story utterly engulfs the reader, making them unable to set the book down.

The clash between American and British, and Irina’s own troubles, make the plot refreshing and interesting.

Shriver does a great job of getting inside Irina’s head. The writing is adult in both content and language, but it is an engaging read, even comparable to the witty “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” Many British novels are placed under such scrutiny and never are quite able to meet the standards placed upon them by spoiled American society, but the intermingling of the two cultures certainly exceeds expectations.

4 stars out of 5

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Anonymous (February 20, 2008 @ 3:37am):

I find it extraordinary that you have read this entire novel without realising that the author is, in fact, American. Also, a couple of minutes of research might have told you that snooker is not an 'obscure British term describing competitive pool', but a major sport in Britain, Europe and Asia, completely different to pool.

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