Literary Fiction Reviews: "Doom Painting," "Stations," and "The Weight of Angels"

Doom Painting by A. K. Blakemore

A. K. Blakemore's "Doom Painting" offers a detailed, day-by-day account of the Peasants' Revolt over more than 600 pages. The novel begins on May 30, 1381, and concludes two weeks later, exploring the origins of Wat Tyler, who becomes the figurehead of the rebellion. The narrative shifts between the perspectives of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the young King Richard II, who eventually negotiates with Tyler. Blakemore's title alludes to medieval paintings of the Last Judgment, and the novel is described as a vibrant canvas of gore, fervor, lust, and beauty, written with a "gleeful delight in language."

Stations by Louise Kennedy

Following her Women's Prize-shortlisted debut "Trespasses," Louise Kennedy's "Stations" is another love story. The novel centers on teenager Róisín and her unrequited passion for Red Camelin. When Red leaves their Irish hometown for England, Róisín follows. In a 1980s London squat, Red grapples with addiction, while Róisín finds herself involved with the brother of a former school nemesis. Nearly two decades later, Róisín and Red are reunited, though she still longs for him. The review praises Kennedy's intimate storytelling, empathy, and warmth, which lead her characters toward "hard-won wisdom and painful self-knowledge."

The Weight of Angels by John Boyne

John Boyne's "The Weight of Angels" presents a counterfactual reimagining of Oscar Wilde's life. In this version, Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas is imprisoned in Reading Gaol and immortalizes his experience in verse. Wilde, meanwhile, lives into his 90s, achieves a Nobel Prize, and is granted a peerage. The novel depicts Wilde interacting with prominent figures such as Emmeline Pankhurst, Virginia and Leonard Woolf, and Winston Churchill. His life is portrayed as a series of highs and lows, marked by clashes between his sexuality and art, betrayals, and folly, ultimately leading to a lesson in the primacy of love. Boyne is noted for infusing Wilde with "a ceaseless supply of quips, bon mots, barbs and ripostes."