Reading Ali Smith’s latest novel, Companion Piece, I was intrigued to discover a book which ignored much of the current advice to authors not to write about the pandemic. This advice assumes that readers have had enough of COVID and publishers won’t be interested. I found it strangely reassuring to read about the attitudes and behaviour of Londoners during lockdown. The hand sanitising, mask-wearing, retreat from others who came too close, and feelings of fear and uncertainty all prompted me to reflect on this strange period we all shared.
In Companion Piece, Ali Smith takes us into the life of Sandy Gray who is dealing with the sudden decline of her father’s health. She is sometimes allowed into the hospital and at other times joins would-be visitors in the hospital carpark where they gaze up at the windows. Sandy knows it is important not to contract COVID as this would put paid to any chance of visiting her father.
In these circumstances, Sandy’s only course is to shun outsiders. Yet out of the blue, Martina Pelf contacts her. Sandy barely recalls her brief encounter with Martina during their university days. She resents the interference of Martina and her family even more than she does caring for the dog her father has left behind.
Its innovative style adds to the reading pleasure this novel brings. Ali Smith is well known for her play with English language. Companion Piece riffs on homonyms or word pairs like curlew and curfew which differ by as little as one letter. As a reader, you need to allow yourself to be led by Smith on the entertaining diversions which result.
For readers fascinated by history, this slim volume will also prove a delight. It is full of references to the history of English words and phrases, and links between the present day and similar moments in history. In one scene close to the end of the novel, for example, Sandy walks her father’s dog on a common which six hundred years ago served as a burial ground for plague victims.
With Ali Smith as author, it is no surprise that the title has a double meaning. Although the novel can also be read as a stand-alone book, it serves as a companion piece to the seasonal quartet of books which began with the 2016 publication of Autumn and ended with Summer in 2021. The second meaning relates to a clear theme of the novel: the importance of companionship in our lives. Reading it makes you appreciate the people in your life no matter how strange they may be.
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