Ye Cannay Get No Voice

Of all the novels I've read that feature dialect, Kelman's How Late it Was, How Late, is by far the easiest read. Normally, novels written in dialect of any sort tend to grate on me. Even Dickens, which I love, gets on my nerves when I have to read in a different dialect. However, with Kelman's novel, I was perfectly comfortable with the languge.

I think the ease with which I slipped into the reading came from the fact that I could easily "hear" the accent in my head as I was reading. Having spent time this summer in Ireland and London, I might be more attuned to the accent than I would have been if I hadn't been hearing similar dialects in person. Working class Dublin accents, and to a degree Hackney accents are very similar to working class Glasswegian accents. Reading the novel felt a little like a present, a nice reminder of a good time.

 James Wood's New article really highlights the effects that the dialect can have. It is a very descisive topic, many people simply hate the style and the voice, while others marvel at the use of language and how it shines a light on a lesser known class, especially in literature. Wood's describes how polarizing this can be, especially with his mentions to how a judge for the Booker prize denounced the book and the decision outright.

I think the other truly fascinating aspect of the novel is how seemlessly Kelman switches from third person, first person, and at times even second person without making the narrative feel jarring or even distnaced from Sammy's point of view. No matter what perspective it is written in, the novel feels as if we're 100% in Sammy's head, even when other people are speaking. I also found it fascinating that I never really missed quotation marks, and was never confused as to who was speaking. Each character seemed to have their own tone and way of speaking that differed from Sammy's, even though they all had similar accents, so to speak. I found it truly masterful that each character is differentiated, but still so obviously Glasswegian. It's a tactic that I would love to try for myself sometime. Quite a challenge, too.

So Bravo to Kelman, and his truly inspiring novel.