THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE UNCOMMON READER – ALAN BENNETT

 

From one of England’s most celebrated writers, the author of the award-winning The History Boys, a funny and superbly observed novella about the Queen of England and the subversive power of reading.

When her corgis stray into a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace, the Queen feels duty-bound to borrow a book. Discovering the joy of reading widely (from J. R. Ackerley, Jean Genet, and Ivy Compton-Burnett to the classics) and intelligently, she finds that her view of the world changes dramatically. Abetted in her newfound obsession by Norman, a young man from the royal kitchens, the Queen comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with the routines of her role as monarch. Her new passion for reading initially alarms the palace staff and soon leads to surprising and very funny consequences for the country at large. – Goodreads

This deceptively tiny book (121 pages) was packed with awesome. I went into this not really knowing what to expect, but hoping to be mildly amused. I’d come across it via an article that came through my feed on Twitter, and I thought it sounded like it might be entertaining, you know, being British and about The Queen becoming a reading addict and all. I then ordered and promptly forgot about it.

Cut to a couple of weeks later when it arrives, and I set it aside thinking, “Oh yeah. That book.” And it probably would have sat in my TBR pile, patiently waiting, for quite some time had it not been for the descent of a particularly horrid bout of ennui culminating in a full blown reading slump. To be honest, it was its diminutive size that eventually prompted me to pick it up again. I figured, hey, it’s little, so it’s not a huge commitment. It might even be funny.

So last Sunday  morning I idly began flipping its pages. Next thing you know, it’s dinner time and I’ve finished the whole thing. And you know what? I loved it. This is the first time I’ve actually been glad for a reading slump, because it led me to this little gem.

There were a few things I loved about this book. First of all, the tone of the writing. Bennett managed to write in a formal-feeling tone befitting a story about royalty – but not so formal as to become dry. It was perfectly balanced and felt real.

I also loved the humour in the book. It’s not overt, it’s pretty dry and understated. Perhaps it’s that whole raised-by-Brits thing, but this is exactly the type of humour that completely cracks me up. I don’t enjoy slapstick (think Anchorman) anywhere near as much. The subtlety of Bennett’s humour really nailed it for me.