Seascraper 

Audiobook written and read by Benjamin Wood

I don’t typically read books that are on the long or short list of awards, particularly the Booker prize since I have a bias against them. There seems to be a formula to get on that list and I am not in favor of that formula. However, Seascraper, was recommended by this pair of silver-haired twin sisters on Instagram who recommend books that their “book club of two” has enjoyed.

Considering the short length (about 5 hours on audio), I decided to try it out. And I am so glad I did. 

Thomas, is a twenty-year-old man who ekes out a hard living in the fictional town of Longferry, somewhere in the North West England. He is a shanker – he scrapes shrimp from the bottom of the ocean (hence the title). His lonely life starts early in the morning when he takes his horse and carriage to the ocean to spend the morning collecting shrimp which he sells each day. The meager earnings are then handed over to his mother who manages to keep the home fires burning.

It is a dull, monotonous life which is brought to life with long, evocative descriptions of the beach, the cottage, the horse, the tyranny of the weather and the fog, the unchanging rhythm of the days, the distance in the mother-son relationship that is built on the guilt he feels just for being born. Having learned the ropes of shanking from his late maternal grandfather, Thomas struggles to support his mother while hiding his musical talent by playing his guitar and composing folk songs when his mother is not around. He is too shy to voice his interest in a girl who works at the post office and stoically goes about his hardscrabble life, tamping down his desires.

All this changes when an unfamiliar visitor, Edgar,  stops by their cottage with an unusual proposition and a cheque for a modest sum of money which seems enormous to the mother-son duo. Thomas takes on the job of showing Edgar around his familiar working neighborhood – the tidal flats where he scrapes shrimp. The major part of the book is their outing into a thick fog which leads them both to an exciting adventure. Like other books with a slow storyline, the main event leads to a transformation where nothing really changes yet, everything feels tinged with a new energy. The author manages to depict this beautifully. 

Seacraper has been called an “atmospheric” novel and I agree 100% with this adjective. The audiobook was a special treat since it was read by the author. More importantly, the songs which may have been just words in the printed book, are actually performed in the audiobook by the author himself.

My opinion: An immersive read that draws you in and shows you the beauty of a life that can seem like drudgery by bringing out the human element that ties people to their lives, landscapes and destiny.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

By

Douglas Adams

Audiobook narrated by Stephen Fr

It’s a miracle I haven’t read this classic science fiction novel all this time. Perhaps I was waiting for the audiobook version. And I sure am glad I waited.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, originally introduced as a BBC radio series, is the perfect book to be presented in audio form and the narration by classic English voice actor Stephen Fry, takes it to another level of entertainment. 

Adams’ witty, humorous account of the destruction of Earth which leads to the protagonist Arthur Dent and his alien friend Ford Prefect embarking on an entertaining interplanetary adventure is a laugh out loud kind of book specially when heard in audio form. I could not control my guffaws on the Singapore MRT system as I enjoyed this short book on my weekday commute.

From fascinating and funny encounters with friendly aliens who allow them to hitch a ride to the evil ones that throw them into space and the unpredictable and improbable events that lead to them finding out not just the simple answer to “life, the universe, everything” but also the origin story of Earth itself, the plot is a madcap caper through space, time and galaxies. There’s a whale, mice, fish, and of course the book that has all the information you need when you are in the midst of interstellar 

It amazes me that a writer like Adams could foresee the world we live in which includes ebooks and audiobooks as well as supercomputers while also observing the foolishness and futility of many human endeavors which look particularly weird when viewed from the perspective of life on other planets.

WIth the earth-destroying Vogons, power-hungry creatures with two heads, depressed robots, planets whose job is to build other planets, and all of the snappy dialogue, this is  a fantastic read, guaranteed to cheer you up while making you rethink some fundamental assumptions about life that you may have held on to..

My opinion: If you are a sci-fi fan, please read. If you are like me, get the audiobook. You will not regret it.