Max Porter is an exquisite writer known for his sparse, verse-like prose, his experimental style and his insight and curiosity into the human condition. His latest novella Shy (Faber and Faber 2023) is a short but powerful contemporary exploration of the troubled condition of an adolescent boy. The narrative covers only a few short hours and yet is an evocative, tender and raw account of the boy’s mental state and the convoluted and complicated thoughts that rollercoaster through his mind.
Shy lives in the unconventional Last Chance School, a place that houses the detritus of younger members of society who cannot or will not reform. It is supposed to be a home of hope and optimism, which is ironic as the current plan is to demolish the grand old building and erect expensive housing in its place.
On the night in question, Shy – heavy with his loaded backpack – sets out to escape from Last Chance. As he wanders across the landscape towards the beckoning pond, his mind circles through memory, guilt, sorrow, self-hatred and nightmares. The voices in his head are his family, his friends, his teachers … people who have tried to hurt him and people who have tried to love him. His own consciousness also speaks, mocking him with taunts and reminders of how much of a failure he is, and why he should end his life.
The dialogue is colloquial, visceral and telling. The broad brushstrokes of Shy’s life are painted through poignant, taut and intense prose.
Porter’s other books Grief is the Thing with Feathers (an international bestseller), Lanny (another strangely compelling bestseller) and The Death of Francis Bacon (my least favourite), all explore challenging questions about the mystery and purpose of life, as does Shy. Porter’s style is short and sharp, often with no chapter breaks, and paragraphs of only one sentence (although in Shy, he occasionally surprises with a few pages of continuous dialogue with very few pauses). His wit and wisdom are delivered in the briefest, most breathtaking lines, with unusual formatting and an almost poetic delivery. If you are a Max Porter fan, then I am preaching to the converted. If he is a new author for you, I would suggest Shy, Lanny or Grief is the Thing with Feathers as the place to start.