First Novel by Nicholas Royle - combination mystery and metafiction where authors, books (especially first novels), creative writing students and stories swirl and swirl again.
The novel is divided into four parts where the first two parts require a reader's commitment in order to grasp how the various narrative threads might hang together. Actually, a much clearer picture is provided in the two concluding parts but there's good reason why the words "A Mystery" appear on the title page under First Novel.
My favorite sections of First Novel focus on the narrator's relation to his students in a college creative writing program. Also, the narrator's recounting and examining the many first novels he has on his shelves. And, lastly, his referencing (very much like author Nicholas Royle) his collection of white spine Picadors from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
First Novel makes for an enjoyable read but it's a complex novel that, again, demands a good amount of time and effort.
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