Weaponisation of language inspires Worthing author to new novel
Neil, aged 43, said: “The sort of book I wanted to write had everything to do with the sort of novels I enjoy. Those are novels packed with ideas and which examine a social issue or historical event, like for example, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five or Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange. The reason, initially, for why you want to write a book is often, I think, to recreate the effect a book you’ve admired has had on you. That’s true for me. What inspired my book, The Office of Future Storytelling, and drove it forwards was the excessive weaponisation of language that we’ve experienced divide public opinion. If recent years have proven anything it’s the power of language to shape our lives. This took me back to the philosophy I studied at university. A philosopher once said that language had the power to bewitch our intelligence. And that statement seemed to describe exactly the situation we’re in. I had, for a long time, harboured an ambition to write a novel. In fact, I’d tried and failed. But now seemed a good time to return to it. Or it was the only satisfying thing I could think of doing. And the long form nature of the novel appeared, in many ways, to be the perfect antidote. A novel is generally – I think the best ones are – discursive rather than hectoring or bombastic. And almost by default, they impose a fresh way of looking at their subject. This is because, I think, to be in any way a success a novel has to be first interesting and entertaining, to captivate you by character, plot, humour, and drama before, say, arguing for a point. It’s also why novels, I think, can offer a more rounded and measured account of the world. What I’ve tried to do with my novel is to reconsider our relationship to language. The sort of readers that I think the book will appeal to are, therefore, people like me who are seeking a space in which to explore these issues.
“The protagonist of the novel is the Storyteller. A public figure responsible for providing the city he lives in with an annual story. ‘A good year follows a good story,’ he tells us. Except that at the end of the year the Storyteller is set to retire. He has one last book to write and one last public speech to give. The question of what, in this situation, to tell the public becomes his quest. To this end, he receives an incidental letter from a reader that directs his attention to one of his old characters, a teacher named Eric Crawford. The Storyteller decides to revive Eric for his last book, and through the events and hurdles the Storyteller subjects Eric to, we explore the various stories that give meaning and shape to our lives. The question we’re led to is whether there is a healthier story for us to tell? And if the answer is, as it seems, yes, what is that story and who should tell it? For that purpose, the Storyteller imagines the unique people who work for The Office Of Future Storytelling. With his final speech, at the end of the novel, which marks the end of his career, the Storyteller makes a very brave confession. “
“The book came together slowly. I had a number of set pieces I had to knit together, and I didn’t find the process easy. I took a sabbatical.”