First Person tells the story of young and struggling writer, Kif, who receives a call late one nights asking him to ghost write the memoir of notorious criminal con man Siegfried Heidl. What starts as a well-paid but time-constrained job degrades into a battle between Kif searching for anything he can work into Heidl’s memoir while trying to keep himself out of Heidl’s strange but compelling grip. Will he get the work done on time? Will he retain his sense of self or will Heidl consume him?
First Person is uniquely Flanagan, absolutely stunning prose filled with existential pondering and sharp, critical observations of society at large told in a humorous and engaging way. Although I do have to say that the prose is so beautiful with complex observations that at times it becomes distracting and I found myself losing the thread of the story. This is definitely a book that requires concentration when reading it. Despite this I found myself flying through the pages desperate to know what becomes of Kif and Heidl.
The writing is so skilful it leaves the reader feeling confused and anxious along with our protagonist Kif. Flanagan has a real gift for writing flawed, some might say reprehensible, characters. The reader truly feels that they are in the characters shoes living each and every tense moment. The tension Flanagan keeps throughout is masterful and no one is left with any doubt that this man can write. I do have to say that despite all this overall as a narrative I didn’t fall completely in love with this novel. I have to sat I found some of the scenes with Kif and Heidl a tad repetitive by the end.
This is a great novel to immerse yourself in to ponder existential and satirical ideas about today’s publishing world and society at large and I do highly recommend this read if you want something consuming and intelligent. My last lingering (potential spoiler) thought was that Flanagan pulled a “Kif” on us, the reader, managing to write a whole book on not much more than half-truths, existential pondering and a whole lot of tension. I was left wondering if the whole point of the book was to parody the story or (almost) lack thereof? If so, Flangan definitely pulls it off.
