This is the third novel I’ve read by Ali Smith. (If ever there was a family whose name did not match their emotional intelligence…) She swoops uninvited into the holiday home and lives of the Smart family. Turns out that Amber, the main character in Ali Smith’s The Accidental, is something of a cuckoo herself. But the cuckoo? Seriously? It takes over other birds’ nests and kills their chicks: it’s a compulsive parasite. When you think about it, isn’t it strange that a love song should eulogise a cuckoo? A lark, a dove, I understand…songbird, symbol of peace. But first of all please, let there be love.” “Let there be cuckoos, a lark and a dove. Unsurprisingly his old records reflect the music he most liked to sing: Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole. He had a lovely singing voice in his day and for many years was a compere and singer at his local parish club. I’ve spent some time recently sorting through his old 78” records. My Uncle Bobbie died just over a year ago.
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