Review: The Porpoise by Mark Haddon

A heavily pregnant woman goes against the advice of medical professionals and boards a plane. As fate would have it, she should have listened to her doctors – the plane crashes, and she dies. However, the baby survives, to be raised by only her wealthy father and a retinue of staff. Her father’s grief for the loss of his wife is redeemed only by his immense love of the baby Angelica, a love which morphs and evolves into a dangerous obsession, which sees the young girl effectively locked away from society, and kept in a gilded cage.

Angelica’s escape from her father takes place through stories – though she cannot escape her life physically, she journeys through her mind, effectively divorcing her from her surroundings. The stories which keep her occupied resonant with her own life, yet take place in other times and other countries. In her mind, Pericles loses his beloved wife and must somehow navigate the world without her, with the babe Marina in his charge.

The premise of Haddon’s story is excellent – the multi-layered narrative is a clever tool which draws parallels between different times, and different lives, yet the execution is not as flawless as it could be. While both stories are well-written, they seem to lack something intangible, and feel somewhat unfinished. Despite this, the narrative is alluring, and creative; had it been slightly more polished, this book would be phenomenal. Currently, it is a fun adventure just beyond the borders of mind-blowing, but nevertheless an excellent way to spend your time.

The Porpoise features a myriad characters which range from loveable to those you hope will be skilled off in the next few pages, and that speaks to Haddon’s talent for harnessing qualities that he brings to life through his story. Angelica and Pericles are an unlikely duo, yet without each other, each would have a story with less impact. Who knew you could relate the man in an ancient myth to a teenager in modern society? Mark Haddon, of course.

The Porpoise by Mark Haddon is published by Chatto & Windus, an imprint of Penguin Random House.