All Souls

I must have read this early work by Marías over 20 years ago, and so revisited after having picked up in a charity shop. On the surface, I should have liked it, given I am a fan of the author and it is set in Oxford. However, I felt the novel had not stood the test of time (Oxford has moved on somewhat; people do recycle now, etc.) and also that the writing style of Marías has improved. He clearly acknowledges the influence of Nabokov — referenced — on this work, and the prose is highly lyrical. However, it is also often too verbose and repetitive, like Proust on steroids. There are some superb moments in All Souls. Marías has fun picking apart absurd collegiate etiquette and convention, while the set piece where the narrator picks up a girl in a nightclub (presumably DTMs) is highly humorous. The broader preoccupation of Marías (which features in his other works too) relates to the passing of time: for how long should we live in the moment, and how much should we concern ourselves with the prospect of mortality? Good but not great, 7.5/10.

By Javier Marías