It was anomalous that I had never read I Capture the Castle before. What an amazing and engaging novel, right from the memorable opening line, "I am writing this sitting in the kitchen sink." The use of the word "writing" ought to give the reader some clue of what Smith's novel is about, for the "capture" of the novel's title is nothing to do with military strategy and much more about the joys and challenges of trying to commit to words what any would-be author sees around themselves. It is not only the narrator, Cassandra, who is trying to capture her eventful life, her coming of age, from youth to young adult, but also her father trying again to (re)capture what it takes to become a famous author. A lot happens in I Capture the Castle: not just Cassandra's evolution, but also how the lives of the entire family are changed by both (the prospect of) romance and money. Neither, Smith seems to suggest, will necessarily make one happy. With the acquisition of money also comes the acquisition of knowledge. Part of Cassandra's charm is that she combines her matter-of-fact honesty with observations that appear remarkably astute for a person of her age. The village's vicar likens her to a cross between Jane Eyre and Becky Sharp. While Smith does not reference Vanity Fair at any stage in her novel, both Brontë and Austen are name-checked on a few occasions. Inevitably, in a novel about writing, authors who promote strong female protagonists are likely to have been a meaningful influence. Given Smith's background as a playwright, one of the major reasons why I Capture the Castle works so well is that the dialogue works so smoothly and events progress naturally. There is also a subtle stagecraft behind everything written. Finally, the reader, left hoping for full resolution, finds themselves with an ambiguous conclusion—like all good novels should have, so you go on thinking about them afterwards.
By Dodie Smith