Review of Douglas Bruton's novella With or Without Angels

Douglas Bruton’s latest novella is as stunning as his last – the wonderful Blue Postcards, also published by Fairlight Books. Like the earlier novella, With or Without Angels glisten’s with finely-wrought prose. But there are other similarities, too: a contemplative aging protagonist attempting to untangle memory from illusion; a fragmentary structure; and use of real artists as inspiration. In Blue Postcards, one of the storylines follows the enigmatic artist Yves Klein, and according to the author’s acknowledgements, With or Without Angels was inspired by the Scottish artist Alan Smith. The unnamed protagonist, an artist himself, draws inspiration (as did Smith) from the 18th century Venetian painter GiandomenicoTiepolo’s painting Il Mondo Nuovo ‘The New World’.

No longer able to paint, but still with ‘too many thoughts in his head’ the artist takes a young assistant, Livvy, to help him express his artistic vision. As his hands have become unsteady, he has swapped his paintbrush for a camera, and with Livvy’s technical expertise, he is able to create a new form of artwork – the photo montage.

As they create a series of images, each building upon the last in much the same way that Giandomenico Tiepolo depicted the same characters over and over before realising Il Mondo Nuovo, the artist is able to ‘work out his thoughts’ and find an answer to the question we all must face: what will be left when we are gone?

It feels surprising that such a short novel – perhaps 25,000 words – can contain such depth of meaning. But that is often the way with stories where there are great gaps of unwritten text. They allow the reader to be an active participant, contemplating their own circumstances alongside the protagonist, and finding that common humanity where no words are needed.

Bruton’s work is poignant, philosophical and achingly human.


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Alan Smith's series of images: The New World (after Il Mondo Nuovo by Giandomenico Tiepolo)

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Loree Westron is the author of Missing Words. She has an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing, and is the founder of the Portsmouth Author’s Collective.

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