Offshore

Offshore This book is a portrayal of life upon the river Thames in London.

Offshore
Penelope Fitzgerald
• Price — Rs 580
• Publication — Mariner Books

Some reviews begin without an introduction. It is not a pact of convenience nor is it a rebellious attitude that dictates such a desperate beginning. But often there is a book which requires no introduction.

Though in the same breath it must be added that it is quite advisable to at least lay the foundation. Agreeing to such a principle, Offshore, is a portrayal of life upon the river Thames in London. Now, if I were to leave it at that, it would have been quite fine by many standards. After all it is a well enough foundation.

But then not all books about life on Thames have won a Booker Prize. This one has, in 1979. Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald, is a story about the houseboat community o the Thames in the 1960s. It is about the relationship shared by the owners of these boats with the others.

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Their lives revolve around the rising and falling of tide; their identity which is in turmoil and the shore that is different world. Even those who feed on the exuberant impressionism of Joseph Conrad will agree that this book is a work of art. It might not have the visual quality of Conrad, but it makes up for it by the sheer detail of river life. It’s a kind of life most of us might not know about.

The great thing about Offshore is that it manages to alienate the world beyond the shores to a large degree. It is like coming upon a civilisation you didn’t know existed; and at the heart of London! The book makes for a serene read. The narrative sways with the river current, making it one leisurely read.

Yet the story is not as distant as one would think it to be. It is far more easy to recognise oneself in these ‘alien’ contraptions of locality. One is not a part of it. Yet in many ways one is. That is the magic of this book.