Pond

By: Claire-Louise Bennett

Narrated by: Lucy Rayner

In Claire-Louise Bennett's shimmering debut, an unnamed young woman - wry, somewhat misanthropic, keenly observant - chronicles her life on the outskirts of a small coastal village.

The charms of bananas and oatcakes in the morning and Spanish oranges after sex; the small pleasures and anxieties of throwing a party, exchanging salacious emails with a new lover, sitting in the bath as it storms outside. Broken oven knobs prompt a meditation on survival that's both haunting and playful; a sunset walk leads to an unsettling encounter with a herd of cows; the discovery of an old letter recalls an impossible affair.

Sidestepping the usual conventions of narrative, Pond refracts the narrator's uncannily intimate experience in the details of daily life, rendered sometimes in story-like stretches, sometimes in fragments, and suffused with the almost synesthetic intensity of the physical world as we remember it from childhood. As her persona emerges in all its particularity, sometimes painfully and often hilariously, we cannot help seeing mirrored there our own fraught longings, our own fugitive desire, despite everything, to be known.

Enchanting and unusual, Pond will linger long after the last minute.

©2015 Claire-Louise Bennett (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Bennett has achieved something strange, unique, and undeniably wonderful." ( Publishers Weekly)

"[Narrator Lucy] Rayner's adept vocal performance and Bennett's intriguing prose make for an interesting listen for dedicated listeners." ( AudioFile)

darling, enchanting story

though this story lacks any direct sort of plot, the narrator brings you into her world of thoughts in her life. filled with gentle language and stunning imagery, pond is like a cup of tea on a rainy day. a gift, if only for warmth and companionship.

I downloaded this because I miss my physical copy

Pond is my favorite book and my copy is written all over. I was nervous to let a friend borrow my copy because it felt very intimate and I was afraid he wouldn't like it. He still has it and I had to download this because I miss my copy very much. I love listening to it, but I do wish they had chosen a reader with an Irish accent. I know the narrator is not necessarily Irish, but she's lived in Ireland for a while and I'd expect a bit of an accent. Yes, a reader who is English but has developed a slight accent from living in Ireland. I know this is very specific, but I really think the audiobook would benefit from this addition.

How About a Plot or a Story

This is a book about her personal observation. Although she had an excellent facility with language, it lacks any point, plot or purpose. I bought this based on recommendations and I am sorry I did. Unfortunately a complete waste of my time.

The narrator was wonderful but the story skippable

Would you try another book from Claire-Louise Bennett and/or Lucy Rayner?

Not by the author but by the narrator

What could Claire-Louise Bennett have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The unknown character wasn't likable or compelling for me. I didn't care about her and her musings were boring.

How pointless it was

I felt like hours were stolen from me. I really tried to. Finished it was surprised when it was done because I couldn’t tell. Just stopped, I kept hoping something would be interesting.