Phillip Pullman, 2017
(December 2017)
His Dark
Materials will forever hold a very special place in my heart. I read the
first two instalments in paperback just before The Amber Spyglass was released, so was able to take in the whole
sweep of the trilogy in pretty much a single dose. More poignantly, I read that
final volume just after I'd decided to come to Japan for the first time, and to
try to make my relationship with my then girlfriend work long distance.* You'll
understand why the dénouement to Will and Lyra's story hit particularly hard. I
love the books with a passion, and have recommended them to countless people
since, but will probably never reread them.
So The Book
of Dust is all very exciting, finally giving me a full length opportunity
to get back into Lyra's world.** And what a world. Biblical floods, Homeric
journeys, and a notable episode in Wallingford, a small town in Oxfordshire I
know fairly well because my grandparents used to live nearby. When I lived in
London I visited them fairly regularly, and the journey that makes up the
second part of The Book of Dust reads
like my old rail itinerary in reverse. Nostalgia smacking me in the face every
which way. Is it possible to separate that out from my experience of reading
this book? Or even necessary or desirable? Clearly not. I therefore have nothing witty or
insightful to say about this book except that, while you can't cross the same
river twice, it's good to be home.
