Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Nick Sceats, author of the novel Paper Husbands.
The book I wish I’d written
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Before Larry David and Curb Your Enthusiasm brought us a character with no filter between brain and mouth, there was Ignatius J Reilly. Set in New Orleans in the 1970s, Ignatius is whip smart, but lazy beyond belief. The book follows his adventures as his mother finally forces him to get a job and stop living off her. The dialogue and voice transport you to another time and place. It was first published 11 years after Toole’s death, so he sadly never saw it become a cult and then mainstream classic of American literature.
The book everyone should read
I’m a great fan of Dickens and Austen – their wit and their character descriptions are so brilliant. Austen’s line in Persuasion, describing the protagonist’s father, “Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter’s character.” Such economy! Such potency! That said, I’d have to say Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. I read it almost as a duty to the classics, but it is accessible, funny and sweet, and you finally understand the derivation and meaning of tilting at windmills!
The book I want to be buried with
The Siege of Krishnapur by JG Farrell. The winner of the Booker prize in 1973, the novel is set in India in a fictitious town in 1857 during the Indian Rebellion. It follows the deterioration of the British occupants’ pretensions and social structures as the siege drags on. I first read it on a bus from New Plymouth to Hamilton when I was 14. I’ve re-read it five or six times since and always find some new depth to marvel at. Tragically the author died when fishing off rocks when he was only 44.
The first book I remember reading by myself
Watership Down. This is when I first experienced the joy of disappearing into a book.
I wish I’d never read
The Nylon Pirates by Nicholas Monsarrat. Even after 40 years I can remember the simile, “He leaned over her like a rubber lighthouse.” Besides sounding like something you would order from Peaches and Cream, I just thought the author of The Cruel Sea could do better. However, the fact that the image has stayed with me for more than 40 years means maybe it was genius.
Utopia or dystopia
Utopia. I don’t mind a bit of dystopia, but right now there’s enough coming at us.
Fiction or non-fiction
I always have one of each on the go, but if I can combine the two, all the better. I’m a sailor and a history buff and love the Patrick O’Brian naval novels set during the Napoleonic Wars, the most famous of which is Master and Commander. There are about a dozen more in the series. All ripping yarns with plenty of sailing and naval battle action, with lashings of wit and romance.
The book that made me cry
The Shrapnel Academy by Fay Weldon. I was in a bar waiting on a first date and was crying when she arrived. Was also the last date.
The book that made me laugh
I read Bill Bryson’s first European travel book from the 1980s a few weeks ago. Snortingly funny. Those who have read his history of the home, At Home, will know he can make the history of the staircase a fascinating and chortling read.
Encounter with an author
Hemingway. We met in a small bar in Pamplona. We were both drinking too much and ended up fighting. He knocked out my front tooth and then demanded I do the same to him, which I did. We went fishing and then bull fighting. After lunch we … Nah, no one so far.
Greatest New Zealand writer
Maurice Gee. I loved the Plumb trilogy, not only for the great writing but the description of New Zealand life from the late 19th to mid 20th century. Now I want to read them again!
Best thing about reading
Escaping. Forming friendships, and often, falling in love with the characters. Learning. I love learning stuff from books, unfortunately it often goes in one eye and out the other. If I could retain a small fraction of what I’ve read over the years, I’d be the star of the pub quiz.
What I’m reading right now
The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell. Recommended by The Rest is History podcast as the first modern biography. Johnson is a hell of character and Boswell is not far behind. I’ve been reading it alongside Catherine Chidgey’s excellent The Axeman’s Carnival.
Paper Husbands by Nick Sceats ($38, The Cuba Press) can be purchased from Unity Books.
