The Echo Chamber: A Novel
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Impressive in its scope and ambition, this first novel is at once a family saga, a book that reimagines the myth of the empire, and a history of objects. The Echo Chamber is narrated by fifty-four- year-old Evie Steppman, who grew up in Nigeria in the 1950s during the last decade of British rule. As a child, Evie exhibited extraordinarily acute powers of hearing; now, alone in an attic in Scotland that is filled with objects from her past and with her powers of hearing starting to fade, she sets out to record her history before it all disintegrates into a meaningless din. Tales of the twelfth-century mapmaker in Palermo, stories whispered by embittered expatriates, and eyewitness accounts from Nigeria's civil war mingle with Evie's memories of her childhood, of her grandfather, a watchmaker who attempted to forge a mechanical likeness of his dead wife, and of her travels across America. Williams's interest in history and storytelling and his talent for evoking multiple voices will remind readers of the work of David Mitchell, Peter Carey, and Jonathan Safran Foer.
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Luke Williams. (2011). The Echo Chamber: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Luke Williams. 2011. The Echo Chamber: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Luke Williams, The Echo Chamber: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group, 2011.
MLA Citation (style guide)Luke Williams. The Echo Chamber: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group, 2011.
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- An evocative and exquisitely written debut novel about family, empire and money.
Impressive in its scope and ambition, this first novel is at once a family saga, a book that reimagines the myth of the empire, and a history of objects. The Echo Chamber is narrated by fifty-four- year-old Evie Steppman, who grew up in Nigeria in the 1950s during the last decade of British rule. As a child, Evie exhibited extraordinarily acute powers of hearing; now, alone in an attic in Scotland that is filled with objects from her past and with her powers of hearing starting to fade, she sets out to record her history before it all disintegrates into a meaningless din. Tales of the twelfth-century mapmaker in Palermo, stories whispered by embittered expatriates, and eyewitness accounts from Nigeria's civil war mingle with Evie's memories of her childhood, of her grandfather, a watchmaker who attempted to forge a mechanical likeness of his dead wife, and of her travels across America. Williams's interest in history and storytelling and his talent for evoking multiple voices will remind readers of the work of David Mitchell, Peter Carey, and Jonathan Safran Foer. - reviews
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June 6, 2011
Evie Steppman, the narrator of Williams's ambitious debut novel, was born in Nigeria during the final years of British occupation. Now alone, she's isolated herself in a Scottish sea-front house to recount the story of her youth and her family's exile to Scotland during Nigerian independence. From the moment of her conception, Evie's keen "powers of listening" allow her to hear extraordinary things, from the stories her father read to her in the womb to the Earth turning on its axis, creating acoustic memories that have shaped her consciousness. Evie relays events through her strongest sense (others, such as sight, are now failing). Williams takes a playful formal approach and has an admirably broad scope, covering three generations of the Steppman family, a brief history of ancient mapmaking, and the early days of British colonial Nigeria. Of all the strands, Evie's tale is the most complete, a compelling narrative of one woman's attempt to record, observe, and chronicle what she knows and how she came to know it. Williams occasionally loses the thread, but the confusion that arises, we soon learn, lies within Evie's own mind and propels herâand the readerâto question the veracity of memory.
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August 1, 2011
In a discursive first novel with horrific undertones, empires crumble, a madman makes his wife a mechanical heart and a child emerges late and fatally from the womb.
Magical episodes, curious objects and violent scenes dot the long, impressionistic story narrated by British writer Williams' heroine Evie Steppman, born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1946. With her prodigiously acute hearing, Evie is happy in the womb; when she does emerge, two months late, she causes the death of her mother. In her restless, meandering literary reminiscence, written in an attic in Scotland at age 64, Evie explores her own story and offers glimpses of her parents, other relatives, friends and lovers, which meld into an atmospheric if plot-free web of sounds, paper documents and above all stories. Evie's childhood in Nigeria concludes with the country on the edge of independence and showing signs of the violent unrest which will lead to the bloodshed witnessed later in visceral scenes of massacre narrated by a childhood friend. Evie's subsequent life in Scotland includes madness, a lesbian love affair and withdrawal into a reclusive state of decay. This ambitious, rambling synthesis of individual and world history, stylistically akin to work by Salman Rushdie and Günter Grass, nevertheless lacks their vigor and originality.
Vivid but not quite magical enough.
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
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July 1, 2011
In this debut, an all-encompassing family saga, Williams tells the story of Evie Steppman, a woman born with especially acute hearing and the peculiar ability to remember everything she has heard, even while in the womb. The reader now finds Evie alone in an attic, surrounded by memorabilia of her family's past, as she tries to record everything she recalls before it fades away from her memory. Williams uses Evie's memories as springboards for myriad tales that span the globe, from Nigeria to Scotland, and to introduce complex characters that include Evie's grandfather, a watchmaker who attempts to make a mechanical likeness of his dead wife. VERDICT Although well written and true to historic facts, this book rambles, and the many stories recounted tend to run together and sound much like the din Evie now hears in her head. That may be the author's intention, but it does not translate into a satisfying read and keeps the reader at arm's length. Not recommended.--Leann Restaino, Girard, OH
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
- premium: True
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August 1, 2011
In a discursive first novel with horrific undertones, empires crumble, a madman makes his wife a mechanical heart and a child emerges late and fatally from the womb.
Magical episodes, curious objects and violent scenes dot the long, impressionistic story narrated by British writer Williams' heroine Evie Steppman, born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1946. With her prodigiously acute hearing, Evie is happy in the womb; when she does emerge, two months late, she causes the death of her mother. In her restless, meandering literary reminiscence, written in an attic in Scotland at age 64, Evie explores her own story and offers glimpses of her parents, other relatives, friends and lovers, which meld into an atmospheric if plot-free web of sounds, paper documents and above all stories. Evie's childhood in Nigeria concludes with the country on the edge of independence and showing signs of the violent unrest which will lead to the bloodshed witnessed later in visceral scenes of massacre narrated by a childhood friend. Evie's subsequent life in Scotland includes madness, a lesbian love affair and withdrawal into a reclusive state of decay. This ambitious, rambling synthesis of individual and world history, stylistically akin to work by Salman Rushdie and G�nter Grass, nevertheless lacks their vigor and originality.
Vivid but not quite magical enough.
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
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