"The novel opens with 36-year-old Rothko Taylor, recently released after two decades in prison for a crime yet to be disclosed to us. Living in a van with a stray dog and picking up casual work, Rothko imagines a tentative future in which they might earn enough to go private Start on T (testosterone)."
"Tempest's prose is markedly lyrical throughout, as though he were determined to wrest beauty from the jaws of gritty realism. The grandeur of the publisher's claims also suggests something of the melodramatic register of the book, which is all grand passion, big trauma and heroic self-discovery."
Kae Tempest's second novel, Having Spent Life Seeking, follows Rothko Taylor, a 36-year-old recently released from prison. The narrative delves into Rothko's struggles with identity, particularly in the context of gender transition. Set in the bleak town of Edgecliff, the story portrays Rothko's solitary life, grappling with a troubled past and a longing for connection. The prose is lyrical, aiming to find beauty amidst gritty realism, yet the novel is marked by an exhausting intensity and a lack of deep reflection.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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