Bernard and Pat by Blair James Review

I can’t quite capture what drew me to this book so strongly.

It’s simple title that gives nothing away, the promise of childlike eyes and interrogating content. It called to me as soon as I saw it.

My expectations were high, and I set out into the relatively short novel not entire sure where it would take me. It did not disappoint.

Playing around with fragments of memory and childhood interpretation, Blair James has crafted a novel that will sit with you and gently feed you a subtle sense of unease. I was struck by the writing style, both concise and evasive, that made me constantly want more.

Bernard and Pat is the story of a young girl, Catherine, who has found herself in the care of childminders after the untimely death of her father. Her mum is constantly working to keep the family afloat, and Catherine as a result feels abandoned and isolated. The novel explores how a child interprets the world around them, at times of distress and grief, and how the time put between ourselves and our memories can both help us understand our trauma and cause us to question our recollections.

When I started reading the book, I was immediately struck by the claustrophobic atmosphere. ‘I always seemed to have to do things on my own. The kind of things that are only fun with other people.’ Catherine’s memories focus on the visual and sensory recollections of childhood, the texture of a sofa, or the colour of a carpet. The small things that are the centre of a child’s experience that adults soon begin to fail to notice. This small world is reinforced by the repetitive nature of Catherine’s day. She is left to colour on her own, the youngest of a collection of children in afterschool care, and she dwells on the small things around her. Moments such as her description of the feel of painting her fingertips, and how that was how you imagine a cats tongue to feel until proven otherwise, stand out to me as beautiful vignettes of childhood experience.

Contrastingly, the structure of the novel was carefully crafted, weaving around to give us slight insights into the characters and dynamics, the settings and ultimately the consequences. This swaying narrative filled me inexplicably with an overwhelming sense of dread, which came into fruition at the climax of the novel.

As the plot heightened, and we slowly realise the truth of the dynamics that were in place inside Bernard and Pat’s house, the adult voice of Catherine begins to come through. Still written in the simplistic and observation style as her childhood, we see the impact these traumatic years have had on her life from the way that her perspective on it is still seen in childlike ways. I thought this was so subtle, and so incredible, that I found myself immediately wanting to go and search through the beginning of the novel for hints and clues. The use of adult language, specifically the expletives, came as a jarring shock when placed next to accounts of fighting with her brother over their favourite toys. The real childlike anger has manifested into adult rage, and we see how Catherine has gone from being controlled by the adults around her through rules and caring roles, to being controlled by them through her emotions. And she resists against it.

I loved this book so much, and cannot wait to see more from Blair James in the future. Bernard and Pat was a carefully crafted and perfectly executed insight into the way we interpret and understand our childhood through an adults eyes.

5/5 stars

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Bernard and Pat