The Accidental

THE ACCIDENTAL
by Ali Smith

 

Nominations: Booker Finalist 2005, Dublin Longlist 2007, James Tait Black Finalist 2005, Women's Prize Finalist 2006

 

Date Read: December 10, 2020

 

I just finished The Accidental and I’m not sure how I feel about it. During a family summer vacation to Norfolk, a highly dysfunctional family ends up taking in a stranger, Amber, who turns their lives upside down. The mother, Eve, thinks the husband, Michael, invited her to stay and vice versa. The fact that they never discuss this in any detail goes to show just one facet of their dysfunctionality.

 

Their children are equally struggling due to a lack of direction. Their daughter, Astrid, is aimless but immersed in photographing and videoing the world, trying to make sense of her 12 year old self and the world around her. The brother, Magnus, is struggling with massive depression, having unintentionally played a part in a classmates’ suicide. This is not something he takes lightly but feels every measure of guilt and remorse. His parents are aware of what happened but they never offer comfort or counseling. Again, yet another way in which this family isn’t cohesive or supportive of one another.

 

By the end of the summer, having asked Amber to leave, they return home to London and discover their home completely empty from furniture to faucets. The parents know who did it but lack any evidence, instead focusing on rebuilding their household. Yet through this process, Michael gets fired for having affairs with his students and Eve completely abandons her family in search of a connection and understanding of her past.

 

I wasn’t blown away by the writing or the plot here. At times this read was interesting but overall shallowly depressing. I’m hopeful for the other Smith works I have coming up but this one left me yawning.

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