The Ruby in Her Navel by Barry Unsworth
Friday, 22 Sep 2006 18:28
Barry Unsworth transports us back to the time of knights and damsels
Published by Hamish Hamilton, out now in hardback, 328 pages, £17.99.
In a nutshell…
Historical. Romantic. Complex. Lyrical. Slow-burner.
What's it all about?
Thurstan is a young man working as a "purveyor pleasures and shows" at the court of King Roger in Sicily, but is frustrated at events beyond his control which prevented him from being a knight. While political intrigue unfolds around him, Thurstan is caught between his two loves: one courtly, for the Lady Alicia, who he has been in love with since boyhood, and one more physical, for the enchanting and sensual Nesrin, a dancer brought by him to the king's court.
Thurstan's own political and romantic frustrations are set against the political intrigue at the court in Sicily as well as the inter-racial tensions between the Christians and the Muslims living there.
Who's it by?
British writer Barry Unsworth is famous for his novels with historical themes and has written 14 prior to his latest release. His work has won critical acclaim, with three novels being shortlisted for the Booker prize in the past – one of which, Sacred Hunger, won in 1992.
Pascali's Island, the first of his novels to be nominated for the Booker prize, was made into a film starring Helen Mirren and Ben Kingsley.
Despite his upbringing in a mining village in England, Unsworth currently lives in Umbria, Italy.
As an example…
"The monastery lay in the foothills to the west of Carini, over towards the sea on that side, a morning's ride, starting early. The day was beautiful, still fresh when I set out, with the sun rising over the bay. The plain of the Conca d'Oro opened before me with its parklands and gardens and its groves of orange trees, and the first rays touched the crags of Monte Pellino and made them glow red as fire."
Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster
It would be hard to see how the complex tensions within the novel could be conveyed on the big screen. With so many undercurrents running through the novel, scriptwriters would be hard pushed as to whether to go for a romance, a historical drama or a political thriller – if all three it would be likely to be too confusing for an hour and a half's entertainment.
What the others say
"A historical romance shorn of medieval flummery, a conspiracy thriller to shame lesser talents, The Ruby in Her Navel is far more than either. Delicately intricate in its construction and psychology, morally resonant and hugely satisfying, it is the work of a novelist at the height of his powers." – The Guardian.
"An entertaining story of sexual temptation, forbidden love, crazy monks and treacherous Christians: a riotous period soap opera." – The Independent.
So is it any good?
Without any knowledge of the period that the novel is set in, the complex historical pressures and background to the events could prove overwhelming at first. But with persistence the somewhat slow-burning nature of the novel eventually provides a literary treat rich with drama, passion and desire – both for love and success.
Beautifully written, many passages in The Ruby in Her Navel transport the reader momentarily with vivid descriptions of both nature and human nature. Thurstan is no 2D chivalrous knight – we see his weaknesses as well as his lofty imaginations of his own character, making him all the more human and sympathetic.
As a high-brow tale of romance, it may not suit everyone, but for those keen to delve into the past it provides momentary escapism into a world of chivalry, Crusades and old-fashioned love.
7/10
Carolyn Robertson
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