Many thanks for the opportunity to review this novel.
Picking up this book, I couldn't help but picture the Disney/Pixar movie 'Up' in my mind. There were many similarities in the premise between both stories --> elderly man, loner, spent the majority of his life with a single family member, their sudden death leaves him completely alone, he is then responsible for an unintended injury to someone, this forces him to escape, he embarks on a country-spanning trip with a new companion who becomes his real friend by the end of the story.
I was half-expecting 'Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither' to be a similarly uplifting, joyous story as 'Up', full of hope and optimism. However, that was where the comparisons ended.
The story develops really well. The narrative composition is brilliantly fleshed out. The author really works at ensuring zero compromise in composing text rich with detail and description. The second-person narration makes the reader feel as if they are right there alongside Ray, seeing what he sees, feeling as he feels - the trepidation, the fear, the loneliness. Only gradually revealing the full details behind the circumstances of Ray's past proves a successful ploy. And the story threads are intelligently tied up by the end, demonstrating that there was a reason behind everything that happened (even the decision to acquire One-Eye the dog - i.e. to get rid of the rats).
However, the story takes a disgusting turn towards the end. The reader is left with many questions. And not just the obvious ones like how his mother died, etc. ( Spoiler Alert ) The story begins by emphasising that Ray is "Too old for starting over, too young for giving up!". But he clearly 'gives up' by the end. He has completely spent the remainder of his Father's savings, he has very low self-esteem and confidence and doesn't feel he has any skills or experience to get a job, and he has let the hostility he's experienced all his life get to him. So he commits suicide, leaving One-Eye to fend for himself. Question is, why was Ray so devastated in leaving One-Eye behind on the road (after the dog tried to attack the girl near the woods) if he was only going to leave him later anyway? And the lodgers renting his father's (now his) hairdressers downstairs had stopped paying rent for the last 2 years - surely requesting and receiving the outstanding payments would generate income? Yes, Ray has difficulty in approaching people, but he managed fine at the Post Office when it came to money, so he would be fine here one would think. And events in the book show that the story occurs during more or less recent times. So how did Ray's father avoid sending Ray to school his whole life without Social Services intervening? Especially considering his father was away for extended periods, when at work, and when on holiday to all the faraway destinations (as demonstrated by the exotic plate collection). And what did Ray do in his life between ages 16 to about 45-50, before he started caring for his elderly father?
In conclusion, a thought-provoking read, well written and ambitious in it's execution. A really promising debut.