For this reason, in my attempt to talk about Treacle Walker I am not going to avoid ‘spoilers’ because I feel others will have entirely different experiences with the book, anyway. Different readers, as always, will have different experiences and perceptions. My point, that even if you don’t ‘get’ every reference or understand every obscure word and don’t feel inclined to look them up to begin with (or at all) the effect of the book can be like understanding a painting without the need to understand its technique. I was reminded of Ideas I’d come across reading John Fowles, or the world of Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising Sequence, as well as various essays I’ve read about myth. Another is that Garner is drawing from Celtic and druidic culture, myth, fairy tale and other forms of popular culture.

One aspect of this is Garner’s wordplay his obscure words and references. And the story has a simplicity that carries you along, much like a children’s novel, even if, at times, there appears to be more to the story than is apparent on the surface. For a start, the book is too short for that. Yet I found that reading Treacle Walker was not a burdensome task, as I anticipated it might be, based on those reactions. There are many other positive reviews of Treacle Walker on Goodreads, but this small selection shows the kind of puzzlement the novella can cause. I can only presume that there’s some kind deeply niche knowledge required to make any sense of this which I evidently don’t have. Plus, the wording….too archaic or too much local vernacular which went beyond my head of comprehending.Ībsolute, indecipherable nonsense. It’s short-listed for the Booker, and it was too far in the fantasy genre for me to understand. Sadly, I was incapable of seeing the magnificence of this novel. This slender fable-like novel was a bit of a head scratcherĪ rather unaccessible shortlist choice from the Booker Prize jury.

Here is a selection of responses I found on Goodreads: Others’ reactions I have seen or read have expressed puzzlement or dissatisfaction with the novella. If you’re also interested in a perspective from a person who has that background, I suggest you also read Maureen Kincaid Speller’s ‘The Critic and the Clue: Tracking Alan Garner’s Treacle Walker’. From what I have read, there may be some truth in this. My impression from those familiar with Garner’s work is that there is an advantage in having read his entire oeuvre when coming to this book: that it is a culmination of themes and subjects in some of his other novels.

But before I discuss that, I have to say that I have never read Alan Garner before. Treacle Walker can be easily read in one sitting.

The wishing stone donkey