Daniel Weir used to be a famous – not to say infamous – rock star. Maybe still is. At thirty-one he has been both a brilliant failure and a dull success. He’s made a lot of mistakes that have paid off and a lot of smart moves he’ll regret forever (however long that turns out to be). Daniel Weir has gone from rags to riches and back, and managed to hold onto them both, though not much else. His friends all seem to be dead, fed up with him or just disgusted – and who can blame them? And now Daniel Weir is all alone. As he contemplates his life, Daniel realises he only has two the past and the future. He knows how bad the past has been. But the future – well, the future is something else.
After reading The Wasp Factory, I really didn’t know what the experience of Espedair Street was going to be. The same friend who lent me The Wasp Factory also lent me Espedair Street, and this book is a comfort book of his. I really related to that throughout the book, and I found it quickly became a comfort for me as well.
Although a very different story to the darkness of The Wasp Factory, I went into this straight after finishing it and could see Banks’ writing carrying over in these pages. Musical biopics (and biopics in general) are not something that I generally pick up, but this was such a fascinating study of a life and I really enjoy books that span longer periods of time and reflect on life, as this one does.
I found this book quite calming and lovely in a way, and it feels so quiet somehow. It has the same day-to-day narrative as The Wasp Factory, but evidently with very different focuses. I think the focus of smaller, quieter aspects of Daniel’s life is what made it so comforting for me. I could see it playing in my head, and the fact this book doesn’t have an adaptation is honestly insane.
Although this is a fiction book, it feels, and could so easily be, real. I think that’s one of the biggest joys of this book and is why it feels so real and relatable. The ending of the story made me hug the book to my chest after I finished it. It was a delight.
★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
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