When a baby is born in a run-down caravan he is not like other babies. The Fish is different, and yet he does not know he is different. The Fish’s name is fitting, for he is a fish out of water, an alien to our world. Different to the rest of us. Because of his differences, the Fish has always been alone with not a single friend. A lone fish in the fishbowl of life.

The Fish’s father has never been seen; his name is never spoken.The Fish’s mother is in an institution, then a sanatorium, then she disappears off the map for good.

The story is narrated by the Fish’s uncle with his sisters playing prominent roles. They both represent archetypes; his elder sister the golden child, and his younger sister, the Fish’s mother, the black sheep. She is always drugged and out of her mind, existing in a little caravan on her own.

Throughout the novel the reader is bombarded with reminders that the Fish, figuratively and literally, has the attributes of a fish. Yet he always remains clouded in ambiguity. The reader is never quite sure what his condition is. He remains an enigma. The grandfather, mother, and uncle try to look after the Fish. Whether it is guilt, family duty, or just common human decency they try their best to make his life as normal as possible.

Jones’s writing is quite beautiful, lyrical and poetical, with some parts written in verse. I enjoyed this novel just for the writing. But I do believe I have missed some message that Jones is trying to convey. Maybe a second reading may help.

Reviewed by Neale Lucas

ABOUT THE AUTHOR