By Nate
On opening Twist the new novel by Colum McCann (author of Time Out favourite Apeirogon) I didn’t quite know what to expect; all I knew was that the plot seemed to be centred on the repairing of an underwater internet cable. To say the least, that is not a subject one often reads about. It was a pleasant surprise, then, to find in Twist a deeply introspective novel on human connection- how it forms and fails.
Twist is a deeply internal novel, the events solely being viewed through the eyes of Fennel, a failing middle-aged writer who is asked to write a magazine article on the boats that repair the world's underwater cable network. Fennel flies out to South Africa to board one of these boats and report on the work that goes on to keep the world connected. It appears an easy job, a simple and crowd pleasing article with an obvious narrative. However, on meeting Conway, the enigmatic and mysterious ship captain, a far more alluring story begins to form. In truth, the novel is more interesting off the boat, which McCann recognises. While the underwater cables maintain the framework of the novel, it is Fennel’s relationship with Conway and the strange currents that swirl around him that are the true focus. As a character he is always something of a cipher; appearing both friendly and distant, steady and uncontrolled, cynical and introspective. I find that these types of characters can appear frustrating in fiction, that their role as an object of fascination can make them feel thin, and the eventual payoff not worthy of the attention given to it. McCann avoids this pitfall, partly through Fennels function as an unreliable narrator; it is never clear, even to himself, how much of his view of Conway is internal projection and how much is earnt.
This is a difficult review to write, as so much of Twist relies on uncertainty- we are meant to unveil the curtain of Conway's life as Fennel does. However, at heart Twist is a novel about the relationships that connect us; how valuable and vulnerable they truly are.
