The Palm House: a meandering characterisation deep dive, exploring family and the significant others that come and go

Gwendoline Riley’s The Palm House, recently awarded one of the Windham-Campbell Prizes for Fiction, is a gentle amble through central character Laura’s relationships, as she gives contemplation to the career of long-term friend, Putnam, as he ventures into dangerous career territory. 

Laura is a freelancer and values her friend Edmund Putnam. He becomes more and more unreachable as he navigates grief following the death of his father, as well as career change after walking away from magazine Sequence with the introduction of new editor, Shove.

Laura herself is not short of baggage, and this reflective work of fiction veers the prickly times, as well as the lighter and humorous moments throughout one’s life, with a scale of reflection and consideration. It’s a novel which paints a complex life.  

A shocking scene, and most memorable in Riley’s book is one which addresses fandom. In this case between teenage Laura and insidious perve, Chris Patrick. Patrick leaves a young Laura scarred and traumatised after a handful of encounters. Provocative and with sparse precision, Riley writes a remarkably formidable moment with great care. 

It’s a meandering deep dive into characterisation and family and the significant others that come and go throughout Laura’s life. The Palm House is an exploratory and subtle exploration of complex relationships, from the tragically abusive to the fickle teenage friendships. It’s drenched in characterisation and all the better for it. 

The Palm House was published on 2^nd April by Picador