Lanny by Max Porter
Published by Faber & Faber, 2019
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Max Porter is surely one of the most original, experimental, and thought-provoking writers at work today. In this, his second full-length offering, married couple Robert and Jolie have recently moved into a small commuter village with their young son. Lanny is a strange little boy who is drawn to nature; wise beyond his years and prone to unexplained behaviour. Over this village, there looms a mysterious, omniscient presence known as Dead Papa Toothwort, watching, waiting, and listening, weaving snatches of mundane goings on into a symphony of everyday life.
Though Porter very much plays with language and structure, there is in fact a distinct narrative that runs throughout. The book itself is split into three parts, adhering to a clear beginning, middle and end. In the first, we are introduced to Lanny and his family, as he befriends the eccentric local artist. This section explores the idea of outsiders, class divides, and community. In the second part (which is by far my favourite), we observe a series of vignettes, moving seamlessly from villager to villager, documenting the entire community’s polarising reactions to Lanny’s sudden disappearance. A chorus of voices joining together to make a greater whole, I thought Porter captured the ripple effect of tragedy, and the idea of lives moving in tandem with aplomb. In the final part, the flirtations with magical realism reach their fever pitch, as Dead Papa Toothwort steps from the shadows, and we discover Lanny’s fate.
Throughout, Porter ruminates on the notions of time and place, exploring the transformative power of art, and the beautiful yet unknowable link between man and nature. Were this book and its titular character entirely believable? No. But was I intellectually and linguistically stimulated throughout? Absolutely. Reaching a breathless and satisfying climax that in no way undermines the provocative journey it takes to get there, this part novel, part extended prose poem is sure to provoke a number of different reactions. Unique and beguiling, I look forward to discussing it!
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If you’d like to give Lanny a go, you can pick up a copy from Book Depository by clicking here. If you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Callum McLaughlin 
Never heard of this before. Glad to come through your post!
Happy to have brought it to your attention! I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a go; it’s certainly a unique reading experience.
The LRB review of this put me off (even though it was positive!) AND I didn’t get on with Grief Is The Thing With Feathers, but it’s had such good blog reviews…
Grief is the kind of book I appreciated more than enjoyed, but Lanny had a stronger sense of narrative, which meant it worked better for me. That said, I can totally see that Porter’s style isn’t for everyone.
I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts if you ever decide to give it a go!
I haven’t heard of this one before but sounds intriguing. Great post!
Thank you! It defies genre, so I’m not surprised it has slipped beneath a few people’s radars. I hope you like it if you decide to check it out 😊
Hmm do you think I’d like this?? I read the first few pages and I wasn’t convinced, and I didn’t adore Grief… but all the rave reviews are tempting me!
It’s hard to say! I know I gave this a positive rating and review, but I’m still not sure who I’d actually recommend it to 🤔 I preferred this to Grief, because there was a more solid narrative grounding. That said, it’s still a book that veers firmly into the territory of ‘I appreciated this’ more than ‘I enjoyed this’. And there’s quite a bit of the dreaded magical realism, lol.
As a reading experience, I’m glad to have picked it up, but it certainly won’t stay with me as a favourite of the year. Stylistically, it’s what you’d expect from Porter, so if you’re on the fence, I wouldn’t rush out to get the hardback!
That’s actually super helpful! I think I’ll give it a shot from the library – it’s short and I have FOMO – but keep my expectations in check.
Book FOMO is so real.
I’m so looking forward to this one Callum – he’s such an inventive and exciting writer.
He really is! I’m already intrigued to see what he does next, and I very much hope you enjoy this one.
Great review! I loved this one. I thought it would be more disjointed and so was pleasantly surprised when it did indeed have a narrative. And the climax was so intense and emotional!
Thank you! Absolutely, I clicked with this one more than I did with Grief is the Thing with Feathers for those very reasons!
I hadn’t read Porter before. I’d like to read Grief is the Thing With Feathers but I’ll keep in mind that it’s different than Lanny.
I spent so many years reading experimental works in my two graduate programs that I’m almost afraid to give any more a go. If I did read this book, it would be for that mysterious creature, Dead Papa Toothworth. It sounds like the Babadook!
I’m not often drawn to experimental works either, but this one was getting so much buzz I couldn’t resist!
It’s very much the sort of thing that I read for the experience (although oddly the plot in the second half, particularly in its sudden nightmarish speed, felt like it was waving at the current crop of domestic noir – I’m still in two minds as to whether this was sarcastic and intentional, or earnest and intentional). Grief Is the Thing… worked better for me because there was a greater sense of purpose to the story Porter was telling; Lanny feels a little slight because I’m not sure what his point is (that weird little kids usually turn out fine? Fair as far as it goes, but hardly the excoriating journey into bereavement that his debut led us on.)
That’s very true! Though this one has a stronger narrative drive, it does have less thematic purpose and impact than Grief. It’ll be interesting to see what Porter does next!
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