The Word
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley November 14, 2018
Author William Lane
Distributor: Transit Lounge
ISBN: 978-1-925760-06-4
Publisher: Transit Lounge
Release Date: September 2018
Website: https://transitlounge.com.au
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Intriguing and introspective, William lane has used language to great effect in this somewhat quirky look at the human psyche in all its wonderous flamboyance. Kendric is a rather unusual advertising oddity in that he has ability to create advertising slogans that inspire people to buy the brands that he sells.
His love of words becomes apparent when he is deconstructing his wife’s knitting pattern, looking at the words used as descriptive instruction, while they share the miniature of their day in a somewhat restrained manner.
He talks about the restaurant where he goes for lunch, the waitress appears to be Spanish, she ponders on the disappointment that is her husband, wondering if she will ever understand him.
Things begin to change in Kendric’s very limited world with the arrival of a new Manager for The Firm, a man on the up in the world of advertising, a man he knew as a junior, a man who is expecting results and fast!
Kendric finds himself adrift in a newer more aggressive advertising world, a world where he is expected to deliver the right words quickly, not in his usual style of slow consideration. This new workday world sees him venturing into social diversions, something so foreign it is almost frightening, challenging all he thought he understood in his limited scope of lifestyle.
A new secretary Maria proves to be the catalyst to change, encouraging Kendric to leave all that is familiar and move into a ‘commune’ style of living that focuses on the power of words, known to its members as The Word.
But as with all things idyllic, trouble comes to The Word in the way of conflict, change, and once again, these influences force Kendric into reviewing the world he has ingeniously inhabited in his search for nirvana, for perfection.
William Lane has devised a deliciously fascinating perspective, with a cast of idealistic introverts who somehow, by the end page, have all become firm personal friends, offering a wonderful perspective on life that suggests so many of the options presented in the wonderful world of words, connecting people in so many diverse and fascinating ways.
The Word is not a conventional read but a read that does become addictive.