Jon McGregor
Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor begins in an Antarctic expedition that goes tragically awry and then pivots to an entirely different direction. The novel is in three parts.
Lean introduces us to Robert “Doc” Wright, Thomas, and Luke. The three are conducting research in the Antarctic when an unexpected blizzard strikes. They are separated, each battling for survival. This section is riveting and fast-paced. Robert, the seasoned guide and technical assistant for the two newcomers, falls during the storm and experiences a concussion. When he regains consciousness and finds his way back to base, he is confused and his language garbled. His inability to articulate words and failure to string them together coherently mirror his inability to think coherently. Meanwhile, Luke and Thomas catch snatches of each other’s voices on the on-again, off-again radios, as they battle the raging storm.
Fall takes us far away from the Antarctic and back to England where Robert battles a different type of survival—that of recovering from a brain injury. This section moves at a considerably slower pace. The focus shifts to Robert’s wife, Anna, as she struggles to meet demands from work while assuming the role of her husband’s caregiver. Robert’s stroke and aphasia have severely limited his mobility and rendered him unable to articulate words coherently. All this places considerable strain on Anna who experiences physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.
Stand takes us through Robert’s painstaking steps toward some measure of recovery. His participation in physical and speech therapy improves his condition. The novel concludes with a performance put on by his therapy group.
Although each of the sections is strong, the shift from the Antarctic to the remaining two sections is jarring. But the writing in all three sections is flawless. Lean captures the chatty banter of the three men in the Antarctic and follows it with the broken, staggered, and frantic attempts at communication when the blizzard strikes. The section concludes with a remarkable passage that takes us inside Robert’s head as he struggles to piece together his disjointed thoughts and words.
Fall and Stand capture the tragic circumstances of Robert and Anna in poignant, deeply moving detail. Robert, barely communicative before his stroke, now slurs words and waves his arms in the air in a desperate effort to communicate. Anna, an academic oceanographer, fiercely independent, strains to understand the garbled words of her husband as she struggles with her new role as caregiver.
In stunning, measured, and compelling prose, McGregor provides a fascinating glimpse into the interiority of victims of stroke and aphasia as they navigate through movement and speech. Through Anna, he shows the strain and inordinate amount of patience and diligence required of their caregivers. And with their limited physical and linguistic abilities, the aphasia patients re-enact Robert’s last day in the Antarctic in a final scene that is deeply moving and evocative.
Highly recommended