Before you read a word of “How to Leave the House” by Nathan Newman, it may help to know that a TV adaptation is already in the works. This is a book that unfolds like it’s destined for the small screen. “It was a cinematic sunset: pinks, oranges and periwinkle blues… Beneath it all was lonely Natwest, a single figure on the empty street…” That passage is about midway through the book, but you get the point. There are other parts that read like stage directions and the novel’s point of view switches from inside the mind of our “hero,” Natwest, to the perspectives of various town residents he encounters during the day.
Let’s back up. This is the story of a young Englishman named Natwest. It is the day before he departs his hometown for the first time for university. He’s intelligent, opinionated, and planning to study art history. He has ordered something embarrassing and the Royal Mail has not delivered it on time. The object in question is revealed on page 50, but it’s too funny to spoil. The plot, such as it is, unfolds over the course of 24 hours as Natwest leaves his house initially for a trip to the post office. When it turns out another town resident has taken possession of the package instead, Natwest’s journey of discovery truly begins.
It’s during his encounters with town residents that Natwest’s perspective begins to change. The pretentious and self-centered young man gives way to someone whose interior monologue sounds like this near the end: “Natwest had always imagined himself to be the main character. … He’d always thought he was leaving them (the town’s residents) behind, but it dawned on him now that it was more likely they were leaving him behind. He was but a minor character in their lives.”
Those lives are rich with pathos and humor. There’s a dentist in love with a trans woman who loves to paint, but only human mouths. There’s an imam who is at heart a cinephile. And a teenager having suicidal thoughts after the leak of nude pictures on the internet. Mix it all up with a secret surrounding Natwest’s own origin story, and you begin to see how it might be a better TV show than it is a book.
But don’t let that stop you from reading it. Fair warning: It is graphic in its description of sexual encounters and doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, including self harm. The humor helps take the edge off a little, but Newman certainly has something to say about the up-and-coming generation. This is a bold new voice, and one to watch.
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