Book review: Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason

I didn’t read the much-lauded and loved Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason but now that I’ve read her second book, Sophie, Standing There, I know I need to rectify that. While it may have been the plot (a writers festival sound technician fan-girling a well-known but potentially prickly author) that led me to purchase her latest release, Mason’s writing is stunning. There’s a depth or weightiness to her prose making them profound and poignant… all at once.

About this book

Sophie Pattison is a lovely person – warm, kind, relentlessly positive. She's cherished by her brother Laurie, adored by her best friend Emma and valued by her colleagues. Sometimes, it's true, one day in her life can feel like the entire month of January. It's also true she can go an entire day without speaking. But she's fine really. She spends her time alone reading, finding comfort in the pages of the books she devours.

Until one day she stumbles upon an author she hasn't read in years. Her books, interviews and podcasts soon become a lifeline; every word is a solace, company she hasn't felt in so long. It's almost like love.

A lot like love. And Sophie would love to meet the author, although she never will obviously. In a way, thank goodness, because that would change everything. Sophie's entire life. Wouldn't it?

My thoughts

When we first meet her there’s a strong sense of melancholy cloaking Sophie. This opens at the close of a writers’ festival and names for future festivals are being bandied about. Avid-reader Sophie offers up several, including a former actress-turned author in her mid 30s… a similar age to Sophie. Reminded of her work Sophie decides to re-read her books, the author’s words extremely relatable (and profound) at this point in Sophie’s life…

The precision of the author’s words, the beauty and rhythm of her sentences existing here in a list, describing the chaos and rage, the tragedy and shock and mess of Sophie’s life for her.

I curled inside myself, growing more and more silent. p 15

We learn Sophie’s marriage disintegrated and a year later her ex-husband has moved on. She’s had a falling-out of sorts with her best friend, so is reliant on her close relationship with her brother (Laurie) and his wife Jo, and casual acquaintances, such as the staff at her favourite bookstore who give her a ‘galley’ (advance copy) of ‘the author’s’ upcoming novel.

Within herself, Sophie felt languid, but nobody saw her that way, because nobody saw her. Living alone, you are unregarded. Sophie had discovered that as well, and it is nice not to be surveilled….
But it’s also horrible, living away from anyone’s sight, never being watched with adoration. p 48

But Sophie’s newfound adoration for ‘the author’ means, as well re-reading her books and the new galley, she finds herself having conversations with her. And having listened to every possible interview the author had given, their conversations feel quite real to Sophie who describes it as a parasocial relationship.

Long story short (hey, it’s my website I can fast-forward and jump about as much as I want!) Sophie gets the chance to meet ‘the author’. Whose name we eventually learn. Through a series of acts of fate or fancy Sophie is invited to join the author for dinner, and later for conversation during which she’s prised about events that resulted in the breakdown of her marriage and Mason ekes that story out. As a result however, Sophie has a strong sense of shame and failure and is now worried it’ll end up as fodder in a future book.

In many ways, sharing the worst period of her life with the author, helps heal Sophie.

A story possesses the mind, beats the heart, steals the breath until it is told. p 274

I liked the behind-the-scenes insight into writing festivals and tales of authors… the good, bad and ugly, as well as the many references to writers and books throughout the novel.

I think the strength of this book is not only in Mason’s beautiful writing but also the vulnerability she instills in Sophie. There’s a palpable fragility yet ‘we’ know Sophie is far stronger, smarter and likeable than she gives herself credit for. I could very much relate to the fact that she perceives herself very differently to those around her and who know her. This also serves as a reminder that we can sometimes lose ourselves and become someone others expect rather than our authentic selves.

Highly recommended!