I have two confessions to make. First, I only bought this book because I had read that it was about to be made into a film starring my current thespian obsession, Roger Allam, and the marvellous Tamsin Greig. Oh, and Gemma Arterton, if you like that sort of thing. Secondly, despite having a degree in English Literature, and knowing Tess of the d’Urbervilles backwards because I studied it at A-level, I have never read Thomas Hardy’s Far From The Madding Crowd, upon which Tamara Drewe is apparently based, although I lied and told my teacher that I had.
I have since discovered that it began as a weekly serial in the Guardian, chronicling the return of the titular Tamara, a Polly Filler-esque newspaper columnist, from her cosmopolitan London life to her parents’ home in the country. We then see the effect her arrival, following a nose job which magically transforms her from a bit of a minger into a beautiful temptress, has on the residents of the village and the guests at the neighbouring writers’ retreat. Whilst reading it, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Daily Mail fashion “expert”, confessional journalist and certifiable mentalist Liz Jones, who has recently been writing about her move from London to Exmoor in excruciating detail, much to the displeasure of the locals. I must confess to a strange fixation with idiot-marrying, boob-amputating, animal-bothering Liz, but I will not allow myself to get sidetracked any further down this path (although I can’t promise I won’t return to her at some unspecified point in the future).
Tamara Drewe is not a graphic novel in the purest sense as it has passages of narrative prose, delivered in the different voices (and fonts) of four key characters: Tamara herself, Beth, the owner of the writers’ retreat, American author Glen and village teen Casey, as well as extracts from Tamara’s columns and the occasional email, page from a celebrity gossip magazine and Post-it note. This mixture of narrative devices works very well as it enables the characters’ inner voices to be heard more fully than the tiny thought bubbles usually used in graphic novels allow. However, the illustrations are every bit as important as the words: each character’s facial expressions and body language are beautifully detailed in pencil, and the colour palette enhances the storytelling; red accents appear in the characters’ clothing at pivotal moments and flashbacks and memories are presented in blue tones. The evocation of modern country life is perfect, from the cows in the field to the hoodies at the bus stop.
My main problem with the book is the character of Tamara - it is very difficult to like or sympathise with someone who is so relentlessly self-obsessed, has no obvious journalistic talent and sleeps with other women’s husbands, and I was left feeling that she is not truly deserving of the happy ending she is given. I’m not really sure if the reader is supposed to care about her, or if she is there primarily for the effect she has on others; maybe I would be more enlightened on this point if I had actually read Far From The Madding Crowd…
Tags: graphic novels, Liz Jones, marvellous actresses, Roger Allam, Tamara Drewe, Tamsin Greig
