Captivity is an absorbing meditative analysis of Josh Haddon, a recently made famous actor, making sense of his present whilst reflecting on his past.
I found Josh’s voice and the unusual impact of celebrity on his life convincing and the games he plays with the ever-present paparazzi both knowing and naive. The sadness of his reminiscences of his relationship with Hannah was all the more poignant given that his recollections appear to highlight reasons why they should never have been together; it is as though he is post-rationalising his marriage in order to overcome the grief.
What raises this first novel beyond the ordinary is Lander Hawes’ use of language and digressive meditations on the nature of celebrity. I found the book has lived with me long after completion and I’m waiting for my short term memory loss to kick in so that I can sit down and read it again.
Absorbing and thought-provoking, 7 May 2013