Matrix reviews Miss Lamp

The world of Miss Lamp is one densely filled with conundrums. A story in vignettes, the reader is taken from present to past, experiencing the life of Miss Lamp, a Young Miss Lamp, and a Young Young Miss Lamp. Along the journey we are introduced to a cast of characters who provide for a little illumination into the true nature of the protagonist. With names such as Room Service Boy, Banana Tray Hair and Paper Boy, the characters are all finding their way out of a bind, finding their way into a pickle, or dealing with some form of emblematic physical dysfunction.

Ewart's poetic prose is so concise that all 165 pages necessitate being read aloud. It can't be helped, your lips will move whether or not you intend them to do so. The vignette titles, in and of themselves, are crisp quips that draw you in to both tone and jest, leaving you hungry for more. Lines such as, "Soup is good food," "Sweaty toes are bad news," and "What's best for a breadboard isn't best for a back," are brilliant in their simplicity.

The characters are intentionally obtuse, purposely childish. Their naiveté is enhanced by themes of numerical and monetary values, the wasting of time, inconsistencies of fact and truth, soured maternal relationships, and first loves gained and lost. Juicy fruits and complementary colours create a visceral and salivating experience for the reader. It seems only Ewart can create a sex scene from the depiction of a peach-eating lamp. This is a world of efficient metaphors, dirty dresses and wrinkled shirts. It's a world where goodness does not always triumph, where providers struggle with takers, where nothing can be taken at face value, and where you can never judge a person by their shoes.

Miss Lamp is "a perfect specimen" of humour, humanity and morality. In the words of Miss Lamp herself, "Ahh, that's good times."