Telegraph Journal on Isobel and Emile

It's not surprising Alan Reed works in the realms of poetry, theatre and performance art. His first novel, Isobel & Emile, often reads like the latter, the narrative in carefully orchestrated declarations and observations.

With a simplicity meant to be charged and meaningful, the story explores the aftermath of intimacy between the young Emile and his love, Isobel. Reed's characters illustrate the fragility of the self in the separation following intense, and lost, love. The stark sentence construction highlights the mundane nature of their post-love lives ... the aching fragility of the couple is palpable.

The emotional tension is rendered well, and the almost inane innocence becomes something close to appealing as it reaches its conclusion in sentences like the short, expressive jerks of a marionette's strings.

Read the full review at telegraphjournal.com.