Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #790854 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 152 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Keeping secrets from the world is Stuart David's theme in Nalda Said. The Belle and Sebastian bassist and Looper front man's literary debut weaves together dreamlike fantasy and harsh reality in a tale of unsettling charm.

Brought up on the fringes of society by story-telling Aunt Nalda, David's nameless narrator is an isolated figure, burdened by the belief, instilled in him by Nalda and interpreted with innocent literalness, that he carries something special inside--something to conceal and protect from the world beyond. With fantasy and reality confused, he occupies a middle ground, waiting to emerge from isolation but unable to interact: "That's the reason for why I've most always fled from a place the moment I've let just anything at all slip to anyone. Because of how I know about people, and about how all but the very few would rip up anything to get to the part which will bring them a profit or gain." Working as a hospital gardener allows him to function in mere solitude, but when love enters this innocent world, and with it the opportunity to establish the true nature of his secret, his dual desire both to conceal and connect forces the ultimate choice.

Nalda Said is an uneasy but sensitive story of emotional awakening. A study of the lives we lead and the lives we want to believe. --Shona Robertson

From the Publisher
MORE PRESS REVIEWS ABOUT NALDA SAID
Q - 4 Stars - "Quirky and disjointed, strange and hypnotic... Nald Said powerfully captures the mind of a disturbed young man."

The Guardian - "Tender as a bruise, it will be a friend indeed for those shivering in needy isolation this autunm... ludicrously charming with passages of rare compassion."

The Face - "Beguiling and ever so slightly unsettling, this is the insular terrain of The Wasp Factory and The Butcher Boy compassionately revisited."

Uncut - "A weird whacked-out tale that will surely please."

Sleazenation - "A bleakly convincing allegory about the way people lock themselves up in allusions of escape and cling to the very things that pull them down."

Impact Magazine - "A touching, delicately crafted debut, reminiscent of Catcher In The Rye."

About the Author
Stuart David is a member of 1999 "Best British Newcomer" Belle & Sebastian. His successful spoken-word side project, Looper, is regarded as one of the world's most cutting edge new live projects. NME said Looper is "a gentle act of madness," whilst Mojo hailed its "immediately engaging conceits and beguiling narratives." The new single Who's Afraid of Y2K? was released the same day as the book.

Customer Reviews

nalda
a CLASSIC book.
i read it after the catcher in the rye (also well recommended!)
it tells a strange story of a paranoid man.
it really keeps you hooked and there's no telling how it will end.
great book.

Near-Enough My Favourite Book
This is a superb book, arguably following a line from "Beauty & The Beast" to "Frankenstein" to "Edward Scissorhands" (if such a line exists), while at the same time being nothing like these books & films at all.

To tell anything of the plot would a) make the book far more quirky than it is, as the brilliance of the book is the tragic accuracy in the way it explains how the main character believes what he does and b) ruin it as, when a truth emerges about everything the main character has experienced about two-thirds into the book it is both startling and heartbreaking. The final conclusion is sad but appropriate to the story.

The stunning thing about the book, more than the actual fascinating story, is how the writer captures the innocence and sadness within the character and how deeply he has considered every aspect of the character's life. For example, he writes of the character visiting a restaurant for the first time as an incredible experience and when the character falls in love...the naivity and beauty of this book is stunning. Please read it.

Belle and Sebastian in book form....
When spooked by an incident at work, the nameless and mysterious protagonist of Stuart David's book takes the first bus out of town to a new life, taking his stranger secret with him. So begins one of the most touching and enjoyable books I have read in a long time. A book the world has to read.