Old Filth: A review by Jaina Sanga

What a novel! 

Eddie Feathers, known as Old Filth (as in: Failed in London, Try Hong Kong), is a British lawyer who was born in Malay. Through his interactions with various people in his orbit – wife, parents, foster-parents, friends, lovers, professors, and colleagues – we discover that his life has been shaped both by grief and privilege. 

The story moves rapidly. The language is precise and engaging, often interspersed with a strange defiance that is at once funny and poignant.  

Old Filth got me wondering about energy in novels – and why some novels have it. I believe it has to do with the way each sentence is written, with verve and abandon, while also exhibiting great control. 

The author, Jane Gardam, who died in April at the age of 96, has written twenty-two novels. Twenty-two! Also, ten short story collections, and reams of essays. 

Old Filth is the opening book of a trilogy. I’ll be heading to the bookstore this weekend to buy The Man in the Wooden Hat.