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25 May 2005
Changeover by Diana Wynne Jones
This is a welcome re-issue from Moondust books of Diana Wynne Jones' first novel, a book previously so hard to get hold of that a keen fan like me hadn't even heard of it. It is a pity that the cover art doesn't reflect the wealth of humour of the story within--however this can probably be ascribed to the limited budget of a small press. It occupies rather different territory than her later works, being an update on the story of Lieutenant Kije (made famous by Prokofiev's eponymous Concert Suite)--the man who exists only as a clerical error but becomes a hero, wins a princess and is sent into exile. Here the non-existent 'Mark Changeover' starts as an ineffectual aide-de-camp's note of instruction to celebrate the time of the handover of an African country and is misunderstood by the crusty Governor to be a dangerous criminal. The effect snowballs as the Governor attempts to find out more about this person. In this believable satire upon the sunset of British patriarchal imperialism, the 'Emperor's New Clothes' effect, means that each new person pretends to know all about Mark Changeover, adding "artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative". The rumour becomes more detailed, leading to a complicated plot with all the frenetic pace and co-incidences of a screwball comedy or extravagant farce. The convergence of all the principal characters on the Blue Banana made me think of the Blue Parrot in Casablanca, but I'm not sure if that was deliberate. The believability of this satire is founded in the snivelling nature of Harold, the junior aide-de-camp, the need of the new Prime Minister Aweyo to save face and the rivalry between the different sections of British Military Intelligence. Add to this the selfishness or self-seeking nature of most of the characters and everyone has a reason to join in the conspiracy. The various characters are all appropriately flawed, most notably the caricatured academics, Lucille & Tony, who represent a horrific type most famously lampooned in The History Man. On the other hand Tessa, the equivalent to the princess in the Russian original, decides to use the Changeover situation to change her decisions about her future and learns about her own weaknesses in the process--as well as providing some wonderfully observed adult comedy in her various 'wooing' scenes. Although the end of an Empire setting was contemporary at the time of writing and is now no longer directly representative of World politics, the novel does not come across as dated but rather as a reflection of a period in recent history. Tony's comments on white supremacy in South Africa just make us hope that it is unlikely for someone to state this overtly nowadays. However, the satire of misinformation is still relevant today given extra resonance by the current state of information about Iraq. It would not be stretching imagination too far to picture a similar situation arising there. There is a whole strand of sub-plot involving the American military which rings as true today as when it was first written. I would say that the author's own distinctive voice can be discerned even in this early work, although the influences of other writers may be clearer here than in later books. The tone and content are more adult than her subsequent works--the comedy being fairly suggestive and not suitable for children. It remains however an exhilarating story, with merit in its own right. It certainly demands a wider audience than Wynne Jones' completists. [Available from www.moondustbooks.biz] [First published in Vector 237 September/October 2004] |
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