CAR PARK LIFE
Gareth E. Rees (Influx Press)
This is the type of book one picks up without knowing what it is about, opens it to read the first page, still unaware of its contents, and is compelled to continue reading out of pure curiosity. The desire the know where the author was going is what carries it, and the end result does not disappoint. Although not quite an adventure book, this witty, sarcastic and brutally honest novel explores the limitations of space itself – the space being car parks. How we use car parks, the laws that we abide by when we enter them, and the histories hidden within them are all brought to light through a slightly voyeuristic, childlike narration. Gareth Rees answers questions that you never even knew you had about these all too familiar places. While he takes us throughout Britain, exploring various random parking lots, he also reflects upon the realities of the capitalistic, market logic from which their existence stems. He uses this seemingly mundane topic to cleverly comment on the current state of the world, laying bare the passive attitudes and conditioned behavioural patterns that most of us take on unknowingly. This novel simultaneously takes us back in time and brings us firmly into the present, evoking the atmosphere of our age. These spaces are made to be shared, but the author adds a personal touch of nostalgia all through the creative storyline. Ultimately, Car Park Life follows a man on a unique adventure, allowing us to enter his psych and question the world alongside him.
words JENI GOUGH
Price: £9.99 / Info: www.influxpress.com
