How to be both

Ali Smith's masterpiece is published in two different editions. Some readers would get the 'eyes' section first and the 'camera' section in second position. In my case, it was the other way around.

The 'camera' section depicts the life of  teenaged George who has lost her mother and who tries to figure out her father's attitude, her little brother's loneliness and her own pain. In unforgettable flashbacks, we see the family's visit to an Italian palazzo just to admire the frescoes done by the not-so-famous Francesco del Cossa. They had previously seen them at home in the computer, but her academis mother takes them to admire the frescoes for their unique beauty.

The dialogues between mother and daughter are superb, dissecting each others' ideas regarding art: 'Do things just go away?' ' Do things that happened not exist, or stop existing just because we can't see them happening in front of us?' Even the image in the cover of the book has a connecting with the plot and its themes, appearing on George's walls alongside del Cossa's printed-version frescoes.

The second section 'eyes' displays the life of Francesco del Cossa in the fifteenth century, who is the painter of the frescoes in the palazzo George and her mother visit in Italy. We see his love for his mother, the decision his father takes regarding his future, his learning how to use colours and how to create them. However, Smith has a surprise for us readers as not everything is as it seems.

'How to be both' has been described  as 'playful, tender, unforgettable' by the Guardian. I believe it ro be exquisite beyong measure. Regardless the edition you get, you know you have in your hands the work of a true artist.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

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