Christopher Priest - The Affirmation

At the start of this novel Peter Sinclair is twenty-nine years old. At times during what follows the only certainty that Peter has about himself is his name, and possibly his age. It begins as he goes through a series of traumas - he loses his job, his father and splits up with his partner. His father's inheritance allows him to escape to a rural cottage where, in an attempt to come to terms with his situation, he begins to write the story of his life.

But what he writes is not his own autobiography. But that of another Peter Sinclair, who didn't/doesn't live in London and grow up in Manchester, but rather in the city of Jethra, in Faiandland. This is a completely different world, where humans live on one of many islands, some of which appear to be at war with each other, and on none of which anyone has ever heard of London. This second Sinclair has just won a lottery, the prize of which is immortality. To get this he has to take a long journey through the islands to receive some treatments. Just before he travels, he sets out to write his autobiography, not knowing at the time that it will be crucial to overcoming the inevitable amnesia that the immortality treatment causes. But the autobiography that he writes, isn't his own. It is about a Peter Sinclair who lives in London...

These two stories twist and turn, and weave in and out. It's tempting to describe it as a multi-layered book, but that's not true. The stories are closely linked and the only constant is Peter himself. Though characters in London seem to reappear in Faiandland, with different names, personalities and histories, though similar appearances. What is going on? Is Peter travelling between worlds? Is he making it up? Is anything real? We jump from the concrete certainty at the beginning - economic crisis destroys Peter's job, to uncertainty and then a fantastical alternate world.

About half way through I decided that Christopher Priest had written a very clever novel about mental illness. Perhaps he intended to portray a character going through some sort of multi-personality disorder. It is, I think, possible to read The Affirmation like this. But that only works if the reader is trying to drag the book back into reality - to give it a literalness that it doesn't need. 

Its much more interesting to see the book as an exploration of truth - how we create truths about ourselves, how we imagine what we should and could be, and the images of reality we build up inside our minds to justify, explain and cope with the world we inhabit. 

Ultimately we know that the first Peter - who lived and worked in London was real - because we know a London. But is his story actually true? In Faiandland, Peter's friend who reads his manuscript is convinced that London is impossible and not real. Crucially for Peter - which point of view is the correct one?

Christopher Priest takes us on a very unsettling journey. Perhaps it is just a glimpse into a human mind in turmoil - upended by reality. But perhaps it is really meant to be just a fantasy voyage. Either way, this is a book that will leave you feeling unsure about what you just read. Written in the author's characteristically clear and succinct fashion, there's plenty here to chew on.

Related Reviews

Priest - Inverted World
Priest - Airside