Three (British Literature) [Paperback]

Ann Quin (Author)

Book Description

Series: British Literature | Publication Date: April 2001

-- Ruth and Leonard's young female boarder, S., disappears under circumstances that suggest suicide. As the couple pours over her diary, audio tapes, and movies, their obsession with the enigmatic young girl takes over their relationship. Three combines laconic dialogue with poetic impressionism in an incisive exploration of the hidden emotions and sexual undercurrents of the British middle class.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A continuously interesting, beautifully written, rather venturesome novel of a literary artist. . . . " -- Choice

"Quin has this talent for throwing off ripples of association . . . her best quality, her subconscious quality." -- Alan Burns

"Three has been made rather then begotten, and it is forever flirting with an elegant and obscure symbolism." -- Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Ann Quin is one of the best kept secrets of British experimental writing--which is itself a well kept secret. The author of four novels (Berg, Three, Passages and Tripticks), Quin commited suicide at the age of 37.

Product Details

• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press; 1st Dalkey Archive ed edition (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564782727
• ISBN-13: 978-1564782724
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,437 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ann Quin's Best?, November 21, 2005

By 

hj (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three (British Literature) (Paperback)

A bickering middle-aged bourgeois couple go through the belongings of their lodger, a young woman, who has apparently committed suicide. They listen to her tapes and read her diaries, most of which consist of her observations of their lives. Aspects of the psycho-sexual relations between the three characters emerge from different standpoints.
In typical 1960s style Ann Quin's four novels gets progressively more experimental. The first "Berg" is still in conventional modernist territory, with overwrought mythical subtexts & symbolism, while her third & fourth novels got increasingly lost in formal "postmodern" experimentation. But in her second book, "Three" she gets it just about right. Maybe there's still some Pinter/Beckett-type influence, but Quin definitely finds an original voice. The narrative switches back and forth between characters & the tapes/diaries, thus different perspectives & versions of episodes accumulate, going back & forth in time. As with her friend/rival B.S.Johnson, Quin's idiosyncrasy lies in combining these "nouveau roman" techniques with a very English tragi-comedy of social manners (& as with Johnson there also is an explicit sense of suicidal hysteria informing the writing). However Quin's writing has a highly charged visionary, sensual & lyrical quality not found in Johnson. If Johnson was trying to capture reality, Quin was trying to capture the reality of fantasy. All these elements make "Three" an uneven but fascinating and moving novel, which has ceased to be a period piece and once again come to life.
Note: These excellent (American) Dalkey Archive reprints of Quin's novels are good quality, well-produced editions.