The Last Testament of Crighton Smythe by Gavin Gardiner Publisher : Burton Mayers Books (22 Oct. 2021) Language : English Paperback : 110 pages ISBN-10 : 1838484558 ISBN-13 : 978-1838484552 Book Review by: Mark Walker Crighton Smythe could see how everyone was going to die - except himself. A social outcast who relied on his mother to keep him, Crighton had to use his 'knack' to his advantage when Mrs Smythe took ill and financial pressures began to mount. But as his visions started to increase in intensity, and his hatred of the city around him began pushing him to his limit, he found himself wondering how much more he could take. Then he died. In his own words, let Crighton Smythe tell you the story of how he perished. Where is he now? Discover for yourself. Beware some minor spoilers for Crighton Smythe - although mostly stuff you are going to learn in the first few pages. Crighton Smythe is dead. If only his ‘gift’ allowed him to see his own future, to foresee the manner of his own death in the same way he could for everyone around him, including his beloved, doting mother, Livvy. But that’s okay, he’s seen her die from old age surrounded by a loving family, so that must mean he is going to sell his play and save them both from the cesspit of a town and apartment building they are living in? Or so he thinks. As Livvy’s health declines, Crighton needs to provide for them both and he uses his gift to their advantage. But don’t expect a happy ending; Crighton Smythe is, after all, already dead. The Last Testament of Crighton Smythe is exactly that, a final confessional from Gavin Gardiner’s troubled protagonist as he writes a memoir of his final weeks on earth for an unseen audience. But this is no American Beauty and Smythe is no Lester Burnham; Lester didn’t stalk the backstreets of his neighbourhood taking illicit bites from a stick of butter hidden in his coat pocket, for example. Crighton’s account of his last days is no romanticised account of life in suburbia. Crighton Smythe has issues – and his penchant for snacking on butter is just the tip of the iceberg! In Smythe, Gardiner has created an intriguing character for who he cleverly weaves a story that leaves you both mildly disturbed but sympathetic towards the troubled lead. On one hand, Smythe is a caring son, looking out for his mother while trying to find a way out for both of them, on the other, he is a calculating ghoul, taking advantage of the sick and the elderly, while chewing on butter. I am still not sure why he carries butter around with him, but sometimes the simplest of things can have the biggest impact! Gardiner’s writing does a great job of conveying Crighton’s world to the reader, writing about what is, largely, the mundane, everyday existence of people who have been hit by hard times but with the addition of a lecherous landlord and an ability to see when and how people are going to die. There is, from the off, something unnerving about Crighton and his relationship with his mother, but Gardiner elicits sympathy from the reader, and it isn’t hard to empathise with Crighton’s situation when considering what life has thrown at him. Even when his mother gets sick and he uses his skill for nefarious means, his heart is still in the right place – surprising really, considering the amount of butter he likes to eat while walking the streets. (Yeah, in case you hadn’t realised, the butter really got under my skin!) Ultimately, things don’t turn out how Crighton had hoped and, potentially, not how you might have expected. The ending doesn’t come as a complete surprise, but I did find it a little disappointing as it felt slightly rushed; a tacked-on coda for the main story that quickly ties everything up conveniently. I don’t think it did justice to the story that came before it, which is a compliment in many ways as Gardiner has managed to develop a realistic, grimy world around his characters in a very short space, one that I was drawn into instantly (despite the butter) and perhaps that is why I was a little “put out” by the abrupt ending. However, the ending isn’t a deal breaker and they (whoever the hell ‘they’ are) often say, ‘it’s the journey, not the destination,’ and Gardiner takes us on a short but crazy journey into a troubled mind, giving us a glorious glimpse into the disturbing world of Crighton Smythe. Join us, if you dare! But bring your own butter. The Last Testament of Crighton Smythe |
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