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Ray Robinson
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Electricity Kindle Edition

by Ray Robinson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 51 ratings
This novel of a thirty-year-old epileptic woman and her estranged family is “mesmerizing . . . and unexpectedly tender” (Jim Crace, author of Harvest).
 
Lily O’Connor lives with epilepsy, uncontrollable surges of electricity that leave her in a constant state of edginess. Prickly and practical, she’s learned to make do, to make the most of things, to look after—and out for—herself.
 
Then her mother—whom Lily has not seen for years—dies, and Lily is drawn back into a world she thought she’d long since left behind. Reunited with her brother, a charismatic poker player, Lily pursues her own high-stakes gamble, leaving for London to track down her other, missing brother Mikey. In the pandemonium of the city, Lily’s seizures only intensify. As her journey takes her from her comfort zone, it leads her into the question of what her life is meant to be.
 
“A wry, ingenuous, hugely compassionate heroine.” —The Guardian
 
“A gritty tour of both London and the wrecked neurological pathways of epileptic Lily O’Connor. With equal parts hip misanthropy and sweet, clean-hearted sentiment, Ray Robinson convincingly channels the voice of a woman at war with the material world, for whom language itself arrives as a jarring shock to the brain.” —Jonathan Raymond, author of The Half-Life
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  1. Print length
    344 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Black Cat
  4. Publication date
    December 1, 2007
  5. File size
    4.6 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A quest, narrated in Lily's engagingly unsentimental voice . . . Hallucinatory flashbacks, downward-counting chapter numbering, pages of jagged typography, Icons of Lily's pills showing time passing, are used to illustrate the way Lily's fits shape her life and perceptions. Hours and days vanish, and have to be reconstructed from the unreliable accounts of others. . . . Electricity is a powerful, passionate, and informative book." -- Roly Allen

"A thorny, uncompromising novel, with attitude. It is also, thanks to Lily O'Connor--its sharp-edged, hard-living, tough-talking narrator--mesmerizing, uplifting, and unexpectedly tender." -- Jim Crace

"Fast, furious plot, kaleidoscopic Imagery, blunt observations and a wry, ingenuous, hugely compassionate heroine make Electricity a breathtaking assault on the senses." -- Catherine Taylor

"As a neurologist, I was astonished by how vividly Ray Robinson portrays one woman's struggle with epilepsy, and the way it affected her already difficult life and the perceptions of those around her. As a reader, I was deeply moved by his young heroine's determination to live life as big as she can. This is a story of risk and redemption and is moving, disturbing, and inspirational at the same time." -- Carl W. Bazil, M.D., Ph.D.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004I6DD06
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Black Cat (December 1, 2007)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2007
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.6 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

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Ray Robinson

Ray Robinson

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
51 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • 127
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Portrayal of Having Epilepsy
    Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I have epilepsy. That includes auras and slow periods of regaining full consciousness, both described by the book's heroine, Lily. This book rings true. I can't emphasize that enough. If you're reading this, I hope for your sake that you don't have epilepsy. If you have epilepsy, well, our experiences can vary quite a bit. I suspect, however, that you'll agree with me on the book. Given that I have epilepsy, I tend to be interested in books that at least claim to have epilepsy as an element. I'm curious to see how it is handled and, of course, if it is a good book just on the face of it. Lying Awake by Mark Salzman is another that I like. Epilepsy or not, this is a great book. Honestly, I read it because the main character had epilepsy. I discovered a compelling character with whom I could relate, an eerily accurate portrayal of having seizures, and a great book. It is set in Great Britain, meaning among other things that there are British colloquialisms, rhyming slang, and that Lily has "fits" and not "seizures." The big picture is Lily's search for her brother. I was't looking for an uplifting book since, after all, epilepsy by and large is for keeps. The tone is ultimately hopeful, I would say.

    I highly recommend the book. If you have epilepsy, it hits home.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Steve Benner
    5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking and stunning-as!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2015
    "Electricity" was Ray Robinson's 2007 début novel. It concerns 30-something Lily O'Connor who, having been separated from her dysfunctional family as a troubled teenager, suddenly finds her sequestered life is a sleepy northern-eastern seaside town disrupted by the death of her mother, which first throws her back into contact with one of her siblings and subsequently off in search of another. The book chronicles Lily's journey from the isolation of her north-eastern existence to the overwhelming metropolis of London in what starts as a search for someone else but which soon becomes a hunt for herself.

    Lily's world, both as a child and later as an adult trying to make sense of the maelstrom of life in the capital, is very much one of squalor and brutality. This is as nothing, however, to the internal and debilitating horrors which Lily must face routinely in the form of epileptic seizures and hallucinations, which can hit her unpredictably, at any time of night or day, leaving her bruised, battered and with enormous holes in her memory. However big and scary the outside world might be, Lily knows that the most threatening thing in the world is her own brain; her outlook on life is clearly shaped by the daily terrors she faces in knowing that she can never escape or hide from the dangers of temporal lobe epilepsy.

    The book's narrative is presented entirely in the first person from Lily's perspective, in a voice that is (as she herself might say) authentic-as. Lily is as beguiling as she is intimidating, both for her innocence and for her very lack of it. While at times she shows herself to be utterly naïve about some aspects of the world's workings, it is clear that she has experienced events in her life from which few people walk away unscathed. The book is not all grim, however, with the author repeatedly switching tragedy into comedy and back again in an almost effortless way. Almost all of the book is incredibly moving, though, with little emotional let-up throughout all of its 300-odd pages.

    One of my reasons for reading the book was to see how far the 2015 film version (directed by Bryn Higgins and starring Agyness Deyn as Lily) strays from Ray Robinson's original story. In the film, various pat contrivances are used to keep the storyline moving forward and bring the film to an uplifting conclusion. I am happy to report that all of the oddities of the film are entirely the fault of the screen-writer, for none of them appear in the book at all.

    Instead, the storyline in the book focuses purely on the occurrences which impact directly on Lily herself. While both book and film powerfully convey the confusion and frustration that Lily repeatedly experiences, both at the effects of her condition and of the inept and often insensitive handling of it that she has to endure at the hands on onlookers and medical professionals alike, the book manages to set these frustrations within a much wider framework. It concentrates very much on Lily as a person and her relationship with others. As a result, it offers a far more rewarding experience than does the film, for all that it is more shocking at times also. The book's ending is better too.

    The book must surely win the award for one of the bravest ever written, as well as for being what is probably the most realistic portrait of a woman's attitude to the world ever to come from the pen of a man (so far as another man may judge such a thing!) There are times when this book is a less than easy read; for all that, it remains a hard book ever to put down.

    Highly recommended.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Anna
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Novel By An Amazing Author
    Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2007
    Ray Robinson's "Electricity" is a beautifully crafted novel that takes the reader deep into the head and heart of a compellingly genuine narrator, Lily, who is living with epilepsy.

    Lily's voice is authentic and direct. Her no-nonsense attitude enables the reader to take a first-hand look at living with epilepsy, without making the disease the center of the narration or plot. Lily is blunt, sometimes almost brutally so, but she is also undeniably honest about her experiences and world. This, combined with her complex and at times conflicting emotions, makes Lily a convincing and completely lovable character.

    In Lily, and in her (also intriguing) companions, Robinson gracefully treads the fine line between compelling characterization and caricature without falling prey to the temptation to resort to melodrama, stereotype, or self-pity.

    I loved "Electricity." Ray Robinson has done a brilliant job with his first novel, and I look forward to reading his next novel(s), hopefully soon.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, page-turner
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Sorry but I don't know what Vongolo is talking about. He/she is talking about the reviews of this book as though it were some chancer who published it themselves and then got spam reviews. I read the press reviews on the back of the actual book (from all the broadsheet newspapers etc.) and they were all glowing, so I don't think it's fair to say that. I bought this book after a friend recommended it to me and though I'm always a bit sceptical when a male author writes from the perspective of a woman, I loved it - I thought the female characters were totally convincing. This is a real page turner of a novel - you'll finish it within a few days at most, there's plenty of action. I fell in love with the heroine, Lily - she's tough and brash but there's also a real innocence about her. I've never read a character like her before. Made me understand epilepsy in a way I never had before and some parts of it were very emotional. Definitely a book that stays with you after you've read it, and well worth all the great reviews it got in the press.
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  • D. A. Baines
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    hmmmm
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  • Emma (plus husband and dogs!)
    3.0 out of 5 stars So I can't run you through the plot or anything like that but what I can tell you is this
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I have to write this review in a different way from any other I have previously submitted. You see, I didn't finish this book. So I can't run you through the plot or anything like that but what I can tell you is this...
    The writing style is good, it's not full of spelling and punctuation flaws.
    But what really made it stand out for me was an attitude riddled, foul mouthed, very real main character. There's no light, frothy heroine here, she punches you between the eyes, demands attention and doesn't apologize for it!
    I love the variety of methods and language used to simulate epilepsy.
    So no I didn't finish it, it wasn't the book for me but I can see the pros of it and would recommend it. I'd classify maybe a 3ish, but only because it wasn't my cup of tea, it could be higher and its certainly not even nearly a one.
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  • Annabel Gaskell
    5.0 out of 5 stars This debut buzzes and hums with life
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    Lily has epilepsy, and her condition certainly co-stars with her in this brave novel of families lost and found.
    Lily was abused as a child and grew up in care apart from her brothers. When her Mam dies, she refinds brother Barry, but he soon departs for pastures new on the poker circuit leaving her alone again, so she sets out for London in search of her other long lost brother Mikey. Along the way she makes a great friend in Mel, and end up falling for electrician Dave - neither are quite who they seem at first.
    It's a brave chap who writes a female first person narrative, and even braver for giving us the full picture of what it's like to suffer a fit - and everyone except Lily panics at first. She just checks for sharp corners around her before it takes full control of her.
    A fantastic and totally gripping first novel.
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  • Bunchie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Real life, lived by some people, warts and all
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is a very gritty book which encompasses the human condition and relationships, and a medical condition, epilepsy; I can never recall epilepsy being written about in such graphic detail in a work of fiction . If you like a deep insight into life as it exists for some people. warts and all, you will love this book. The images which it conjures up will last long after you have finished reading it
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