She appears at the beginning and disappears, just as strangely, at the end. She’s also marvellous in saying utterly honest things to the family that they don’t believe simply because they’re too shocking. There are a couple of wonderful sections in the text where we hear her voice directly, but the information contained in them is a gripping fusion of myth, contemporary reference and inspired lunacy that becomes a prose poem in itself. We never find out much about her at all, but that’s entirely suited to the tale. The mysterious Amber is the key figure that both binds the story into cohesion and keeps the family apart. By attempting to create a review in a measured way, I felt as if I was in effect taking away much of the magic of this book – like putting a butterfly into a box, if you like. That said, it was interesting that, because of the unusual structure of the novel, I found this review one of the hardest to write. I felt very much as if I were being taken on a journey through unfamiliar but fascinating territory by someone who knew exactly what they were doing and whom I was more than happy to trust. This is a magical and highly surreal book and very different from any other novel I’ve ever read. The Accidental is at once a mysterious web of secret identities and a ruthlessly honest look at the silent cracks that can develop unnoticed in relationships over time.
The Smarts try to make sense of their bewildering emotions as Amber tramples over family boundaries and forces them to think about their world and themselves in an entirely new way. The Smart family’s lacklustre holiday in Norwich is turned upside down when a beguiling stranger called Amber appears, bringing with her love, joy, pain and upheaval. The Accidental by Ali Smith: And now for something completely different …
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