Sarah Hall is the first author to appear twice in Reading Well: check out my thoughts on her Daughters of the North if you’re interested.
The Electric Michelangelo (2004) belongs simultaneously to two genres: first, it documents the life of Cy Parks, tracing his arc from his boyhood on the English seaside to his adult years in a slowly deteriorating Coney Island, and beyond. Second, it is a book that creates a doorway into a specific art form, leaving the reader better educated and, perhaps, a little in awe of something previously unconsidered.
In this case, Cy is a tattoo artist, and a freehand one at that.
His life is dominated by his first mentor, an abusive, drunk, master of the art, and Cy’s struggles to place himself, to separate his identity from his teacher, and to find solace in his own skill–which is facing a decline in demand and appreciation–form the central thrust of the narrative.
Hall’s prose is thought-provoking, and at times profound, and she juggles themes of pain (both emotional and physical), violence (likewise), and art with a deft touch. There are moments that, in less sure hands, would spin off into the unbelievable, but even a somewhat tortured storyline about Cy’s desire for a woman who wants her entire body covered with eyes, and what happens to them and her, manage to hold attention. This is, I think, because, even though there are friends and family and a few lovers, The Electric Michelangelo is, at its core, Cy’s story, and Hall has created a character worth hearing.
And, there is Coney Island: if you have any affection for amusement parks or for between-the-wars Brooklyn, the time spent there (most of the second half of the novel) will be well spent.
An engrossing read, with moments of brilliance.
#WhatIWishICouldDo
Smoothly incorporating the kind of research necessary for this book is really difficult: from the historical settings (not just Coney Island, but the early and final chapters in Morecambe as well) to the different tattoo techniques and traditions, Hall handles it deftly without it ever feeling like she is lecturing the reader. Her immersion makes Cy’s immersion convincing, which makes the reader’s immersion possible.