Starburst (by Robin Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

In re-reading my novels by Robin Pilcher, I reached ‘Starburst’. I last read it in 2008 and, as generally happens if I don’t read a book for a decade or more, I had forgotten both the people and the story. 

There are a lot of different people in this book. For the first few chapters I found myself feeling rather confused New characters are introduced with each new chapter, unrelated other than some connection with the upcoming Edinburgh Festival.

So we meet, for instance: a comedienne from Hartlepool whose friends have clubbed together to get her a slot in the Edinburgh Fringe; an elderly man persuaded to direct the filming of a Japanese dance troupe due to be at the Festival; the man in charge of the firework display; a young, brilliant violinist from France, who is going to perform at several events. 

We also meet some of the organisers of the festival, and learn one or two secrets that they want to keep. My general feeling was of wondering when the story was going to start, and how all these people would work into a coherent story, along with others who are mentioned. Each of the people has a bit of back-story, and, in some cases, spouses or children. And they’re all converging on Edinburgh…

Perhaps the confusion was intentional, giving a flavour of what it must be like for the organisers each year, trying to coordinate acts, venues, accommodation, sponsorship and so much more. I’ve never been to the Edinburgh Festival - or Fringe - myself, but I know some who have been there, and have found it busy, hectic, and generally very enjoyable - if exhausting. 

Gradually the story becomes more focussed; Rene, the comedienne, is worried that her venue is not a great one, and her audience small. The violinist, Angelique, is becoming stressed with the pressure from her mentor, who is quite controlling. Leonard, the elderly man, has to make a lot of changes to his expected crew, and is introduced to a young man, previously a car thief, who isn’t very bright but has an eye for photography. 

And, one way or another, the people introduced in the early chapters come together - in meetings, in accommodation, at events. The writing is excellent, so that I was hardly aware of viewpoint switches - and there are a lot of them. Robin Pilcher has a similar gift of characterisation to his late mother, and all the people in this book felt both distinct and realistic. I don’t remember physical descriptions and often find it hard to imagine people in books, but despite the large number, I found I had a feel for most of the significant ones by the time I was about half way through.

In a sense there’s not a whole lot of plot; the book is made up of subplots, the main action over just a few weeks. There’s tension, there’s poignancy, there’s a budding romance, and there’s a sad (but foreshadowed) event that makes a huge difference to another character. And there’s a feeling of buzz - of excitement, as the festival progresses, with crowds of people, reviews in the newspapers, lots going on behind the scenes. 

So overall I did enjoy this book. Perhaps not quite as much as the others I recently re-read by this author, but enough that I’ll probably read it again in another decade or so. 

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