Daniel Wiles's "The Puma" is a visceral tale of cyclical violence, as in his debut novel "Mercia's Take", which won the 2023 Betty Trask prize. The story revolves around Bernardo, a father who has fled to the Patagonian woods with his young son James from England, where he grew up amidst a backdrop of industrialisation and war.
The narrative is complex, weaving together present-day and past events as Bernardo struggles to break a cycle of violence that haunts him. His journey takes him across various landscapes – Patagonia, Liverpool, and France – with the puma becoming an obsession, a symbol of his emotional state. However, the second part of the book falls flat for this reviewer, with pages of detailed descriptions of wilderness and animal encounters feeling like an escapist fantasy rather than an integral part of the narrative.
As Bernardo hunts the elusive puma, he struggles to deal with his difficult emotions, displacing them onto the nonhuman world. The displacement of hurt is a powerful critique of 20th-century masculinity, drawing parallels between the loss of life on the battlefield and the suffering of wild animals. However, this critique sometimes feels shallow, and Bernardo's transformation into a new person, stripped away of his past, reads like an overly romanticised escape from societal complexities.
The prose is stylishly elliptical, recalling the dialect of literary fiction rather than that of an individual character in a particular time and place. The voice of "The Puma" is uneven and free-floating compared to the compelling Black Country dialect of "Mercia's Take". Nonetheless, Wiles extends his sincere ambition to explore marginalised histories with viscerally affecting storytelling.
Ultimately, "The Puma" is less distinctive than its predecessor but continues Wiles's exploration of cyclical violence and the consequences of human actions. While it may not hit all its marks, the novel remains a thought-provoking tale that warrants further attention from readers interested in historical fiction and explorations of masculinity.
The narrative is complex, weaving together present-day and past events as Bernardo struggles to break a cycle of violence that haunts him. His journey takes him across various landscapes – Patagonia, Liverpool, and France – with the puma becoming an obsession, a symbol of his emotional state. However, the second part of the book falls flat for this reviewer, with pages of detailed descriptions of wilderness and animal encounters feeling like an escapist fantasy rather than an integral part of the narrative.
As Bernardo hunts the elusive puma, he struggles to deal with his difficult emotions, displacing them onto the nonhuman world. The displacement of hurt is a powerful critique of 20th-century masculinity, drawing parallels between the loss of life on the battlefield and the suffering of wild animals. However, this critique sometimes feels shallow, and Bernardo's transformation into a new person, stripped away of his past, reads like an overly romanticised escape from societal complexities.
The prose is stylishly elliptical, recalling the dialect of literary fiction rather than that of an individual character in a particular time and place. The voice of "The Puma" is uneven and free-floating compared to the compelling Black Country dialect of "Mercia's Take". Nonetheless, Wiles extends his sincere ambition to explore marginalised histories with viscerally affecting storytelling.
Ultimately, "The Puma" is less distinctive than its predecessor but continues Wiles's exploration of cyclical violence and the consequences of human actions. While it may not hit all its marks, the novel remains a thought-provoking tale that warrants further attention from readers interested in historical fiction and explorations of masculinity.
just read this review for Daniel Wiles's "The Puma"... feels like some parts hit way harder than others 
. loved the idea of Bernardo hunting pumas as a metaphor for his emotional state, but sometimes it felt like he was just running from his problems instead of really facing them 
. still, the author's attempt to explore 20th-century masculinity and its impact on humans and animals is worth checking out 
. I mean, Bernardo's journey is all about him trying to escape his past, but the puma just feels like a symbol or something... it doesn't feel fully fleshed out. And yeah, I get what Wiles is tryin' to say about masculinity and violence, but sometimes it feels like he's glossing over the hard stuff 
. Still, I can appreciate the ambition behind this book, and it's definitely got some great moments. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea, but if you're into that sorta thing, it might be worth checkin' out 
. What I find interesting is how Bernardo's emotional state gets projected onto the puma - it's like he's trying to outrun his demons, but they keep coming back to haunt him 
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. On the other hand, his writing style has improved significantly - I mean, who can resist those poetic descriptions of wilderness landscapes 
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. That being said, Wiles always has that effortless style going on and it's clear he's still got some great things to say about 20th-century masculinity... even if they don't quite land all the time 
. Can we talk about how much I love his use of language though? It's like butter for your brain 
Wiles is trying to tackle some heavy stuff but it feels like he's just skimming the surface 
Bernardo's journey is all over the place, one minute he's struggling with his emotions and the next he's just magically transformed into a new person 
And don't even get me started on the puma 
. the idea of Bernardo displacing his emotions onto a puma is actually pretty cool, but then again, we're not really seeing that in action too much. and honestly, all these descriptions of Patagonia and wildlife feel like an escape from the real issues he's trying to tackle 
But, maybe not everyone will connect with it as much as they did with his debut novel "Mercia's Take".
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. I'm definitely gonna revisit this one and see what I think for myself 
i was expecting more depth with the puma symbol tho like it felt like a distraction lol but still bernardo's journey is super relatable 
his struggle to cope with emotions and break the cycle of violence is so powerful 
and wiles is like totally brave for tackling those tough themes 
. But, I'm not entirely convinced that the second half of the book hits all its notes - those descriptions of wilderness feel a bit too long-winded for me, you know? 
. I'd recommend this book to anyone lookin' for a thought-provoking read, just don't expect it to be a complete rollercoaster ride 
anyway its still worth readin if u into historical fiction & stuff 
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. So yeah, maybe "The Puma" isn't his magnum opus, but it's still worth reading if you're into historical fiction and masculinity stuff.