Tony&Susan a.k.a. Nocturnal Animals - by Austin Wright

When reading a book, readers often ask themselves questions that will remain unanswered unless you are in a position to ask the writer. This might be easier now, with all this Twitter, Instagram and so on and so forth. But it was not an easy option when Wright wrote this book. And it is not an option now that Wright is dead. Questions like "Who are Tony and Susan? Real persons or book characters?" will remain unanswered. But most of all, how important are these questions or their answers?

Tony&Susan by Austin Wright (1993)

Tony is the main character of the unpublished novel "Nocturnal Animals", sent by Edward to his ex-wife Susan, who reads it in just three frantic days, after waiting months. She also asks questions to herself. Is Tony Edward? Or is he, maybe, a mirror image of Susan? And what would Arnold, her second husband, say? - was he made to read the book. These questions will remain unanswered. But, most of all, how important are these questions or their answers?

From the start, "Tony&Susan" gives a sense of urgency, carried on in the fast pace of Edward's "Nocturnal Animals", in deep contrast with Tony's remissive attitude, almost incapable of any reaction whatsoever. But the story of these characters or the hunting down of the thugs are not the core of the novel. Its core is the relationship reader-book-writer. The story is just an excuse (a well plotted one, though), with a clear intention stated right at the beginning:
Books always resist her at the start, because they commit so much time. They can bury what she was thinking, sometimes forever. She could be a different person by the time she's through.

And indeed, the Susan that comes out after the reading is not the same Susan that has started reading the novel. But she is still a reader, one of us.
She had a suspicion she could write just as well, if she wanted to - who has never had such a thought, at least once - raise your hands, if you dare, readers!

And Edward, who only appears in Susan's words, is the writer, the puppet master, the one manoeuvring his characters - leaving us to ask the whys and hows, without ever coming to the bottom of the truth. He is the one writing out of necessity. Just like we read out of necessity. And the writer can't exist without the reader.
If Edward couldn't live without writing, she couldn't live without reading. And without me, Edward, she says, you'd have no reason to exist - so much so that Edward-writer cannot exist without Susan-reader - who wouldn't exist without Austin Wright-writer who wouldn't exist without me-reader.

It gets a reader to understand one. Because out there, there are also the non readers, like second husband Arnold:
She wanted to punish Arnold too, but the only thing she could think of was to make him read the book. He would do that if she insisted, but she doubted he would see anything.

This book is a great example of metanovel and, leaving aside some imperfections in the pace, deserves reading. And, in my opinion,  its movie version "Nocturnal Animals" is a good movie - quite a rarity, when both book and movie turn out so good, isn't it?

Nocturnal Animals by Tom Ford (2016)