My friend Clare bought me Mr Pye (1953) by Mervyn Peake, and I added it to my wishlist after I saw it being compared to my beloved Miss Hargreaves – a comparison I will look into more thoroughly later in this post. Project Names seemed like a good opportunity to pick it up – and what an intriguing world and character Peake creates
I only really knew Peake’s name in connection with the Titus Groan books, which I have not read, and had assumed he was exclusively a fantasy writer. While this novel incorporates elements of the fantastic, it is set firmly in the real world – specifically Sark, one of the Channel Islands. Here’s the opening of the novel:
“Sark.”
“Yes, sir,” said the man in the little quayside hut. “A return fare. Six shillings.”
“A single, my friend,” said Mr Harold Pye.
The man in the little hut looked up and frowned at the unfamiliar face.
“Did you say a ‘single‘, sir?”
“I believe so.”
The man in the hut frowned again as though he were still not satisfied. Why should this fat little stranger be so sure he wanted a ‘single’? He was obviously only a visitor. A return ticket would last him for three months and would save him two shillings. Some people, he reflected, were beyond hope.
“Very well,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
“And very well to you, my friend,” said Mr Pye. “Very well indeed -” and with a smile both dazzling and abstracted at the same time he placed some silver coins upon the table and with a small, plump, and beautifully manicured forefinger he jockey’d them into a straight line.
Mr Pye is extremely warm and friendly with everyone, almost disconcertingly so. He doesn’t seem to quite understand the rules governing social interaction, as his slightly uptight landlady Miss Dredger soon discovers. He bustles into her life, keen to improve her through cheerfulness and advice from God – whom he refers to as the ‘Great Pal’. It’s rather endearing, and yet we understand how Miss Dredger might feel rather unsettled by the whole thing.
A mainstay in Miss Dredger’s life is her enmity with another local – Miss George. There is a very funny scene when they squabble over who will use the island’s transport to get down the steep hill – where Mr Pye’s luggage is waiting to be collected. His attempts to find a compromise do not go down well, but his personality is so forceful that they find themselves doing as he says. And then he invites Miss George to move in with them…
But while Mr Pye is having a dramatic effect on the island, there is also an effect happening to him. I shan’t say what it is, but a physical metamorphosis starts to cause him great alarm – and fans of Miss Hargreaves will notice a definite similarity at this point. Birds of a feather, and all that.
And are they birds of a feather? I can see many things they novels have in common – chiefly that an extraordinary being appears and disrupts a community, unaware that they are quite as unusual as they are. But the tone feels quite different at times, and I really liked Mr Pye where I love Miss Hargreaves.
Peake does have a great way of creating a strange dynamic and seeing what will happen next. His illustrations are also delightful, enhancing the novel’s quirkiness and charm. I can’t quite put my finger on what stopped this being an absolutely-loved-it read, because all the ingredients are certainly there. While it probably won’t be on my Best Books of 2019 list, it’s certainly a great example of imaginative character creation, a Bensonian community of genteel feuders, and exactly the right splash of the fantastic.
So glad you liked this one, Simon – though you might like to tweak the author’s name in your post…. ;) I adored Miss Dredger and I was obsessed with the idea of living on Sark for ages (and in fact the Peake family lived there for some time so I guess the location is very authentically drawn). I can see why people would make comparisons with Miss Hargreaves although I think that’s perhaps slightly lazy as they feel like very different books to me. Much as I love Mr. Pye, I had the feeling that Peake wasn’t quite sure how to end it and that’s perhaps a slightly issue. The Gormenghast books are very different, although still in that disctinctive Peake voice. Such a shame he never wrote more fiction – but he was a polymath, and time was against him….
Yes, the ending wasn’t my favourite book, but still very enjoyable. Have you been to Sark? I would now love to go.
I think the author is :Mervyn Peake.🙂
I’ve seen the TV version starring Derek Jacobi which was quite fun.
Yes, Mervyn Peake wrote Mr Pye. Melvyn Bragg presented The Southbank Show (TV art show), is also an author (have only read one book, years ago, but can’t remember the title), and does interesting podcasts about the arts etc.
Mervin Peake not Melvyn Bragg
*Mervyn
I didn’t love this novel either (reviewed here) but I enjoyed it.
Ooh I really like the sound of this, and as another fan of Miss Hargreaves I shall have to put it on my wishlist.
My husband loved his Gormanghast books!
I recall enjoying this book when I read it many years ago, around the time of the TV series which was a favourite in our house. Your comparison to the world of Benson is very apt – I’ve always thought of this as being a sort of cousin to Mapp and Lucia (also adapted for TV at around the same time)!
My husband loved Gormenghast and I cannot face them. But this sounds interesting!
Yes, I owned it once and gave it away unread… but this is more my cup of tea.
Loved Mr Pye from page one! Am now almost an octogenarian and over the years have read the book at least four times , told the story man6 times to our children and grandchildren. It used used to be one of my favourites gifts for friends of all ages and to date everyone I know has loved it. Absolutely one of my all time favourites!
Wish we could have it reprinted in a hard cover edition – wouldn’t that be lovely!!