The Projectionist by Kirsti Wishart

A Review by David Newman

The Projectionist
Kirsti Wishart
Rymour Books (2022) £11.99

As a film buff / lover, I think I might quite like to live in Seacrest, the film loving town at the centre of this novel. Or if not live there, at least be able to visit on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it’s not real, and probably never could be, but... one can only dream that such a place exists.

This is a strange novel in so many ways. To begin with, the narrater introduces you to the town and the people of seacrest in a similar way to how Dylan Thomas introduces you to Milkwood. I found this a little jarring at first until I imagined myself as a camera recording each scene as though it was a film. Once I’d done that I felt a lot more comfortable and began to enjoy the various shenanigans of the characters living and struggling to keep the town of Seacrest alive. And that is the central premise of this novel. The town is now struggling to survive in such a modern era and something needs to happen to rescue its fortunes. Hence the much anticipated arrival of world renowned movie critic, Cameron Fletcher, a man thought by many to be long dead, who visit suddenly brings the town, the 85th annual film festival and the novel itself alive from the moment he steps off of the train and is greeted by an ecstatic crowd.

As well as Cameron Fletcher, we meet a number of other characters central to the story. There’s Dr Jo Ashe, a film academic, who has moved to Seacrest a few years before to study film and to join her girlfriend, Shona Boyd. Only Shona subsequently leaves to go to the US but, is apparently due back soon. Then there’s Luke, a young man who obsessively looks after the archive that’s built around who he believes is the deceased Cameron Fletcher. We also meet the charming Harry who runs the local cinema on the pier but who also knows more about Seacrest’s secret past than most, and finally, lording over them all from his glass office overlooking the town, we meet the strangely and slightly overbearing Calum Boyd, who wants to redevelop Seacrest forever, closing down all the small cinemas and creating a huge multiplex that none of the inhabitants really want to see.

However, Cameron Fletcher isn’t real. He’s actually out-of-work actor, Arthur Dott, hired by Calum Boyd in a devious attempt to forward his personal agenda. However, once he arrives, Arthur begins to follow his own script and it soon becomes clear that nothing is going to turn out as everyone expected. The Projectionist was an enjoyable book to read even though it took me a few pages to really get into it. However, once I’d reached that point, I found myself swept along with the story as it moved, camera-like around the various, wonderfully strange locations. And finally, there’s the wonderful, strange cast of characters to follow as they pursue their various interests and goals. All in all, great fun!