Exchange (novel)

Exchange was a standalone 2007 novel, written by Paul Magrs.

When it was first published, it didn't have any major DWU connections, but since then the characters and locations from this novel were brought into Enter Wildthyme (and its sequel, Wildthyme Beyond!), and these characters played extremely integral roles, making Exchange a necessary prerequisite to properly understand many characters in Enter Wildthyme and Wildthyme Beyond!.

This continuity between the stories is so deliberate and important, Enter Wildthyme is actually contradicts the real world geography of Darlington (where Enter Wildthyme, and retroactively Exchange, is set) in order to accommodate for Exchange.

Exchange was originally a short story, The Great Big Book Exchange, which was part of the Magnetic North anthology. It was later broadcast on BBC Radio 4, then finally re-released in Twelve Stories.

A short story, Collecting Ada Jones, also acted as a sequel to Exchange, situated between chapters seventeen and eighteen, after the death of Ada Jones. This story would also be republished in Twelve Stories.

Publisher's summary
A bookshop crammed with wonders; a lost friendship rediscovered; sinister secrets and a terrible act of revenge.

Following the death of his parents, Simon, a shy 16-year-old, moves into his grandparents' claustrophobic bungalow. United by their voracious appetite for novels, Simon and his grandmother stumble across the Great Big Book Exchange - a bookshop with a difference. They meet impulsive, gothic Kelly and her boss, Terrance - and the friendship forged in the Great Big Book Exchange result in startling and unsettling consequences for all of them.

Plot
Simon is walking to the bungalow that his grandparents, Winnie and Ray Thompson, had made a home in. On his trip, some local bullies start taunting him, so he keeps his head down, and he keeps walking, thinking to himself about how much his life had changed since his parents' death. At the bungalow, Winnie reassures him about this. He remembers that after his parents had died, all he had kept were his books, and even that was after some persuading by Winnie.

On Saturday, Winnie and Simon go out on a bus to a neighbouring town to search for books in charity shops. The bus breaks down on South Road, just outside of the market town they were heading for, and they stumble across a large bookshop - The Great Big Book Exchange.

Inside, they find that it's a labyrinth of bookshelves, each spanning in different directions. There are books crammed into every available space, towering towards the ceiling. They find that the organisation is nonsensical, as the combinations of genres is seemingly random. They find that the plastic-armed owner, Terrance, is sitting at desk in the room farthest back, engrossed in a book. A goth, Kelly, comes in and alerts Terrance, but he continues to read his book. He finally looks up, and asks if they'll be joining the Exchange.

After an hour of browsing, Simon has an armload of rare books, which assumes will coat a fortune. He checks the prices, and they extremely cheap. Terrance explains that once you buy the book, after you've read it, you should return it, and get another book in exchange. Simon is tentative about joining the Exchange, but the temptation of the selection of books is enough to get him and his gran to sign up. After a few days, Simon realises he has an affinity with Kelly.

At the bungalow, Winnie has been engrossed in a new book, Mary and Agnes. It's a rags-to-riches story about two girls in the slums, written by Ada Jones. Winnie tells Simon had she used to know Ada, and that the book she's reading is actually about her and Ada.

In a flashback to Winnie's and Ada's childhood, Ada had moved in next door with her unkempt family, and Ada had poked her head over the fence, and she and Winnie struck up a friendship.

The next Saturday, Winnie brings in three old romance novels, in lieu of the Ada Jones novel. Terrance is offended by this act, and he storms off. Kelly tells them that they can technically keep the books they've bought, as the legally own them, and she explains that Terrance is protective of his books. Simon and Winnie have a browse around the Exchange, and Kelly gets into a conversation with Simon. They talk about books, and then Kelly gives Simon her phone number.

In a flashback, Ada had never owned books herself, so she had to borrow books off Winnie. Ada was a fast reader, so she got through these books quickly, so she often re-read the same books over and over, often memorising them, so she enjoyed changing details to fit her fancy. One morning, Ada came over to Winnie's home, asking for paper and pencils, in order to write down her ideas.

Since Saturday, Simon had phoned Kelly twice, and on the second call, Simon asks if Kelly would like to come to his town, to have dinner with his grandparents, and Kelly agrees. Later that day, Simon brings Ray a cup of hot chocolate, and Simon discovered that Ray has a collection of 1950s pornographic magazines. Ray asks Simon not to tell Winnie, as Ray had told her that he had gotten rid of those magazines years ago.

Despite Simon's worries, when Kelly comes for dinner, it goes remarkably well. Winnie and Ray had sweetened up their home, and they used their best china, as well as putting on smart clothes. Kelly tones down her gothic attire, and she's extremely polite during the dinner. Afterwards, Simon walks Kelly down to the bus stop, and they begin to get into an argument, when Simon gets offended by her conversation. They walk past the gang of bullies thst Simon often ignores, and they begin to taunt Simon and Kelly. Kelly, without saying a word, calmly walks over to the gang and punches the leader's face, knocking him out. Kelly says goodbye to Simon, and she departs on her bus.

On Saturday when Simon and Winnie return from the Exchange, Ray is still in a good mood about Kelly, so he has a more playful demeanour on, so he jokes around with Simon and Winnie instead of berating them for their enthusiasm for books.

The following Tuesday, Simon gets ready for school, as usual, however when gets to the gates of the school, he runs off down the road to the bus stop. Kelly had texted him earlier, asking him to bunk off school and come to the city that was north of the town. He gets on the bus, and joins Kelly at the back.

They arrive at the city, and Simon withdraws some of the insurance money from his parents' death, and the twosome head off into the city. They go into an assortment of shops, and they have lunch together. Towards the older part of the city, Kelly tells Simon that there will soon be a museum about Ada Jones opened, and Simon says that they should ask Winnie for advice.

Ada had been taught all she knew from Winnie,  and even though Winnie's mother, nicknamed the Duchess, had disparaged Ada, she stuck to her dream of writing.

Dusk breaks over the city, and Simon and Kelly go to a wine bar and they buy two bright orange cocktails. They talk for a while, and they then head home on the bus. They sit in companionable silence and they read novels that they bought, and when Simon gets off the bus at his town, Kelly tries to kiss him, but it goes awkwardly.

The next Saturday, when Simon and Winnie are at the Exchange, Kelly doesn't get a chance to talk with Simon, as unusually there are other customers in the Exchange. The next Tuesday after that, Simon decides to head off to Kelly's town, not to meet up with her, nor visit the Exchange, but to just explore with the notion that he's in the same place where Kelly is.

He thinks about himself, about how he believes in fate, and then how Terrance now dresses smartly when Winnie comes to the Exchange. Simon suspects Terrance has a crush on her. While waiting for his bus home, Kelly gives him a call, as she wants to tell him something next Saturday. At home, Winnie is upset as Ray has been in a temper all day long. Ray had been complaining about "lice" from inside the paperbacks, and how Kelly was only friends with Simon to get at his insurance money.

At school, Ada Jones should've been at the top of the class, as she was great at many things, but Ada pretended to be just a slow-witted girl, never excelling at anything. The reason for this is becuase she believed everything the teachers tried to educate her on was useless, as books helped her much more.

On Saturday, Ray, in a temper, calls Winnie's and Simon's books "dirty", and he grabs random handfuls of books off shelves and dumps them in the sink which is filled with washing-up water. Later, when Winnie and Simon had reached the Exchange, Winnie broke down into tears in front of Terrance, and he took he to get a cup of coffee at a café.

Characters

 * Simon
 * Bully
 * Winnie Thompson
 * Ray Thompson
 * Kelly
 * Terrance
 * Ada Jones
 * Simon's mum
 * Simon's dad
 * Ada's mum
 * Winnie's mum
 * Eric Jones

Locations

 * In the town where Winnie and Ray live, there is: Market Square; an unnamed supermarket; a library; The Legion, a pub where Ray often goes to; Whickham Way; and Booze ‘n' Cigs ‘n' Papers, which is a newsagents. The town is next to a motorway.
 * Simon thinks about Sherwood Forest.
 * There is a Northern city next to the motorway, which bordered onto the ocean. The city has a record shop that Simon and Kelly went into together, and a hippy shop called Guru which Kelly went into by herself.
 * Kelly's town has an indoor market, charity shops, newsagents, cafés, the King's Arms Hotel (on High Row, located at the centre of the town), and an industrial estate.

Businesses

 * Winnie mentions Woolworths.
 * RSPCA, Cancer Research, Sue Ryder, and Scope are charity shops.
 * Simon likens Winnie's behaviour in charity shops to how one would shop in Harvey Nichols.

People

 * Winnie mentions Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald (and the song Cole Porter) and Vincent Van Gogh.
 * Simon briefly thought that Kelly might've worshipped Hecate the goddess.
 * Kelly wore Doc Martens.
 * Simon had to study Chaucer in his class.

Continuity

 * Simon, Kelly, Terrance, and the Great Big Book Exchange return in PROSE: Enter Wildthyme, Wildthyme Beyond!.
 * Simon recalls his parents' fate in PROSE: Enter Wildthyme.
 * South Road, the location of the Great Big Book Exchange, is seen again in PROSE: Enter Wildthyme.
 * Kelly's interest in gothic clothing and literature is continuous with PROSE: Enter Wildthyme, Wildthyme Beyond!.
 * The Exchange uses a trading system. (PROSE: Enter Wildthyme)
 * The Exchange has a coffee machine, which is regularly used by Kelly. (PROSE: Enter Wildthyme)
 * Ada Jones's death is covered in greater detail in PROSE: Collecting Ada Jones.