Anything Could Happen - Lucy Diamond

 

If there’s something that we need in these strange times that we are continuing to live through it’s a booster. I’m not talking about Covid vaccines, I’m talking about a literary booster.  Something uplifting, undemanding but entertaining. And here it is in Lucy Diamond’s new book Anything Could Happen. The premise of the book revolves around the idea that throughout our lives we make many decisions that can set us off on a certain path. Those paths are not always the right ones, if we did but know it and circumstances along the way can sometimes thwart our intent. For Laura, and daughter Eliza, their seemingly ordinary life changes its path when Eliza comes of age and wishes to reconnect with her father. A lifetime of secrets are exposed and a host of new decisions are required, no one knowing whether they are the right ones. And so we have a story of life, love and relationships, of teenagers on the cusp of adulthood  and the challenges that parents face. It’s the work of an experienced  writer who knows just how to construct a story with a well paced narrative, who knows how to present us with characters that will make us laugh, make us cry, infuriate us on occasions,  but also make us root for them, root for everything to work out okay in the end. And does it? Oh no! You’re not gonna get me on that one. You read the book for yourself.

Thanks to Team Bookends for a gifted proof.

B: A Year in Plagues & Pencils

 The first thing I love about this book is that you cannot easily place it into a genre. The desire to compartmentalise everything and label it neatly can sometimes be tedious so unless, heaven forbid, a pandemic genre evolves this book will float in nebulous categories to tantalise and delight.

The ‘B’ refers to the grade of drawing pencil used by the artist to create this portrait gallery of sometimes whimsical illustrations. I defy anyone not to find a picture of someone or some creature who means something to them.The second thing I loved about this book was how often I found myself delighting and exulting at how many of my favourite people and fauna populated its pages. Although each drawing is considerately labelled, most of them seemed easily recognisable unless they depicted somebody hitherto unknown. I found myself wondering whether Mr Carey drew them from memory or did he copy them from pictures or photographs. A drawing a day! I wondered how he decided who or what he would draw. And then as I read the book I realised he was acting sometimes upon suggestions from other people which I thought was wonderful. So that makes it a very inclusive book.

The accompanying narrative reminded me of journal type writing. This writer, like most of us, struggled to make some sense of the peculiar state the world finds itself in. It’s honest writing and tugs at you as as you recognise in reading about the author’s attempts to navigate the unfamiliar protocols of lockdown, your own floundering and pondering amidst the confusion and frustration that pervaded year one of this pandemic. And there is a sense of not feeling quite so alone. In reading the book alongside the drawings you are privy to someone else’s personal headspace which feels like a precious privilege - that’s the third thing I loved about this book. It also heightened awareness of how difficult it is when you’re far from your homeland. 

The fourth thing I loved about the book was the presentation. My copy is a hardback but is a smaller size to many. The size somehow made the book so comfortable to hold, small but all the larger in intent. Can I call a book cuddly? Yes I can if I want to. This book is cuddly. It fits in your hand and it fits in your heart.

The fifth and final thing I love about this book is that it embodies and encompasses so much about the world, not just the present of the pandemic, but about things past, things national and international. And it looks at a way of marking a passage of time. Maybe it’s a time we’d all like to forget but this book reminds us that so many people dealt with it with integrity and dignity and ………..imagination.

review copy provided by the publisher

The Royal Game - Anne O’Brien

 The Royal Game is a novel that is based on the Paston letters. The Pastons were a Norfolk family who rose from humble beginnings to become landowners and courtiers around the time of the Wars of the Roses. The large collection of correspondence has long been considered of historical importance because they offer a fascinating insight into life during this volatile period in history and also enables linguists to study the vernacular of the time. I believe the letters are held at the British Library and various museums elsewhere in the country. 

What Anne O’Brien has done in this novel is to offer us the perspectives of three Paston women: Margaret Mautby who married John Paston, Eliza Paston, John’s sister who married Sir Robert Poynings and Anne Haute, a cousin of Elizabeth Woodville, who became betrothed to one of  Margaret and John’s sons.

The history of the family and the events of the time are seen through the eyes of these women. And it makes for fascinating stuff. I guess it’s very much in the style of Philippa Gregory which is no bad thing! These women have varying motivations but they are all shackled within the social and cultural restraints of their age. How they deal with the many challenges and obstacles thrown away is engrossing. It’s Margaret who seems to dominate the narratives. She is strong, loyal and intelligent. The reader is invited, encouraged even, to feel her frustration when her strength and intelligence do not always enable her to achieve a desired outcome.

I found it an absorbing narrative. It’s a period in history that I’ve always found interesting to read about. The historical research is thorough and I have little doubt that the writer must have pored over the Paston letters to achieve the plausible and believable characters who populate the novel. I suppose initially when I saw the title I thought there might be more royalty involved in the story! But the game seems to refer to the struggles of property ownership and the intrigues and machinations of people at Royal courts. Ultimately they are all playing the Royal Game. But the rules are not always clear cut. And people do not always play by the rules.

However I will admit to being very disappointed when I got to the end to find that it was not conclusive and I must patiently await the next book in the Paston series! 

My thanks toHQ stories for a gifted copy of this book.

Thinkers and Doubters - Michal Arbel

 Thinkers and Doubters is a collection of reflective poetry and prose musing on the many meanings of life, love and the human condition. And you might be forgiven for assuming, perhaps, that these observations might come from a mature, experienced poet who has seen a great deal of life. In fact this collection is written by 17-year-old Michal Arbel, an American student. Her accomplishments belie her youth and her observations are expressed with an eloquent dignity not always associated with the “youth of today“!

Not only is the poet an astute observer of life and people,  she’s endowed with a generous helping of self perception. It is a paradox to find the innocence of youth expressed with a maturing and blossoming wisdom. Much of the work expresses “young” thoughts and will surely resonate with her contemporary readers but it seemed to me that Michal is in possession of an intuitive wisdom about life and in some ways her observations are timeless.

The verses themselves are uncomplicated but embody a depth of thought so that they present as lines of substance. It’s an auspicious collection and one can only imagine what this talented young poet may go on to produce.

If I may I’d like to quote the final poem from the book. Entitled “Goodbye“ it seems to offer a blueprint for a decent way to live and the poet’s understanding that sometimes simplicity is all that is required.

I discovered the meaning of life,

Or at least the meaning of my life,

At seventeen years old.

Maybe by accident,

And probably thanks to some streetlamps, 

I learned how my truth can be put in a few simple words.

The meaning of life,

Is to grow and evolve

Every single day.

To wake up every day better than your yesterday self,

To learn patience and forgiveness,

Especially towards yourself.

To be able to go to bed at night

With a huge smile

And say:

“Today I did something better,

I was kinder,

I was more patient,

And even if I wasn’t,

I always have tomorrow. “

My thanks to Library thing for an early reviewers copy of this book.

Mike Leigh on Mike Leigh - edited by Amy Raphael

 Like many people I first became aware of Mike Leigh with the television presentation of Abigail‘s Party. A notable occasion because I can vividly remember sitting watching what I thought was an amazing play. Laughing and then feeling dreadful for laughing, but all the time recognising that somebody had an eye and an ear for the nuances of human behaviour. I guess I’ve been a fan ever since.

So this book caught my attention. You might think that it is just a book for Mike Leigh fans. And of course it is but there’s so much more in it that relates to the making of film - the practical aspects, the technology as well as the artistic considerations, the art of the actor, the sourcing of locations and props that I think it has a broader appeal.

The book goes through Mr Leigh’s career from its start through to Peterloo. This is an updated version of the original book and begins with forewords to the new edition and the 2008 edition. The book then works chronologically through Mike Leigh’s productions offering a synopsis with cast details and then the editor, Amy Raphael, knowledgeably talking to Mike Lee about each of those productions. It’s fascinating stuff. And you really feel that you’re getting to know the man behind the lens, his motivations and his beliefs.  Known primarily for his film and television work the book concludes with details of all his stage plays containing his own commentary. 

This is as comprehensive a work as you’re ever likely to get on this talented director. It’s very readable and offers many insight into the life in the world of a film director, both specifically and broadly. Mike Leigh is as articulate outside of the camera as he is behind it and he’s quite happy to offer his opinions -  his agreements and disagreements - with his interviewer. 

Something I found fascinating was the number of people he works with who have stayed loyal to him throughout his career from all aspects of the creative process. That tells me a lot about a person. Especially as perhaps his methods are not necessarily conventional. Reading about the improvisation process was quite an eye-opener. And I ended up admiring his work all the more.

My thanks to NB magazine for a gifted copy.

Wonder - Ana Sampson

As a reader of fiction, primarily,  I have my favourite authors. Writers whose work I seek out avidly. Up to two or three years ago I couldn’t have said the same about poetry. Then I read Ana Sampson’s She is Fierce and it jumpstarted my poetry mojo, not just back into motion but supercharged it! Now I will always grab a copy of any anthology she produces. Why? What makes this anthologist different from all the others?  I’m not sure I can say finitely but whatever she does it resonates with me. I always get the sense that her books are lovingly curated. I enjoy the way she arranges the poems and gives just the right amount of commentary to complement rather than dominate the poems. There is a sense that the poems have been arranged much like the installations in an art exhibition. So you have such a sense of cohesion throughout the work

So it’s no wonder that I grabbed myself a copy of Wonder! This collection is affiliated with the Natural History Museum which I think is wonderful. 

Once more you know that every poem has been thoughtfully considered for its inclusion in the collection. And as you go through the various sections in the book - Mammals, Earth, Space etc it’s like taking a walk through the museum itself. 

Something else I’ve always admired about this anthologist’s work is the range of poems included. There will be classical poetry with the likes of Shelley and Wordsworth but there will also be more contemporary poetry from folk like Neil Gaiman and Carol Ann Duffy and poetry from poets you may never have heard of. It’s so inclusive. 

And in this collection there are some relevant photos also to complement the poems and the museum itself. It’s a wonderful advert not just for poetry but for visiting the natural history museum. And as with all of Ana‘s anthologies you can dip in and out of it and find some gem each time you do. And there’s something in here for everybody. 

 

The Mask - Elisabeth Horan

Frida Kahlo and her work has fascinated me since I first beheld one of her self portraits in a book. I then saw a film about her which motivated me to find out more.  I was fortunate enough to attend the 2005 exhibition at Tate Modern and stand before her powerful paintings in the flesh so to speak. The impact of that reality was far greater then ‘merely’ beholding the images in a book or postcard, of course. So it’s unsurprising when the prospect of reading a collections of poems inspired by Frida’s work was presented to me I snapped up the offer with both hands.

The Mask, taking its title from one of Frida’s many self portraits, is a collection of poems celebrating the art of Frida Kahlo offering an interpretation of her paintings through poems.  What shines through is the poet’s love and admiration for Frida and the sense of the many parallels between their lives. Frida painted numerous self portraits and in many ways poems are the poet’s self portraits, too. In this collection there is a fusion between the poems inspired by the paintings creating almost double self portraits!

I had the sense of this being a deeply personal and emotive suite of poems, exploring the pain of life; physical pain, emotional pain and mental pain. I somehow feel as if it is Frida herself speaking almost as a commentary to her paintings, and frequently peppered with Spanish? Mexican? Her frankness and openness were there as they are in her art but then I realised, too, that these were the words of a poet, powerful, direct. There is anger and frustration in the words but there is much love, too, and courage. I think that both Frida and Elisabeth Horan are brave women.

When I’m commenting on a poetry collection I usually cite my favourites and offer quotes from them but I found that impossible and almost irrelevant here. For I read them as a whole. Yes, each poem is separate as are Frida’s paintings but they comprise a cohesive unit, unfit for separation. Elisabeth Horan uses words and imagery as Frida used colour and composition. The end result is startling.

My thanks to Isabelle Kenyon at Fly on the Wall Press and The Broken Spine for a copy of this absorbing collection.

The Coward - Jarred McGinnis Canongate Books readalong

 

When I picked up a book that I understood was a work of fiction and as I began to read I found that the name of the protagonist is the same as the author my first thought was one word. Brave. Which was pretty surprising really when the title of the book, The Coward, could be seen as the opposite of that! It would’ve been so easy to conjure a fictional name and have us all read the story of these lives fractured by tragedy and how the rebuilding of them is so vast and so immense. But I wonder how different the reader response would have been? Would it have evoked the same level of compassion and admiration? Somehow I doubt it. So I see it, almost as a stroke of genius to do what Jarred McGinnis has done. It’s clever too because offering it as a work of fiction means that he doesn’t have to stick solely to every single fact although the reading of it makes me feel that it’s pretty much accurate in most respects.

Thematically the book is about the crap that life can throw at us. It’s about anger and blame but it’s also about forgiveness and redemption. Plus it is a window as to how disabled people are perceived by the world and how that affects anyone with a disability. It looks at addiction and what that can do to somebody’s life. It portrays a kaleidoscope of emotions. It’s raw, honest with no punches pulled. It’s crisp writing that strikes a balance, in spite of the devastating situation the protagonist is in. Positivity and hope are tantalisingly implied as the narrative progresses. I laughed and I cried. The development of the relationship between father and son is absorbing. And as the events of the past unfold and peel away, like the layers of an onion, we begin to see how both Jarred and Jack, his father, carry their emotional scars like weights across their shoulders. At times they are both so absorbed in their own distress they fail to see what’s happening to each other. It’s grim at times and distressing even so some of the author’s wit is most necessary to offer a kind of light relief. I guess it also highlights how at times you need someone else to be the bridge, the anchor, the support you need to get through things which seem bigger than you are. She’s here in this book. And she is called Sarah. A wonderful character. And if she is a real life person, and I think she is, she’s a wonderful person.

Ultimately it reinforces the endurance of the human spirit and the ability that people have to summon the strength they need to find the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. 

My reading of this book was for Canongate Books readalong. I’m very grateful for that opportunity and for the gifted copy of the book. And to conclude -  if I may quote Jack, “I’m done talking to you. I need coffee. “

Dunfords Travels Everywheres- William Melvin Kelley

I’m editing this post already. Not because I have read the book again but because I had an exchange on social media with William Melvin Kelley’s daughter. How incredible is that?! And she offered such a fantastic insight into approaching the book that I asked her if she would mind if I quoted her in full. She agreed. What she says is absolutely brilliant and spot-on. So I’m thrilled to add it to this post.

‘ My father was excited when I started Ulysses because it was his favorite book. I got maybe 12 pages in—and it was a wrap. Dunfords tho… it’s not something you read once and understand. But it wasn’t intended to be. It’s meant to be read the way you’d listen to a sax solo by Charlie Parker or Lester Young. There’s a theme stated. And then there are riffs. Sometimes those riffs go WAY out, but they are always on beat, and the chords supporting the solo are ever present. You take flight… sometimes you’ll hear a phrase borrowed from another piece or song. It’ll make you laugh because you recognize it’s a joke. You continue listening and wondering where these notes will end up, and then you hear the piano or bass and realize “oh, we’re back at the bridge to the song.” Then maybe the drummer has a solo… but then the whole band comes back and brings the piece to a satisfying conclusion. Dunfords is like that. Over the past two years as I was helping prepare the illustrations for these new editions, I would just randomly read a chapter. And after awhile you begin to FEEL the meaning of what’s going on without needing to know EXACTLY what’s being said. It’s taken me 20 years to appreciate Dunfords 😂 and I grew up with the book. But it’s gotten to be my favorite.’

 It was with a sense of sadness that I picked up this final novel of William Melvin Kelley. Why sadness? Because it’s the last. And whilst I know I can read them all again whenever I want there is that new jar of coffee feeling when you pick up a book by one of your favourite writers.  I began this knowing that once I’ve read it there will be nothing new to read from “the lost giant of American literature“.

This is like nothing of Kelley’s I’ve read before. I guess the reader is prepared for what lies ahead to an extent by quotes from James Joyce and the title echoing a phrase from Finnegan’s Wake and I will confess now that sometimes I didn’t understand what he was writing. I found the best way to extract the meaning was to read the book aloud in the sequences containing, what I’ll call ‘creative vocabulary’!  This vocabulary and intonation whilst redolent of James Joyce also reminded me of Stanley Unwin! The wordplay is astonishingly clever. It’s witty and incisive. I would’ve expected no less from Kelley. But I’d also have to say it’s a challenging and sometimes difficult read compared with Kelly’s previous works. But so fascinating and so creative. And I will confess I was trying to read and review it ready for publication day. But it’s a book to be re-read, savoured and lingered over. And that I will do. That being said there are elements in the early chapters of the novel that are the pure Kelley that I’ve grown to know and love in terms of themes,  narrative style and story structure and characterisations. The sense of continuity that runs through all of Kelley’s works has characters such as Chig Dunford and Carlyle Bedlow making their appearance in this book too. In fact the story really looks at Chig’s rediscovery of himself as a black American and contrasts him with Carlyle. 

At the moment it’s not my favourite Kelley book and I can’t believe I can even bring myself to write that about someone who I have on a pedestal! But I don’t believe it’s a book to be read and cast aside. I think it’s a book to be explored slowly and deliberately and the rewards will be immense. To quote Kelley  ‘If You’re Woke,You Dig It’. I may even return to this review and update it in the future.

My thanks to Ana McLaughlin at riverrun for a gifted copy.

Learwife - J R Thorp

 

Somehow I think Shakespeare would heartily approve of this novel. It is erudite and literate. It is expansive and poetic. The prose actually demands that you read great swathes of it aloud for it is full of consonants that roll around your tongue giving meaning and illumination to the thoughts and feelings of that most mysterious of queens, King Lear‘s wife.

I suppose the big question is whether you need to be familiar with Shakespeare’s play to benefit fully from this book. I guess not. It’s a long time since I read the play and I didn't feel in any way disadvantaged.  For the narrator, who is not named until the concluding pages, is ignorant of the action that takes place within the play. she exists outside of that. It is the characters, Lear, the daughters, Kent and the Fool that figure in ‘our’ narrative, rather than the events of the play.

In some ways the novel could be an extended monologue of almost Shakespearean proportions as Learwife expresses the depths of her emotion at the treatment and the life she’s been forced to lead since Lear exiled her to a nunnery. All of her energies and reason are dedicated to trying to understand what happened and why.

This is a book I took many days to read not because I didn't enjoy it, quite the reverse, I was astounded by the depth and quality of the writing and the need to savour the experience. At times it seems that the plot or sequence of events were secondary to the writing itself so the book can be experienced on different levels. There is a story, of course there is! It seems to feed off some of the conundrums explored in Shakespeare’s play but the narrative also abounds with the most palpable and potent imagery. The Bard was never far from my thoughts, I have to admit, and indeed, in the concluding passages I found myself thinking of Ophelia.

It is at heart a feminist novel, I feel, the ‘action’ takes place in a nunnery and the dynamics between all the women is explored and examined, particularly with the choice that Learwife has to make after an exceptional event disrupts the equilibrium of the order.

We never stray far from historical fiction as Learwife recounts her life as Queen, her two marriages, her children and what might have led to the exiled state she finds herself in. The portrayal is solid and believable.

But mostly I think it falls into the literary fiction genre. It’s complex writing, breathtaking in places. My only negative thought is that it might be over long. I can see that readers who prefer a character or plot driven narrative might find it slow. But over all as a debut novel I was mightily impressed and I wouldn't be surprised to see this on some award long or shortlists in the future.
My thanks to Canongate books for a gifted proof. 

The Swift and The Harrier - Minette Walters

 This is a gripping and absorbing historical fiction novel from the erstwhile Queen of crime, Minette Walters. But I think she could now be called the Queen of historical fiction! This latest novel takes a departure from her previous two historical novels and focuses on the Civil War - Cavaliers and the Roundheads as we learnt it at school! But it’s more than “just“ a Civil War novel.

In it Ms Walters looks at the lives of women in the 17th century. Central to the narrative is Jayne Swift, a physician. An extremely unusual position for a woman in those times. In terms of the war Jayne remains neutral and her desire is to treat anyone in need of help which ever side they happen to be on. Whilst Jayne is the cement that glues the narrative together there are other characters who regularly impose themselves on the reader, in most cases quite favourably, but sometimes not! As for the title? Clearly Jane is the Swift but who is the Harrier? I’ll say this of him, he’s a man of many parts. But I’m giving nothing away. Watch out for Lady Alice, too, she is a fascinating and formidable character.

Minette Walters knows how to tell a story. An easy flowing narrative progresses at just the right pace. Scene is set very early on and the passage of war, which is seldom fast, is conveyed through a slower mid book narrative and the end of the book gathers momentum as the ends are all tied up. Characterisations that make us want to get to know these people, their lives, what makes them tick. Jayne is not exactly unpredictable but you can’t always second-guess her. She is courageous, intelligent and certainly flies the flag for women of her age and intellect. You just can’t help warming to her. Plenty of action, social comment, historical comment and maybe a hint of romance? My lips are sealed.

But as well as enjoying an engrossing story I learnt a hell of a lot about a period in history that I barely remember from my scant childhood history lessons. I feel better informed now. And I think the research was detailed and very plausible. So much so that I feel readers who might not instantly cite historical fiction as a favourite genre might well enjoy this book. Geographically too I felt that the author has a great deal of affection for Dorset and its surrounding environs.

My thanks to Readers First for a gifted copy.

        

The House of Whispers - Anna Kent

 ‘“Best“ friend returns to toxic friendship after falling out’ could hardly be considered a genre! But there have been enough of them over the years so I was initially underwhelmed when I came across the House of Whispers. But this has a twist in it that I didn’t see coming till I was fast approaching the conclusion. A twist that turned the story into a psychological tour de force as Abby and Grace explore old memories and routines.

It’s a chilling read at times and it has what I like to call the Patricia Highsmith effect where the normal and mundane are out of sync, off centre and creates a deep unease in the reader as the story spirals to its shocking conclusion.

Thematically it’s a tale of obsession and guilt. Our empathy is guided very much toward Abi, rather than Grace. Abi seems so vulnerable, almost a cliche of the tortured artist feverishly creating to exorcise the demons within. But the true nature of these demons is revealed bit by bit as the truth emerges. I was momentarily prompted to think Dorian Gray as Abi worked on her suite of portraits but the comparison lost impetus as the story progressed.

Some well drawn characters populate the novel, Abi’s well-intentioned and concerned husband, Rohan, his almost overbearing mother, Meena, and indeed the rest of his family but it’s always Abi and Grace who take centre stage. I suppose one could also include the house as another character for it does impose the hints and suggestions of its past on the story. 

The structure of the narrative draws the reader in from the beginning transcript of an interview with Abi’s husband. Right away I was thinking, Who is Abigail, what has she done? Is it a police interview, a lawyer interview, a medical interview? An opening like that can’t fail to peak your curiosity. The transcripts occur from time to time throughout the rest of the narrative still not giving anything away as to who might be conducting the interviews. Very clever.

It would be a disservice to give too much of the story away because it relies on the shock twists to work and I refuse to be Miss Spoiler 2021 but that makes it hard to review. Suffice to say a tense and heavy atmosphere is created and sustained throughout. There’s a lot of emotion in the book too particularly where Abi is concerned. Some of the action is also a little unsettling and upsetting. 

If I might be a little contrary I would’ve preferred the last chapter to have been omitted! To say why would require me to give more detail about the actual plot and I’m unwilling to do so but the preceding shocker would to my mind be a great place to end the book! 

My thanks to NB magazine for a gifted proof.

Letters of Note - compiled by Shaun Usher

 

 One of the many things I loved about this collection was the presentation. Each entry had some background information and circumstances of the individual correspondents, the printed text of the letter and in many cases a photograph of the actual document which is as close as you can get to beholding the original, without the inconvenience of those very fetching white gloves! And it’s absolutely fascinating. To see the Queen offering an American president her recipe for drop scones was somehow so uplifting!  And even if some of the “participants ” were unfamiliar to me the letters were just as interesting as the famous names I knew and revered. It’s a book I’ve been dipping in and out of since I was lucky enough to receive a gifted copy from Canongate books.

In an age where letter writing has sadly declined digital messaging seems to be the way in which we prefer to communicate. Or maybe prefer is not the right word, it seems to be a convenient way to communicate and for some people it’s the only way. So I think a book like this is so refreshing because it’s not just interesting sociologically and historically it’s also saying, hey letter writing is important. Paper trails are important. I cannot see a future where anybody is going to offer up a comparable collection of emails or WhatsApp chats. 

The first thing I did was scan the table of contents to see if any of my “favourites” were included in this collection. I’m happy to say they were. Highlight for me was one of my literary heroes, Jack Kerouac, writing to Marlon Brando! The collection boasts an eclectic mix of people from all stations in life. The emphasis, I guess, is about how interesting the letters are, how quirky and offbeat some of them are and how pertinent, thought-provoking and intelligent many of them are. In that sense it doesn’t matter whether our epistolary activists are “famous“ or not! There’s even a letter written in China in about AD 856. But in case you’re worrying that it’s all going to be “old “stuff! Fear not. People like Tom Hanks and Nick Cave feature. I would say there’s something for everyone here, and for me, it’s not a book I’m going to put away on a bookshelf it’s a book I’m going to have around me to dip into and marvel at the ‘ancient art’ of letter writing. Bring it back. And thank you, Shaun Usher, for what I think must be an absolute labour of love. I understand Mr. Usher has compiled several collections arranged thematically, love, music etc,  which I intend to explore.

Piranesi - Susannah Clarke

 

I guess this may be a marmite book. For readers who prefer the realist approach to literature this may be too challenging. For those with expansive imaginations it is sublime and surreal. Does it help to know that Piranesi was an 18th century Italian archaeologist, artist and architect? Possibly not. But subtle and nuanced cultural allusions populate the novel. Or they did for me! Narnia was conjured, quite obviously I think! And I can remember feeling that if Kafka were writing today this is the kind of book he would be producing. Lo and behold there was a reference to “The Castle” , not directly alluding to the Kafka novel, but that was my interpretation. I was reminded too of Erin Morgenstern and the Starless Sea, and in some of the descriptions of the statues, the halls, the birds, visions of Gormenghast entered my head. I started to look for these allusions. For example, what did each statue mean? We’re the names relevant? Did Raphael refer to the healing angel? But I had to stop. I felt I was trying to interpret too much from the novel. When all it was asking me to do, really, was to read it!  

It’s a story, yes. But I found it so much more, so multilayered. Allegorical. Considerations as to the notion of freedom, which always interest me, are dominant. Also the nature of isolation and solitude. The creation of an alternate reality has to be plausible. And whilst that may sound like a paradox it isn’t. When you find yourself completely immersed in the world and picturing this world as you hope the author imagined you know you’re reading fantasy fiction of quality.

It’s detailed and precise writing. Ponderous almost in places but when you realise the nature of Piranesi’s existence and the limits of his world it couldn’t be more fitting. The descriptions are incredibly visual. I wonder whether it will ever be filmed! I can picture it clearly in my head. The characters are relatively few which serves to emphasise the nature of solitude.

Piranesi, himself, is such an appealing character. There is an intrinsic calm and gentleness to him that offers the reader an almost meditative experience as you read the book. His meticulous and ordered approach in logging his life in his journals offers a curious kind of reassurance. His belief in the inherent goodness of The House, his reverence for life, and past lives, is touching. The contrast between his character and The Other further cements the reader’s loyalty to Piranesi. The adherence to his rituals almost suggest that he might be somewhere on the spectrum but he needed to follow them in order to survive. And he seems to have such a belief in the goodness of others. That was challenged certainly as the novel gathers momentum but I’m loathe to offer spoilers. This is oft quoted from the book - 

““The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.”

 - so I don’t see that as a spoiler but it comes more from the essence of Piranesi than from the world he’s describing. And I found something quasi religious, spiritual almost about it rather than some of kind of a epigram. So  - the beauty of the book is immeasurable. 😉 

It’s a book to return to I think for I can’t get the sense of allusion out of my head. I want to go back and make copious notes much in the manner of Piranesi’s journals. And it is as if by so doing I will be able to extract some deeper insights, some fundamental truths from the narrative. They may or may not be there. Sometimes I feel I’m in danger of trying to extricate too much from the book! But, arguably, is that the mark of a good book?

The Writer’s Cats - Muriel Barbery and Maria Guitart

 There was something incredibly satisfying about discovering that one of my favourite writers loves cats. Why? Because I love cats too. But I think it’s also something to do with the relationship that exists between cats and writers that offers validity for my intrinsic belief in this writer, Muriel Barbery. For me if a writer loves cats then they must be a good writer! It is a statement without substantiation, I know, for if I extrapolate it back it means that because I love cats then I must be a good writer. Sadly, I’m not.

This volume presents as deceptively simple on the surface, A cute little picture book about cats with some amusing cartoonlike drawings? Oh, look again. Delve a little deeper. Especially if you are a writer. For you will find the most acute and perceptive observations about the nature of writers. Okay, I hear you ask, so what have cats got to do with it? The entire book is narrated by a cat! One of the author’s four Chartreux cats, Kirin. Kirin introduces us to the other three cats, Ocha, Mizu, and Petrus but she also allows us a glimpse into the life and work of the writer.

The premise of the book is that the cats are actually literary consultants! They use their feline wiles to approve or disapprove of portions of the author’s manuscripts. It’s an absolute delight. It’s witty and clever. It reveals a high level of the author’s self-awareness. But it also highlights so many of those traits that writers possess - restlessness, doubt and denial. The cats call them afflictions but I do believe that without them much would not be written!

I’m in danger of revealing too much perhaps and it would be a shame because one of the delights of this book is discovering that each page is an absolute gem. From a literary sense, certainly,  but of course the book would be incomplete without the wonderful drawings by Maria Guitart. I am inclined to suggest that she too is a cat lover for with startling simplicity she has caught whiskered expressions and angles of tails that any lover and observer of cats will recognise and smile at.

There is an elegance to the book, (no hedgehogs though😉) that celebrate the wisdom, the sagacity and the sheer beingness of cats alongside the nature of writing and books, and certainly in this instance, the fusion of all of those that allows Muriel Barbery to produce the stunning work that she does.

I’m absolutely besotted with this book. It’s a delight to turn each page. It’s the perfect book for cat lovers and for writers. 

My thanks to Gallic books for a gifted copy.

How To Bring Him Back - Claire HM

This is a succinct novella which opens with a bewitching poem, it seemed to me,  rather than any kind of introduction or prologue and straight away the reader is enchanted and swept, spell like, into a paradox of prose that fuses contemporary, almost street, vernacular with whimsical insights that only a poet can compose. A maturer, wiser Cait wishes to atone and apologise for the misjudgements of her younger self as she remembers and shares with the reader her dilemma of becoming involved with two best friends, Rik and Stadd. The writer creates a palpable picture of 90’s Midlands, Birmingham to be exact, and, unflinchingly, recounts the details of her associations with these two guys who, apart, offer different relationship dynamics but if they were fused as a whole might even offer a perfect one! But, as we all know, relationships do not come with an instruction manual and there is a sense of Cait floundering through her own chaos.The basic premise is that Cait acknowledges from the persepctive of her older, more enlightened self that she did not behave in the best possible way when younger. She even describes herself as a monster. She wants to apologise to Stadd and she begins by conjuring his physical being before she begins her written reparation.

This is a poignant piece of work that I’m sure will resonate and evoke memory and regret in the hearts of many a reader. It’s a place many of us have been, considering the ‘what ifs?’ of life and knowing that that wonderful commodity - hindsight- is never there when you want it. The short story format is a perfect vehicle for this premise. To have drawn it out in a full length novel would have diluted the impact. Here, you feel Cait’s pain, her regrets and her realisations. It’s a touching piece of work, dark in places but honest in exploring the hurt people can exact upon each other when their desires yoyo from one need to another.

My thanks to Isabelle Kenyon at Fly on the Wall Press for a place upon the blog tour.

A Woman Made of Snow - Elisabeth Gifford

 I became familiar with Elisabeth Gifford’s style when I read the Good Doctor of Warsaw which I admired greatly. The Lost Lights of Kilda is on my TBR list so I was delighted when Readers First sent me a copy of her latest book, A Woman Made of Snow.

It’s historical fiction at its best. It’s well researched and the narrative flows authentically and plausibly. The scenes aboard a whaling ship are heart in the mouth moments but that is only achieved through the authenticity of the writing and research. However it’s  more than “just“ a history story. It’s a novel that examines the relationships between people and the conflicts and misunderstandings that can arise. It’s also a mystery story that requires the untangling of a complicated past and how that past can come to define not just a present but also a future.

With dual time frames between a 1940’s Northampton and Fife and an 1874 Fife Ms Gifford weaves an intriguing tale of failing fortunes, affairs of the heart, a mystery body, life in the Arctic, all of which could be crucial pieces in the jigsaw mystery of Kelly Castle and its past and the relevance of that on it’s continued existence. As the plot develops and we start to peel the layers and get to the truth the complexities are fascinating.

 Caro Gillan is the lead character who is determined to seek out the truth of the past history of her husband’s family castle and to seek her own truths in her post war world. Many strong characters populate the novel with a perception and understanding of people and their various stations within life and the world, prejudices borne out of ignorance and the lengths folk will go to satisfy that ignorance and discrimination. There are some truly heartbreaking moments in this book. But it is balanced with a great deal of positivity too.

I thought the title was ingenious. I’m sure the writer had an intention for exactly who the woman made of snow is but I found various interpretations and therefore more than one candidate who could be described thus! I’d be curious to know if other readers felt the same.

I found it to be a most satisfying read, a very enjoyable story.

        

The Apollo Murders - Chris Hadfield

I guess that fundamental to the success of any space mission, or space travel in general, precise and detailed planning is crucial. And I think that shines through in this book, the attention to detail and full descriptions even down to the shoes the characters are wearing.  And whilst in some stories this might be considered over wordy and tedious here it is one of the book’s strengths. For the reader needs all this information to process thoroughly all that is going on in this space tale of espionage, mystery and jaw dropping action on the lunar surface.

And who better to write such a tale than an astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station., Chris Hadfield. It’s authenticity with a capital ‘A” and it’s a capital yarn, to boot. Advised before the tale begins that ‘Many of these people are real. Much of this actually happened.’ had me googling! Was Apollo 18 an actual mission? There was a film of that name but as a mission Wikipedia advises it was cancelled after the Apollo 13 incident and with some financial budget concerns. Hmmmmm? The latent conspiracy theorist in me wonders……..

It might be easy to feel that this is a science fiction novel. However, I didn’t see it as that. A novel of space exploration, yes, but I feel it owes more to the thriller, psychological thriller even, genre than traditional sci fi. Let’s allow the blurb to explain.

‘As Russian and American crews sprint for a secret bounty hidden away on the lunar surface, old rivalries blossom and the political stakes are stretched to breaking point back on earth. Houston flight controller Kazimieras ‘Kaz’ Zemeckis must do all he can to keep the NASA crew together, while staying one step ahead of his Soviet rivals.

But not everyone on board Apollo 18 is quite who they appear to be.’

Kaz is your regular nice fella, the good guy, and the reader knows they need to stick with Kaz to retain some reassurance and safety as they proceed further into this reading mission. He is something of a lynchpin  throughout the entire novel. There was a sense of relief when Kaz figured in the narrative. For it gets a bit hairy in places. Some of the action that takes place would be bad enough if it were happening on earth but in space? Wow! Hang on to your hats…

But Kaz is just one in a strong cast of characters. Hadfield gets under the skin, particularly the astronauts, of his characters rendering them believable and convincing in their various and diverse roles. To a degree there was a sense of us and them, i.e. Americans and Russians but this was balanced out by demanding the reader consider the characters as people, too, rather than political players.

The narrative blasts its way along much like the spacecraft it describes. There are many threads to this novel. And the reader needs to stay on top of it all to get a real sense of the immensity of what’s going on. The breadth of the action is quite breathtaking on both a cerebral level and a good old swashbuckling level.(although I’m not sure if you can actually swash buckles in space!?!)

There is a sense of good old-fashioned storytelling, yet paradoxically there are wider, deeper issues of a political nature to be considered. The detailed technical knowledge is very accessible which was very refreshing because sometimes it can go over your head but I felt that I understood the various processes being described. That makes for a very satisfying and substantial read.

All in all this book is out of this world. Quite literally.

My thanks to Ana McLaughlin at Quercus Books for a gifted proof.
 

The Stoning - Peter Papathanasiou - Blog Tour

As a genre the crime thriller is not lacking in candidates. Folk love a good crime yarn. Often such tales are formulaic in their execution but that’s part of the appeal, maybe? It’s almost fitting the plot to the formula, standing back and lighting the blue touch paper. And there seems to be such an abundance of convoluted plots that I continue to marvel at the imaginations of crime authors. To come up with a new perspective must be hard, and a risk even? It’s a challenge that Peter Papathanasiou seems to have relished with his first novel set firmly in the crime genre. And whilst the crime is dominant in the novel it is set against a piercing backdrop that looks at the plight of refugees and indigenous peoples, gender and sexuality,  amidst a small town mentality of prejudice and racism and examining the lengths to which people will go to express their opinion of people and regimes.

The story is set in the Australian outback, so palpably described that you can feel the heat and the dust, smell the sweat and the alcohol and feel the undercurrents of anger and tensions that consume the town of Cobb. Into this cauldron of lax police procedures Detective George Manolis returns to Cobb to investigate the brutal murder of a local school teacher. As well as the murder Manolis investigates his own self, his own past and is forced to confront the skeletons in his closet.

In Manolis, Papathanasious has created a believable character, flawed yet intrinsically decent, and committed to solving crime with an attention to detail, an adherence to the correct protocols and procedures. He remains just the right side of pedantic which ensures the reader stays on his right side. Law and order seem elusive as those in relevant positions to enforce it do not seem inclined to do so. Manolis is up against it intellectually, morally and, physically even but I’ll not go down the spoiler route!

The author sustains a sense of menace throughout such that, as a reader, you only feel safe with Manolis! But the character development is skilful and first impressions can be modified as the story unfolds. Papathansiou doesn’t shy away from telling it how it is so there’s some raw, gritty confrontations which don’t aways have desirable outcomes.

There’s plenty for the reader to think about too, pertinent and topical issues, for example situations  regarding refugees and migrants and the effect of a detention centre on the ethos of a town like Cobb. But the crime and the solving of it is never far from our consciousness and, along, with Manolis, the reader grapples with the truths hidden amongst the red herrings.

The cover notes suggest this is the first story to feature Manolis. I do hope that means there will be more. I’d also like to surmise whether we might have a new antipodean police partnership on our hands, Manolis and Kerr? Over to you, Pete?! 

 My thanks to Katya Ellis and MacLehose Press for my gifted copy and a place upon the blog tour. Do check out what other bloggers felt about the book.

Hidden Hands - Mary Wellesley

As someone who has a penchant for the past and a hunger for history I sometimes ask myself what history actually is? And why does it fascinate me so? Mary Wellesley’s Hidden Hands, and books like them, play a part. For if you stop and pare it down all we know of the past, history and its people is from what has been left behind. I am of an age now where events from my younger life are now considered history and I know they are well documented, not just because I was around then and can remember them but because our methods of communications and the dissemination of knowledge and events are, not so much more sophisticated (is there anyone living today who could produce from scratch an illuminated manuscript?) but far wider reaching due to the advancements in printing and media. So anything pertaining to ‘old’ history becomes so precious and so awe inspiring. 

Hidden Hands looks specifically at manuscripts and scribes with some detailed explorations of artefacts like St. Cuthbert’s Gospel, The Winchester Bible and The Lindisfarne Gospels and some investigations into the lives of those handful of scribes and authors whose works have survived with enough detail to tell us a little about them - Bede, Chaucer. It’s not all historical figures, either, ordinary people feature, too, with their everyday struggles to earn a living and pay their way.

It’s a scholarly work with a loving attention to detail and the authors passion for her subject shines through. I learnt so much from this book. How ink was made, how colours were achieved and the sheer labour involved in these creations. The lives of some of those who were active in the productions of manuscripts was absorbing. I was fascinated learning about the anchorites.

Something else that occurred to me, too, was how through time there are some issues that endure. We like to think, in our 21st century ’freedom’ that women are slightly more emancipated than they were so nothing could have prepared me for a 15th century Welsh poet’s ‘Ode to the Vagina’! Gwerful Mechain? You rock!

Discovering that Henry VIII annotated what he read made me glad that the nowadays ubiquitous Post It note was not available to him or they might not have survived to let us know his kingly thoughts!

I also wondered that for all the material that has survived the rigours of time how much more must have been lost? Ms. Wellesley tells us of specific fires and confrontations that jeopardised some of the artefacts she refers to in the book. But all we know of history, certainly early history, is from those relics that have survived.

My copy of this book was a gifted proof from Ana McLaughlin at riverrun books but I will be purchasing a finished copy so that I can behold the visual beauty of the manuscripts. I am someone who gets a palpable buzz from concrete evidence of history. I cannot pass the Tower of London without getting goosebumps. and I know that were I to physically behold something that Henry VIII had actually written on every nerve ending would be fizzing!

My final thoughts are about words and books and how much they have contributed to our detailed knowledge and understanding of the past. But also the skill and artistry that existed and allowed such manuscripts to be produced. And I was also reminded of Amy Jeff’s Storyland which retells myths and legends of Britain and Cnut is mentioned here as well as in Hidden Hands. The synchronicity of reading two books in the same month that mentions Cnut somehow delights me! So much of the past is revealed to us through words and pictures. Not merely the events of the age but the social histories and protocols of an age we might find hard to comprehend in our ‘enlightened’ lives today. And without the past there is no present - and certainly no future.

 

The Antarctica of Love - Sara Stridsberg translated by Deborah Bragan Turner

  How many times do we read of the most barbaric murders and atrocities in the papers? It fills the media for a while until some kind of resolution is reached, arrest, conviction maybe and it soon becomes yesterday’s news. But how often do we ever go beneath the surface of the media stories to consider the life before death in any meaningful way?

‘ Inni is a rebellious teenager, a volatile young woman, a drug user, a sex worker, an unstable mother… She lives her life on the margins, but it is a life that is full, complex, filled with different shades of dark and light. Until it is brutally ended one summers day, on a lake shore at the heart of a distant, rainwashed forest.

But Inni’s story doesn’t end with her murder. We sit with her as she watches her children, parents and friends living on in the world without her, hoping, as time passes, that they will still remember her.’

I found this to be quite an extraordinary book. Very upsetting and harrowing on one level yet the quality of the poetic lyricism of the prose, so wonderfully translated by Deborah Bragan Turner, transcends the brutality of what has happened to Inni, the main character.

I suppose I can be forgiven for being reminded of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones which is the only other book I can currently think of that allows a deceased person to comment on what has happened to them. But whereas Sebold takes the innocence of a child Stridsberg’s character is not innocent but all too aware of the harshness of the world she’s inhabited, the nature of the life she’s lived, before her life is cruelly cut short.

Inni tells her story, without any pretension and without any real recrimination,  and our hearts break for her as we learn of her loves and her losses and her downward spiral into addiction, prostitution and despair. A life lived on the edge, eventful, emotional and signposted toward tragedy. A sense of hopelessness pervades her secular life. She considers the effects of both her life and her death on her parents, her children and her lovers and we are allowed glimpses into how they are dealing with their situations. Whether this can be categorised as a merely a novel is questionable for it enters the realm of literature, art, call it what you will. There is something sublime about the narrative and the construction of the book. And the most emotionally encompassing paradox; Inni’s almost tender gentleness as she tells her bleak history. And how perfectly expressed is that curious universal concern so many of us have just wondering whether we will be remembered after we’ve departed this soil. 

It’s not a comfortable read. And yet intertwined between the cruelty is beauty; the beauty of love, the beauty of life. This is one of those books that will probably never leave you.

My thanks to Katya Ellis at Quercus Books for a gifted proof.

The Leftovers - Cassandra Parkin

I’ve read a couple of Cassandra Parkin’s books and I have more waiting on my TBR shelves. I was fortunate enough to interview her a few years ago when Underwater Breathing was published and she remains firmly on my radar. I am always interested to see what she’s up to!  Her books are unusual and deceptive in her ability to take a situation and send it hurtling every which through your reader mind leaving you sometimes battered and bruised emotionally but with that satisfying feeling of  having read a book of substance.

The Leftovers is a challenging read in that it explores themes of ‘sexual power and consent’ together with notions of love and friendship, and making choices. Pertinent topically, too, there’s reference to the effects of lockdown on residents of institutions. Also of consideration is the treatment of mental illness and the wider reaching effects on both sufferer and family. It’s dark in places, hard hitting but the threads of love tie it all together.

Callie is the narrator, fragile and flawed, yet caring and loving. She cares for her brother and she has a client, Frey, who she cares for too. A tragic event is the catalyst for Callie to recount and examine her past and its impact on her present. Ms. Parkin seems to have an intuitive ability to understand and create characters that both fulfil a role in the narrative but also present as complete people who step off the page and into the readers’ hearts. Frey just broke my heart! But for him to do that he needed a writer who could articulate, so effectively and movingly, an autistic mind and bring him to life. The novel is very much character driven, Callie’s family and her colleague Josh are the cement which keep the narrative flowing through all its tribulations. Josh is a lovely character, aways seeming positive and upbeat and his treatment of Frey is delightful in his ability to care without making a big deal out of it.

The book is a little like a roller coaster ride with peaks and troughs of unspeakable harshness and whimsical sequences of harmony and tenderness. Ultimately in spite of all that Callie goes through the conclusion, like life, is ambiguous. Some readers may find that off-putting if they are the kind of reader who wants all their ends neatly tied up but for others there is much to resonate for some time after you’ve finished the story.

My thanks to Legend Press and NetGalley for a gifted copy.