Conquest - Nina Allan

A new book from Nina Allan is always a cause for celebration. You never know what she’s going to come up with next. Always genre defiant but there are those who wish to label this latest novel, Conquest, as science fiction and I can see why. But, wow, it is so very much more. It performs on so many different layers from poetic prose that is rich in metaphor and imagery, a plot that is complex yet so finely tuned it takes your breath away, to the concepts explored within its mighty depths. And I’d be surprised if you didn’t at some point while reading to listen to some Bach! 😉

This is one of those books where you wish that the ubiquitous ‘blurb’ had never been invented, because it tells of just the basic story, giving no clue as to how rich this book is, or on how many levels it can be appreciated. As a story, it’s a great one, vulnerable man, probably on the spectrum, goes missing after meeting some online people, heartbroken partner enlists the services of a private detective, whose past won’t leave her.

But the spiders web of connections between people and places and themes is mind blowing. And I find myself almost powerless to do justice to it with my inadequate words. It’s structurally diverse with a straightforward third person narrative giving us the story. But then there is a book within a book, a novella referenced in the text is offered to us in its entirety partway through the book. It’s crucial to the overall understanding thematically to read the novella. But I know from reading Nina Allan’s previous two novels that she does like to insert other stories within the main body of her stories to good effect. Also, in the story are articles written by some of the characters, again significant to the overall understanding. There is much about musical structure and the book is resplendent with cultural references to poetry and cinema and I marvelled at how all these strands are tied so perfectly together. 

Alien war, conspiracy theories, pandemic, it’s all here. And yet it’s all presented with an air of plausibility. You get the sense that Robin, the detective, is halfway to believing that aliens have already populated our planet. And I guess the reader along with her does so too. I’m not going to go into my own personal beliefs about this subject. It’s not relevant here, but the ideas in the book really struck a chord with me.

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. There were parts where I was holding my breath not just at the ideas contained within the book but the quality of the writing. It’s so intelligent, demonstrating such a wide and deep breadth of knowledge. It’s so culturally rich. I just want to read it all over again. And I can’t wait for Nina Allan’s  next book.

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

Homelands - Chitra Ramaswamy

 

This is, I believe, a quite sui generis book for it transcends one’s traditional understanding of what a memoir or a biography/ autobiography might be. It tells of two lives lived separately yet there are subtle parallels and the two stories are united by a quite unique friendship between a Jewish refugee escaping Nazi Germany and an Indian woman whose parents were immigrants.

The Indian woman is the author, Chitra Ramaswamy, who intertwines the story of her own life with that of the wonderful Henry Wuga, in his 90’s, who escaped the Holocaust on the Kindertransport. And that is a heady mix for a book that, whether intended or not, covers myriad issues - immigration, migration, prejudice and racism, friendship and family, bereavement and survival rather than it being a ‘mere’ recounting of two lives.

The structure is not conventional in that it doesn’t follow a chronological path and that makes the book seem even more real. It shows aspects of one person’s life divulged though time and understanding, and as the friendship develops both learn more and more of each others lives.

There’s an intelligent clarity on the part of the author whose perception seeps into every page saturating the text with an implicit understanding of all that she’s writing about. Our lives are complex and different but there are many strands here that will resonate with readers. It’s all quite beautifully written no matter that some of the events described are sometimes difficult and heartbreaking to read about. There is much raw emotion especially when the author is writing about grief.

It’s confident writing and as a reader I felt I was in capable hands. It’s an immersive read, easily accessible  despite the unconventional chronology which doesn’t jar at all and that isn’t always the case.

I read this as part of a Canongate readalong and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

Lyrics for the Loved Ones - Anne Goodwin

 I guess it’s the mark of a good writer when a reader feels some kind of emotional attachment to a created character. I read Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home and fell in love with the character of Matty. I felt outraged at all she’d endured and I wanted desperately for everything to turn out ‘okay’ for her. I wrote about that book on this blog a couple of years ago. Here’s the link. 

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2021/05/matilda-windsor-is-coming-home-anne.html

Briefly the book looks at the life of one woman incarcerated from early adulthood in a psychiatric institution for fifty years. Unjustly. 

I then read a delightful novella, Stolen Summers, which tells of Matty at Ghyllside asylum.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2022/10/stolen-summers-anne-goodwin.html

Lyrics for the Loved Ones completes Matty’s story. Because of the wider issues covered in this book I think it can be appreciated if you haven’t read the previous stories about Matty but the best experience would be to read them all in sequence.

Lyrics for the Loved Ones sees Matty on the cusp of her hundredth birthday. That in itself is a joyous concept after all she’s been through, all she’s endured. She’s now in a care home in Cumbria. Covid is just around the corner which together with #BlackLivesMatter disturbs Matty’s equilibrium. But where Matty Windsor Is Coming Home told of Henry, Matty’s brother and Janice a care worker this third book goes further. 

The chapters with their regional headings - West Cumbria, Bristol and Somerset offer us a dual narrative with different characters and their diverse tentacles ultimately lead in some way back to Matty. But these characters have their own stories and their challenges to deal with making this very much a multi layered fiction. Some of these issues are challenging and in the wrong hands could render a story dark and unforgiving. But Anne Goodwin has the knack of striking that balance between injecting an element of lightheartedness into the narrative without diffusing the gravity of the situations. Neither does any one thrust swamp another. It’s well judged. It’s thoughtful work that enables us to react to some of the world’s craziness and immorality alongside the characters in the book. Some are situations we can all identify with, especially lockdown, others were events we must have witnessed in the news, for example: Windrush, George Floyd, but reading this book they are given palpable impact. I’ve avoided divulging too much of the plot but something I loved was seeing Matty embrace modern technology! YouTube, Zoom and tablets!  Central to the book is a consideration of the complexities and nuances of human relationships. How people are driven, how they behave, and react to others and themselves. Matty is the cement that binds it all together. Happy 100th birthday, Matty. ❤️

My thanks to the author for gifting me an inscribed copy. 

Uncontrollable - Sara Staggs

 

Don’t you just love it when you get a book where the author is previously unknown to you? You have absolutely no expectations and yet you’re absolutely riveted from the first few sentences. Such has been my experience reading this debut novel from Sara Staggs.

Set in Portland, Oregon, (which coincidentally is one of the few West Coast cities I have visited!) Uncontrollable tells the story of lawyer, Casey Scott, her husband, Jonah and their children. Jonah works at a downtown advertising agency (I had a friend who worked in just such an agency in downtown Portland!). Both seem to be managing their careers and their family life. But Casey has epilepsy. The novel explores, with depth and feeling the pressure this places on the whole family as Casey’s seizures get worse. When a doctor tells her bluntly she could die if her condition is not controlled Casey faces an impossible decision. Should she choose her career, all that she’s worked for and dreamed of, or does she choose her family and her health? The story examines what happens when plans don’t – go to plan. What happens to a family and the whole nature of compromise and survival when things go so frighteningly wrong.

I found the book very well constructed. It’s a dual narrative, so we get both Jonah’s and Casey’s points of view. In that sense, we are never encouraged to take sides. And it’s easy to see where both of them are coming from. They are flawed and human.  The emotion is raw and palpable. I found them well drawn and believable characters. And if you knew little about epilepsy, then this is the fiction to educate you. The sequences in the book that detail treatments and procedures are jaw dropping . And my heart goes out to this author, because there’s no way she could write about this without having undergone it herself and believe me, it’s highly challenging for the bravest and strongest of individuals.

I think there can be a danger when you’re writing about something so close to you that a degree of sentiment and subjectivity can creep in, but that never happens in this book. It’s well plotted and accessible. The narrative remains objective. And the focus isn’t solely upon the subject of epilepsy. As a litigator, Casey is involved in a high-profile court case which highlights the #MeToo movement.

It’s an impressive debut novel, entertaining, thought provoking and enlightening. I look forward to more from this writer.

My thanks to Librarything, and the author, herself, for gifting me an inscribed copy. 

Service - Sarah Gilmartin

This is a story told from three different perspectives. So it presents very much as a character driven novel. But to achieve this Sarah Gilmartin has had to get under the skin of three very different people and to examine the same situation from their varying points of view. The setting is a Michelin starred restaurant. The first thing that struck me whilst reading was the portrayal of life in a high-end restaurant and kitchen. I found myself wondering if this author had waitressed in such an establishment. That was whilst I read Hannah‘s first chapter. Then when I read Daniel’s first chapter, I pondered whether this writer had also been a chef in a busy eatery!! But when I read Julie‘s chapter I surmised that this novelist may even have been married to a successful chef and restauranteur. And that’s perhaps my long winded way of saying that the research is impeccable with a most convincing narrative. You can feel the heat of the kitchen and the tension among the staff as they all rally to produce the most perfect service.

It’s a slow burn narrative, that feeds us, mouthful by mouthful, the stories of all three protagonists. Chef Daniel has been accused of sexual assault. Hannah hears about this and recalls her time in his restaurant. Wife Julie looks back over the years she spent at Daniel’s side, the lives they have built with their children. 

The story develops, powerfully, and examines issues of what is acceptable behaviour, and what is not, and from whose standpoint. Initially their accounts are perfectly plausible, perfectly believable. So is somebody lying? You don’t get that impression to begin with so you’re constantly wondering is there anybody here whose objectivity may be flawed?

But as the story progresses things seem to become clearer. Or does that depend on the reader’s point of view? I found myself becoming more and more sympathetic to Hannah. And I found myself becoming more and more critical of Daniel and convinced of his guilt. And I found myself commiserating with Julie and her sons.

Daniel seems to feel that as some kind of culinary genius, he is entitled to allowances for his behaviour. He also seems to feel that people are against him. Julie finds herself beginning to question and doubt the entire fabric upon which their relationship has developed. Poor Hannah has clearly been damaged by her experience. I’m not wishing to detail what’s happened because I don’t want to offer any spoilers.

It’s very much a novel of our times. You can’t help but think of the whole #MeToo movement amidst recent exposures and rightful condemnation of sexual harassment and abuse that’s been uncovered in past decades. So it’s not a comfortable read. There are no winners at the end, regardless of the outcome of any court cases. But I guess it is a story that needs to be told. There are situations here that need to be propelled into a wider consciousness, so that perhaps it may have an impact on whether such behaviours continue to happen. 

I thought it extremely well written. Very tight and well constructed plot. The exposition was controlled and skilful creating a compelling story.

My thanks to Kate Wilkinson at Pushkin Press for a gifted proof.

I had a burning question to put to the author. She was good enough to spare time from her busy schedule to answer me. I’m very grateful and to Kate Wilkinson for facilitating.

Three protagonists, three points of view. To do that, you must have had to get under the skin of very different people coming to the situation from different perspectives. I was wondering how you did that? And I was wondering about the types of research you must have needed to do in order to achieve it?

 As a writer I’m drawn to ambivalence, ambiguity, grey areas. I’m curious about how people work, how they behave under pressure, when they think no one is watching, our public and private selves, all of that is the bones of literature. I wanted to tell a story about the abuse of power from different perspectives as I felt it was a subject that could potentially have multiple interpretations. I was interested in nuance and in leaving enough space for the reader to make up their own mind. 

 

With Julie, I was struck that when you hear or read about MeToo stories in the media, one person you never or rarely hear from is the partner of the abuser. Certainly they’re not the most important voice in the scenario – the victim is – but you do think, or least I do, what must it feel like for the partner of the predator? A woman whose life is being ripped apart in a different way by the same man. I wanted to know more about women in this position. In their own words. With Hannah, we have a different, younger, in some ways closer-to-the-action female perspective. Although she’s in her 30s now, in many ways Hannah is stuck in the past, her summer at the restaurant, as survivors of trauma often are, trying to get on with things but being continually brought back to the point where their lives were derailed. She’s also our guide to the restaurant world, which can often be very colourful and entertaining. Finally with Daniel, for me the story didn’t feel cohesive without his perspective. He was a compelling character to write, a talented man, celebrated in his field, who has clearly defined private and public personas, and an aura of false humility; he’s a self-fashioned art monster. Then on another level, he’s a predator, with a huge amount of ego and vanity.

 

All three characters were interesting to me in their own right, which is key, and then they also had important things to contribute with regards to the subject matter of the book. I didn’t do a huge amount of research – read a lot about MeToo in the media, watched some Masterchef – but I worked as a waitress myself in my 20s so had a good idea of the world, the highs and lows, stresses and perks. Characters, once I have an idea of who they are, how they operate and what they want, tend to grow organically on the page. That’s the beauty of fiction!

 

 

The Mill House Murders - Yukito Ayatsuji translated from the Japanese by Ho-Ling Wong

 You know when you get a locked room mystery that all the clues you need to determine who the perpetrator is are all there. But how often do you actually come up with the right answer!? If you’re anything like me - not very often. Also, if you’re anything like me you end up wanting to kick yourself because it all seems so obvious in the end. I think the real trick is to pay close attention. It’s not easy to do and I found it particularly challenging in this book, I think, because of the Japanese names. I was so grateful for the list of characters and the map which I made good use of.

It’s very much in the classic crime, golden age of crime mode, although it’s set in 1985 and 1986. 

‘Ever since a horrific car accident, Fujinuma Kiichi has lived a reclusive existence in the remote Mill House, his scarred face hidden behind a rubber mask. Then one stormy night, the tranquility of his retreat is shattered by gruesome murder, a baffling disappearance and the theft of a priceless painting.

The brilliant Shimada Kiyoshi arrives on the scene, but as he investigates the seemingly impossible events that evening, death strikes, again, and again…

Can Shimada get to the truth before the killer gets to him? And can you solve the mystery of the Mill House murders before he does?’

Well, I didn’t. I had some inklings, but I simply couldn’t tie up all of the ends in the right sequence. And that’s the beauty of a story and a plot like this. It keeps a reader on their toes.

The narrative pivots between 1985 and 1986, the past and the present. There is an almost ghostly, almost macabre quality to the writing that renders the whole scene, somehow eerie and unnerving. That’s a perfect recipe for a murder mystery. With the map at the beginning of the book, sometimes I felt like it was some kind of literary Cluedo game I was playing, or reading! 

The characters sometimes presented as stylised caricatures with exaggerated nuances - like Yurie, so unbelievably solitary and protected from life, Oishi, the art dealer focused on the material side of life, Kuramoto, the inscrutable butler. And did the butler do it? 😉 I’m not going to say! As the story progresses, you feel that the characters, one by one, are falling apart mentally and emotionally. As with all locked room stories, suspicions are flying everywhere. Everybody suspects everybody else.

The conclusion is quite creepy, but very clever. The whole thing is devilishly clever. This author is Japan’s answer to Agatha Christie! Reading this has made me interested in seeking out a copy of The Decagon House murders now.

My thanks to Pushkin Vertigo for my gifted copy.

If I Should Die - Anna Smith

 

This is the second Billie Carlson novel, and I will confess I’ve not read the first, but I have a feeling that may change having just finished this one!

It’s an uncompromising thriller that hurtles the reader about between two storylines. One concerns the death of a young student whose death appears to be suicide as far as the police are concerned but that doesn’t satisfy the family, the other is about Billie’s missing son in the U.S. There is always a danger when a writer does this that one  plot detracts from the other, but that doesn’t happen here. I suppose we have to thank digital communication to a degree! Because wherever Billie might find herself, she can keep up-to-date on both situations with the use of a trusty mobile phone.

Billie is a formidable character, kicking butt wherever she goes but with a vulnerability that isn’t always obvious. From a private investigator doing mundane jobs for ordinary clients Billie becomes enmeshed in some shady doings with some nefarious individuals who do not shy away from violent and brutal solutions to their problems. And that goes for both plots! And I will not give away too much about the plots.

Very much the page turner it’s big on action and an easy read. There’s some relationship shenanigans which don’t intrude on the plot or action too much. For lovers of the genre it’s entertaining and satisfying. But I reckon you’ll be hungry for the next in the series, or, if you’re like me you’ll be scuttling off to seek out the first book! 

Thanks to Joe Christ’s at Quercus Books for a gifted copy. 

The Medici Murders - David Hewson

 I first became aware of David Hewson, when I read his novelisations of the Danish TV series The Killing and I absolutely loved those adaptations.

But I’ve never read anything else by him, so I was delighted to get my hands on a proof of this histfic thriller set in Venice. Often, when a story is set in a certain place, the location has little impact on the narrative. The story could be set anywhere. That isn’t the case here. Venice is almost another character in the story. The author’s knowledge and love of the city is palpable as he describes the lesser details of Venice that is to say off the beaten track, not the tourist locations although they feature too.

It’s a complex storyline, the present day weaving with the past most satisfactorily. It’s what I like to call a ‘revelatory’ novel where the reader is fed all the information they need via one person telling another. So you’re not getting the events in real time until the end when there is an almost Agatha Christie like exposition.

I found it to be very much the cerebral mystery. It’s not a book of intense action and nailbiting thrills. It’s nuanced, particularly the denouement, which is so subtle and unexpected. If there is such a thing as a literary thriller, then this would be it. The writing is substantial with a slow paced, slow burning narrative, where we explore the characters of Valentina Fabbri, the female detective and Arnold Clover a widowed archivist who has retired to Venice. Hewson develops a fascinating dynamic between these two. The other characters play their part effectively, and I will not be drawn into giving anything away. The murdered man, Marmaduke Godolphin, is obnoxious, and the way he plays his cruel games with people is despicable. And the reader is not encouraged to waste any emotion on his passing. So there is plenty of room to focus all of the attention on the how’s and whys and who’s. It’s a clever story. 

My thanks to Canongate Books for a gifted proof.

None of This is Serious - Catherine Prasifka

 

Very much a novel of our time, and probably relevant to a younger audience than this OAP, None of this is Serious, explores the life of Sophie, who is shedding her student mantle and hatching herself into the ‘real’ world. The need for some kind of job, somewhere to live and someone to love occupy her. Both her crutch, and paradoxically, her non crutch seems to be social media. Stylistically I was reminded of Sally Rooney, not just because the story is set in Dublin, I hasten to add, it’s more the narrative style, and the sense that it is a coming-of-age novel.

Everything is from Sophie‘s point of view, including a global incident that is quite unique and original, and I don’t want to divulge it as it will be a spoiler for those who might read this book, so you need to bring a measure of interpretation to events. But overall, the novel depicts quite accurately the dilemma of living in our digital age and how it impacts upon our lives, our self-image and self-esteem. In some ways it’s as if there are two Sophies - the social media, online Sophie and the ordinary life Sophie and the two don’t necessarily converge. Sadly I think this is frighteningly accurate of how a number of people live their lives today. 

At times I got frustrated with Sophie because she seems so lacking in animation and wanting to blame everybody else, and I think her friend Grace felt the same on occasions. But I worry that perhaps some of that is because I’m a lot older. I can only begin to imagine what it must be like as a young person in today’s world. I don’t envy them. Attitudes are perhaps more clearly defined today, even if they’re not appropriately dealt with. I’m thinking of the #MeToo movement and some male behaviours. I think the novel does perfectly illustrate how overwhelming the amount of information, attitudes and opinions on social media can be and the sense of bombardment that can occur. But overall, as a novel, it was a paradox, because it seemed very familiar and hackneyed in some places, but startlingly original in others.

I think it’s a kind of book to provoke many a discussion perhaps for book clubs. I think a lot of youngsters today will be able to relate to it very easily. Without it being too much of a cliche, I think it is a Gen Z  book but this old baby boomer certainly enjoyed reading it!

I read this book as part of a Canongate Books read along, and I’m grateful to them for my gifted copy.

Act of Oblivion - Robert Harris

 I found some irony in reading about the execution of Charles I in the days, preceding the coronation of Charles III! Opinions on the monarchy are as divided now as they were when this book is set, but one fervently hopes that the outcomes are divergent.

Specifically the novel focuses on the obsession of Richard Nayler who is hunting down Colonel Edward Whalley, and his son-in-law, William Goffe. Both are wanted for the murder of Charles Stuart. Nayler is the only fictitious character according to the author’s note at the beginning of the book. And it’s a good fact to furnish the reader with, because it would be very easy to get carried away, believing this story to be as it actually happened. The writing is so convincing. But it is historical fiction, so fiction is the operative word.

It’s a good old yarn, from a master storyteller, with some extensive research and a wealth of imagination. It’s ambitious in that Harris attempts to look at events from every angle which provides the reader with a dilemma. For you remain torn between rooting for Nayler to achieve his quest and Whalley and Goffe to evade capture. Both possess a fanaticism that seems to drive their every action. And I think action is probably the operative word here. There’s much of it - crossing continents in storm-struck seas, surviving in the wild, all very convincing , not to mention some palpable descriptions of London during the plague, and the Great Fire. It’s all very gripping for sure. The main characters do a lot of soul-searching, questioning the morality of their thoughts and their actions, reflecting on a past that they cannot change, trying to survive for a future they cannot see. 

This book has been shortlisted for the Walter Scott Historical Fiction prize 2023, and I am grateful to that organisation for my gifted copy.