October Round Up

I started the month with another Ann Cleeves. This one was procured from a charity shop which pleases me greatly. Another Vera story. Entirely predictable but always enjoyable.

Next stop is a completely different kettle of fish. Nicola Dinan's Disappoint Me. It's not published until January next year. I have read it, obviously, and I've reviewed it but I'll keep the wraps on the review until nearer publication date. Suffice to say that I think this writer is somebody quite special. If you've read Bellies, you'll know what I mean. 

So, it's turning out to be a month of contrast! Nothing wrong with that. This paperback was republished to tie in with the screen version of the story. I reviewed it on my blog. https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-radleys-matt-haig.html

I won this in a Librarything giveaway. It's the third in a series. The series is called The Race is On. it worked reasonably well as a standalone, but I think reading the first two might have enhanced to my enjoyment of this one. It was an action packed rea,  very topical since quantum teleportation could mean the end of global warming! So it's dystopian and futuristic.

Fly on the Wall Press continue to publish interesting quirky collections and this is no exception. I wrote about the stories on my blog. https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2024/10/modern-gothic-various-authors.html

This next book was an utter delight. I began reading it with no expectations. I knew nothing of the author previously only that she was local and I met her in our local bookshop. But it's easily one of my favourite books this year. I reviewed it on my blog. https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2024/10/if-crows-could-talk-debs-hobbs-wyatt.html

If Crows Could Talk - Debz Hobbs-Wyatt

 

I sometimes look at the best sellers lists in bookstores, in papers and magazines. I see the latest celebrity to commit the minutiae of their life to paper, the author who already has an impressive oeuvre of best-selling work, the personality turned novelist selling books by the bucketful, the latest film/TV ties in. Then I look at the book I’m holding in my hand, and I ask – why? Why isn’t this book on those lists?  It’s every bit as good if not better than some appearing there. And then I understand that publishing is a funny old business these days. Quality doesn’t always equate with sales and success. 

On paper this book sounds like an anomaly – an Essex lass from Canvey Island writes a novel about America and civil rights? Yet it is so good on so many levels that it is easily one of my favourite books this year. 

 

Debz Hobbs-Wyatt is an award-winning writer for her short stories. So unsurprisingly, it's very well written. There’s an intriguing premise; the two main characters both share the same birthday, but they were born fifty years apart in the same town. George’s story is set over fifty years, April’s over a single year. The narrative yoyos between the two protagonists who initially seem to have nothing in common aside from their birthplace and birthdate. But as the story unfolds the astute reader can pick up the signs that there has to be some kind of link between the two. It’s so cleverly done it blew me away as I started to make the connections.

 

I think this is the best example I’ve come across of the leitmotiv technique in a contemporary novel. It’s used so simply, yet so subtly - here it’s an utter delight to experience. 

 

The story is an immersive one and you could be forgiven for believing it to be written by an American author with roots in the South.  It is so authentic. The research is impeccable from the USA school system to the rules of baseball! The dialogue so convincing it envelops you from the start and transports to you to Georgia and Florida. The atmosphere of those times for African Americans is palpable. The politics are there but it is not an overtly political novel, more a sociological one.

 

George is just such a wonderful character. He has his flaws, but it makes him so real. A man of dignity but hurting so much inside. Troubled teen, April, will tug at your heart. The amateur psychologist in you will try to diagnose but the truth will not be revealed until you near the conclusion of the book. All the characters have their roles to play and they do so very well. I loved Lydia, and I understand she features as a character in a previous novel which I’m keen to get my hands on! Molly is a beautiful character with her perception and understanding.

 

The denouement is heartbreaking and will perhaps remind you of similar events that have occurred in various places over time. Once understanding has been reached all the strands of this spider web tale are drawn together. I suppose if I’m honest I found the last few pages lacked the impact of the bulk of the book, I saw them as an attempt to tie all the ends up neatly and that goal was achieved with compassion and hope.

 

For inasmuch as some of the events in this book are shocking and upsetting there is redemption. It’s a multi themed book – racism, bigotry as one might expect from a civil rights story but there’s family and friendship and spiritualism and faith and hope and love abide and the greatest of these is love. 

 

But what of the crows, I hear you ask? Oh no, I’m not going to say. Best you read the book. 😉

 

 

 

Lying Perfectly Still - Laura Fish

 I read this book and drafted this review before the tragic news that Laura Fish had passed away. Her book publishes today in Black History Month. Through her work her legacy lives on. 

Lying Perfectly Still by Laura Fish is an observation of the corruption within the aid industry from a fictional perspective.

Set in Swaziland Koliwe (Xolile) raised in England, but returning to the land of her late father begins a hopeful career as an aid worker. But soon finds herself caught up in cultural and moral conflicts, which cause her to question everything and everyone.

The novel is a quite beautiful and sustained exploration of a world where beliefs contradict each other around every corner, and one girl gets caught up in it all. Koliwe is a mass of contradictions. There are times when you want to protect her from the evils that are lurking and threaten to engulf her vulnerability and naivety. There are other times when she seems to perceive the entire root of the problem and behave accordingly. Her dual name suggests this paradox within her, a split personality almost. Xolile is the Swazi pronunciation of her name. I certainly felt a lot of empathy towards her and the disillusion that she was experiencing. It’s very well portrayed by the author and I found Koliwe a very endearing character. I cannot say the same for Cameron Cuthbert! An exacting portrayal of an odious and immoral man. And you get to wonder how somebody so obnoxious secures a position of seniority.

In tandem with Koliwe’s story is also the story of a Swazi girl, Thandi which will break your heart. Or at least it broke mine. It offers an injection of mystery and intrigue into the novel as well as further highlighting the failures in some aid programmes. 

I’ve always been in admiration of aid workers believing that their input could only improve the lives of those in developing countries. This book has challenged that, perhaps very stereotypical, perception. I’m sure that there are some excellent aide agencies out there, but for the purposes of this fiction, this particular organization fails to meet the needs of its community. And there also seemed to be an incredible gulf between the local people and the bureaucrats and foreign aid workers.

I think that one of the mistakes the Western world makes is that it only tries to understand different cultures from its own perspective instead of from the perspective of that particular culture so in effect, there is no real understanding, and without that effective aid can’t take place. I think the book illustrates this very well.

I found it fascinating to read about the rituals performed formed by the indigenous peoples, such an important part of different cultures and I thought that in this instance opened Koliwe's eyes to her heritage and allowed her to connect with her ancestry.

It's certainly a book that poses questions and considerations for the reader to ponder. It's not a light read but it's well written and engaging.

My thanks to Fly on the Wall Press for a gifted copy. 

 

Modern Gothic - Various Authors

 

"Gothic" is a term oft bandied about within the realms of fiction. Frequently it's applied to an historical novel that presents as quite dark and bleak. But in many instances it's not really Gothic at all - just a bleak and dark historical novel!

Wikipedia would have us believe that Gothic is a  'loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting.' I've always been intrigued by the definitions of the term which are many. For me a true gothic story bestows upon me an indefinable sense of horror and disquiet, an atmosphere that shrouds the soul. One thinks of Frankenstein and Melmoth,  Edgar Allan Poe and H P Lovecraft. So I found it a bold assertion to offer a collection of Modern Gothic tales. But as I read this engrossing collection I realised that the modern refers to them being written recently! For, apart from references to emails in one story, there is an otherworldly, historical, timeless even, flavour to these stories which adhere to those elements that produce that 'gothic feel' but the settings never feel modern.

It's a modest sized collection than spans less than one hundred and fifty pages but it's quality not quantity that counts here. Every story is a compelling tour de force of unease, incredulity with that necessary chill factor that is a must for the true gothic. 

I think my favourite was Rose Biggins' A Respectable Tenancy. A short epistolary story it defies belief in its premise! I'll say no more! (There maybe be tenant readers who feel it is a metaphoric allusion to the state of affairs today! 😉) I also really enjoyed Dark Water (not to be confused with the Elizabeth Lowry novel of the same name which does pertain to the Gothic!) But all of the stories filled me with a sense of foreboding and unease. 

The writing in all of the stories is excellent. All of these authors understand the short story medium so well, not to mention the elements of a gothic fiction! It's a well arranged collection of stories too. The stories are diverse yet they work very well together. I think in part that is due to how well curated the collection is. For example had the last story in the collection been the first it would have evoked a different sense to the anthology as a whole.

I would like to credit all the writers here, for although I have cited two of my favourite stories I can't say that there were any that I didn't enjoy. 

So Lerah Mae Barcenilla, Lauren Archer, Rose Biggin, Michael Bird, Pete Hartley and Edward Karshner Thank you!! And further thanks to Fly on the Wall Press who've done a grand job with this book.  

The Radleys - Matt Haig

 

I don't know about you but my TBR is heaving and shows no signs of diminishing. And that's just the physical copies of books. I have my handwritten lists too that seem to multiply faster than a colony of rabbits. Sometimes I despair because there are books on the list that I fear I will never get to read. Trust me, the older you get the worse that fear becomes, and yikes,  I'm getting old. Matt Haig's The Radleys was one of the books on that list. Originally published in 2010 I always had Boo Radley in my mind ( a character in To Kill a Mockingbird) which was the motivation for my wanting to read the book! As it turns out there is little to link the two other than, perhaps, a sense of mystery. Precipitated by the screen adaptation of the story and a republication of the paperback edition with a movie tie in cover those lovely folk at Canongate Book sent me a copy. I have now triumphantly crossed it off my TBR list! It was worth the wait!

'Life with a Radleys: Radio 4, dinner parties with the Bishopthorpe neighbours and self denial. Loads of self denial. But all hell is about to break loose. When teenage daughter Clara gets attacked on the way home from a party, she and her brother Rowan finally discover why they can't sleep, can't eat a Thai salad without fear of asphyxiation and can't go outside unless they're smothered in factor 50.

With a visit from their lethally louche Uncle Will and an increasingly suspicious police force, life in Bishopthorpe is about to change. Drastically.'

Funny and entertaining in a quite gruesome way on occasions! I loved the juxtaposition of this family desperately trying to be 'normal' when they were anything but. I don't want to give away the premise for anyone who doesn't know because the gradual exposition of exactly who and what the Radleys are is delightfully done. 

If you're a fan of Matt Haig and you've read any of his other books -  I can't say you know what to expect because his books are all so different - but you will recognise the overall flavour. 

This paperback edition published on October 10th so I'm a little tardy with this review. I apologise. 

Smoke and Murders - J.L.Blackhurst

There's no shortage of crime fighting duos in books or TV shows so it takes some doing to come up with a different slant on the concept. But J.L.Blackhurst has done just that with her sisters, Tess Fox and Sarah Jacobs. The twist is that one is a bona fide cop on the right side of the law and the other is........ a con artist! Think Hustle meets Jane Tennison. 

Smoke and Murders is the second in the series and when I was informed that I would be receiving an advance copy of the book I made sure to read the first, Three Card Murder, prior to it. However I don't believe it is vital to have read the first book ahead of the second but it does furnish the reader with the back stories. These are disclosed throughout the second book but I will admit to being glad I did read Three Card Murder first.

I enjoyed the characters of Tess and Sarah. They are so different but the dynamic between them works well and they achieve a balance that underpins the whole story. In fact it did occur to me that this book is more character driven than the first one which is plot driven. Family is explored in more depth and other characters are introduced.

The plots of both books hinge on the locked room or impossible crime mystery which is always a winner for me! I love the theories put forward and usually marvel at the actual explanation. 

There are two murders in this story, a local politician's toasted remains are found inside an effigy and it is unclear how they got there and the second body is murdered in a locked room while Tess and Sarah are in the building.

Plenty of mystery to be unraveled, some through conventional policing and others through more nefarious means. It all makes for an entertaining read with an audacious cliffhanger twist at the end. It's a killer! No pun intended. I'm desperate for the third book even before the second is published! 

My thanks to HQ stories for a gifted copy. 

Sylvia Plath Watches Us Sleep… but we don't mind – Victoria Richards

 

If ever a title was going to lure you in then this is it! An arresting short story collection by journalist Victoria Richards will have you entertained and 'thought provoked' in equal measure. 

There's something almost ghostly, sinister even about many of the stories, some dystopian others just plain weird! But in a good way.

Victoria Richards uses the short story medium well. It's an underrated art - to create your characters, scene and plot in a more limited number of words requires concise thinking and an aptitude for the salient without compromising the story. This author understands her genre so well.

The stories are diverse but there are clear themes - mental health, loss, relationships gone awry - all dealt with in compassionate ways that favours the female perspective. 

Favourites? Several. The story that gives the collection its title, subliminally your knowledge of Plath, her life and her work, influences your response to the story. And The World Was Water  bleakly apocalyptic. Earnest Magnitude's Infinite Sadness which blends magical realism with political and environmental concerns.  

The writing is crisp and assured, economic without being sparse. Without doubt a writer to watch.

Thank you Fly on the Wall Press for my subscription copy.  

Missing Person: Alice and The Case of the Lonely Accountant - Simon Mason

It is not my habit to review two books at once in a blog post but is felt fitting here as I received both books together from riverrun books.

I've read all of Simon Mason's DI Ryan Wilkins' mysteries and I thoroughly enjoyed them. And whilst these novellas remain in the crime genre they are very different stories. 

These stories are the first two in the Finder series which feature a character known as ....... The Finder. His specialises in finding missing persons. Cold cases. In the first the case of Alice is reopened when the body of a girl is found and the perpetrator is thought by the police to be guilty of Alice's disappearance too. I'll give nothing away! This might be classed as a novella but I found it packed as hefty a punch as a novel twice its length. It's meticulously plotted and our intrepid Finder is thorough to a fault. He interviews all and sundry with a tenacity that would put a terrier to shame. We learn a little of his back story too. The final denouement a delight.

The second book looks at the disappearance of Don Bayliss who has been missing for seven years, presumed dead. When his wife finds a business card amongst his possessions many years later the police interest is piqued, the case is reopened and the services of the Finder once more engaged. Whilst the story is very different from the first one the same doggedness and painstaking attention to detail is employed and once again the final conclusion is most congenial.

I love the DI Wilkins stories but I'd also greatly enjoy reading some more of these. There's some of the classic detective tradition in the narrative. I loved the way the author ran the Finder's investigations alongside a classic book - What Maisie Knew and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

I think that contributed to the classic and almost traditional feel that the books had yet the actual writing felt very contemporary. 

I think these stories cement Simon Mason's position as one of our most interesting and imaginative crime writers.

Thanks to riverrun books for my gifted copies. 

Listen - on Music, Sounds and Us - Michel Faber

 The paperback edition of this book was published on 1st August so I'm a little behind with this review, okay a lot behind, but sometimes life gets in the way of blogging and reviewing. 

It's an interesting take on the hows and whys of our listening habits but it is very much one man's views and opinions which won't be universally shared. Faber makes many assertions that in many cases are his and his alone. Maybe it's just me but I found his tone condescending and at times superior as if he has some kind of edge on music that sets him above the majority of the rest of us. 

In many ways it's more a sociological work, a dissertation if you wish, than a book about music. Faber claims that it will change the way you listen. It hasn't, not for me, anyway.

I've been a music lover and collector of music all my life. And I'm old now. I have eclectic tastes and am not governed by what is currently in vogue. From Beethoven to Barry Manilow I'll listen. If my ears like it that's fine by me. I pass no judgement on what anyone else enjoys listening, we're all different. But I felt at times that Faber was ridiculing folk such as myself. 

This book could be seen as contentious. But you don't necessarily have to agree with all of Faber's views to enjoy the book. It seemed that he was very negative much of the time. It's both interesting and irritating but seems likely to generate a deal of discussion. I found the frequent footnotes annoying as they interfered with my reading of the main text. 

It's certainly not the best book I've read on the subject of music but there's plenty of challenging ideas here. 

My thanks to Canongate Books for a gifted copy.