Afternoon All! Haven't posted for ages and completely fallen off the thread. Despite this, have continued with my reading, and just caught up with the thread. Here's a very quick run down of what I've got through in the last couple of weeks.
16. Notes to Self – Emilie Pine
A refreshingly honest collection of essays about the challenges of being a woman in the 21st century. I really enjoyed this. Brave and no holds barred. The chapter about coping with her alcoholic Father was particularly poignant.
17. Transcription – Kate Atkinson
I enjoyed this far more than I expected to. This was quite different to Life After Life and A God in Ruins, so fans of these books might be disappointed. Transcription lacked the emotional punch of these works, but had a lightness of touch and a playful intrigue the others lacked. A much lighter read, but none the worse for it. A solid thriller.
18. The Summer Without Men – Siri Hustvedt
What She Loved was a highlight for me last year, sadly this wasn’t in the same class but good nonetheless. The middle aged protagonist leaves her fashionable New York existence to spend the summer living in her remote Minnesota childhood home when her husband has an affair with a much younger colleague. She teaches summer school to a group of pre-teen girls, makes friends with her next door neighbour who has just had a baby, and re-connects with her elderly Mother. A well executed story of self discovery.
19. Go Went Gone – Jenny Erpenbeck
One of my favourite books of the year so far, I thought this was a very accomplished and affecting piece of writing. Translated from German, this writer has a beautiful, economic style which I thought was just brilliant. The story of a retired university professor living in present day Berlin, who becomes involved with a group of migrants seeking asylum in Germany. I have read a few books about the European migrant crisis recently (From a Low and Quiet Sea, see below and Exit West spring to mind) and this is by far the best. Erpenbeck puts the crisis in the context of the division and re-unification of Germany drawing startling parallels, and for me, throwing a new light on Merkel’s response to the situation. Recommended to anyone who has an interest in this subject.
20. Memories of the Future – Siri Hustvedt
This was good but quite mad, with way too much going on. A middle aged protagonist looks back at her years in New York in the seventies when she was trying to establish herself young writer. Embedded within the coming of age tale is the unfinished novel the protagonist was writing at the time. I think only Siri Hustvedt could have got away with this. Some great characterisation and as always, written beautifully. Quite hard work, but ultimately worth sticking with the mind blowing plot within a plot, within a plot.
21. Ordinary People – Diana Evans
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize. In my view, a worthy contender. Set in South East London, this meant I knew all the locations she describes well and this enhanced my reading pleasure. She captures a sense of time and place which was completely authentic. I had that weird experience of her writing about a certain place, and I happened to be reading the book sat in that exact place.
22. The Tenderness of Wolves – Stef Penney
I liked this, but unlike Ordinary People I don’t think the writer transported me to the wilds of Canada convincingly and it all felt a bit fake. Sometimes felt like she was describing a film setting, a made up location. Was therefore unsurprised to discover after finishing the book, that Stef Penney used to be a screenwriter. A pleasant enough read, but would I read another book by this writer? Probably not.
23. The Closed Circle – Jonathan Coe
I read and enjoyed The Rotters Club earlier this year, and this was equally enjoyable. The Rotters and their friends (and enemies!) encouner the 1990's and Blair's Britain. Am now eagerly awaiting the paper back release of Middle England to hear what happens to The Rotters in middle age, Brexit and beyond.
24. From a Low and Quiet Sea – Donal Ryan
Good, but paled a little in comparison to Go Went Gone, which covers a similar subject matter.
25. An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
Another Women’s Prize contender. Not what I expected, and in a good way. This purports to be a story about the wrongful arrest of a man and the impact this event has on the relationship between him and his wife. It’s actually much more than that, an exploration of what love is, what keeps us together and why we sometimes can’t be together anymore. Clever, thoughtful and well written – my favourite of the shortlist so far.
26. West – Carys Davies
I liked this one very much. My only criticism would be that this was only 149 pages long and I wanted it to be much longer! A Father leaves his young daughter more or less to her own devices as he sets off on an epic quest to investigate the discovery of enormous bones buried in unchartered territory thousands of miles away. A story about learning what is important in life. Not one single word is wasted, but I wanted many more of them. An epic in miniature.
27. My Sister the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite
Another Women’s Prize contender, Korede’s beautiful and charismatic sister Ayoola wages a one woman war against the patriarchy in present day Lagos. Really quite unlike anything I’ve ever read before and very enjoyable. Uncompromising.