35: The Penelopiad by Margaret Attwood
This is a retelling of the story of Odysseus's wife Penelope, who faithfully waited for twenty years for him to come back from the Trojan Wars.
It is narrated by Penelope from the Underworld after her death, and it reads like a tirade against her cousin Helen, whose kidnapping was the catalyst of the Trojan wars. She was not a fan of Helen, who she saw as a troublemaker. Attwood's Penelope comes across as bitter with a sharp wit - "Now that I am dead, I know everything". It also focuses on the fate of Penelope's suitors (trying to win her hand once everyone was convinced Odysseus wasn't coming back) and her twelve maids who were hanged on Odysseus return.
It was an interesting take, with some modern twists thrown in. I like the idea of the spirits from the underworld being able to come back to the world, and characters from Greek mythology having life experiences as judges, minor celebrities and world leaders.
Quite short, I feel like I was only really just getting into it when it finished.
36: Brick Lane by Monica Ali
This is the story of two sisters from Bangladesh, Nazneen and Hasina. Hasina runs away with her teenage boyfriend against her parents' wishes. Hasina's marriage fails and she falls into a difficult life as a poor single woman in 1980s Dhaka, working menial jobs and living hand to mouth.
Nazeen's marriage is arranged by her parents to a Chanu, 20 years her senior, and finds herself living in a deprived area in the East End of London. She speaks no English, and her world becomes very narrow, the small flat in which she and Chanu live and a small number of Bangladeshi acquaintances she meets. Chanu is a pompous, self-opinioned little man, obsessed with bettering himself, treasures his certificates for short courses he has done, and is focused on being promoted at work.
The story continues as Nazeen tries to become a good wife and mother, and she gradually makes friends with other members of their community and gains some independence. Hasina's story is told through the letters she writes to Nazneen.
It is set over several years, and describes the effect of the Gulf Wars and eventually 9/11 had on the Muslim Bangladeshi community in London and radicalism begins to increase. Chanu become increasingly disillusioned with his life in the UK and begins to dream of taking his family back to Bangladesh, even though his daughters have grown up in London and have not the remotest desire to go "home".
I did enjoy it, I liked Nazneen, but it was quite slow in places. Nazeen's passivity was quite frustrating, but I understand that is part of her character. A decent read but not amazing.
37: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Nice but somewhat far-fetched story about recently retired Harold Fry from Devon, who has grown apart from his wife Maureen. One morning he receives a letter from an old colleague called Queenie Hennessy, who is dying from cancer and she is saying goodbye. She is writing from a hospice in Berwick-on-Tweed. Harold quickly writes a response, but on his way to the postbox, he is overcome with an urge to see Queenie again, and starts to walk, without mobile phone or a change of clothes, and without telling Maureen where he is going.
The story then continues as Harold walks the length of England, meeting various characters along the way, sends postcards to Maureen and Queenie and comes to terms with his various relationships through his life - his difficult childhood, Maureen, Queenie and his son David.
I enjoyed it, wouldn't put it up there with my top ever reads, but pleasant enough for a short read, I did approach it with some trepidation as I didn't enjoy A Man Called Ove, to which I have often seen it compared before.