October’s the month in which the big literary guns are rolled out in the battle for our Christmas present lists although the publicity campaign for Sarah Perry’s Melmoth has already been in full swing for months. Helen Franklin is hiding from an unforgivable act she committed twenty years ago. Her sheltered life is threatened by the discovery of a manuscript telling a story in which the mythic figure of Melmoth frequently appears, complete with unblinking eyes and bleeding feet. The novel’s described by the publishers as ‘a profound, ambitiously realised work of fiction which asks fundamental questions about guilt, forgiveness, moral reckoning and how we come to terms with our actions in a conflicted world’ and having read it, I’d say they’re right. The Essex Serpent is a hard act to follow but Perry’s more than met expectations with this one.
I finally got around to reading Paraic O’Donnell’s The Maker of Swans earlier this year and enjoyed it very much. He’s a writer who knows how to spin a good yarn which raises hopes for The House on Vesper Sands. Set in a snowy London in 1893, its sounds like a second pleasing slice of Gothic involving a man whose one-time love is found stretched out in front of an altar, a seamstress with a message stitched into her skin and her employer who disappears into the night, all under the watchful eye of a society columnist keen for a real story.
Eoin McNamee’s The Vogue sounds as if it may also have a foot in Gothic territory or perhaps that’s just the slightly opaque blurb. In 1944, two teenagers silently dance in an aerodrome. She draws the outlines of their footwork in eyebrow pencil; he loses their bet. Decades later, a body is found. ‘Set against an eerie landscape, awash with secrets, The Vogue is a grimly poetic dance through the intertwined stories of a deeply religious community, an abandoned military base, and a long-shuttered children’s Care Home’ say the publishers promisingly.
Season Butler’s Cygnet sees a young girl, stranded on an island seemingly abandoned by her parents. Swan Island is home to an ageing separatist community who have turned their back on the mainland to create their own haven and have no wish to have their carefully constructed idyll shattered by an incomer, let alone a young one. ‘Cygnet is the story of a young woman battling against the thrashing waves of loneliness and depression, and how she learns to find hope, laughter and her own voice in a world that’s crumbling around her’ according to the publishers. This one could go either way but it’s an interesting premise.
Something that could also be said Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered which intertwines the stories of Willa Knox who is grappling with a host of domestic problems in 2016, and schoolteacher Thatcher Greenwood whose ambitions to teach Darwinism in 1871 are met with obdurate opposition in the town. ‘A testament to both the resilience and persistent myopia of the human condition, Unsheltered explores the foundations we build in life, spanning time and place to give us all a clearer look at those around us, and perhaps ourselves’ say the publishers, rather ambitiously comparing it with George Eliot’s work. I prefer Kingsolver’s earlier fiction to her more recent novels.
I’m much more confident about Hubert Mingarelli’s Four Soldiers, described by Hilary Mantel as ‘a small miracle’. The titular soldiers set up camp in a forest close to the Romanian frontline of the Russian Civil War in the winter of 1919. They fill a lull in the fighting, trying to forget the horrors they’ve seen, enjoying a brief freedom and the beauty of their surroundings. ‘Tightly focused and simply told, this is a story of friendship and the fragments of happiness that can illuminate the darkness of war’ say the publishers. The spare prose of Mingarelli’s A Meal in Winter made a lasting impression on me when I read it five years ago
Haruki Murakami’s Killing Commendatore sounds wacky enough to please even the most ardent fan. A portrait painter discovers a strange painting in the attic of a famous artist, opening a Pandora’s box in the process. To close it he must do all manner of things involving ‘a mysterious ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious thirteen-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna, a pit in the woods behind the artist’s home, and an underworld haunted by Double Metaphors. A tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art – as well as a loving homage to The Great Gatsby – Killing Commendatore is a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers’ say the publishers. Can’t wait.
That’s it for October’s new novels. As ever a click on a title will take you to a fuller synopsis should you be interested. Paperbacks soon…
I have Melmoth and Unsheltered on the review pile, and the new Murakami on order from the library. Looking forward to all of them!
It’s an embarrassment of riches, and November’s looking pretty good too.
Christmas lists I feel like we’ve only just passed the halfway point of the year!
There have already been signs of Christmas here. Mince pies have been spotted…
That’s outrageous.
It certainly is. Easter eggs will be on offer from, January 1st, no doubt!
Where? I don’t want to buy them, just avoid the shop that is promulgating the Christmas hype
The Co op seems to go in for some premature seasonal celebration, or perhaps that’s just my local.
I don’t know where our local branch is so that’s good, I don’t have to go out of my way to avoid them now. Although I bet Morrison’s won’t be far behind – they were selling Hot Cross buns in January last year
Aarrgh!
I’m very much looking forward to the new Kingsolver, but I simply couldn’t see what all the fuss was about where The Essex Serpent was concerned so the new one is definitely one to miss as far as I’m concerned.
This one’s much more of a Gothic tale than The Essex Serpent but I suspect if you weren’t a fan of that, Melmoth won’t convert you.
I’ve seen so much hype about Melmoth, and sometimes hype puts me off, I never read The Essex Serpent. However Th Vogue sounds wonderfully intriguing.
Yes, The Vogue caught my imagination too. I know what you mean about hype but I can vouch for Melmoth. The publicity campaign does seem to have started a tad early, though.
So many great books here and October’s my birthday month! Although I am feeling a little bad about not having read their previous books yet because they’re still sitting on a TBR pile somewhere around the house. If only someone would pay me to read…
That’s what birthday’s are for, adding to that pile!
Nice to see there’s another Mingarelli on the way. Like you, I was a fan of A Meal in Winter, so I’ll be interested to hear what you think of Four Soldiers. Do you know if it’s a fairly recent book or an older one that’s just been translated?
I think it’s an older one, Jacqui. A Meal in Winter was superb, wasn’t it. Such clean, spare prose. One of those books that stays with you.
Oooh – what a collection! My Christmas list is expanding as I type…!
I have to warn you that November looks even more tempting!
Nooooooooooooooo…..!!!!
I am most excited for The Vogue. I love Eoin McNamee’s writing so much.
That’s encouraging, Cathy. I haven’t read anything by McNamee but the blurb is intriguing.
His Blue trilogy is wonderful. Plus, he came to HomePlace and is the loveliest man!
Immediately added the tbr list!
Riches indeed for October, you can tell Christmas is on the way. Fascinating selection.
And there’s more to come in November.
This is all very challenging to my no book buying commitment!
I salute you for sticking to it! It’s been quite some time.
So that’s a few more books added to my wishlist….
It’s a very tempting month, isn’t it.
I think Melmoth is significantly better than The Essex Serpent—it’s certainly more morally complex and interesting. I’ve also got Unsheltered, as you know! And a colleague has snaffled our only proof of Killing Commendatore, but I’m sure it’ll go down well…
Yes, I’d agree with that. I gather the Murakmai proofs are thin on the ground which may result in some unseemly scenes although not in your shop, I’m sure!
You’ve never seen us bashing each other over the head for coveted proofs…
I must be one of the few people on the planet that hasn’t read Essex Serpent. Not sure about Melmoth – me and myths don’t seem to get on very well.
I’ve avoided the retelling of the Greek myths trend on the whole although the Kamila Shamsie was good and I gather Pat Barker’s The Silence of Girls is excellent.
I’m hoping Kingsolver’s book turns out to be good… waiting for the reviews to come in so I can decide whether or not to read it!
Me, too. I like the sound of the premise but both The Lacuna and Flight Behaviour were disappointments for me.
Barbara Kingsolver is a favorite though I could not get into the Lacuna. I also found Animal, Vegetable, Miracle to be a tad precious-preachy, but still enjoyed it. I’m going to try the new one and see how it goes. Very good post.
Thank you. I’d agree about both of those titles and throw in Flight Behaviour, too. Fingers crossed that this new one bucks that trend.
I liked Flight Behavior though it, too, was a bit preachy. It was so relatable because I live in a poor area one country from Appalachia (but work elsewhere!)
I’m in the minority who didn’t rate The Essex Serpent at all, so at least I can dodge the Melmoth hype! I adored A Meal in Winter though, so I’m very excited at the prospect of a new Mingarelli 🙂
I’ve since read Four Soldiers. The writing has all the stark beauty of A Meal in Winter. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.