The second batch of February’s paperback treats begins with one of my books of 2023. Sebastian Barry’s Old God’s Time follows a recently retired police 
officer whose ex-boss has been told to reopen a cold case which involved two priests, both child sex abusers, one of whom had been brutally murdered while the other was moved on to another parish. Tom’s narrative reflects a confusion which may be memory loss or the aftereffects of trauma, slowly unfolding a story the details of which he has been hiding from himself for thirty years. There’s a beauty in Barry’s telling of this desperately sad story which makes its ugliness all the more stark. I was delighted to see his novel on the Booker longlist although disappointed not to see it make the shortlist.
I was one of the few people in the literary universe that didn’t get on with Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, or at least that’s how it felt, but Greek Lessons sounds appealing. A young woman under great stress has lost her voice while her Greek language teacher’s sight is fading by the day. A bond grows between these two both of whom have suffered great difficulty in their lives, drawn together by the loss of their senses. ‘Greek Lessons is a tender love letter to human intimacy and connection, a novel to awaken the senses, vividly conjuring the essence of what it means to be alive’ according to the blurb which sounds very promising. Fingers crossed for this one.
Dizz Tate’s Brutes takes her readers back to adolescence with a gang of thirteen-year-old girls in small town Florida, fixated on the preacher’s daughter who suddenly disappears, leaving them desperate to know what has happened to her. What they discover is shocking. ‘Through a darkly beautiful and brutally compelling lens, Dizz Tate captures the violence, horrors, and manic joys of girlhood. Brutes is a novel about the seemingly unbreakable bonds in the ‘we’ of young friendship, and the moment it is broken forever’ says the blurb more than hinting at a dark read. It’s the endorsement of Nicole Flattery, author of Show Them a Good Time and Nothing Special that’s swung this one for me.
Christy Edwall’s History Keeps Me Awake at Night sees Margit drifting from one precarious job to another, despite her degree, and rootless although married. The case of forty-three Mexican students who disappeared in 2014 snags her attention and soon she’s caught up in an obsession that threatens to take over her life. ‘From a sharp and singular new literary voice, this is a novel that captures the texture of life in a frictionless city with drop-pin accuracy, while asking: is it possible to recover what is lost without losing oneself?’ says the blurb. Slightly lukewarm about this one but having fallen down a few internet rabbit holes myself I’m willing to give it a go.
Lucy Barker’s The Other Side of Mrs Wood is set in world of Victorian London’s mediums and seances. One of the city’s most revered practitioners, Mrs Wood is perturbed by the uptick in cancellations, not to mention reports of spectacular manifestations by American mediums. Knowing she needs to up her game, she takes on a protegee who may not be quite what she seems. Barker’s novel comes billed as an ’irresistible historical comedy about two rival mediums in Victorian London’. Another one I’m not entirely sure about but it sounds like a possible winter read.
That’s it for February. A click on a title will take you to either to my review or to a more detailed synopsis should you want to know more. If you’d like to catch up with part one, it’s here, new fiction is here and here.
I feel like Mrs Wood could be fun, but I’d want a recommendation from someone I trusted first! Sebastian Barry sounds excellent though.
Highly recommend the Barry, desperately sad as it is. The writing’s wonderful.
I agree with you about Old God’s Time – should have made the shortlist at the very least
A crying shame!
I’ve considered God’s Time and Greek Lessons, but time these days is limited (and the TBR books threaten to crush the house!). Mrs. Wood sounds interesting but . . . I, too, would need a strong recommendation before taking the plunge!
I can’t speak highly enough of In God’s Time but I understand that tbr problem only too well!
I read Brutes last year and was quite impressed, although I think she is a writer who will improve, if you know what I mean. Greek Lessons appeals a lot. I enjoyed The Vegetarian.
Brutes sounds worth a try, then, Cathy.
She makes good use of the first person plural narrative voice, which I’m always a sucker for!
When done well it works brilliantly, doesn’t it.
Funny, but The Other Side of Mrs. Wood sounds the most appealing, as it is high time for more fun novels in my case. I saw Han Kang speaking about Greek Lessons, alongside Natasha Brown (I too got on very well with Assembly). Kang was the much bigger name. I have not read The Vegetarian. The premise alone of Greek Lessons sounded moving.
A bit of light relief would be most welcome this year, and it’s only January! Greek Lessons has a more appealing premise for me than The Vegetarian.
I think each would appeal to me in a different mood. Today I find the idea of the Sebastian Barry most appealing. I’ve been reading some beautiful sentences lately, that kind of writer, and I guess that requires a certain patience (and I’m not saying that they’re the best/only kind of good sentences!) and Barry seems to fit there.
His writing is gorgeous! Beautifully crafted.
I liked how the retired police officer in Barry’s novel becomes sort of an unreliable narrator as he is questioned about the past case. It makes it all the more sad and unsettling of his current state.
Yes, I agree. Barry’s such a fine writer.
Thank you for reminding me about the Sebastian Barry novel, it is one I really liked the sound of. It’s a while since I read anything by him but I really enjoyed everything I have read so far.
He writes beautifully, like so many Irish writers.
The Sebastian Barry is a marvellous read, and I’m quite a Han Kang fan. The others aren’t yet shrieking for a place on the TBR. Just as well, I’d say.
Posting more on Monday…
🙂