Disappointingly few paperbacks caught my eye for August, although some readers with a toppling tbr pile might find that a relief. I’m beginning with one I’m not too sure about but it’s published by Pushkin Press which has swung me in its favour. Maya Binyam’s Hangman sees a man return to his home in sub-Saharan Africa, finding it unrecognisable after twenty-six years living in exile in America, hoping to find his dying brother but meeting with all manner of obstacles along the way. ‘An existential journey, a tragic farce, a slapstick tragedy: Hangman is the shockingly original debut novel about exile, diaspora and the search for Black refuge, from a thrilling new literary voice’ says the blurb.
Daniel Mason’s North Woods is another I’m dithering about, but I like the sound of the structure. It tells the story of a family who’ve lived for four centuries in the house their forebears built deep in a Massachusetts forest. ‘A young Puritan couple on the run. An English soldier with a fantastic vision. Inseparable twin sisters. A lovelorn painter and a lusty beetle. A desperate mother and her haunted son. A ruthless con man and a stalking panther. Buried secrets. Madness, dreams and hope… … Exhilarating, daring and playful, North Woods will change the way you see the world’ says the blurb promisingly although I suspect my worldview may remain much the same.
I’ve no idea how I managed to miss Alice McDermott’s Absolution when it was first published given that she’s been a favourite of mine since I read Charming Billy, decades ago. It begins in Saigon in 1963 with Tricia, newly married to her US Navy Intelligence husband, and Charlene, well-practiced at being a corporate wife, whose daughter contacts Tricia sixty years later. ‘Exploring the disaster of the Vietnam War through the lives built by American wives in 1960s Saigon, this is a virtuosic novel about folly and grace, obligation, sacrifice and the quest for absolution in a broken world’ according to the blurb. McDermott’s one of those quietly accomplished writers whose work doesn’t get the attention it deserves here in the UK.
I was startled to find that it’s just over a decade since I reviewed Tom Rachman’s The Rise and Fall of Great Powers which feels like a different era. Like The Imperfectionists, which I read pre-blog, his new one, The Imposters, is a ‘novel in stories’ set against a backdrop of a society in lockdown and told by an obscure Dutch novelist who feels the world has become too much to bear. Before her last chapter, Dora spins tales from her eventful life and those of her lovers, friends and family. ‘The Imposters is Rachman at his inimitable best, a writer whose formal ingenuity and flamboyant technique is matched by his humanity and generosity’ says the blurb whetting my appetite further.
One of my books of last year, Noel O’Regan’s powerful debut Though the Bodies Fall is set on a stretch of Kerry headland, a suicide black spot for years, unbeknownst to his grandparents who bought the bungalow which has been Micheál Burns’ family home since he was six years old. Now forty-two, he lives alone, constantly on alert for signs that a ‘visitor’ has arrived who needs talking down, a burden his family has been carrying for decades. As is so often the case with Irish authors, it was the quality of O’Regan’s writing that struck me most. The sense of place is extraordinarily strong, anchored with vivid word pictures that summon up the bungalow’s bleakly beautiful surroundings and the many storms that batter them.
I was keen to review Thomas Morris’ Open Up when I read that he was the editor of The Stinging Fly whose contributors offer 
a roll call of excellent Irish writing. All five of the stories that make up this collection share the painful dislocation of young males who can’t quite make the emotional connections they long for. My favourite was the poignant yet playful Aberkariad about a family of seahorses whose father waits for his long-lost love. Suffused with a raw sadness, Passenger, the second stand out piece, sees a young man on holiday with his beloved girlfriend, desperate to offer the intimacy she longs for, finally free of the litany of anxious self-doubt that loops in his head. An enjoyable collection but one I liked rather than loved although my expectations had been very high.
That’s it for August. A click on a title will take you either to my review or to a more detailed synopsis should you want to know more, and if you’d like to catch up with new fiction it’s here and here.
I quite like the sound of North Woods.
The idea of telling a family’s history through the home they built centuries ago is very appealing, isn’t it.
I just left a comment to say I loved North Woods but I’ll add it’s more than just the history of a family. It’s the woods of the title, the fauna that inhabit them, the people who pass through over the centuries. A lot of interconnections.
Thanks, Cathy. That tells me much more than the blurb.
I read North Woods earlier this year, and I loved it so much! It’ll be in my top ten reads of the year and might be my favourite. I’m also having a bit of Rachman splurge which I’m very much enjoying, never having read anything of his before.
That’s a resounding thumbs up! I think I’ll have to read it now. Rachman’s such an entertaining writer. This one sounds like a pandemic novel with a difference.
I had mixed feelings about North Woods, but I’d say it’s worth reading. And how gorgeous it looks in paperback! I decided to skip Hangman when it was on the Women’s Prize longlist and I think I’ll stick with that decision.
That’s the kind of cover that makes you want to pick up the book, isn’t it. I suspect I might pass on Hangman, too.
I enjoyed Absolution a lot. She is a very skilled writer, although the book veers heavily towards the Americans in Vietnam as opposed to the Vietnamese women. McDermott was very good in a session at Listowel Writers Week this year. Noel O’Regan is from Kerry and garnering nominations for this work. Story is too bleak for me though.
The McDermott blurb suggests that but I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. I’m pleased to hear that O’Regan’s writing is being picked up. It’s not the easiest read, for sure.
Like many, I really don’t need any more entries on the TBR but . . . your August roundup does present some temptations. I loved Rachman’s Great Powers (just skipped to your review) but haven’t read anything of his since; time to remedy that, perhaps? I’ve been on the fence about North Woods; ordinarily I’d pass but the reviews are just so very good I might give it a peek. Absolution is another possibility. Choices, choices! Aren’t they great?
They are, indeed! I’m keen to get my hands on copies of Absolution and The Imposters, and I’ve been persuaded to give North Woods a try, too. Happy reading!
Sense of place and word pictures encourage me to seek out the Noel O’Regan: in fact I’ve just ordered it from the library, and I can get hold of the Binyam and the McDermott too. So I’ll start there. Ooh, I’ve read the comments now. North Woods eh? Well, that’s on order at my library, so I’ll look out for it coming in. So much for a thin month.
Ha! I thought you’d be one of my relieved readers. I hope you enjoy them all.
I quite enjoyed North Woods, though you’re right that it won’t be life-changing! This was a disappointment for me from Rachman. And I don’t know how I’ve never tried McDermott.
I never cease to be amazed at the claims made in blurbs! Please do try McDermott. I can’t vouch for this one but I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by her. Shame about the Rachman.
I have Charming Billy in the TBR – it sounds like I should dig it out! I’ve never read Alice McDermott.
I loved that novel! I should warn you, it’s a sad one.
I loved North Woods, thought it was really inventive.
North Woods I suspected would be a sample-and-return experiment because it arrived when the stacks were extraordinarily unwieldly (even for me, a messy reader of many) but it hooked me. The way he handles time was appealing and I loved what another reader mentioned above, the prominence afforded to the flora and fauna of the region. Good that you’re not expecting it to be world-changing heheh but I think you’ll like it well enough after all (as you’ve already been persuaded). I can’t remember who’s published Hangman over here (checked, it’s FS&G) but it’s lodged on my TBR. Very curious about it!
There’s certainly been lots of encouragement from trusted readers on here about North Woods. I think the blurb does it no favours. I’ve added it to my list. I’ll be interested to see what you make of Hangman.
The summer is always a tricky time for publishing, so hopefully September will be better. North Woods seems to have a lot of fans, so it’ll be interesting to see how you find it. (I keep mixing up the author with Daniel Woodrell, who wrote Winter’s Bone!)
Oh, yes, I remember lots of brouhaha around the Woodrell when I was a book reviews editor. Long time ago now. Fingers crossed for North Woods, and for September.
My heart sinks at those words “shockingly original debut novel” -too often now contemporary novelists seem intent on trying to be different without a lot of thought to whether their approach actually makes for an interesting experience for the reader.
I know what you mean although blurbs tend to overuse such language. Good old fashioned storytelling trumps gimmickry for most readers, I’d say.
Absolutely. The more verbose the blurb the more I start to be suspicious
Me, too. They can read a bit like estate agents’ copy!
Absolution joins the rest of Alice McDermott’s wonderful books. She is a stunning writer.
She is, indeed. Very much looking forward to reading Absolution.