Back from a short break in Lyme Regis (more of which later in the week) with a second batch of October fiction which begins with a novel that didn’t quite fulfil my hopes. Set in the rain-soaked coastal community of Faha in December 1962, Time of the Child is a sequel of sorts to This is Happiness, telling the tale of what happens when an abandoned baby is discovered. Rather like Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These, this is a quintessential Christmas story which follows similar themes but in a very different way. The same affectionate, occasionally dark humour runs through Williams’ lyrical narrative as in This is Happiness, studded with stories of Faha’s colourful characters, but he has points to make about the cruelty of Church and State towards both abandoned children and the aged. I enjoyed this one but not as much as his previous novel which I loved. Review to follow…
Andrew Miller’s a The Land in Winter is also set in 1962 in a village where two couples live next door to each other in very different circumstances. The women, both pregnant, become close friends, an escape from marriages that are sometimes difficult. As one of the coldest winters on record continues to grip the country, the two couples find themselves cut off from the rest of the world ‘without the small distractions of everyday existence, suddenly old tensions and shocking new discoveries threaten to change the course of their lives forever’ according to the blurb making me keen to read it.
It’s a very long time since I read The Reader, the novel which propelled Bernhard Schlink up the bestseller charts. Translated by Charlotte Collins, The Granddaughter follows Kaspar who discovers after her death the price Brigit paid when she fled East Berlin to be with him in the West as he becomes determined to understand her past. His pursuit leads him to a neo-Nazi community where he forms a bond with a young woman he begins to think of as his granddaughter. Sounds like an intriguing premise.
Set in Maine, Morgan Talty’s Fire Exit, sees Charles living on the edge of the Penobscot reservation where his daughter Elizabeth is growing up unaware of his existence. The revelation of Charles’ paternity would destroy Elizabeth’s tribal status but as he sees his daughter struggling with the depression that dogs her grandmother, he becomes convinced that the truth must come out. ‘A deeply layered story of family and blood ties, full of quiet, beautiful, and dignified sentences, Fire Exit shows us kinship from all angles, and its capacity to break down, re-form, fade, or strengthen, while always remaining a part of us’ says the blurb, promisingly.
I loved Little, and enjoyed The Swallowed Man, which makes me keen to read Edward Carey’s Edith Holler, the story of a young woman trapped in a rundown Norwich theatre convinced by her father that her departure would cause it to fall down. Edith is horrified when he marries a stranger who she’s sure presents a threat to everything she knows. ‘Teeming with unforgettable characters and illuminated by Carey’s trademark illustrations, Edith Holler is a surprisingly modern fable of one young woman’s struggle to escape her family’s control and craft her own creative destiny’ says the blurb suggesting another enjoyably idiosyncratic novel from Mr Carey complete with his characteristic illustrations.
October’s short story collection is Hagitude author Sharon Blackie’s Wise Women which celebrates older women through a 
reworking of myths and folk tales prone to casting the young and beautiful as fairy princesses with the rest of us written off as hags and witches. Blackie reimagines these tales for today’s woman featuring characters who ‘outwit monsters, test and mentor younger heroines, embody the cycles and seasons of the earth, weave the world into being – and almost always have the last laugh’ according to the blurb which sounds excellent.
That’s it for October’s new fiction. As ever, a click on a title will take you to a more detailed synopsis should you want to know more, and if you’d like to catch up with part one it’s here. Paperbacks soon…
Well, I wouldn’t refuse the chance to read any of these. Andrew Miller’s always reliable, my readings of Bernhard Schlink rewarding, and Edward Carey’s been fun to read too. So onto the TBR every one of these goes.
Reasonable chance your library will have most of those given past performance!
Two so far …
Hurrah!
Thank you. Always good to get these posts. I remember loving The Reader so would be keen to read the Schlink book.
You’re welcome. I’m looking forward to that one, too.
I don’t seem to pick up short stories too often but Wise Women does cover themes that I enjoy exploring!
It looks like fun, doesn’t it.
Well, it looks like I finally need to get around to reading This Is Happiness which has been sitting on my bookshelf for too long. I have the Andrew Miller via NetGalley and Edward Carey’s new one is on my wishlist. Great choices, as usual.
A nice one to read at the beginning of autumn if that makes you feel nostalgic for summer (it does me!). I have the new Miller, too. Looking forward to reading it.
I loved the sound of Talty’s short story collection Night of the Living Rez but found it forgettable. I might get on better with his novel. I always love Andrew Miller blurbs but sadly I don’t think I’ve actually finished one of his books yet – I DNF both Pure and Oxygen.
Unusually for me, I prefer Miller’s historical novels to his more contemporary fiction. Shame about the Talty stories. The premise of Fire Exit’s an interesting one.
I’ve lost track with Andrew Miller but I’d be keen to pick him up again. This one sounds promising – his writing will suit a wintry setting I think.
Part of the attraction for me is that’s it’s set near Bristol which is a short train ride away from my home. Fingers crossed!
I like the look of Wise Women, it seems appropriate for my place in life.
Mine, too, Rosie.
I quite liked Morgan Talty’s debut so I’m keen on that one. It’s in my stack, but when I first picked it up, I was craving another kind of writing. I’ll get back to it before it’s pulled back to the library (hopefully). I also rather liked Enchantment, so I wonder if Sharon Blackie’s newest would appeal too.
I like the premise of the Talty, and Blackie’s theme makes me smile.
Interesting line up for autumn reading Susan. I loved Miller’s Now We Shall be Entirely Free. A moving historical read. Also loved The Reader, and thought the book was much better than the adapted film. Is his new book a follow up story? Still have not read any of William’s work. At moment trying to read some of the Booker longlist books, with Tommy Orange’s book top of list. I thought his previous There, There was fabulous and I have recommended it to so many readers in my orbit.
I’ve since read the Miller and would recommend it. Nothing in the blurb to suggest The Grandaughter’s a follow up but perhaps it refers back to The Reader.
Thanks for the Tommy Orange recommendation. I’ve yet to read anything by him.
Andrew Miller and Edward Carey are both authors I’ve enjoyed in the past so am looking forward to both of these.
I’ve since read and enjoyed the Miller which is set not far from Bristol so added interest for me.