Book news, reviews and recommendations
I’m fortunate to be in a long and happy relationship which is perhaps why I’m drawn to novels about couples who’re are still together after many years. The novels below explore five long relationships, some similar, others very different, all but one with links to a full review. Set in Morecambe, Cath Barton’s In the […]
Five Books About Long Relationships I’ve Read Read More »
I remember choosing not to read New Zealand writer Anna Smaill’s Man Booker longlisted debut The Chimes thinking it sounded a little too fantastical for me, although I may well overcome that objection having read her new novel, Bird Life. Set in Tokyo, it’s the story of two women, both suffering terrible loss, each seeing
Bird Life by Anna Smaill: A beautiful novel of madness and grief Read More »
I enjoyed Hiroko Oyamada’s Weasels in the Attic this time last year, ending my review saying that I was keen to explore more of her writing. Originally published in Japan in 2013, The Factory is set in the world of work. Despite the increasingly surreal thread which runs through the novella, it struck a chord
The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada (transl. David Boyd): Busy doing nothing Read More »
There’s something about the idea of two people inextricably linked since before they were born that fascinates many of us, eyes drawn to the double buggy pushed down the street. So much so that I’m surprised I haven’t read more novels with a set at their centre, not to mention the plot twist possibilities. Below
Five Novels I’ve Read About Twins Read More »
This is the latest in a series of occasional posts featuring books I read years ago about which I was wildly enthusiastic at the time, wanting to press a copy into as many hands as I could. If you’re a regular visitor to this blog you’ve probably twigged that I’m a fan of Irish writing,
Blasts from the Past: The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor (2002) Read More »
I was intrigued when I spotted John Boyne’s Water in The Bookseller, billed as the first in a series of four interlinked novellas each named after the elements, something of a departure from his usual doorstoppers of which I’ve read and enjoyed several including his last, The Echo Chamber. It begins with a woman arriving
Water by John Boyne: First in a series Read More »
I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, as we used to say in days of yore, but November offers the slimmest of paperback pickings for me, although I’m starting with one of my books of 2022. Set in snowy New York state, Lynn Steger Strong’s Flight follows three siblings and their families facing their
Paperbacks to Look Out For in November 2023 Read More »
I loved Bryan Washington’s Lot and Memorial, both written with empathy and a wonderful fluency which made Family Meal a dead cert for me. While Lot was particularly striking in its evocation of Houston, Memorial’s loving descriptions of food and cooking stood out vividly. Unsurprisingly, there’s more of that in Family Meal which sees Cam
Family Meal by Bryan Washington: ‘Love is a tangible thing’ Read More »
Back from my travels, more of which next week, with one I’ve been eagerly anticipating for some time. When I reviewed Jhumpa Lahiri’s beautiful novella Whereabouts, an Italian reader kindly left a detailed comment describing his response to her translation of the book, which she had originally written in Italian, mentioning that a volume of
I’ve long enjoyed campus novels but much more so since my partner became an academic. They frequently have a satirical bent as if the author’s getting things of their chest which I’ve come to understand is quite often the case. Here, then, are five of many campus novels I’ve read, three with links to my
Five Campus Novels I’ve Read Read More »
I was keen to read Maylis de Kerangal’s Canoes as soon as I spotted it in the publishing schedules having very much enjoyed Painting Time. Comprising one novella and seven short stories, its overarching theme is women’s voices, either heard or in narrative. As ever, I’ll pick out my favourites beginning with Mustang, the novella,
Canoes by Maylis de Kerangal (transl. Jessica Moore): Giving voice to women Read More »