Book news, reviews and recommendations
A little under a year ago I read Huma Qureshi’s short story collection Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love, enjoying it so much I jumped at the chance to review her first novel. Many of Qureshi’s stories explore family and relationship dynamics, a perennially interesting theme for me, as does Playing Games […]
Playing Games by Huma Qureshi: ‘I thought I must have lost you’ Read More »
I tend to bracket Ron Rash’s Appalachian novels alongside Kent Haruf’s Holt series – both explore big themes on a small canvas; both are carefully expressed – which is why I put up my hand for The Caretaker as soon as I spotted it. Set in 1951, during the Korean War, it has at its
The Caretaker by Ron Rash: The unravelling of deceit Read More »
Before writing this, I thought I’d check the definition of gothic literature of which, naturally, the internet being what it is, there are many to pick from. There seems to be general agreement that a gothic novel includes terror, the macabre or the bizarre which fits the five novels below, all written in recent years,
Five Modern Gothic Novels I’ve Read Read More »
I remembered enjoying Nathacha Appanah’s beautifully crafted The Sky Above the Roof last year which prompted me to put up my hand when a proof of her new novel was offered. Nothing Belongs to You is about a young woman, recently widowed, who buried her traumatic past when she married the doctor who helped save
A copyediting friend alerted me to Canadian poet Anne Michaels’ Held, her first novel since The Winter Vault was published back in 2010, urging me to read it. Michaels is the author of Fugitive Pieces which made a deep impression on me when I read it many years ago. Held is her third novel, making
Held by Anne Michaels: ‘Who can say what happens when we are remembered?’ Read More »
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 »