February reading round up

The Secrets of Strangers – Charity Norman

I received an early copy of this (published May 2020) on Netgalley. ‘Women’s fiction’ is a genre that often gets belittled or derided but it contains some absolute gems that offer a really good read, with strong characters and emotional depths. The Secrets of Strangers is one such book. A simple premise – five strangers end up in a single place and we learn about their lives. The place, in this case, is Tuckbox Cafe in Balham and our characters include a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, a lawyer struggling with IVF, a homeless gambling addict, a grieving farmer, and his wife. When a hostage situation takes place in the cafe, it is down to our cast, and the police negotiator outside, to work out what has happened and why. As they learn more about each other, they begin to try and help each other through their problems. The novel paints a fantastic and realistic picture of the terrible effects of coercive control, but has much to say on families and modern life. Really enjoyable read.

The Illness Lesson – Clare Beams

I had an advance reading copy of this too but didn’t want to make too much of a song and dance about it because in the end, I didn’t think it was anything special. It is the story of a girls’ school, opened in nineteenth century USA by well-meaning men, and how hysteria spreads among the female students, as told by the headteacher’s grown up daughter who is also teaching. It is well written and Clare Beams has clearly got talent, but I felt it was too similar to other stories with similar themes and ultimately felt quite let down by it.

A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness

I read this in a hurry before watching the play at Theatre Royal. The book is superb and I sobbed through the end pages at the brutal truth of it all. In short, Conor’s mum is dying of cancer and he doesn’t know how to deal with it all, until a monster calls one night. The monster is the yew tree from his garden and he tells him stories that help Conor to start to process his feelings, and to understand the complexity of emotions. The stage adaptation took the script pretty much directly from the page and the audience was in pieces. Thoroughly recommended.

Washington Black – Esi Edugyan

The reading group choice for this month, and I enjoyed it without loving it. I liked the jolly adventure side of it but felt there was something missing, a depth to the characters I think. Washington Black is a slave on a plantation in the Caribbean when he is chosen to be an assistant to the master’s brother, who is building a flying boat/ hot air ballon prototype. When they both find they have to flee the island, they use the balloon to escape and their adventures start there. It’s a fun read but I didn’t find it a great read.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven – Chris Cleave

One of the books that’s been on my shelf for a while, I think I bought it on the back of some rave reviews. Set in the Second World War, I found the first half quite irritating as the characters seemed to be treating the war like an enormous jolly jape which, coming at this time of Brexiteers banging on about the Blitz spirit and stuff like that, rubbed me up the wrong way and I nearly gave up with it. But the second half, set partly on the island of Malta during the siege, and in London, was much more serious and the bleak consequences of it all were rammed home. Perhaps the contrast was what the author was hoping for. So, worth sticking with.

The Salt Path – Raynor Winn

A true story of an older couple who lost their home and are made homeless, jobless, income-less just as the husband, Moth, is diagnosed with a degenerative disease. So, they decide to walk the South West coast path to try and figure out what to do. As you do. Actually I’ve a,ways wanted to do this, without the heavy lifting, s I really enjoyed the book but it’s real quality is to show how awful people can be. When people find out they’re homeless, so many of them back away or treat them badly. It seems incredibly difficult for them to get anyone to fill a water bottle. Tiny bits of behaviour that add up, taking away people’s dignity bit by bit. A really interesting book.

Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies – Hilary Mantel

Wold Hall had sat on the shelf for a while. I think I’d been intimidated because a few people had said it was a tough read. I remembered this once I’d got at least 150 pages in and was addicted to the style and the story and the sheer presence on the pages. How lovely, then, for my father in law to lend me Bring Up the Bodies so I could continue reading straight away. Only four more days to go till book three…

Read them, wallow in them, re read them. She’s a wonder.

I’m filling my time until The Mirror and the Light with a re-read of Elizabeth Jane Howard’s The Cazalet Chronicles. Mantel is a fan of Howard and reading them so close together, you can see why and how one has influenced the other. Together, they’re almost perfect reading material.