This collection of short stories was really rather disturbing. The stories have a feverish, almost hallucinogenic feel, that really gets under your skThis collection of short stories was really rather disturbing. The stories have a feverish, almost hallucinogenic feel, that really gets under your skin. Not for the faint hearted....more
The writing is very sensory and poetic but I found the overall experience of reading this somewhat disjointed and discombobulating...though that mightThe writing is very sensory and poetic but I found the overall experience of reading this somewhat disjointed and discombobulating...though that might be the point!...more
I liked this but, for me, the realism and the magical realism didn't always quite meld together. It was overall an intriguing and unsettling read andI liked this but, for me, the realism and the magical realism didn't always quite meld together. It was overall an intriguing and unsettling read and I would read more from this author....more
The writing was beautiful - Moss evoked the landscape and climate absolutely wonderfully. I found the story itself atmospheric an3.5 stars, rounded up
The writing was beautiful - Moss evoked the landscape and climate absolutely wonderfully. I found the story itself atmospheric and unsetting with a creeping sense of dread, but the ending was unsatisfying and felt a bit rushed....more
Wow, this book is quite a gut punch. The writing is crisp and clear, the characters are fleshed out and believable (including The Street, in some waysWow, this book is quite a gut punch. The writing is crisp and clear, the characters are fleshed out and believable (including The Street, in some ways the biggest character of all). I have to say I found it quite depressing - Lutie is a strong and determined woman who is thwarted at very turn by the triple whammy of sexism, racism and poverty. The last chapter was particularly impactful in the way Petry created an intense and claustrophobic sense of impending doom. Certainly not a cheery read but very, very good....more
The Offing was just the tonic I apparently needed. A charming tale of intergenerational friendship that is touching but not cloying or sentimental. AsThe Offing was just the tonic I apparently needed. A charming tale of intergenerational friendship that is touching but not cloying or sentimental. As with the other book I have read from Benjamin Myers (The Gallows Pole), the sense of place/geography is really well done - he does have a magical knack of transporting you to the setting that is beyond compare. A lovely book!...more
I am not sure I have ever read a novel where so little happens. There are some lovely, painterly descriptions of landscapes and na2.5 stars rounded up
I am not sure I have ever read a novel where so little happens. There are some lovely, painterly descriptions of landscapes and nature and cemeteries but absolutely no plot to speak of. At times I enjoyed this as a soothing and calming read and can recommend it in that regard but I am afraid to say that for the most part, I found myself really rather bored:-(...more
I am very open to reading transgressive fiction and not usually easily grossed out but I have to say, this book was pretty challenging...from depressiI am very open to reading transgressive fiction and not usually easily grossed out but I have to say, this book was pretty challenging...from depressing to distressing to disturbing. And yet, and yet...I can absolutely see why this has been shortlisted for the Man Booker International. It definitely has something about it that is unique and arresting, albeit very disquieting.
The story is told from the perspective of 10 year old Jas and we see the consequences of her family's inability to process their grief after losing their son in an ice skating accident. The children are told never to speak about their brother, while their parents basically fall to pieces and neglect the needs of both themselves and their children. Jas and her brother and sister engage in increasingly dysfunctional and sometimes cruel behaviour and the whole book feels like it is careening towards what the reader knows is going to be an unhappy ending.
I hesitate to recommend the book for most readers, given that it contains so much disturbing material including animal cruelty, incestuous behaviour, child neglect and a whole lot of graphic talk about bums (in the UK English sense of the word)...but it is also, I feel an impressive and unique look at the dangers of suppression and a worthy contender for the MBI prize, I'd say....more
The Bluest Eye was Toni Morrison's first novel and is the almost unbearably sad story of Percola Breedlove, a little Black girl growing up in 1940s OhThe Bluest Eye was Toni Morrison's first novel and is the almost unbearably sad story of Percola Breedlove, a little Black girl growing up in 1940s Ohio, who longs to have blue eyes. It is a story showing the horrendous effects of internalised racism against a backdrop of poverty and violence - a devastating and uncomfortable read....more
I have seen this described elsewhere as "haunting" and there is really no better word to describe it. The prose is crisp and mesmerising and the repeaI have seen this described elsewhere as "haunting" and there is really no better word to describe it. The prose is crisp and mesmerising and the repeated motifs (the smell of petrol, a barking dog...) throughout the book were very effective at building a sense of dread - I finished the second half of the book in one session with my heart in my mouth.
Another excellent book from Fitzcarraldo Editions - I will be very surprised if this doesn't receive any award nominations. A definite prize-worthy book in my eyes!...more
I found it difficult to decide how to rate this book...on the one hand, the writing is AMAZING - it propels you along at a frenetic pace with such breI found it difficult to decide how to rate this book...on the one hand, the writing is AMAZING - it propels you along at a frenetic pace with such breathlessness and force that you cannot look away. However, it is an absolutely relentless onslaught of violence, abuse, misogyny, profanity, machismo, homophobia and degradation, which makes me reluctant to recommend widely, as I feel like many readers would find it challenging and offputting. I get that this is somewhat the point and that Melchor is trying to convey the brutality and poverty of small town Mexico and is not condoning or glorifying the violence - I found it very insightful to listen to an interview she gave on the Between the Covers podcast explaining her inspiration and intent.
I am glad that I read it, I thought it was an astonishing book, but I feel I now need to read something soothing and calm to recover. I have eventually gone with five stars to convey the sheer force/impact and wow factor of the writing/translation....more
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is the story of a family of five set during the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the years afterwards. It combinThe Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree is the story of a family of five set during the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the years afterwards. It combines the brutal reality of injustice, loss and grief with fable-like magical elements complete with jinns, ghosts, prophesies and even a mermaid.
I am finding it a difficult book to rate. There were passages that were, for me, breathtaking and amazing and worthy of five stars. However, during some of the lengthy forays into mysticism and magic, I found my attention wandering and quite honestly I felt bored and wanting to skim read. I do wonder if I just wasn't quite "in the mood" for magical realism and that's why it just wasn't really hitting the spot for me. Your mileage may vary, and this is definitely an interesting and worthy book. I have plumped for 4 stars....more
Animalia is quite an extraordinary novel - I am not sure I have ever read anything quite like it, and I have certainly never read a book with so manyAnimalia is quite an extraordinary novel - I am not sure I have ever read anything quite like it, and I have certainly never read a book with so many references to pigs' vulvas (!)
The premise of the book can be best summed up in the words of one of the characters as a"...never-ending agony in this crumbling farmhouse, surrounded by the stench, the squealing pigs and the cruelty of men."It describes a family farm in two eras (Parts I & II take place between 1898-1917 and Parts III & IV are in 1981) during which time it has transitioned from a small affair to an industrial pig unit. Brutality and violence towards animals and fellow humans is a strong currrent that runs through all the generations of this family. In the words of one character:Occasionally Joel wonders whether it was the piggery that made monsters of them, or their monstrousness that infected the farm.
If you are at all squeamish about bodily fluids whether of animal or human origin, then you may wish to avoid this book full as it is of excrement, blood, urine, semen and an assortment of other purulent discharges! Having said that, it never feels gratuitous or titillating and the writing/translation is extraordinarily, breathtakingly beautiful and arresting.
This is the first book of Del Amo's to be translated into English and I would definitely be interested to read more of his work....more
There's a lot to process here and I am not sure I can review this with any justice, except to say: read it, you won't regret it. Morrison's writing isThere's a lot to process here and I am not sure I can review this with any justice, except to say: read it, you won't regret it. Morrison's writing is wonderful, her characters are fascinating and multi-layered; her understanding of human nature and motivations is razor sharp....more
I knew very little about this book prior to reading it other than (1) it is on the 1001 books to read before you die list; and (2) it was a Kindle deaI knew very little about this book prior to reading it other than (1) it is on the 1001 books to read before you die list; and (2) it was a Kindle deal for 99p! I wondered if it might be depressing but it was quite the opposite. It is written in a Trinidadian patois, with a rambling free-association kind of reminiscing vibe and is full of vividly drawn colourful characters and a strong sense of place and time. Some of the blatant misogyny got me down at times but otherwise a joyful read....more
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