Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"Richard was surprised when he heard the announcement that the federal government had declared a policy action to bring the rebels to order. Kainene was not."

I have to admit to being completely oblivious to this period of history. I was unfamiliar with Nigeria's history and I always admire a book that enlivens otherwise hidden periods of history to my sheltered world. I'd previously read Americanah  by the same author and enjoyed it immensely, so I was intrigued to explore her Bailey Women's Prize winning novel.

There are some harrowing scenes in this novel which are not easily erased. A particular rape scene comes to mind and it is all the more disturbing because both the transgressor and the victim seem like victims - no-one is innocent in war. This is a world gone mad and the insanity has a body count.

Sadly, this could be anywhere in the world.We are always one step away from being educated and informed and then regressing into violence. Even when the ideals are revolution for better conditions, the outcomes can be catastrophic. The pacing here is masterful and you will be drawn in despite your reservations about much of the action.

5 out of 5 - If we don't learn history we are doomed.

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

“It’s the fate of most Ping-Pong tables in home basements eventually to serve the ends of other, more desperate games.”

Rare is the novel that can make you laugh out loud one minute and hate yourself the next. This is such a novel and it is just as good as all the critics would have you believe. Every family is a bit of a basket case aren’t they? Recognising aspects of my own in this novel was equal parts mortifying, entertaining and sad. It really is no surprise to me that this novel has been so well regarded ( yay another tick on the 1001 novel list) including winning the 2001 National Book Award for Fiction and 2002 James Tait Black Memorial Prize (thanks Wikipedia).

Albert and Enid Lambert remind me of my parents, particularly in the way Enid espouses judgements on all who will listen and Alfred’s worsening grip on reality. I could see the worst aspects of myself and my brother in the behaviour of their three children, Gary, Denise and Chip. Let's hope my parent's upcoming cruise is not as eventful.

I'm glad I read this when I did. I think I'm the right age. Old enough to have lived and made some interesting mistakes, and young enough to be confused by the notion of ageing and the way it creeps up on you. Sometimes I feel like a bit of a fraud like Denise, trying to be the perfect daughter. Its probably something a lot of people can relate to. Substitute the ping pong table with a pool table and you have my parent's house summed up.

 5 out of 5 -  all families are weird, all relationships are strange.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

“One night near the end of July, the thick clouds that had long covered the sky finally cleared, revealing two moons”

Murakami is, to me, a weird and wonderful writer who combines escapist fantasy with a strangely grounded realism in a manner which continues to engage. This tome has been sitting on my TBR shelf for what seems like aeons, the sheer volume and weight of it was a little intimidating. Too heavy to pack for a holiday read and too good looking to run around with, risking damage to the gorgeous, yet fragile dust jacket.

Apparently this was originally published in 3 volumes, which would have driven me to distraction and I'm thankful all were combined in this English translation. I was swept through the two tales of Aomame - the assassin who cleverly wreaks vengeance on sexual transgressors with her trusty tool ( that sounds a little phallic) and the boy who held her hand for one brief unforgettable moment in school, Tengo - the ghostwriter working with a young, dyslexic would-be author with ties to a strange cult. Two moons appear as evidence of the alternate world that Aomame and Tengo have found themselves in, the one that Aomame calls 1Q84.

To discuss the plot though is probably a waste of time. Certainly it is convoluted, but then so is any vivid dream and reading this is like being immersed in a dreamlike state. Will Aomame and Tengo find each other and a way out of the world of cats? I'm not about to tell you that when you can enjoy the journey of some 925 pages for yourself. 


 5 out of 5  readers should know I am not a cat person.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

"There will always be, I realise,  those who would claim that any attempt to analyse greatness as I have been doing is quite futile."

I really wanted to like this more. This is one of those novels that I can appreciate in as much as it brilliantly conveys a character, but I just wanted something more/different. Admittedly it was difficult to get greatly enthused about things while waiting in a queue of some 50 people (after a long, long first day at my new job) at a medical centre because my finger was infected (damn nail salon),

The butler at the heart of the novel is a brilliant study of someone who has devoted so much of themselves to their job that they have almost lost their own identity and certainly their ability to relate to the greater public.

Actually, perhaps my reason for deducting a point of my score harks back to the fact that I've had a few jobs that have left me similarly detached from social norms by the level of devotion they required.

Now that I've reflected, I can certainly see how brilliant this work is, that doesn't mean I have to absolutely love it, but it certainly left me feeling a little blue - or perhaps that was just the fault of all the waiting while I read it.

 4 out of 5 trips in Somerset end up in a pub at some point.

The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey

"There was no one I dared turn to. I thought, I will work. It was  what clocks were good for, their intricacy, their peculiar puzzles... I buried my nose inside Matthew's hat. 'Snuffle' we would have said. 'I snuffle you'. 'I snuffle your neck'."

The untimely death of her lover coincides with the arrival of a new and exciting project for Catherine. Wracked with grief for her deceased, married lover, she throws herself into discovering the secrets of Henry Brandling's automaton.

This was not the first Peter Carey novel I have read, yet I found it more engaging than Oscar and Lucinda. The inability of Catherine to deal with her grief that she must keep hidden from her colleagues and the spouse of her dead lover, is palpable and painfully realised through her increasingly erratic behaviour. The juxtaposition of the Automaton story makes for a really intriguing read and provides an avenue of escape from an otherwise depressing subject.

Check it out 5/5.