Category: 2012

Categories
2012 Orange Prize Uncategorized

Ignorance by Michèle Roberts

Ignorance Longlisted for the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction

Five words from the blurb: village, Jew, war, society, truth

I have to be honest. When I saw this book on the WPF longlist I groaned. Did the world really need another book about hiding Jewish people during WWII? The subject has been covered so many times, often by people who actually experienced it first hand, that I failed to see how another book could add anything new to the subject. Luckily I was wrong. This book looks at the situation from an interesting new angle and I’m pleased that the WFP brought it to my attention.

Ignorance follows two girls from different backgrounds as they grow up in the French village of Ste Madeleine. Marie-Angèle’s father is a grocer, so when WWII breaks out she is one of the lucky ones. She has access to food and when she becomes involved with a man who does deals on the black-market her position in society becomes even more inflated. On the other hand, Jeanne’s mother was born a Jew and her family are desperately poor. Jeanne must deal with all the issues that involve being at the bottom of the social pile, problems compounded when Jews become persecuted. 

This book was easy to read and engaging, but I also loved the way it worked on multiple levels. Themes of ignorance ran through the book, questioning whether or not it is better to know the truth or live in blissful ignorance of it. 

I also liked the way the book looked at the structure of society. It didn’t concentrate on the horrors of war (in fact these were barely mentioned) instead the book examined how different groups of people were affected by the social changes brought on by war. 

Some of the peripheral characters were a bit vague, but the two girls were well drawn and I thought the way different chapters were written from their opposing view points worked very well. The writing was particularly evocative and I especially loved the strong use of smells throughout the book:

 Behind me the bakery door opened, letting out gold light, the smell of warm yeast. Soon, people would start arriving to buy their morning loaves. Take them home to their families. Eat breakfast with their mothers, just as they did every day. I wanted to dive into that yeasty scent, that shop full of loaves warm as mothers.

I’d be happy to see this book on the WFP shortlist and recommend it to anyone who’d like to read an interesting story with literary depth. 

 

Categories
2012 Orange Prize

Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany

Mateship with Birds Longlisted for 2013 Women’s Fiction Prize

Five words from the blurb: farmer, observes, birds, teach, sex

Mateship with Birds was one of the books on the 2013 Women’s Fiction Prize Longlist that didn’t really appeal to me. Luckily the writing quality was fantastic; it’s just a shame that the plot was so simple.

Mateship with Birds is set on an Australian farm. Harry is a lonely farmer who decides to teach his neighbour’s son about sex. Very little happens in this book, but the writing is vivid and the animals on the farm are particularly well described:

The wings of a moth opening and closing over the cape weed catch the sun in a silvery flash. One grazing cow startles forwards slightly, her hind legs make clumsy haste, almost overtaking the rest of her. She settles quickly enough but the plug of fear is transferred to her sister, and then the next cow and the next, until the whole herd has felt a diluted fraction of her fear. The herd, together in the paddock, is a sponge. Feelings run like liquid in the irregular, porous spaces between each animal.

If there were awards for the best sex in literature then this book would be a strong contender. The tenderness of the writing was beautiful and the relationship between each character felt realistic. I felt a little distanced from events, but this style worked well given the sexual nature of the text. I should warn sensitive readers that this book contains scenes of slaughter, beastiality, and lots of sexual content.

My main problem with the book was that the plot was too simple. It was so short I read it in a single sitting, but it lacked the power and insight required to make such a quick read memorable. The individual passages were fantastic, but they failed to come together to form a compelling novel.

Overall the writing quality was enough to justify a place on the WFP longlist, but I can’t see it progressing any further.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

 …if writing style can be true to the Australian agricultural  landscape, this is it – sparse, brittle, obvious. Books are My Favourite and Best

…it felt as though there were the beginnings of a great novel here, but one that isn’t given space to develop. Crikey

Carrie’s writing style is unique, and incredibly readable. That Book You Like

 

 

Categories
2012 Other Prizes

Moffie by André Carl Van Der Merwe

MoffieJoint winner of 2012 Green Carnation Prize

Five words from the blurb: gay, conscript, army, South Africa, strength

Moffie is a beautifully written book about a gay man in the South African army. The novel focuses on Nicholas, a young man forced to fight in the Angolan Bush War. The shocking homophobia of the army makes life hard as he must hide his true identity from those around him.

Much of the book is based on the author’s own experience and this is obvious from the detail and vivid descriptions of the emotions involved. Unfortunately it also echoed real life in the way the plot developed – there were slow sections and then chapters where everything seemed to happen at the same time. It feels wrong to criticise a book for being too realistic, but I can’t help the fact that some sections in the middle bored me and I longed for the pace to pick up. Luckily things improved towards the end and I was impressed by the book as a whole.

The writing is best described as tender. The juxtaposition of the horrors of war with the gentle beauty of his relationships seemed to make everything more powerful.

He has survived a world I have only heard about, and getting through the army doesn’t scare him. I’m attracted to this confidence.
And so I learn a new love; one I have not yet experienced and one I don’t understand. It is the love of a friend. As we slip deeper into understanding each other, this love grows like ascending stairs; discovering new treads between the risers.

This book does contain some violent scenes, but these are kept to a minimum and the main impact comes from what is left unsaid. Instead the novel focuses on the day-to-day suffering caused by homophobic attitudes within the army and the general population.

It is a deserving winner of the Green Carnation prize and I hope that its win will bring the book to a wider audience.

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Categories
2012 Non Fiction

Consider the Fork by Bee Wilson

Consider the Fork: A History of Invention in the Kitchen

Five words from blurb: kitchen, history, invention, human, decisions

Consider the Fork: A History of Invention in the Kitchen is a light, but thoroughly researched look at the way kitchen utensils have changed over the centuries.  Taking one object at a time, Bee explains how it first came into use and how its shape and popularity have altered over the years. The book includes everything from the most modern methods of sous-vide cookery, to the ancient art of cooking over a fire; charting the way technology has changed our cookery.

The book is easy to read and packed with little facts that surprised me. I found myself telling friends numerous anecdotes from this book and although nothing in here is really useful, it is the sort of information that any kitchen enthusiast will enjoy.

In the early nineteenth century there was even a brief vogue among ‘fashionables’ for eating soup with a fork. It was soon condemned as ‘foolish’ and the spoon was restored.

The only problem was that there was no narrative drive. Once put down, I could easily forget about this book and had no special urge to pick it up again. It is perfect for dipping into over time, but I found it hard to read in the set three week library lending period (another user had reserved my copy so I had no option to renew it).

The chatty writing style meant this book was very accessible, but after a while I craved more depth. I would have liked some tips to improve my own kitchen skills, but this book was more of a social history. There’s nothing wrong with that –  I just prefer books with a greater technical content.

Recommended to anyone with a passion for cookery, especially if you enjoy a lighter writing style.

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Categories
2012

Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam

Lamb

Five words from the blurb: kid, reckless, heart, beautifully, idea

Lamb is a fast paced, gripping book that questions whether or not it is OK for an adult man to have a friendship with a child. Lamb is fifty-four-years-old when he discovers a girl being bullied. He rescues her and then realises that she is a latch-key kid, ignored by her parents. Feeling sorry for her he takes the girl out for lunch, an act of kindness that sparks their friendship. Over the course of the book Lamb becomes more involved in her life, but at some point he crosses the moral line and his behavior becomes inappropriate. The big debate is which acts are acceptable and when does he go too far? I’m torn and hope to persuade some of my friends to read this book so that we can discuss the issues raised.

The writing style was informal and Lamb continually questioned whether or not he was doing the right thing:

And there was nothing wrong with that, was there? With a guy like him buying a kid like her a nice lunch, spoiling her a little? It was good for her. It was just a little tonic for his poisonous heart. Right? Why shouldn’t he have done that? It was good for them both. And so it was good for everybody – because that is how goodness works

The reader is left to come to their own conclusions, propelled through the story with an increasing sense of dread. I loved the way this book highlighted our society’s problem of assuming all men who want interactions with children are pedophiles. It is a difficult subject, but I thought Nadzam addressed it with a sensitivity that should be admired.

The only problem with the book is that the story is quite simple and I don’t think there is enough depth to sustain a re-read. Luckily the plot is not predictable and the ending is especially good.

Lamb is a compelling, thought provoking read that deserves to be a best seller. Recommended to fans of Room by Emma Donoghue

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

It’s compulsive and urgent and compelling,  but it is also disconcerting and creepy. Reading Matters

Lyrical, brisk and evocative. Learn this Phrase

Lamb is not a horror novel; it is far more than that, for the terror is subtly created  in the reader’s mind rather than being explicit on the page. A Common Reader

 

Categories
2012

A Trick I Learned From Dead Men by Kitty Alderidge

A Trick I Learned from Dead Men

Five words from the blurb: funeral home, death, mother, deaf, brother

A Trick I Learned From Dead Men is a short, but interesting book about two brothers – one of whom works at a funeral parlour. The brothers are adjusting to life on their own after the sudden death of their mother. Ned is deaf and his brother, Lee, struggles to look after him once he begins an apprenticeship at the local funeral home. The book beautifully portrays the strained relationship between two brothers and gives some (often gruesome) insights into the procedures that corpses undergo before being buried.

The writing style was chatty, but compelling:

The only times things get hairy is when we’ve got a rush on. No one’s fault, but it can get a bit brisk. I only saw Derek lose his grip once, not the whole gentleman, just the top half. I don’t like it when clients get a knock, especially the head. You feel bad, but it can happen when there’s a rush on.

I read the entire thing in a couple of sittings, but, despite the depressing subject matter, I found that I wasn’t emotionally affected by the story. I think this was because I wasn’t allowed to get inside Lee’s head and his light-hearted banter detracted from the pain of his circumstance. The story was too simple to impress me and lacked the emotional power to move me.

It was an interesting diversion, but it failed to have any real impact on me. Recommended to anyone who’d like to know what really goes on in a funeral home.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

Kitty has taken a taboo subject and achieved that fine balance, writing engagingly and openly, and with great sensitivity and humour about something most of us just don’t like to think or talk about. Dovegreyreader

There are no real high points, the book sort of ambles along a well written and well plotted plateau. Dog Ear Discs

It’s an accomplished piece of writing. But now I have reached the end I feel that I have met a character, read a simple story, and I wish that there could have been just a little more. Fleur Fisher in her World