I read lots on a recent holiday… It already seems a distant memory. I won’t get the chance to go the full burrito on reviews, so instead, some quick thoughts on two books –

The End of Everything by Megan Abbott

Perfect beach reading, The End of Everything is a lite-The-Lovely-Bones (a book that scared the beejeezus out of me). The relationships between characters appear relatively straightforward but are in fact very carefully and thoughtfully constructed – so much so that as you’re reading, you feel increasingly uncomfortable.

2.5/5

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

It’s outrageous to reduce my review of a book that has attracted all sorts of attention (best-seller lists, literary reviews, prizes) to just a few lines… But…. The Interestings was interesting. A brilliant mix of characters; a story spanning decades; a plot that had enough to surprise but wasn’t all-of-this-doesn’t-happen-to-one-person-in-a-lifetime-stupid; elements that I always like – New York and summer camps; and an ending that I didn’t see coming. If you’re sensing a ‘but’, you’re right – I liked this book but I wanted more from the writing. I think I was expecting something a little more powerful, or atmospheric, or beautiful. I don’t know… something to make it even more interesting.

3/5