It’s time for #6degrees. Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up.
This month we begin with Knife by Salman Rushdie. I never expected Rushdie to quote Jodi Piccoult in his memoir, but he quotes her novel, My Sister’s Keeper –
If you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.
I read a novel about a very creepy loner for Reading Ireland Month – Martin John by Anakana Schofield.
Also read for Reading Ireland Month, and completely different from Martin John, was The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride.
McBride’s novel focuses on a drama student, as does Claire Thomas in her novel, The Performance.
Samuel Beckett’s play, Happy Days is central to The Performance. I’m going to close the circle this month by linking Happy Days back to Knife, on the basis that Beckett, like Rushdie, was stabbed.
Next month (May 3, 2025), we’ll start with an historical novel longlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize, Rapture by Emily Maguire.
