Unexplained noises, flickering lights, gut-churning odours, eating flies, bite marks on pale skin, missing tools, an abandoned house… Hunger & Thirst by Claire Fuller is loaded with gothic elements. Continue reading
Category Archives: Fiction
Soft Serve by George Kemp
The premise for George Kemp’s novel, Soft Serve, is deceptively simple – four people taking shelter in a regional McDonald’s as bushfires close in around the town. What unfolds, is a story about grief, expectations and imagined futures.
…orange embers dart over her head and flutter down the hill towards the town, flicky death-filled confetti… Continue reading
Catching-up on reviews
During my month off blogging I was still doing lots of reading… so I am now very, very behind on reviews. Some quick ones to catch-up. Continue reading
My Latest Listens
Bonfires of the Murdochs by Gabriel Sherman Continue reading
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
A ridiculously short review of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke despite the fact that I have SO MUCH to say about this book. Continue reading
Literary Wives Club – Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
For the first time since I’ve joined the Literary Wives Club, the selection is a short story collection – Jhumpa Lahiri’s Pulitzer Prize winning Interpreter of Maladies.
There are nine stories in the collection, the majority focused on Indian or Bengali immigrants in America. Lahiri writes from different perspectives, not bound by gender or age, and the stories feature details and quirks that make them ‘splendid’* and memorable. Continue reading
New Skin by Miranda Nation
I’ll admit that I bought New Skin by Miranda Nation for one reason – it’s set at Melbourne University in the nineties. Which is when I was there. So yes, references to Carlton, faculty balls and the Baillieu Library were enjoyable. Continue reading
Helm by Sarah Hall
Helm by Sarah Hall was my book group’s last pick. Our host, the wonderful Katie at Ramona Books, sent out a reminder email which made me laugh –
Helm, or Hmmm? … I’ll be pouring generously for all who managed to wade through.
In summary, it’s a story spanning hundreds of years, told from many perspectives, including that of a most unusual narrator – the wind. More specifically, the wind is the Helm, a strong, cold, northeasterly Foehn wind that blows down the slopes of Cross Fell in Cumbria, England. Helm is the only officially named wind in the British Isles and it is notorious for bringing freezing temperatures, roaring noise, and wrecking damage across the valley. Continue reading
Flesh by David Szalay
What did I miss in David Szalay’s Booker Prize winning novel, Flesh?
I was engaged – the story moved along at a good pace with enough happening to keep me interested. The writing was fine – consistent, accessible, and well-developed characters.
And yet… there was nothing about this book that blew me away. Is it unreasonable to expect something of the ‘breathtaking’ variety when we’re talking Booker Prize winners? Or, if not breathtaking, then something that is arresting, dividing readers into one-star or five-star reviews? (I like books that illicit strong opinions either way.) Continue reading
Discontent by Beatriz Serrano
I read Discontent by Beatriz Serrano (translated by Mara Faye Lethem) almost two months ago (yes, catching up on reviews, so I’ll keep this brief). Anyway, the point is that when anyone asks, “Have you read anything good lately?”, this is the book I suggest. I’m not constantly thinking about it, yet it’s the book that immediately comes to mind. Because it’s funny, it’s relatable, it’s well written and it’s also sad (or perhaps poignant) in an unexpected way. Continue reading