Tag Archives: books that made me cry

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dear Ann,

I am writing to congratulate you on your most recent novel, State of Wonder, which was given to me for my birthday by my brother…

Yes, the protagonist, Sybil Van Atwerp, is referring to Ann Patchett. She goes on to say that if Ann was to ever visit Annapolis, she’d be glad to host her. Sybil’s familiar tone (which she also employs in letters to Joan Didion and Kazuo Ishiguro) is wonderfully endearing and I’d like to imagine, disarming for the receivers of those letters.

However, letters to authors are just a small part of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Continue reading →

The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch

Posted by Kate W in Non-fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

In water, like in books – you can leave your life.

I don’t exactly know what I just read but Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, The Chronology of Water, has left a deep impression.

Her story is told sometimes in lush, rolling sentences; sometimes in angry snatches; and sometimes in an anguished monologue. She explores themes of being a daughter, abuse, addiction, self-destruction, failed relationships, mothering, and grief.

I hated my father most of all, a hate that never left but just changed forms. My life had been ruined by men. Continue reading →

Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , ,

“Listen. Sometimes you’ve just got to put on a Breton top and a bit of lipstick, get behind a wheel and get the fuck as far away as possible from the person you shagged last night. It’s basic science.”

Listen, sometimes you’ve got to just put aside an afternoon and read Emma Jane Unsworth.

I suspect that I am older than Unsworth’s target audience. Just slightly. It doesn’t matter, because her books firmly resonate.

Her latest novel, Slags, tells the story of sisters, Sarah and Juliette, who decide to take a road trip through the Scottish Highlands in an old camper van, to celebrate Juliette’s birthday. Their plans include taking in the scenery, visiting whiskey distilleries, and having a few deep-and-meaningfuls. Sarah is escaping poor lifestyle choices, Juliette is reflecting on the grind of her marriage and motherhood, and both have childhood trauma to navigate. Continue reading →

My Best Books for 2024

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I did away with ‘top tens’ a few years ago, and instead I finish the reading year with a recap of the books that are still speaking to me (less about four and five-star ratings, more about what has stuck). Continue reading →

Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , ,

There’s a reason we should leave our ‘best of’ lists until the last possible moment… because sometimes you read a winner in the last few days of the year. Love and Missed by Susie Boyt is such a book.

It’s the story of school teacher, Ruth. Her daughter, Eleanor, is a drug addict who has just had a baby, Lily. Ruth makes a somewhat impulsive decision to take over the care of her granddaughter, and her life is transformed by Lily. At the same time, she despairs over her relationship with Eleanor – tentatively making advances and then retreating, Eleanor’s responses prickly and unreliable.

Sometimes I thought the more Eleanor evaded and erased me the more I needed her.

As Lily grows into a teenager, Ruth reflects on the curative power of love.

Here’s what I loved: Continue reading →

The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

This book. This magnificent book.

The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes is the story of the Flattery sisters, who were plunged prematurely into adulthood when their parents died in tragic circumstances.

Various relatives moved in and out, looking after them in shifts. This angered and confused the girls, who resisted management, who preferred unsupervised sadness. Continue reading →

Love, Death and Other Scenes by Nova Weetman

Posted by Kate W in Non-fiction and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Every time we experience grief, it is different. It’s why I keep reading grief memoirs – they always provide a new perspective. Love, Death and Other Scenes by Nova Weetman offers extraordinary insight into many aspects of grief.

Weetman’s memoir opens with the memorial of her husband, playwright and director Aidan Fennessy.*

It is like being at a party where the guest has forgotten to arrive. Everyone is waiting for you. And you are nowhere and everywhere. In all the conversations. In all the memories. But gone too. Continue reading →