nb85 summer 2015

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

BOOKDIVA:

WE CELEBRATE:

BOOKNOIR:

Summer Reading to Go

Barbara Pym

We Turn to Crime! nudge-book.com

newbooks for readers and reading groups

Festivals – What’s the attraction?

JADE’S BALLOON LIFTS OFF!

BIG INTERVIEW

Jandy Nelson She’ll Give You the Sun! BIG INTERVIEW

Pulitzer Prize Winner

Anthony Doerr ISSUE 85 SUMMER 2015 £5

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What’s been going on with nudge?

Nine months into our relationship with nudge, it seemed timely to discuss our ‘mission statement’. We’re not very corporate, you understand, but the phrase is apposite.

So firstly, what do we have in common? We started a list: • an obsession with books • access to publishers and authors • an aversion to PR and hype • a track record of objectivity and integrity

the widespread antipathy to kindles et al).

Not bad for starters. And points of divergence? The only obvious difference was that nb has books to give away but then we’ve recently launched a nudge Recommended Reads – albeit on a much smaller scale.

WHAT WE ARE READING

So how well have we presented nudge to you, our readers?

Well, a moment of clarity first – I am in no doubt that you like nb because it is a magazine that you can browse in quiet moments with a cup of coffee.

So for me to eulogise a website may be wasting my time except . . . the number of you who now have tablets and smartphones is increasing exponentially (especially when compared to

My temptation has always been to fill the magazine to bursting.

But now I have nudge for things I can’t fit in nb and I‘ve been having the rip. It’s fair to say we’re not there yet with the website BUT if you were to go to the big magnifying glass, top right of your screen and type in any of the following you’ll get a flavour of what we’ve been up to.

ONE TO WATCH OUT FOR OUR INTREPID REPORTER AUTHOR meets REVIEWER Q&A

And if that weren’t enough, type the name of your favourite reviewer/author/title/publisher into the nudge search and a cornucopia of content is at your command. Better still, our reviewers are now leading the way with supporting articles we could never accommodate fully in nb – Best Books of the 21st Century and Jade Craddock’s Around the World in 80 Books. Roseann

Campell’s thought piece on sustainability in literature launches our WHAT WE ARE THINKING where you, our readers, are welcome to present issues you think others will appreciate.

So, I’m not expecting you to eat, drink and sleep nudge, the way I seem to these days, but, if you’d bear with some of the glitches we’re working on behind the scenes, I think you will be impressed.

Happy reading,

PUBLISHER

PS While you’re there you might like to sign up to the nudge List - if you have iPhone or iPad - and the nudge Update if you don’t.

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CONTENTS

newbooks FROM US TO YOU Features GUY PRINGLE

Publisher, nudge and newbooks ALASTAIR GILES

Managing Director, AMS Digital Publishing BERT WRIGHT

Nudge List Editor MELANIE MITCHELL

Business Development Manager DANIELLE BOWERS

Production Manager CATHERINE TURNER

Project Production Manager JADE CRADDOCK

Contributor To find out what the team is currently reading, turn to page 6.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

www.nudge-book.com nb Magazine 1 Vicarage Lane Stubbington, Hampshire PO14 2JU Telephone 01329 311419 info@newbooksmag.com

All raw materials used in the production of this magazine are harvested from sustainable managed forests.

Every effort has been made to trace ownership of copyright material, but in a few cases this has proved impossible.

Should any question arise about the use of any material, do please let us know.

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THE VIEW FROM HERE Your publisher gets it off his chest!

6

WHAT WE'RE READING Catch up with our current faves

12 IN SITU Margaret Cain in Vietnam

8

QUIRKY Q&A with DAVID MITCHELL

10 WHERE I WRITE – ERICA JAMES Suffolk or Italy – tough choices!

14 BARBARA PYM Libby Tempest takes up the story

28 Q&A with KATARINA BIVALD But not in Swedish

23 THE VERDICT IS IN on Patrick Gale’s A Place Called Winter

32 SUMMERTIME Probably why Richard & Judy chose it, too.

24 OUR INTREPID REPORTER Literary festivals and book events?

You’ll find us there!

46 BOOK into BLOG? Fredrick Backman explains

30 A GOLDEN AGE FOR YA? Jade Craddock answers her own question 44 OUR 4th READERS DAY Come on down to Winchester!!!

58 AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS Jade Craddock feels the balloon rise 67 CALLING ALL READING GROUPS! Step forward Sarah Bruch and Dorothy Flaxman

57 BOOKSHOPS WE LIKE A Festival of Books in Chipping Campden 71 BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS Some Christmas presents for him (and her!)?

72 ROSIE THOMAS Read e Illusionists? You need to know about Daughter of the House!

78 NIKKI OWEN Why I wanted a female protagonist

37 CRIMETIME’S BARRY FORSHAW ON PSYCHO – the book, shock horror!

38 DARK SUITS AND SAD SONGS

by Denzil Meyrick, police officer turned crime writer

Doerr Pulitzer Prize Winner

50 ORDER YOUR BOOKS AND SUBSCRIBE HERE!

41 CRIMEFEST Guess what it’s about 42 BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CRIME Karen Weatherly asks the questions!

BOOKdiva 62 THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO US

by Annie Barrows

48 A MAN CALLED OVE

by Fredrick Backman

52

Jandy Nelson

66 HIGHER ED

by Tessa McWatt

54 I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN

by Jandy Nelson

Next big thing in YA?

64 THE TURNING POINT

by Freya North

91 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY We thought some more reviews might be nice

70 OUR READING GROUP STARTER PACK Does exactly what it says on the box

20 ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

by Anthony Doerr

33 SUMMERTIME

by Vanessa Lafaye

40 THE NO. 2 FELINE DETECTIVE AGENCY

by Mandy Morton

65 COMING HOME

by Annabel Kantaria

98 WHAT WE ARE THINKING at well-known online bookshop

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39 FIRST ONE MISSING

by Tammy Cohen

82 THE DIRECTORY Reviews, reviews and, more reviews

96 BLOG SPOT Phil Ramage’s reviewsrevues.com – om the Isle of Wight!

big interviews RECOMMENDED Anthony READS

63 THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN MOTHERS

by Meera Syal

75 HAS MANDY READ? Ira Levin, anybody?

76 NUDGE - START HERE An insiders guide on how to find the good stuff

BOOKNOIR

CONTENTS

73 DAUGHTER OF THE HOUSE/THE ILLUSIONISTS

by Rosie omas

79 THE SPIDER IN THE CORNER OF THE ROOM

by Nikki Owen

ISSUE 85 SUMMER 2015

IN OUR OPINION

We are endeavouring to put more – and longer versions – of what we’re reading onto nudge-book.com Just click on the magnifying glass, top right and search with WHAT WE ARE READING and ONE TO WATCH OUT FOR.

IN OUR OPINION

and the Westminster cartel to swerve clear of change to the status quo. I was fascinated, enraged, cheering his chutzpah and dismissive in equal measure. No wonder we have such a confused and disinterested electorate. A month after the election and I've found that my anger towards the Daily Mail in particular has barely subsided.

I'm searching for a magic realism novel to assuage my angst now.

him. They have a son Albie who is leaving for college after the summer so Douglas plans a final trip around Europe for the three of them in the hope he can save his marriage.

The chapters alternate from present day to the past when Douglas and Connie first meet and their lives together – good times and bad. We join them on their trip around Europe and learn their characters and why the family is falling apart.

I was really rooting for Douglas but you come to understand all three points of view. Us is funny, moving and charming -

what we’re reading ALASTAIR GILES

DANIELLE BOWERS

Establishment

by Owen Jones, Allen Lane

Us by David Nicholls, Hodder

I was driven to read this bestseller on the back of a puzzling election result last month. It's a leftish rant from a Guardian journalist about how the outriders of the establishment have ensured we stay an undemocratized rabble for the last 2 decades. Well, ish.

Actually, it's also an insightful dissection of the mechanisms in place amongst the media, the judiciary, the financial sector 6

I finished reading One Day on my commute home from work and sobbed until I was a blur of mascara – other passengers became concerned for my welfare. So it was with trepidation that I picked up Us. I was determined that Mr Nicholls would not make me cry again. So . . . in the middle of the night Douglas is woken by his wife Connie who tells him she is thinking of leaving

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it is not One Day – but the way Nicholls introduces these characters and their journey is wonderful. And yes I did cry at the end of Us but not in the same couldn’t-breathe-for-anhour-afterwards way… thank goodness!

MEL MITCHELL The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle

by Kirsty Wark, Two Roads

There’s nothing quite like a personal recommendation so thanks go to my neighbour for The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle

by Kirsty Wark. Elizabeth Pringle has been persuaded to write an account of her life as she comes to the end of her days. A solitary figure on the Isle of Arran her past is a mystery and further speculation is prompted upon her death when she leaves her beautiful house to a stranger who admired it once. Martha is the daughter of that stranger struggling to deal with her mother’s dementia. So we have a dual narrative between Elizabeth’s story as she reflects on her life, and Martha’s as she learns a new way of life away from the city. I was drawn in by Elizabeth to the point where it seemed to me she must have been a real person. This part was intelligently and sensitively written with lovely period detail. I wasn’t quite as convinced by Martha but it made for an interesting contrast. A very readable novel about women and family ties and personal freedom.

CATH TURNER The Vanishing Witch by Karen Maitland, Review

Set in 14th century Lincoln during the Peasants Revolt this book intrigued me. Not normally my type of book, and at over 600 pages I’m surprised I managed to finish it so quickly, but I couldn’t put it down! I loved that each chapter

opened with a spell and the atmosphere Karen Maitland created in the book and within the characters really does take you back in time. It’s a dark book, full of mystery, murder, ghosts and witchcraft and I’m thankful I live in the 21st century.

BERT WRIGHT Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume, Tramp Press

It takes courage to write a novel with just two active characters, one of whom is a one-eyed dog who doesn’t say much, but that’s what one of Ireland’s brightest new talents, Sara Baume, has done in this stunning debut novel. The protagonist is a damaged loner who, by his own admission, is “not the kind of person who is able to do things.”

Just how damaged 57 year-old Ray really is becomes apparent as he flees home town troubles with his canine sidekick.

A road trip like no other ensues and while the novel’s paucity of events and action may deter traditional readers, the narrative voice is utterly compelling.

Baume’s startling and thoroughly original language crackles and fizzes throughout the book, especially in her wonderful depictions of nature.

Hailed as “a writer touched by greatness” Sara Baume looks set to make a big impression.

GUY PRINGLE Harvest by Jim Crace, Picador

Walter Thirsk is still an outsider after 12 years in the village at the time of the Enclosures, when sheep were introduced onto the land. Walter has done his best to assimilate himself by marrying one of the locals but she has died. The master's wife has also died leaving him childless, so cousin Edmund is set to inherit the village and his mind is set on profits from fleeces. As the new owner he asserts himself with alacrity.

Our narrator may not be a villager but neither is he of the master class, although his understanding of the politics involved is intricate and profound.

Harvest is the timing of the book but there is a greater and more serious harvest about to descend. An easy read but not light; careful observation and use of language captures emotions of the characters with subtlety allowing us to appreciate their motivations without losing sight of the implications they must have in the greater order of things.

Recommended.

You will find full reviews of these titles and more that the team have read on nudge under WHAT WE ARE READING.

nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com

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DAVID

M ITC H EL L

DAV ID

Quirky Q+A Photo: Writer Pictures

David Mitchell, author of The Bone Clocks spills the beans.

pseud. I have a small collection of tea-cups from various corners of Japan, and choose one after a few moments’ thought. I drink rooibos if I wake up thirsty but rested and don’t want to spend my caffeine dose first thing.

Green tea is like liquid grass, I love to let its bitterness soak into my tongue. My body’s grateful when I drink it. White tea (well-brewed or it’s too feeble) gives me a more complex lift. It tastes slightly like balsa modelling wood, but it’s faintly TEA OR COFFEE? floral, too. Black teas, with a Tea, as I’m mildly allergic to coffee, which makes me feel in- slice of lemon or lime, are another world. Earl Grey’s vincible for 15 minutes but gorgeous and it’s got a lot of then makes my lips and throat go puffy and the rest of me feel welly in it; Darjeeling is drier but chalkier and subtler; Assam, nauseous for 5 hours. Tea is the closest I’ve got to builder’s wonderful stuff, however – tea, I save for when I didn’t loose leaf, allowed to brew in a small wire sieve thing that sits in sleep so well. From a shop in the teapot or the cup. You pick Brussels called ‘Universe du your tea like your music, to suit Thé’ I buy oolong tea that has been steamed in milk. It’s a your mood and your physical condition. My love of tea stops taste like no other, and I’ve never seen this tea anywhere me laughing at wine buffs beelse on Earth. This time of year cause I’m the same about tea, (now I’ll sound like Country and from here on in I’m going Living) I like to cut myself a few to sound like an incurable 8

nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com

stalks of fresh mint from a pot by the back door and just pour freshly boiled water over it. It smells as good as it tastes and clears the head. If I’m ever sentient but without a body, tea is something I’m really going to miss.

BRIDGES OR TUNNELS? Does anyone ever opt for ‘tunnels’? They scare the bejesus out of me, especially elderly car tunnels that go on for miles.

There’s one north of Reykjavik on the road to Borganes, the next place large enough to count as a big town, that goes under a fjord, and I swear it’s like going into the Underworld.

It has a 1950s feel to it, with no central reservation and I kept imagining the truck heading my way would veer into my lane and turn me to offal. There’s another hellish tunnel under a mountain on the main Oki Island, off the northern coast of Matsue Prefecture in Japan, that I was stupid enough to go through on my bike. I was cycling along a sort of access shelf

off the main road, but the sound waves of the vehicles that entered the tunnel 500 metres behind me would reverberate and echo and amplify until it was like a Sonic Monster was trying to boooooom me out of existence. Bridges, on the other hand, are fine, open, high, poetic, philosophical things. I can’t really think of one I don’t like, from a small Neolithic one on Exmoor, to the Seto Inland Sea Bridge, which has more steel in it than some countries.

I love crossing Brooklyn Bridge and thinking of Walt Whitman.

I love low elegant Dublin’s bridges. I love the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There’s a high stately one in Vancouver, too. I suppose the only bridges I don’t like are ones without pedestrian access, because they are a kick in the teeth of the human soul.

And occasionally I get a nightmare about an impossibly high, impossibly narrow bridge without railings that I’m so afraid of falling off that I always do.

STARTER OR DESSERT? Middle age geezers like me can’t do three course meals any more without feeling stuffed, and I don’t like feeling stuffed, so I start with the main to leave space for the dessert. Unless, that is, you’re in a restaurant where the portions are tiny, so you need all three courses.

What a privileged first world non-problem this is. I don’t much like how I’m sounding so I’ll stop this one here.

INSIDE LOOKING OUT OR OUTSIDE LOOKING IN? Outside looking in reminds me of the Netherlands, where people leave curtains undrawn and blinds unlowered even at night, so if you want to, you can gawp as much as you like. Dutch people know foreigners find this weird, but if you ask why them why they’re so casual about displaying their interiors, you get quite a range of answers.

Like many people, I enjoy looking into rooms and guessing at the lives of the occupants by their possessions, design sense or lack of. It’s similar to what I do for a living, now I think of it.

Inside looking out, however, is also a joy. (I’m not really doing an either/or here, am I, as much as an and/and.) I love sitting in a window seat at a coffee shop or ramen joint and watching a busy commuter crowd stream by. The pleasure of getting the top front seat of a doubledecker bus is something I’ll never grow out of, either.

BLACK OR BLUE? There’s only one shade of black, which is black: everything else is either a very dark grey or a very dark something else. What needs to be black – pupils, intergalactic space, ninja outfits – should be black, as is right and proper. Blues are plural, however. Blue goes from forget-me-nots in the mist, all the way to squinting through a bottle of blue ink at a light-

MI TCHEL L

bulb, via snooker chalk, butterfly wings, the blue of a Morris Marina my parents bought around 1975, my first girlfriend’s eyes, a lone hiking sock I’ve had for years that I can’t chuck in case its long-lost partner shows up the following day, the blue of the Atlantic Ocean glistening under the subtropical Irish sun. The blue in green that Bill Evans saw, and heard, and plays. The names ‘John’ and ‘Jonathan’ are blue, as is ‘Michael’ or ‘Mike’, as is Earth from Space. The heart is red, the soul is blue.

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell is published by Sceptre, price £7.99 pbk and is available now.

nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com

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View from Erica’s balcony – in Italy, not Suffolk.

Where I write...

I Romantic novelist Erica James has the best of both worlds and, she admits, can be untidy in either.

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moved house last November and now have a wonderful new study in which to work. The room was one of many reasons why I bought the house, it flows nicely from the large open plan kitchen, but more importantly its window overlooks the Suffolk street where I can observe the to and fro of the village which, apart from being lively and well populated, is also a tourist attraction. Not a day passes when somebody isn’t standing in the road taking a photograph of the half-timbered medieval houses, one of which appeared in a Harry

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Potter film. Watching people going about their day-to-day business feeds my imagination perfectly, and with my desk placed in front of the window, I’m well aware that I’m fast turning into a cross between Miss Mapp and Miss Marple!

The creation of my study was one of the first things I organised when I moved in and I used the same company that designed my previous study.

A lot of thought when into the design as I was determined to maximise the amount of space available in order to squeeze in as many shelves and cupboards as possible.

I wouldn’t call myself a hoarder, but I do like to archive things. For instance, I have a file for every book I’ve written, going back to 1995, with each file containing reviews and correspondence from my publishers, agent and readers.

I can’t bring myself to throw any of it away.

When I’m writing I like to be surrounded by what I call my creative clutter – photographs of my family, and bits and bobs I’ve collected over the years on my travels, and which my twoyear-old grandson now likes to look at or play with. I’m guilty of having a large and very untidy desk; it’s either covered with reference books or pieces of paper with notes hastily scribbled on.

I’m also lucky enough to have a bolt-hole in Italy, an apartment overlooking Lake Como.

I always write when I’m there, and while my desk might be a lot smaller than the one at home in Suffolk, it still acts as a magnet for books, papers, pencils and files. When I’m stuck with a particularly stubborn chapter that just doesn’t seem to want to be written, there’s nothing else for it but to go and sit on the balcony with a cup of tea and watch the boats passing by.

We find authors’ descriptions of themselves on their own websites always give an interesting insight – here’s what Erica wants you to know about her.

With an insatiable appetite for other people’s business, Erica will readily strike up conversation with strangers in the hope of unearthing a useful gem for her writing. She finds it the best way to write authentic characters for her novels, although her two grown-up sons claim they will never recover from a childhood spent in a perpetual state of embarrassment at their mother’s compulsion.

The author of fourteen bestselling novels, including Gardens of Delight which won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award, and her recent Sunday Times top ten bestseller, It’s the Little Things, Erica divides her time between Cheshire* and Lake Como in Italy, where she now strikes up conversation with unsuspecting Italians. * See, that’s what we mean, moving house hasn’t yet made it to her website.

Erica, we can totally identify with that!

The Dandelion Years by Erica James is published by Orion, price £7.99 pbk and is available now.

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IN SITU–VIETNAM

nb reviewer, Margaret Cain fulfils an ambition to visit Vietnam – setting for a favourite novel.

IN SITU–VIETNAM

T

he Beauty of Humanity Movement is set in the early years of this century, in the Vietmanese capital of Hanoi, where the central character, Old Man Hu’ng, is a master in the art of making phở, the noodle soup that is a staple Vietnamese food.

Scratching a living on the streets, pushed from pillar to post by the police, Hu’ng wanders the city, setting up his stall on a different patch each day, where his loyal customers find him by word of mouth.

Tu’ makes his way back on foot, his thoughts numbed by the revving engines, the insistent beeping of horns.

He first came to apprentice in his Uncle Chien’s phở shop at

eleven years of age.

In Situ – Vietnam

The Beauty of Humanity Movement

by Camilla Gibb is published by Atlantic Books in pbk

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For Hu’ng, phở is nothing less than a religion and he refuses to adulterate its purity with imported vegetables or southern flavourings. In the same way, he alone is le to preserve the memory of the intelligentsia: the poets and artists who met in his phở shop before the Communist regime closed it down and they were murdered, or at best ‘re-educated’.

Enter Maggie Ly, who escaped to the USA as a child in 1975 on one of the last planes out of Saigon. Now an art curator, she has returned to Hanoi in an attempt to find out something – anything – about her artist father, of whom all traces

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have been erased by the revisionists. e Beauty of Humanity Movement is the story of Maggie’s search and also of the resilience of the human spirit, as we come to see Hu’ng as he really is: a quietly indomitable man, the linchpin of his community and the adopted patriarch of three generations.

It’s also a tender tale of love lost and regained. ere are touches of East-meets-West humour, too, as Tu’, a young tourist guide, struggles to understand the motivations of his American and Australian war vet clients.

When I first read this novel in 2012, visiting Vietnam was just

a dream. Now my husband and I have been able to tour this fascinating country, recently travelling from the mountainous border with China, all the way down to the Mekong (‘Mother River’) Delta. Hanoi was our starting point and the city leaps off the page; I could almost smell it. e Hanoi traffic is the constant background music to the novel and you dice with death every time you cross the road, weaving in and out of a phalanx of motorbikes. e pavements are jam-packed with street-vendors and even more motorbikes; and oases of calm, such as Hồ Hoàn Kiếm (Sword Lake) in the heart of Hanoi, are rare. e novel also captures the many paradoxes of modern-day Vietnam. People living in abject poverty rub shoulders with youngsters (from high-ranking Communist Party families?) sporting the latest designer labels. It’s a dynamic, enterprising

society, yet the Party maintains its stranglehold on everyday life.

People are open, welcoming and kind, but that man over there could be listening to everything your guide tells you and reporting back. Police corruption and intimidation, as suffered by Hu’ng in the novel, are rife, though nowadays you're more likely to be hit financially than literally.

I’m glad I read this novel before visiting the country. It lied the lid on Hanoi’s bustling, modern façade and helped me to understand the daily struggle for survival that goes on below the surface. I have now immensely enjoyed rereading it and visiting Vietnam once again in my mind’s eye.

But how did one make phở from nothing? One day he pulled weeds from the pond and laid them out to dry. Then he pounded the dry weeds.

All photographs Margaret Cain

Do you have an In Situ to share with our readers? Email info@newbooksmag.com with your suggestion.

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Back in nb82, Libby Tempest introduced us to this perennial favourite and here she picks up the story.

T

he novelist Barbara Pym was born at Oswestry in Shropshire in 1913 and had a comfortable, middleclass childhood before going up to St. Hilda’s College Oxford to read English in 1931.

Aer a spell in the WRENS during the Second World War, she got a job at the International African Institute in London, eventually becoming editor of their journal Aica, and remaining there for the rest of her working life. But she was also a writer…

At work, having lunch in the Kardomah, riding on the bus

e anthropologists and librarians she worked with the priests and flower-arrangers in her local church, daily situations and scenarios she experienced they are all in the notebooks, before making their appearance in her novels. So, a notebook entry in 1955: ‘At St. Mary Aldermary one hears the shrill whirr of the telephone through the organ music.’ becomes the opening lines of A Glass of Blessings, published 1958 – ‘I suppose it must have been the shock of hearing the telephone ring, apparently in the church, that made me turn my head….

Barbara Pym

Photo by Mayotte Magnus, (c) The Barbara Pym Society

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wherever she was, Pym was the supreme observer. Described by her friend Philip Larkin as possessing ‘a unique eye and ear for the small poignancies and comedies of everyday life’, she carried a notebook everywhere, in which she jotted down overheard conversations, thoughts, observations: “At the same table in Hill’s a man and a woman, middleaged, perhaps working in the same office, are having a fascinating conversation about immersion heaters.”

Notebook Entry, 1954.

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It sounded shrill and particularly urgent against the music of the organ…’

Barbara’s first novel featured herself and her sister projected forward into retirement in a village world of curates, aernoon tea and jumble sales. Some Tame Gazelle became the first of 6 Pym titles published throughout the 1950s – her sales were always modest but the critics and her growing fan base became increasingly appreciative of her.

But by the early 1960s, the winds of change were beginning to blow through the literary scene and in 1963 her publisher

Cape rejected her seventh novel An Unsuitable Attachment.

In a diary entry in 1963, she wrote, “To receive a bitter blow on an early Spring evening (such as that Cape don’t want to publish An Unsuitable Attachment – but it might be that someone doesn’t love you anymore) – is it worse than on an Autumn or Winter evening?.....a black and white cat on the sofa, a small fire burning in the grate, books and Sunday papers and the remains of tea.”

novelists of the 20th century Barbara was the only living author to be mentioned twice (by her constant champions Lord David Cecil and Philip Larkin).

Almost overnight, her life and her sense of her identity as a writer were again turned upside down – but this time there were interviews, articles, TV programmes and (best of all) offers to re-print her old novels and publish the two new ones she’d managed to complete, the exquisite e Sweet Dove Died and Quartet in Autumn, which was shortlisted for the Booker Published in paperback by Prize that year. (She attended Virago, 2009 the Man Booker Awards dinner

The quintessential English novelist? ere followed 14 difficult years ‘in the wilderness’, during which time Barbara continued to write but could not get published. She was out of step with publishing trends of the time: she could not compete with the likes of Kingsley Amis and Kurt Vonnegut. She tried hard to be stoic and accepting and to ‘get on with her life’ but Pym was a born novelist and to find that her novels were considered unpublishable distressed and saddened her. en, in 1977, the Times Literary Supplement asked well-known literary figures to name the most underrated

in a black blouse, C&A, £4.90’). Sadly her enjoyment of her long overdue and richly deserved success was brief – Barbara died from breast cancer in January 1980.

Barbara-pym.org is the official web site of The Barbara Pym Society which was founded in 1994 at St Hilda’s College, Oxford University, where its Annual General Meeting is held every summer.

Published in paperback by Virago, 2009

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15

THE BIG INTERVIEW

We asked to interview Anthony Doerr back in the spring – before All the Light You Cannot See won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. But when his answers came back, no mention of this highly prestigious award. Here’s what he had to say to long-standing fan, Guy Pringle.

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GP: All the Light We Cannot See has very short chapters leaving each on an edge. How and why did you arrive at this technique?

AD: For the past decade or so, I’ve been trying to build narratives out of short, titled sections; I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s a way of tricking myself into writing big novels by working on very small things? Each day I only have to tell myself that I’m writing something manageable, a little thing that won’t hurt too much if it turns out I need to dispose of it.

Or maybe it’s just because I like working on miniatures, trying to make these little things clean and functional and elegant.

And then one day you start laying them out on the carpet and trying to assemble them into a larger structure.

In All the Light, I liked the effect because I was playing around with puzzles in the book, and had conceived of Marie-Laure’s father as a puzzlebuilder. So I began to feel, at least in this case, that form ran alongside content.

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GP: As an American, choosing to write a book about WW2 in Europe centred on Werner, a German orphan, and MarieLaure, a French girl is surely a brave move for your US readers. Did it give you pause for thought? And – sorry, that old chestnut – where did the inspiration begin?

AD: The inspiration for the book started eleven years ago on a train when I was seated behind a man talking on his cell phone.

As we approached Manhattan, going probably 60 kilometers per hour, the carriage started heading underground, and the man’s call dropped. He started swearing and whacking his phone against the seatback in frustration. And I remember thinking: That little device you’re beating up, Mister, is a miracle. And we’ve forgotten that it’s a miracle.

The mobile phones that we rely on so much have tiny receivers and transmitters inside them, and they’re smaller than a deck of playing cards, and yet they can connect a person in London with someone in Tibet or Timbuktu.

Photo: Shauna Doerr

Anthony Doerr

Too modest to mention his Pulitzer!

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Wonderfully constructed from the starting viewpoint of August 1944 in Normandy and then traced back over the previous decade and the whole of Europe, the novel is written in spare, elegant prose, which relaxes and cajoles you into thinking this is all you ever need from a book. Essentially it’s a love story, but the protagonists, a blind 16 year-old Parisian on her own in a new town and a blond German scientific prodigy forced into service with the Wehrmacht, don’t actually meet until over 400 pages in and then only fleetingly.

It could be an enticing war story and certainly not many novels I’ve read paint such a glorious and terrifying picture of refugees on the move and armies on the rampage across the landscape of Europe. Yet, turning the last page, I’m more convinced of its anti-war credentials than any book I’ve read for a while.

It might even be an exploration of the inaugural power of radio or a thriller about lost treasures looted by the Nazis. Like the one particular jewel that haunts many of the characters on all sides in the novel, it still has me under its spell.

Finally though, it’s an examination of the rising coastline and the winding, salty old streets of the occupied and besieged town of St Malo in Normandy, just before, and, at the point of its destruction during the Allied invasion.

Absorbing, evocative, enthralling, the back of my chair hasn’t felt my spine for a while, I shall need to look out for more from Mr Doerr.

Alastair Giles 5*

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To the entire history of our species, except for the last 3 or 4 generations, this would be mind-shattering magic.

So that very afternoon, ten years ago, I wrote a title into my notebook: All the Light We Cannot See. I was thinking of all the electromagnetic radiation in the air that humans are incapable of seeing (all of light, really, mathematically speaking). And that night, I started a piece of fiction in which a girl reads a story to a boy over a radio.

As for writing a book without any American characters? Yes, yes, it gave me lots of pause. It meant everything was going to be harder. But probably it was the historical element that was the most difficult, rather than the cultural one: when I’d begin a scene, I wouldn’t know what a German paramilitary school would have looked like in 1940, or what kind of meals a Breton housekeeper might have cooked with ration tickets in 1942. So there were lots of days when I’d only write two or three sentences, before realizing I had to scurry back into the books.

right, the birds right, the feel of the people, the architecture, the skies, so in that way seeing places is invaluable. And travel is also important because of the many things you discover that you didn’t come to discover: you’re walking to see a war memorial, and suddenly you see a priest smoking a cigarette alone in a little Peugeot. That moment might derail your day, or it might blow oxygen into the stove of your imagination.

GP: In About Grace H20 is almost an obsession; in All the Light the obsession seems to be Marie-Laure’s blindness and Werner’s facility with radio – an invisible medium.

Was that in your thinking from the outset or did it develop as you went along?

AD: Sure, that’s fair. About Grace started with snow, and then I tried to construct metaphor out of that central interest. And in All the Light I was obsessed with radio from the very beginning. Or, rather, I was rediscovering and mining my lifelong fascination with radio, and trying to spin metaphors and characters up out of that.

GP: Did you visit Europe to re- So I started with electromagnetism, but soon enough I started search the background – and playing around with other unhow successful was it for your derstandings of light and purposes?

AD: I made trips to Germany and technology and invisibility.

France and took lots of notes.

GP: I read once about Phillip The usefulness of travel for rePullman, author of the His search in fiction writing is—at least for me—hard to quantify. Dark Materials, that his writYou want to try to get the light ing shed was like those

incident walls you see so often in police procedurals – you know, where the team stare uncomprehendingly for hours until the penny suddenly drops, usually for our hero.

Does this bear any similarities with your modus operandi?

AD: Ha! Maybe it does, yes.

There were months when I would lay out all the chapters I’d written on the floor (probably over 200 at that point), and start reading them in various sequences, trying to find a chronology that I thought would work best.

GP: Marie-Laure’s father makes models of their locales in Paris and St Malo so she can cope better when she has to go out.

Yes, it serves another purpose but are these a work of your imagination or are they based on actual models?

AD: The models Marie-Laure’s father makes are imagined. But I’ve always loved scale models of towns; Paris’s museums, for example, are full of amazing maquettes once you start looking for them. And saints (including Saint Malo) were often rendered in paintings and sculpture holding little buildings, perhaps suggesting that they held their parishes in the palms of their hands. In all my work, I love to tinker around with scale: on the scales of bacteria we are inconceivably large, but on the scales of the universe we are inconceivably small.

GP: Most visitors to St Malo don’t realise the tightly walled ‘old’ town was largely rebuilt after the war. Resorting to google, 4 Rue Vauborel, Marie-Laure’s uncle Etienne’s house seems to exist but has that been rebuilt?

AD: I’m not sure. Odds are that it was rebuilt, since almost every building in the town was. I needed a street that was close to the sea, and would have houses tall enough that it would be plausible that a radio could broadcast from there. And so I settled on the rue Vauborel. But the rest—Etienne’s house, the garret, the cellar—that was imagination.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is published by Fourth Estate £8.99 pbk and is available now.

See over the page for an extract from All the Light We Cannot See. We have copies to give away – see page 50 to claim yours.

...Minds I was blown away by About Grace, a recommended read in nb28, and my confusion isn’t that Mr Doerr hasn’t written yet another masterpiece, because he has. It just seems the rest of the world is looking the other way.

So what’s it about? Werner has a facility with radios and telephony and becomes part of the German war effort assigned to track Resistance units transmitting back to the Allies. Gradually, Werner is moving west to St Malo not realizing a formative influence in his childhood is now one of those very units.

In Saint Malo, Marie-Laure, blind from the age of six, has been left in the safekeeping of Uncle Etienne while her father tries to conceal a secret before being transported, we think, to one of the camps in eastern Europe.

I can’t do this book justice, you have to read it for yourself but suffice to say there are many well known names on the literary circuit – and favourites of reading groups across the UK – who could never manage a book of this complexity and make it so accessible at the same time. A powerful 5 stars times 2.

Guy Pringle Both reviews are published in full on nudge.

All The Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr

Leaflets At dusk they pour from the sky. They blow across the ramparts, turn cartwheels over rooftops, flutter into the ravines between houses.

Entire streets swirl with them, flashing white against the cobbles.

Urgent message to the inhabitants of this town, they say. Depart immediately to open country.

The tide climbs. The moon hangs small and yellow and gibbous. On the rooftops of beachfront hotels to the east, and in the gardens behind them, a half-dozen American artillery units drop incendiary rounds into the mouths of mortars.

Bombers They cross the Channel at midnight. There are twelve and they are named for songs: Stardust and Stormy Weather and In the Mood and Pistol-Packin’ Mama. The sea glides along far below, spattered with the countless chevrons of whitecaps. Soon enough, the navigators can discern the low moonlit lumps of islands ranged along the horizon.

France.

Intercoms crackle. Deliberately, almost lazily, the bombers shed altitude. Threads of red light ascend from anti-air emplacements up and down the coast. Dark, ruined ships appear, scuttled or destroyed, one with its bow shorn away, a second flickering as it burns. On an outermost island, panicked sheep run zigzagging between rocks.

Inside each airplane, a bombardier peers through an aiming window and counts to twenty. Four five six seven. To the bombardiers, the walled city on its granite headland, drawing ever closer, looks like an unholy tooth, something black and dangerous, a final abscess to be lanced away.

The Girl In a corner of the city, inside a tall, narrow house at Number 4 rue Vauborel, on the sixth and highest floor, a sightless sixteen-year-old named Marie-Laure LeBlanc kneels over a low table covered entirely with a model. The model is a miniature of the city she kneels within, and contains scale replicas of the hundreds of houses and shops and hotels within its walls. There’s the cathedral with its perforated spire, and the bulky old Château de Saint-Malo, and row after row of seaside

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mansions studded with chimneys. A slender wooden jetty arcs out from a beach called the Plage du Môle; a delicate, reticulated atrium vaults over the seafood market; minute benches, the smallest no larger than apple seeds, dot the tiny public squares.

Marie-Laure runs her fingertips along the centimeter-wide parapet crowning the ramparts, drawing an uneven star shape around the entire model. She finds the opening atop the walls where four ceremonial cannons point to sea. “Bastion de la Hollande,” she whispers, and her fingers walk down a little staircase. “Rue des Cordiers. Rue Jacques Cartier.”

In a corner of the room stand two galvanized buckets filled to the rim with water. Fill them up, her great-uncle has taught her, whenever you can. The bathtub on the third floor too. Who knows when the water will go out again.

Her fingers travel back to the cathedral spire. South to the Gate of Dinan. All evening she has been marching her fingers around the model, waiting for her great-uncle Etienne, who owns this house, who went out the previous night while she slept, and who has not returned.

And now it is night again, another revolution of the clock, and the whole block is quiet, and she cannot sleep.

She can hear the bombers when they are three miles away. A mounting static. The hum inside a seashell.

When she opens the bedroom window, the noise of the airplanes becomes louder. Otherwise, the night is dreadfully silent: no engines, no voices, no clatter. No sirens. No footfalls on the cobbles. Not even gulls. Just a high tide, one block away and six stories below, lapping at the base of the city walls.

And something else.

Something rattling softly, very close. She eases open the left-hand shutter and runs her fingers up the slats of the right. A sheet of paper has lodged there.

She holds it to her nose. It smells of fresh ink. Gasoline, maybe. The paper is crisp; it has not been outside long.

Marie-Laure hesitates at the window in her stocking feet, her bedroom behind her, seashells arranged along the top of the armoire, pebbles along the baseboards. Her cane stands in the corner; her big Braille novel waits facedown on the bed. The drone of the airplanes grows.

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The Boy Five streets to the north, a white-haired eighteen-year-old German private named Werner Pfennig wakes to a faint staccato hum. Little more than a purr. Flies tapping at a far-off windowpane.

Where is he? The sweet, slightly chemical scent of gun oil; the raw wood of newly constructed shell crates; the mothballed odor of old bedspreads—he’s in the hotel. Of course. L’hôtel des Abeilles, the Hotel of Bees.

Still night. Still early.

From the direction of the sea come whistles and booms; flak is going up.

An anti-air corporal hurries down the corridor, heading for the stairwell. “Get to the cellar,” he calls over his shoulder, and Werner switches on his field light, rolls his blanket into his duffel, and starts down the hall.

Not so long ago, the Hotel of Bees was a cheerful address, with bright blue shutters on its facade and oysters on ice in its café and Breton waiters in bow ties polishing glasses behind its bar. It offered twentyone guest rooms, commanding sea views, and a lobby fire place as big as a truck. Parisians on weekend holidays would drink aperitifs here, and before them the occasional emissary from the republic—ministers and vice ministers and abbots and admirals—and in the centuries before them, windburned corsairs: killers, plunderers, raiders, seamen.

Before that, before it was ever a hotel at all, five full centuries ago, it was the home of a wealthy privateer who gave up raiding ships to study bees in the pastures outside Saint-Malo, scribbling in notebooks and eating honey straight from combs. The crests above the door lintels still have bumblebees carved into the oak; the ivy-covered fountain in the courtyard is shaped like a hive. Werner’s favorites are five faded frescoes on the ceilings of the grandest upper rooms, where bees as big as children float against blue backdrops, big lazy drones and workers with diaphanous wings—where, above a hexagonal bathtub, a single ninefoot-long queen, with multiple eyes and a golden-furred abdomen, curls across the ceiling.

We have copies to give away FREE. See page 50 to claim yours.

The Verdict is in A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale was one of our Recommended Reads in nb85 – here’s what some of you thought...

“As a Patrick Gale fan, I opened this novel with some trepidation . . . a departure from his published work to date. Set in the early 20th century and mostly in Canada, would this work still demonstrate the amazing tenderness, empathy and compassion of his previous writing? I am pleased to report that I was definitely not disappointed.

Loosely based on a mystery in Gale's own family history, Harry Cane is receiving brutal treatment in a mental institution before we are taken back to the events which have led to this conclusion. This is certainly a book full of stimulating material to debate in a reading group but even more importantly it is a wonderful personal read.”

Kathy Jesson, St Austell

“The contrasting scenes of Edwardian London and the harsh Canadian wilderness are beautifully written and observed. It is an emotional read and highlights the fragility of mental health and the power of those that prey on the most vulnerable in society. The book is a celebration of overcoming obstacles in love and life and accepting yourself, warts and all.”

Dorothy Flaxman, Bude 4★ “The setting, both in place and time, is unusual [but] his inimitable writing style comes through strongly - great characters and their complicated emotions and relationships come to life against a backdrop of a nation and civilization trying to establish itself and populate previously uncharted territory.

Kim Percival, Derbyshire 4 ★

narrative. I sometimes felt that the author's research was being plastered on, but this is often a problem with novels set in other times and other places.”

Hilary Clarke, Leeds “You are inexorably absorbed in the lives of his characters – and that’s not always a comfortable place to be. Ursula is one of the most tragic [characters] I have encountered in a long time and stayed with me long after I hadfinished the book. I admit to some reservations about the ending but perhaps it was fitting to end with a sense of new beginnings.”

Clare Donaldson, Peebles 5★

A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale is published by Tinder Press and is available now.

“Hadn't read anything by this author before [but] found the book well-written and wellstructured, with elements of the lives of the key characters revealed in the course of the

Many thanks to the contributors here represented – and apologies to Anne Battye, Judith Griffith and Sheila A Grant - all of whose reviews have been posted in full on nudge-book.com

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23

OUR INTREPID REPORTER

OUR INTREPID REPORTER

Literary Festivals and Book events Early this year, we asked our reviewers to tell us about the events they’d been to – here’s just a flavour of what they sent in much more of which can be found on nudge.

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We begin with Linda Hepworth, who lives high in the Pennines, on what the Words by the Water Festival of Words and Ideas means to her.

of dust doesn’t seem to look any worse!

Unexpected overnight snow one day, combined with unsalted roads, led to the need for some ultra-cautious driving over “As I write this overview I am the 1903ft Hartside Pass – two still experiencing the adrenaline less cautious drivers had already “high” generated by listening to ended up in the ditch by so many stimulating talks and 8.30am. In the past we have eidiscussions. This annual festival ther had to dig out our 400m started in 2001, on a rather track up to the road (a total of smaller scale. However, such 30 hours one year), or else have was its popularity, that it has been unable to get back home – been a ten-day event since 2006. one year I had to find a B&B in Since the second year I have in- Keswick for three days. So, as dulged myself each year with a you can imagine, I always travel festival pass, which allows me to with a ready-packed case, snow attend all the talks (54) in the shovel and Wellington boots. main theatre [not forgetting] So, what makes all this effort 42 talks in the smaller Studio worthwhile? It is always a comtheatre, and a poetry breakfast bination of different factors held in the Circle Gallery. which contribute to the overall For the ten days of the festival I leave home early to drive the 38 miles to Keswick, attend up to six talks a day, “talk the hind-leg off a donkey” with my festival friends, and return home midlate evening. These extended absences mean that my patient husband sees little of me during festival time – although this year he did join me for a couple of days. All housework is put on hold for the duration, but I have been delighted to discover that after the first few days the layer

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speakers, including “scoring” their performances – if only they knew! In addition to festival-related topics we also enjoy a general “putting of the world to rights” – always an agreeable indulgence. All of these factors make any such gathering enjoyable but an added bonus at this festival is the wonderful location of the theatre, on the shore of Derwentwater, with the snow-capped fells in the background.

So, what were the highlights?

David Crystal (c) Writer Pictures The opening talk by Alan Johnson about his second book of enjoyment, stimulation and fun. memoirs; Claire Tomalin [on] It is wonderful to have the opNellie Ternan, Charles Dickens’ portunity to listen to mistress; a discussion between interesting (usually!) people Melvyn Bragg, Margaret Drabspeaking on a wide range of ble, Cate Haste and Mark subjects, some of which I know McCrum about “writing in an little about, and others which age of change” and Yasmin Alare of immediate interest. How- ibhai-Brown talking in a very ever, it is so often one of the former which turns out to be the real “gem” of the day and which, without my festival pass, I would probably not have attended. It is also good to talk to like-minded people, and to meet up each year with other festival “lifers”; much of the fun and stimulation of these ten days comes from chatting with them between talks, comparing Yasmin Alibhai-Brown thoughts about the various (c) Graham Jepson/Writer Pictures

personal way about “England and Immigration”. There were three totally unexpected “gems” which were real delights. The first was from Julie Summers telling us about Wartime Fashions – I would never have bought a ticket for this! Then came David Crystal talking about Words in Time and Place

– a fascinating and amusing dip into the Historical Thesaurus, recently published by Oxford University Press. Finally, John D. Barrow whose lucid, scholarly and amusing talk about What Maths Can Tell Us About Art ensured that I will never again look at any piece of art in quite the same way.

The dates for 2016 are already on my calendar.”

Also by Linda on nudge: Melvyn Bragg, Patrick Gale, Baroness Shirley Williams, Helen Macdonald.

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OUR INTREPID REPORTER

Sheila A Grant sent us this about crime writer, Caro Ramsay.

Caro Ramsay (c) Geraint Lewis/Writer Pictures

“As a writer of the increasingly popular `tartan noir`, Caro gave a sensational talk to the members of Ayr Writers. Caro is an osteopath but some years ago she suffered a back injury which meant prolonged bed rest on her left side. How to pass the long days in hospital when the television is behind you? Simple! Caro used her fertile vivid and dark imagination to create a variety of scenarios where those who annoyed her reached an untimely and unpleasant end. First to go was the woman in the bed opposite her in hospital who watched TV all day especially quiz shows and shouted out the answers. She was swiftly followed by the nurse who woke Caro from a pleasant sleep to give her a sleeping pill and a definite vic26

tim was the doctor with the ridiculously long needle which he plunged into her body with relish. By the time she was mobile and upright again she had the first 12,000 words of a crime novel. Spiced with typical Glasgow black humour, Caro told us of her journey from putting this first draft on paper and starting to write. At her writing club the other members were so impressed with her first draft they advised her to finish it – `you have something there`. So a book that grew from a way to beat boredom became Absolution her first and very successful crime novel, shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger 2008. The talk may have been humourous and

light hearted but the sheer hard work of taking an idea and working with it, editing and polishing it, sometimes seven times was eminently clear. The rapid note taking and the searching questions were testament to how enthralled the

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OUR INTREPID REPORTER

members were as they listened to this enthusiastic writer give us every encouragement to use our imagination and keep writing. One question we failed to ask though was, `How does a pretty blonde full of mischief and fun write such very dark books?` Also by Sheila on nudge: Scottish Association of Writers Conference, Leslie Glaister

Tracey Walsh on Tess Gerritsen:

joining in this event on publication day for her debut novel The Girl on the Train. The venue was excellent – a lecture theatre for the presentation, followed by refreshments and book signing. Paula read from her book, an intriguing passage that gave a teasing taste of her great psychological thriller. Tess then gave a talk about what inspires her books and finally there was time for a few audience questions. I took the opportunity to have a couple of books signed and Tess didn’t even mind signing my e-reader cover (the best solution I’ve come up with for how to get a Kindle book signed).”

“I was thrilled when I heard Bolton Library was on Tess’s tour to publicise Die Again. It’s only 13 miles away from where I live and we don’t get many book events round here. I was even happier when I learned that Paula Hawkins would be

Mary Mayfield on Lindsey Davis:

Tess Gerritsen (c) Leonardo Cendamo/Writer Pictures

“Lindsey Davis was in town last night promoting her – perhaps topically titled – new novel Deadly Election at our local Waterstones and I was lucky

enough to win a ticket to the event.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Lindsey is a historical novelist best known for the long-running Falco detective series (20 books!) set in Ancient Rome, and Deadly Election is the third in a spin-off series featuring Falco’s adopted daughter, Flavia Albia, who seems to have acquired the family ‘investigative’ habit.

Lindsey Davis (c) Camilla Broadbent/Writer Pictures

in the past! She then read sections from two recent releases followed by questions from the audience, most of them seemingly as familiar with the series’ characters as with their own family and friends.

I’m not that up to date with Falco’s adventures – I’ve only read some of the earlier novels but this evening has encouraged me to track down some of the Lindsey started by sharing her route into writing: reading Eng- more recent ones; I might start with the new Flavia Albia series lish at university and spending 13 years in the Civil Service be- – at only three novels so far I can catch up quite quickly!” fore deciding that what she really wanted to do was write.

Also by Mary on nudge: Her earliest work wasn’t sucDerby Book Festival launch cessful but she eked out a precarious living with stories for Women’s Realm before her career took off with the first Falco novel, The Silver Pigs.

Been to or going to a It was very interesting to hear festival or book event? We’d how, without lifting anything love you to be OUR directly, her modern day civil INTREPID REPORTER. Email service experiences had found info@newbooksmag.com their way into stories set so far

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Review

Katarina Bivald Katarina Bivald is Swedish and her debut is set in small town America – which she hadn’t visited!

I have. It came about like this: a woman once wrote me to tell me how much she enjoyed my book, and compliments being of course the best basis for friendship, I felt immediately inclined to like her. It turned out that we had a mutual friend, so we began to email each other.

She was going to Minneapolis on a business trip, so she suggested half-jokingly that I accompany her and spend my days driving into Iowa, the neighbouring state.

Katarina, your publicist assures “Sounds great”, I said. “But me that you had not visited unfortunately I don’t have a Iowa before you wrote your driving licence.” book. I feel I have been “Well, I have two days off thoroughly duped because I afterwards, so I could drive you was sure I had visited Broken there.”

Wheel on a previous trip. Is “You know I’m the kind of there more you would like to person who could take this tell me? seriously?”

Imagine how my new friend felt Silence. More silence. when she had planned to spend Eventually: “How… nice.” two days driving me across Iowa “So when is your business trip?” to visit Broken Wheel, and I told “I’ll… get back to you on that her it didn’t exist. one.”

But she’s a brave person, so we Have you now been to decided, before having met, to America and if so what did you travel to the US together. Our make of it? Was it better or mutual friend attested that worse than you thought? neither of us were psychopaths 28

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(being a psychologist, that was as far as she was willing to commit herself ). My new travel companion asked me beforehand what I wanted to see in Iowa, and I said I wanted to visit Spencer, the town that once had a library cat named Dewey Readmore Books (one of the main reasons I chose to locate my book in Iowa) and corn. Or possibly soybeans.

“Who wants to see soybeans?” my friend asked.

“Well”, I said. “I just don’t want to seem unreasonable in case we can’t find any corn.”

“You’ll get your corn.”

[And] it was a great trip. Helen Hanff, the woman who wrote 84, Charing Cross Road, quoted some guy who once said: everyone goes to London with their very own image of what they’re going to find there, and everyone finds exactly the London they’re looking for.

I think it’s the same with the United States. The US I was looking for was small towns, space, craziness, original people, books and corn.

And I found it.

I know Broken Wheel doesn't really exist (ha ha!) but if you were to walk into town after they found out about your book what kind of reception would you like to be given?

Amy would love the book and by extension the author, mostly because of what it would mean to other people in the town. I would very much like to sit down and talk to her about how all of them are doing. George would be pleased but inarticulate about it, but he’d be determined to say something nice even though he would find the strange author quite intimidating. It would all come out slightly confused, but that would be all right. Jen would probably be busy organizing some campaign or interview about it, and Sara and I would spend hours talking about books instead. Tom would check in every now and then, and claim he didn’t read books.

I’m quite sure this is now a lie.

Of the many fabulous books you reference in your story the one which came as the most pleasant surprise was The Little World of Don Camillo, a book I was introduced to by my father. I don't suppose there are that many readers here in the UK who know that book, let alone in Sweden.

How did it come your way?

I’ve loved Don Camillo for years, although I think I’ve actually lost my copy of it by now (I tend to try to force all

my friends to read the books I love). I bought it when I was about seventeen. It’s been translated into Swedish, and must have been re-published around the time I worked in the bookshop, because I found it one day in our discounted paperbacks box. It’s something irresistible about the playfulness of Don Camillo’s conversations with Jesus, and his struggle with himself and Peppone. It’s one of the reasons I love feel-good novels – this insistence that people are different but inherently good, or at least inherently human (both Don Camillo and Peppone finding that they need each other, in their own, slightly strange and very reluctant way, for instance). I can see that when I write, but it’s one of the things I myself struggle with in real life.

People can be maddening in a charming way in books – in reality, they’re just, well, annoying.

So, Sara – from Sweden – travels to Broken Wheel to meet a pen friend who shares her love of books.

The long and the short is Sara starts a bookshop – so far, so idyllic, we share her dream. However, there is a healthy dose of realism involved, “If she was honest, she had never been able to watch You’ve Got Mail without secretly thinking that Fox & Sons latte and book emporium was more attractive than Meg Ryan’s claustrophobic little shop.”

Hear, hear!

Obviously, books and authors are flung about with gay abandon (yes, there’s gay erotica for the local gay couple, too) and you have probably read more of them than I have. However, it warmed my heart when The Little World of Don Camillo merited a mention. (If you haven’t, you should.)

Both reading groups disagreed with me about The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and for the life of me I still don’t understand why that book did so well.

But if you enjoyed Harold then you should make a reservation for Broken Wheel now.

Guy Pringle

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald is published by Chatto & Windus as a £12.99 hbk and is available now.

Personal read

★★★★

Group read

★★★★

Full review and a longer Q&A on nudge.

www.nudge-book.com

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29

A Golden age for YA? We’ve championed several YA titles in nb so we thought it was timely to have a state of the nation view. Step forward Jade Craddock.

Sweet Valley Confidential (Sweet Valley High)

by Francine Pascal.

Published by Arrow

It seems these days, you are never more than six feet away from YA fiction. Little more than a decade ago, I myself was a teen reader and it may just be my ageing memory, but I can’t remember there being YA literature in the way there is today. Of course, there were books for teens – Sweet Valley High? Or Goosebumps perhaps (I wonder what today’s teens would make of these!) – but YA certainly didn’t have the backing, significance, visibility or range that it does now. Most booksellers now have dedicated YA sections and YA books continue to be published in 30

their droves. Whilst the current YA renaissance may have started off with wizards and vampires, one of its strengths is its diversity. (And to clear up a common misconception at this point, YA is not a genre, it is a categorisation of the ‘supposed’ demographic.) The inaugural UK YA book prize which was awarded earlier this year showcased the extraordinary strength and depth of the field.

And this is only a snapshot of a wider picture. Indeed, this year has already seen YA books that focus on transgender issues, bullying, suicide, mental health, terrorism and cults. Generically and thematically, there seem to be few constraints on what YA can do, and even in terms of violence and sexual content boundaries continue to be stretched.

YA fills an important gap and also offers a much more inclusive and accessible reading experience than would be

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possible without it. And anything that encourages teens and young adults to engage with books and enjoy them is good – especially in an era where their interests are constantly being diverted elsewhere. The issue then should not be what teens read but just the fact that they do and YA has been instrumental in helping achieve this. Young adult readers now have a greater choice and flexibility in what they read. And an interesting development has seen authors who have traditionally dominated the adult market catering for this emergent YA Finding Audrey

by Sophie Kinsella.

Published by Doubleday Childrens.

Theodore Boone: The Fugitive: Theordore Boone 5

by John Grisham.

Published by Hodder & Stoughton.

readership, notably John Grisham, Harlan Coben, Kathy Reichs and James Patterson and recently Paige Toon and Sophie Kinsella.

There also seems to be a growing sense of identity and camaraderie amongst YA readers, facilitated by the internet and social media, that gives teens a platform for expressing their opinions, sharing their views with others and participating in discussions about books, that allows readers to feel part of a wider community of like-minded readers. Teen-led blogs and review websites also speak to the way in which this younger readership can discover their next reads and keep informed of new releases. The reading groups of the twenty-first century, you might say.

I Knew You Were Trouble

by Paige Toon.

Published by Simon & Schuster Childrens.

Yet whilst it’s great there is so much fiction centred on, inspired by and aimed at teens, it’s not only teens who are enjoying the fruits of YA authors’ labour. Indeed, it’s a badly kept secret that a large percentage of YA fiction’s readership is in fact made up of adults. And it’s not even a case of parents engaging with the fiction of their children, but simply adults choosing to read it for their own pleasure. There is unfortunately some snobbery Maximum Ride Forever

by James Paterson Published by Arrow

about this and, of course, whilst not all adults will want to read YA, just as not all readers like sci-fi or non-fiction etc., nonteens do enjoy YA fiction.

Admittedly this means teens speaking, behaving and reacting in ways that only teens can, but with the buffer of age and with the wisdom of hindsight, this can make for quite an affecting read. Not only that but YA also expresses the challenges that teens today face and it can be quite an eye-opening experience. There’s also the huge emotions that are quintessential to young adulthood but that speak to us all – first love, loss, loneliness

and joy. So yes there’s angst and idealism in equal measure, and teens being teens, but there are also wonderful crossgenerational stories and experiences, characters who are going through some of the same coming-of-age experiences as older reads before them or equally challenging yet different experiences that encapsulate what it is to be a teen today.

There’s also plenty for adults to discuss about these books in reading groups and as with any book they’re sure to divide opinion. And whilst it would be great to have adult readers on board, the greatest power of YA is to show teens the magic of books and to establish in them a love of reading that will last them a lifetime.

Found

by Harlen Coben.

Published by Orion.

See the Directory for Jade’s reviews of her favourite titles from the inaugural UK YA book prize. Jade’s full assessment of YA is on nudge as one of our WHAT WE ARE THINKING pieces.

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ded en Chosen for Richard & Judy’s Summer Book Club list this is more than just a great poolside read . . .

betrayed by her husband and humiliated in front of the whole town, is badly beaten and left for dead as she walks home alone. Suspicion falls on one of the veterans, Henry Roberts, long-lost love of Missy Douglas, the Kincaid family maid.

During the 18 years since he left, Henry has had little contact with his family, including his redoubtable sister, Selma. He returns to his home town with the veterans, his dreams destroyed, and is forced to confront the effects of his long absence on the people he left behind. Just as he begins to

engulfs the entire town, whipped up by 200-mph winds, destroying virtually every building.

Whites and blacks are finally equalized by the desperate struggle to survive, which brings out the very best and the worst in them. There are some astounding acts of bravery, and some shocking examples of selfishness. Amid the carnage and grief, the shattered homes and wrecked lives, the survivors will discover something unexpected: hope for a better town than the one they lost.

Based on the real Labor Day

Summertime It’s a hot, humid summer in 1935 on Heron Key, Florida, a small town struggling with the effects of the Depression. The tensions run as high as the thorny Key lime trees, with relationships as tangled as the mangrove roots in the swamp.

None of this is helped by the arrival of hundreds of disgruntled, badly behaved WWI veterans who have been put to work on a government bridge-building scheme.

The story opens as everyone is preparing for the big 4th of July barbeque, which ends in disaster for several people. Former beauty queen Hilda Kincaid, 32

think that he might have a future with Missy, he is accused of the attack on Hilda. The anger and frustration of the townspeople threaten to overwhelm the local deputy sheriff, Dwayne Campbell. His duty to protect Henry is severely challenged by his personal reasons for wanting Henry to suffer.

But as tempers rise, the barometers in the town start to fall – not just fall, but plummet, to the lowest reading ever seen.

A hurricane is on its way.

The storm hits with a ferocity never seen before in the state, or even the country. Sea water

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hurricane of 1935, this story recounts a shameful and littleknown episode in American history which has great resonance today.

We have copies to give away free. See page 50 to claim yours.

Summertime by Vanessa Lafaye is published by Orion as a £7.99 pbk and is available now.

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Summertime – Vanessa Lafaye

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he humid air felt like water in the lungs, like drowning. A feeble breeze stirred the washing on the line briefly but then the clothes fell back, exhausted by their exertion.

Despite the heat, they refused to dry. The daily thunderstorms did nothing to reduce the temperature, just made the place steam. Like being cooked alive, Missy thought, like those big crabs in their tub of seawater, waiting for the pot tonight.

She bathed the baby outside in the basin, under the banyan tree’s canopy of shade, both to cool and clean him. His happy splashes covered them both in soapy water.

The peacocks called in the branches overhead. No one else around, only Sam the spaniel, panting on the porch. Mrs Kincaid had gone to see Nettie the dressmaker, a rare foray from the house, and Mr Kincaid was at the country club, as usual. The mangroves smelled musky, like an animal, the dark brown water pitted with the footprints of flies.

Nathan started to whimper as he did when he was tired. She lifted him out of the water and patted him dry with the towel. He was already drowsy again, so she laid him naked in the basket in the shade.

With a sigh she spread her legs wide to allow the air to flow up her skirt and closed her eyes, waving a paper fan printed with, ‘I’m a fan of Washington, DC’. Mrs Kincaid had given it to her when they came back from their trip. Mrs Kincaid had insisted on going with her husband, to shop, and their argument had been heard clear across the street, according to Selma, who didn’t even have good ears.

Missy sighed, stroked Nathan’s cheek. His lips formed a perfect pink O, long lashes quivered, round tummy rose and fell. Sweat soaked her collar. When she leaned forward, the white uniform remained stuck to her back. She longed to strip off the clinging dress and run naked into the water, only a few yards away. And then she recalled that there was still some ice in the box in the kitchen. She imagined pressing the ice to her neck.

I’ll only be a minute.

Inside the kitchen it was even stuffier than outside, although the windows were wide open and the ceiling fan turned on. Missy opened the refrigerator, took the pick to the block. A fist-size chunk dropped on to the worn wooden counter. She scooped it up, rubbed it on her throat, around the back of her neck, and felt instant relief.

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Summertime – Vanessa Lafaye

Sam barked, once, twice, three times. This was not his greeting bark – it was the same sound he made that time when the wild-eyed man had turned up in the backyard, looking for food.

‘Nathan . . .’ she groaned, racing to the porch. At first she could not comprehend what her eyes saw – the Moses basket was moving slowly down the lawn towards the mangroves, with Sam bouncing hysterically from one side of it to the other. She could hear faint cries from the basket as Nathan woke. She stumbled down the porch steps in her hurry, and raced towards the retreating basket.

Then she saw him.

He was camouflaged by the mangrove’s shade at the water’s edge, almost the same green as the grass. He was big, bigger than any she had seen before. From his snout, clamped on to a corner of the basket, to the end of his dinosaur tail, the gator was probably fourteen feet long.

Slowly he planted each of his giant clawed feet and determinedly dragged the basket towards the water.

‘Nathan! Oh God! Someone please help!’ she screamed, and ran to within a few feet of the gator. ‘Sam, get him! Get him!’

The dog launched himself with a snarl at the gator, but the reptile swung his body around with incredible speed. His enormous spiked tail, easily twice as long as the dog, surged through the air and slammed into Sam with such force that he was flung against the banyan tree. The dog slid down the trunk and lay unmoving on the ground.

‘Sam! No! Oh, Sam!’ The gator continued his steady progress towards the water. Missy swallowed great, gulping breaths to hold down the panicky vomit rising in her gut.

She imagined the Kincaids’ faces when they learned the fate of their baby son, what they would do when they found out that a child in her care had been so horribly neglected. And then suddenly the panic drained from her like pus from a boil and she felt light and calm. She was not afraid. She knew what she had to do. That precious baby boy will not be a snack for no giant lizard!

She stood, and her thoughts cleared. Despite the ferocious mouthful of teeth, she knew that most of the danger came from the alligator’s back end. She began to circle nearer the head. She need only spend a moment within the reach of that tail, which was as

Summertime – Vanessa Lafaye

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long as she was tall, to snatch Nathan from the basket. If she succeeded, then all would be well. If she failed, then she deserved to go to the bottom with him. The gator had reached the waterline. There was no more time.

Movement on the porch, and suddenly Selma was running down the lawn towards her, loading the shotgun as she ran.

‘Outta the way, Missy!’ she cried, stomach and bosoms bouncing, stubby legs pounding. Missy had never seen Selma run, did not know that she could. ‘Outta the way!’

Missy threw herself to the ground, hands over her head. Selma stumbled to a halt, regained her balance, feet spread wide apart, stock of the gun buried between her arm and her bountiful chest.

‘Shoot it, Selma!’ yelled Missy. ‘For the love of Jesus, shoot it!

NOW!’ There was an explosion. The peacocks shrieked, dropped clumsily to the ground and fled for the undergrowth. The air smelled burnt. And there was another smell, like cooked chicken. Missy looked up. Selma was on her back, legs spread, the gun beside her. The baby was screaming.

‘Nathan . . .’ Missy whispered, scrambling to her feet.

‘Nathan, I’m coming!’

The gator was where she had last seen it. Well, most of it was there, minus the head. The rest of the body was poised to enter the water.

‘Oh, Nathan!’ He was covered in gore. It was in his hair, his eyes, his ears. She scooped the flailing baby from the basket and inspected his limbs, his torso, his head, searching for injuries. But he was unhurt, it seemed, utterly whole. She clutched his writhing form to her, which made him scream louder, but she didn’t care. ‘It all right, honey, hush now, everything gonna be all right.’

‘The baby?’ asked Selma, propped on her elbows. ‘Is he . . . ?’

‘He fine! He absolutely fine!’

‘Thank the Lord,’ said Selma, wincing as she got to her feet, ‘and Mr Remington.’ She rubbed her shoulder. ‘Helluva kick on him though.’

We have copies to give away FREE. See page 50 to claim yours.

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Checking in at the Bates Motel We begin our BookNoir supplement with Barry Forshaw’s account of how Psycho - the book became the film we all know. expectation of several zeroes being added to any film rights deal. So Bloch received a relatively modest amount, and the subsequent film became the director’s greatest commercial success. What’s more, Psycho virtually changed the face of modern cinema. Another cause he much acclaimed of irritation to Bloch was the suspense and horror writer fact that he was never involved Robert Bloch had reason in the filmmaking process, e.g. to be both very grateful to writing the screenplay (and the Alfred Hitchcock – and to be author was to have a lengthy annoyed at him. When the career as a screenwriter, along writer’s Psycho – the first major with his endeavours as a modern serial killer novel – novelist). But that is not the became a phenomenal whole story, and on both these commercial hit, it was points, the advantages to him inevitable that Hollywood would outweigh the niggles. would come calling. But it came Firstly, for the rest of his career, calling in anonymous guise, and the novelist was to be known as a relatively low bid was accepted ‘Robert Bloch, author of for the film rights from a Psycho,’ and his name would be company unknown to Bloch associated with the most and his agent. Apparently it was impressive of all modern a fairly standard tactic for suspense films, which is still Alfred Hitchcock to option influencing movies in the 21stliterary properties century — not a bad anonymously, and this no marketable cachet for any doubt made sense – commercial writer. Secondly, the man sense, at least. As soon as the chosen to write the screenplay name of the most famous was the talented Joseph Stefano, director of suspense films in the who (in close collaboration history of cinema was with Hitchcock) created the mentioned, there would be the perfect adaptation, fleshing out

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Crime

We’ve walked lonely streets, been down dark alleys and through dingy subways – all to bring you the latest crop of crime fiction.

the characters in very different fashion from Bloch himself.

Which is not to say that Bloch’s novel needed improving upon Psycho is as adroitly written a suspense novel as anything apart from Boileau & Narcejac’s Les Diaboliques, with every carefully honed word devoted to the task of keeping the reader’s pulse increased. What makes the book particularly fascinating today is its contrast with the Hitchcock film; Norman Bates, unlike the charmingly gauche Anthony Perkins characterisation, is fat and unattractive, and such details as the celebrated shower murder are very different from the film. But any admirer of Hitchcock’s film should most certainly read the source novel which functions perfectly in its own right.

Barry’s latest book is Sex and Film: The Erotic in British, American and World Cinema. See his occasional pieces on nudge and check out his website – crimetime.co.uk

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37

Dark Suits and Sad Songs

Who better to write crime fiction than former police officer, Denzil Meyrick?

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ith a background in the police, I suppose the genre of crime fiction was an obvious one for me. As I mulled over potential characters, plots and style, it soon became clear just what the elephant in the room was: where will this all happen?

If Scottish crime fiction was a room, it would be a very crowded one indeed, with every corner occupied by brilliant writers. The names just trip off the tongue: Rankin, May, MacBride, Mina, Ramsay, Oswald, Cleeves – I could go on, the list is seemingly endless.

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These storytellers aren’t just purveyors of the macabre, they are all – in their individual style – saying something about the way we live today, and the corner of the world in which we do it.

I spent time studying possible settings; should it be the city, or the country? Both had merit, but could I find something different?

The answer – though blindingly obvious now, it wasn’t then – was located at the tip of Kintyre, on Scotland’s beautiful west coast. Here, town meets country; an urban location in an isolated setting.

There were more advantages. A sea port, open to the world, welcoming a potential cast of criminals who could happily populate the pages of my crime novels. The stresses of urban existence juxtaposed with feelings of rural decline, all-too prevalent in our country over recent years. A tight-knit community, where an investigating officer could be forgiven for thinking that everybody but him knows what’s really going on.

Then there is the sheer beauty of the place.

Unfortunately, you won’t see

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Kintyre on too many travel shows on TV, or in the media in general. I don’t know how many times I’ve cursed the box in the corner as so-called celebrities, winding their way around these islands by some means or other, neatly avoid the peninsula. But, in a way, this is a good thing for me – for readers, the thrill of an undiscovered country.

This, coupled with the natural humour and warmth of the citizens of the real Kinloch, ended my search for a backdrop to my crime novels – Campbeltown, the place I still call home, despite having been an exile for nearly a decade now.

As DCI Daley wrestles with his adversaries (and sometimes himself ) in my third novel Dark Suits and Sad Songs, I wonder why the answer hadn’t come much sooner.

Isn’t it time you took the long and winding road to Kinloch?

Dark Suits and Sad Songs by Denzil Meyrick is published by Polygon as a £8.99 pbk and is available now.

First One Missing

Tammy Cohen reveals a plot like a pretzel, it has so many twists!

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egan Purvis, Tilly Reid, Leila Botsford, Poppy Glover. Megan’s Angels as the press has dubbed them. Four little girls with their lives ahead of them, found dead on Hampstead Heath, one after the other. Four families destroyed. No wonder they cling to each other, for who else could possibly understand their specific brand of torment?

Who else shares the same nightmare?

But the group, brought together by private loss and grief, struggles to hold firm in the glare of a public spotlight.

Allegiances are formed and severed, confidences broken.

The discovery of the fourth body on a bright May morning stirs up complicated emotions amongst the families of the first three victims. But the ripple-out effects are felt also by others on the periphery of the case. For Leanne Harper, Family Liaison Officer for the Reids, the new development means being thrown back into close proximity with her ex husband, also a FLO for one of the other families. For Sally Freeland, an ageing newspaper hack holding onto her job by her fingertips as the whole newspaper industry slides into an intern-dominated abyss, this case represents her last chance of carving out a niche for herself.

As the summer hots up and pressure mounts for the police to arrest the serial killer who is terrorising one of the most affluent and leafy areas of London, everyone is feeling the strain. Emma Reid, mother of the second victim is sure she has discovered a vital clue – so why will no one believe her? Rory Purvis, brother of the first victim, just wants to be left alone to lead a normal life with his mates, but someone is sending him venomous texts he can’t ignore. Sally Freeland is given information she’s sure will

break the case open and she’ll share it with the police – for a price. Leanne Harper is being pestered by a woman who insists the killer is her own husband, though she’s not the most credible witness.

Meanwhile, just a couple of miles away, but unknown to the others, city bar worker Jason Shields, has met a new girlfriend online, but it’s her eleven-year-old daughter he’s really interested in.

As tensions reach breaking point, so relationships between the key players are stretched tight enough to snap. The Megan’s Angels group begins to implode as the police net closes in on Jason Shields. But will they get to him in time and, more importantly, is he really the man they’re after?

First One Missing by Tammy Cohen is published by Transworld, Doubleday as £14.99 hbk and is available on 2nd July.

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39

The No.2 Feline Detective Agency

Once upon a time there was a No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Now, from a parallel cat universe, author Mandy Morton explains how she discovered the feline equivalent.

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he Wind in the Willows is a book that has stayed with me from childhood, and served me well in adult life.

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Now that The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency is about to be published, I realise what a true inspiration it's been. Not because it features a world of furry animals, going about their business in a human sort of way, but because both books deal with real issues that affect us all in everyday life. adult life.

The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency is full of characters I've known throughout my life; the fact that they're all cats has very little to do with it, except that a cat can calculate a sequence of events long before its adopted human gets up from the sofa.

Hettie Bagshot and her sidekick, Tilly, are no strangers to hardship: neither is in the first bloom of youth; both carry scars from what life has thrown at them; and both agree upon the importance of a warm fire, a decent dinner and a dry place to sleep. Their bolt-hole, a bedsit in Betty and Beryl Butter's pie and pastry shop is magically transformed into a place of business during daylight hours, when they sit and wait for the phone to ring, hoping that someone from their town may engage them in the solving of a crime. Neither cat has any credentials for this sort of work, but Tilly's passion for crime

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fiction and Hettie's knack of reinventing herself are the vital ingredients in their chaotic detective agency.

The pair come face to face with issues that touch all our lives: growing old; the right to die at a time of our own choosing; the closing of our libraries; the importance of keeping the High Street alive; and the relationship of families, and how easily love can turn to hate - or murder.

Having painted the book in such a way, you may think there's no room for humour, but that's the most important quality that I hope readers will discover. It's the ridiculous aspects of life that interest me, and I've had such joy in constructing the most ludicrous situations in which to put my characters.

At the heart of the book is a crime to be solved, peppered with twists. For me, Hettie and Tilly are the perfect heroes to restore order in a world fractured by greed, jealousy, and just plain evil.

The No.2 Feline Detective Agency by Mandy Morton is published by Allison & Busby as a £7.99 pbk on 23rd July.

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rimeFest, possibly Britain’s biggest crime fiction convention, but unquestionably its friendliest, was held for the eighth year this past May. It was another huge success! Listed as one of fifty best festivals in the world by The Guardian, and one of the fifty best festivals in the UK by The Independent, the Bristol event is aimed at people who like to read an occasional crime novel as well as for diehard fanatics. Appropriately, there was something for everyone.

The undisputed highlight of this year’s CrimeFest saw international bestselling author Lee Child interview Maj Sjöwall, the Godmother of Scandinavian crime fiction.

Together with her husband Per Wahlöö, Maj wrote a number of crime novels in the 1960s and 70s that influenced the genre’s authors around the world, and which would ultimately start the current tsunami of Scandinavian detective writers.

For fans of the Golden Age, there was a celebration of 125 years of Agatha Christie which saw her grandson in conversation with Sophie Hannah, author of the recent

Lee Child interviews Maj Sjöwall

Poirot book. Overall the long weekend had over fifty panels featuring more than 130 authors from around the world.

Topics ranged from Detective Duos to crime audiobooks, from historical crime fiction to modern-day thrillers, and everything in between.

As part of the weekend registration, delegates were also invited to the Crime Writers’ Association Shortlist Announcement reception and the pre-Gala Awards Dinner reception. Those who had bought tickets to the dinner were treated to a wonderful speech by Toastmaster, James Runcie. The author, whose books were recently dramatised as Grantchester, drew hilarious comparisons between crime fiction and Man Booker-prize-

winning literature. Of course, there were also events for aspiring crime writers, including a crime writing day and Pitch an Agent – think speed-dating meets BBC’s Dragons’ Den. Based on the success of recent years, CrimeFest 2016 is bound to be another sell-out event.

Next year’s dates are 19-22 May, and throughout July CrimeFest is offering newbooks readers a discounted early bird rate of £135 on a full weekend pass when they register with discount code ‘newbooksmag’ at www.crimefest.com.

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Author Ann Cleeves is the Programming Chair for this year’s Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, in Harrogate.

Karen Weatherly, an event organiser of some renown herself, wanted to know . . .

Did you volunteer or was it your turn? Do you have a festival team (of how many) working with you and which bits scare you?

I was invited to become this year’s chair by the programming committee. Traditionally we alternate male and female. I was officially asked at the festival two years ago by last year’s chair, Steve Mosby. He took me into a quiet corner and whispered the invitation. I was hugely honoured but it was scary too. Each year the festival seems to get better and I’d hate to preside over a disappointing 42

Behind the scenes at the crime

The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Committee: Agent Jane Gregory, author NJ Cooper, sponsor Simon Theakston, Programming Chair Ann Cleeves, Reader in Residence David Mark, author and festival co-founder Val McDermid.

year. There’s a small professional team who work all year with Harrogate International Festivals (HIF) and they do much of the hard work. Then there’s the committee of authors, an agent and a publisher. They’re hugely experienced and have some truly amazing contacts. We all have a very honest discussion about the panels we’d like to see. The big name headliners have to be approached some time in advance. I was delighted that Sara Paretsky and Arnaldur Indridason agreed to come along. They were both first choices for me.

This festival is ranked as one of the top three literary festivals in the UK by the Guardian and featured in the

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Independent’s “50 best festivals” – what is the secret of its success do you think?

I think it’s a really good mix between a traditional literature festival and a US crime convention. It’s friendly – probably the only book festival I’ve ever attended where the Green Room is usually empty because the writers are all mixing it with the readers in the bar – but it makes a real effort to attract interesting and intelligent speakers. There’s single-track programming so there’s no danger of missing anything and everyone has a good audience. That means that panel places are limited and one of the hardest aspects of being programme chair is having to disappoint fabulous authors who’d love to take part.

This year’s programme is looking really interesting – how do you decide which authors and events to include.

Is there an author/event you are particularly excited about?

All of them! The New Blood panel is always well attended and I love finding out about debut authors. The forensics panel will be fascinating – professors Lorna Dawson and James Grieve are friends of mine – and because of my background in reader development I’m delighted that we’ve been able to include a panel on how readers find authors new to them. Stewart Bain who manages reader development for Orkney Libraries and who’s famous for his irreverent tweets will be with us for that. We decide on the panel subjects first and then work with publishers to find the best possible author to speak on them.

How much of your time has been taken up with the programming – do you have time for anything else other than eating and sleeping? Are you currently working on a book as well?

Because this is very much a joint project and we have the experienced HIF team to do the legwork it hasn’t really been a chore. And as wonderful writers and celebrities agree to take part it just becomes very exciting. I’ve just finished a new Vera book – The Moth Catcher – and I’m working on a new Shetland book.

The programme says that “This year we focus on crime fiction’s ability to take us to strange lands and see familiar places in a new and unsettling way.” Can you elaborate?

Because my reading passion is translated crime fiction. I love the way popular fiction can give us an insight into another culture’s preoccupations. And I’m very interested in the way characters and plot can grow out of place.

One of the current general discussion points in the book world is whether authors should be paid a fee for festival appearances. As an author and now this year as a festival organiser do you find yourself seeing both sides?

We pay a fee to our authors, but as the Festival is delivered by an arts charity, some people are kind enough to waive it, they appreciate the charitable literacy outreach the festival undertakes. Obviously we pay for their accommodation.

Is there a crime novel that you have read this year that you would recommend?

I came across one of the debut authors from last year. He’s called Ray Celestin and wrote The Axeman’s Jazz. It’s a fabulous first novel set in 1920s New Orleans.

We’re lucky to have some great sponsors too. I think it’s more of a struggle for the smaller festivals.

What advice would you give to your successor on being the Festival Programme Chair.

Take the advice of the programming committee, but do bring a distinctive flavour to the festival – it’s the change in emphasis every year that makes it so special. And do enjoy it!

That was the sense I had from Steve last year. He was so calm and gracious to everyone and he had a huge smile on his face all weekend. He’ll be such a hard act to follow.

Vera (played by Brenda Blethyn) is Ann’s creation.

The festival runs from July 16-19 at the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate. More information at harrogateinternationalfestivals.com /crime/ and Karen will be OUR INTREPID REPORTER on nudge giving her personal perspective in due course.

See also PEOPLE WE LIKE about Ann and Karen on nudge-book.com.

nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com

43

READERS DAY 2015

Dear Guy & Mel . . .

You asked exactly the questions that I wanted asked and you listened to the answers, rather than running through a list of unrelated questions.

Daphne Poupart

I just wanted to say how much we all enjoyed last Saturday. Karen Weatherly

Once again a really superb Readers' Day! John Reardon

AND THEN THERE WAS

THE CATERING . . .

The catering and refreshments were sublime! I am hoping the amount of strawberries I ate worked against the cakes I scoffed.

Jo D’Arcy The catering was excellent and I came home weighed down with books, which I

was determined not to do!

Angela Vick

Catriona ward Every summer Catriona Ward’s family returned to a 17th century stone cottage near Dartmoor, which inspired Rawblood, her terrifying literary debut: a masterful re-imagining of the ghost story, drawing on the tradition of Sarah Waters, Daphne du Maurier and Hilary Mantel. By turns chilling, bleak

readers Day 2015 Our fourth Winchester Readers Day Oct 3rd, 2015 What a great day! I greatly enjoyed the whole experience, and wish I’d been at earlier Readers’ Days.

Prof Helen Taylor

I have come away full of information and inspiration!

Philipa Coughlan

You’ve set the bar high for next year. Well done!

Eila Huxford

Want to come along?

Our venue is St Peter’s Parish Rooms in Winchester on Saturday 3rd Oct, registration from 10am for a 10.30 start and we finish at 4pm.

See the order form on page 51 or visit the nudge shop.

I just wanted to let you both know how much I enjoyed Readers Day last Saturday. David Keay 44

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and tender, Rawblood is a powerful evocation of the horror of loss, and a gothic parable with a devastating twist.

Catriona was born in Washington DC and grew up in the US, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen and Morocco. She studied English at St Edmund Hall, Oxford followed by the UEA Masters in Creative Writing. After living in New York for 4 years where she trained as an actor, she now works for a human rights foundation and lives in London where she works as a writer and researcher for Bianca Jagger's human rights foundation.

Stuart Prebble Photo (c) Rick Addison

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT 2014 . . .

READERS DAY 2015

Stuart has worked in television since he left Newcastle University joining the BBC as a journalist and on-screen reporter. He went on to produce and edit ITV's World In Action, and was ITV's first Commissioning Editor for Factual programmes. He was nominated for the BAFTA and had to try to look happy when he didn't win it, but was consoled by winning the RTS award for Best Factual Series.

Stuart was eventually enticed to wear a suit, and rose through the ranks to become Chief Executive of ITV Digital (which went into liquidation courtesy of Rupert Murdoch) and then ITV itself. His independent production company, Liberty Bell, originated and produced shows like Grumpy Old Men et al, Three Men in a Boat. His new novel – The Insect Farm – is published by Alma Books.

Sophie hannah Sophie is an internationally bestselling writer of psychological crime fiction – 11 books and counting. In 2014, she published The Monogram Murders a new mystery novel starring Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous detective another international bestseller.

In 2013, The Carrier, won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award and The Point of Rescue and The Other Half Lives were adapted for the ITV1 series Case Sensitive.

Sophie has also published five collections of poetry some of which is studied at GCSE, Alevel and degree level.

She is forty-three and

Photo: (c) Philippa Gedge

lives with her husband, children and dog in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College.

Her latest novel A Game for all the Family is published in hardback on 13th August 2015 by Hodder & Stoughton.

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How do you turn a blog into a million-copy bestseller?

Author Fredrik Backman explains.

pronunciation, since the artist was Hungarian or something.

The man got furious for being corrected, and they had a ten minute fight about it in front of I guess it started with me the whole line, which writing about discussions I was culminated when the man having with my dad in various situations. Like when we were at rolled up the museum pamphlet that he was holding in his hand Ikea together and there was and started beating it into his something wrong with the cart so I kept bumping into him and other hand like a police baton and demanded to “see the he kept telling me I “drove it wrong”. So I let him drive it and manager!”. At that point the man’s wife took him gently by he drove it straight into me. the arm and told him: “Please, And four years later he still insists I can’t drive Ikea carts and Ove. Let it go.” Jonas Cramby wrote that story in his blog, my that there was “nothing wrong with the cart” but that the “floor wife read it, turned to me and said: “This is EXACTLY what was leaning” where he drove it.

HOW DID THIS CHARACTER COME ABOUT ON YOUR BLOG?

A Man Called Ove So I wrote that on my blog, and the readers started commenting about stuff their dads, or husbands, or themselves, did that drove their families crazy.

Like refusing to let anyone touch the buttons on the stereo in their cars or arguing with strangers about “principals”. A couple of weeks later another blogger on the same website, Jonas Cramby, wrote a text about how he was standing in line at a museum behind a man in his sixties who started a big argument with the girl at the information desk. The man asked for directions for a certain artists exhibition, and the girl at the desk corrected his 46

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living with you is like!”. So I thought that maybe there was something there and started thinking about creating a character out of all of it. A week or so later I was standing in line at an Apple Store, where I had gone to buy some nice cables, and a man was standing in front of me in line getting angrier and angrier at some 12 year old sales person who couldn’t explain if the iPad was a “computer” or not. They had a huge argument, and I stood there thinking “this would be a great first chapter for a book”. And so I went from there. Every great idea is stolen.

HOW DID OVE THEN TURN INTO A NOVEL?

studying religion and thought I would do that for about 6 months. And then I kind of got I sat at my computer and wrote stuck there for 3.5 years before it. People keep asking me “how people started telling me that do you write a novel?”, but I maybe I should start thinking keep answering “by writing it, at about what I wanted to do with your desk, until it’s finished”. I my life. So I started sending stuff don’t really have a better answer I had written to a couple of magthan that. azines and started getting jobs like “we need 50 words on this THE PERSON WHO newly opened tanning salon” for HIRED YOU AT THE the local newspaper. Then I got a NEWSPAPER XTRA SAID small column there because one THAT “RIGHT FROM THE of the editors thought she BEGINNING HE WAS needed “someone who can make VERY ANGRY AT people a little bit angry”. I was EVERYTHING AND apparently good at that. And so EVERYONE, AND it went from there. I never got a EXTREMELY degree at anything. If the writing PROVOCATIVE.“ thing doesn’t work out I’m IN SOME WAYS, ARE YOU pretty much screwed.

OVE? A MAN CALLED OVE In many, many, many ways I am ISN’T ONLY A CARICAOve. I usually tell people that all TURE ABOUT A GRUMPY of Ove’s best qualities are from MAN. IT’S ABOUT SOMEmy dad, and all of his worst ONE WHO HAS BEEN characteristics are from me or SCARRED BY GRIEF. someone else. Mostly from me, WHAT OR WHO WAS THE probably.

INSPIRATION FOR OVE?

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maybe hope. It’s not as simple as that. You find something you like, a grain of story, somewhere to start, a feeling or a situation or in my case a character with an age and a name and a couple of funny characteristics, and then you start creating. You mould.

It’s work. It’s joyous and fun and wonderful, of course, it’s not a j-o-b, but it’s still w-o-r-k. It’s not a matter of walking down the street and INSPIRATION STRIKES and then the book goes home and writes itself while you drink gin and tonics and play Lego Batman. You sit at your desk and you write and you rewrite and rewrite and you show it to your wife and when it makes her laugh you head back to your desk and you try to write more of the stuff like that.

And then you get tired and THEN you have gin and tonics and play Lego Batman.

BUT YOU WANTED TO BECOME A PRIEST AT ONE POINT; WHAT CHANGED YOUR MIND?

To be quite upfront: there is no one inspiration for a character. It comes from a million different places. The grief comes from the fact that most people I have ever That’s not really accurate. I met are grieving about studied religion for a couple of something, somewhere. Every years at the university of Lund, human being I have ever met has yes. I had ambitions of becom- regrets and shame and sadness ing a journalist, but one had to in them. And I honestly don’t have a certain amount of univer- really think there’s any one sity credentials to apply to the “inspiration” for a story in the journalist program, so I started way that some people would

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is published by Sceptre as a £7.99 pbk and is available now.

We have copies to give away free. See page 50 to claim yours.

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47

A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman

he had a golden brooch pinned to her front, in which the sunlight reflected hypnotically through the train window. It was half past six in the morning, Ove had just clocked off his shift and was actually supposed to be taking the train home.

But then he saw her on the platform with all her rich auburn hair and her blue eyes and all her effervescent laughter. And he got back on the train. Of course he didn’t quite know himself why he was doing it. He had never been spontaneous before in his life. But when he saw her it was as if something malfunctioned.

He convinced one of the conductors to lend him his spare pair of trousers and shirt, so he didn’t have to look like a train cleaner, and then Ove went to sit by Sonja. It was the single best decision he would ever make.

He didn’t know what he was going to say. But he had hardly had time to sink into the seat before she turned to him cheerfully, smiled warmly and said ‘hello’. And he found he was able to say ‘hello’ back to her without any significant complications. And when she saw that he was looking at the pile of books she had in her lap, she tilted them slightly so he could read their titles. Ove only understood about half the words.

‘You like reading?’ she asked him brightly.

Ove shook his head with some insecurity, but it didn’t seem to concern her very much. She just smiled, said that she loved books more than anything, and started telling him excitedly what each of the ones in her lap was about. And Ove realised that he wanted to hear her talking about the things she loved for the rest of his life.

He had never heard anything quite as amazing as that voice. She talked as if she was continuously on the verge of breaking into giggles.

And when she giggled she sounded the way Ove imagined champagne bubbles would have sounded if they were capable of laughter. He didn’t quite know what he should say to avoid seeming uneducated and stupid, but it proved to be less of a problem than he had thought.

She liked talking and Ove liked keeping quiet. Retrospectively, Ove assumed that was what people meant when they said that people were compatible.

Many years later she told him that she had found him quite puzzling when he came to sit with her in that compartment. Abrupt and blunt in his whole being. But his shoulders were broad and his arms so

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muscular that they stretched the fabric of his shirt. And he had kind eyes. He listened when she talked, and she liked making him smile.

Anyway the journey to school was so boring that it was pleasant just to have some company.

She was studying to be a teacher. Came on the train every day, after ten or twenty kilometres she changed to another train, then a bus. All in all, it was a one and a half hour journey in the wrong direction for Ove. Only when they crossed the platform that first time, side by side, and stood by her bus stop, did she ask what he was doing there. And when Ove realised that he was only five or so kilometres from the military barracks where he would have been had it not been for that problem with his heart, the words slipped out of him before he understood why.

‘I’m doing my military service over there,’ he said, waving vaguely.

‘So maybe we’ll see each other on the train going back as well. I go home at five . . .’

Ove couldn’t think of anything to say. He knew, of course, that one does not go home from military installations at five o’clock, but she clearly did not. So he just shrugged. And then she got on her bus and was gone.

Ove decided that this was undoubtedly very impractical in many ways. But there was not a lot to be done about it. So he turned round, found a signpost pointing out the way to the little centre of the tiny student town where he now found himself, at least a two-hour journey from his home. And then he started walking. After forty-five minutes he asked his way to the only tailor in the area, and, after eventually finding it, ponderously stepped inside to ask whether it would be possible to have a shirt ironed and a pair of trousers pressed and, if so, how long it would take. ‘Ten minutes, if you wait,’ came his answer.

‘Then I’ll be back at four,’ said Ove and left. He wandered back down to the train station and lay down on a bench in the waiting hall. At quarter past three he went all the way back to the tailor’s, had his shirt and trousers pressed while he sat waiting in his underwear in the staff toilet, then walked back to the station and took the train back with her for an hour and a half back to her station. And then travelled for another half-hour to his own station. He repeated the whole thing the day after. And the day after that.

We have copies to give away FREE. See page 50 to claim yours.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

THE BIG INTERVIEW

Jandy Nelson Photo: Sonya Sones

We add another YA novel with cross-over appeal to the impressive collection we’ve previously explored. Jess Carty asks the questions

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson is published by Walker Books as a £7.99 pbk and is available now.

52

There was a four year gap between your first novel, The Sky is Everywhere and I’ll Give You the Sun. Was this all spent writing the novel?

Pretty much! To get the structure I wanted for Sun with the dueling/intertwining points of view of the twins in two different timeframes I really ended up having to write three novels in one. I realized early on the best way to keep the voices/worlds/perspectives of each twin from blending and to make sure each narrative had its own propulsion was to write each twin’s story separately. So I wrote Noah’s narrative start to finish (locking Jude’s file while I was working on Noah’s story) and then wrote Jude’s narrative start to finish (keeping Noah’s file locked). This took about 2 ½ years. Then I started weaving the narratives together, which took another year, and was like writing a whole other novel. At this point

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I was praying (like hell!) it would work and I think I cut 50K words in that third stage.

I probably should also tell you I spent those 3 ½ years writing in a pitch black room with curtains drawn, ear plugs in, sound machine blasting. The only light in the room came from the computer screen, which felt to me like this portal into the story.

Somehow this completely insane way of working allowed me to live in the story, to get inside the characters in a way I never had before. I’ve since read the writer Kent Haruf wrote blindfolded so now I don’t feel so alone in this lunacy!

We hear Noah’s story when he is turning 14 and Jude’s story when she is 16 – why did you feel the different times were more important to each twin?

I somehow knew right away that Noah’s provenance would be the early years and Jude’s the later

ones. Part of that was simply wanting to catch each one when they were most compelling to me.

Young Noah is this flood in a paper cup. His relationship with the world, with his burgeoning sexuality, with his first love Brian is so passionate and his visual sensibility so explosive then. I wanted this kind of unadulterated Noah to tell the story before the tragedy, and knew the tragedy would very much impact his whole being and change him. At the same time, I wanted Jude to tell the “after” story, wanted the reader to be jarred by her transformation from the carefree, cliff-diving girl to a fearful, superstitious, haunted girl who talks to ghosts and is plagued by guilt. Older Jude fascinated me (also made me laugh) and I knew she was the better choice to carry the burden of all that happened in the three years between the two narrations.

I’ll Give You the Sun has been very successful, winning numerous awards and being commissioned for a film, do you think the many important themes in the book – love, loss, grief, sexuality, afterlife – contributed to the novel’s popularity?

Perhaps, or maybe I’ve learned a few luck-inducing tricks from Grandma Sweetwine’s “bible” of superstitions. But yes, I do think the book grapples with themes that are universal. And in addition to the themes you mentioned the novel is also very

much an exploration of art and the ups and downs and wild tumult of the artistic process, how creativity and identity affect each other. There’s definitely a lot crammed into the 400 pages. I wanted the book to feel kind of like an explosion of art, family, love, jealousy, loss, betrayal, sexuality—for there to be a great big kapow feeling to it.

Are you a - or do you have experience of – twin/s? And if not, how the hell did you create such a powerful relationship?

No, I’m not a twin. And thank you. I think I drew a bit from my own sibling relationships, more the harmony aspects than the rivalry aspects, and I have twins in my life and did research, but honestly, and as corny as this sounds, I really just tried to listen to/watch/follow Noah and Jude and I feel like I learned what it’s like being a twin directly from them. It was quite something to take these twins, who at thirteen were inseparable, called NoahandJude, to a place of total estrangement three years later. I hoped the reader would yearn for their reconciliation as much as I did while writing the story.

Virtually every relationship in the book is thrown up in the air, breaks on landing and only some make it through – was that not rather draining to write?

For me, more heartbreaking than draining. Also exhilarating, challenging, emotional, occasionally hilarious. It was an

everything kind of experience writing all these rollercoaster love stories (both romantic and familial). I think if you’re not feeling it when you’re writing there’s no way the reader’s going to feel it when they’re reading it.

And really, that’s the bliss of writing fiction right there—when your heart starts racing, your temperature starts rising, your eyes start spilling over with tears.

That’s when your fingers begin typing like mad. For me, it’s when I’m feeling nothing and writing feels like a chore that it gets draining.

Review of I’ll Give You The Sun by Vee Freir I loved this novel and that’s quite something as it’s YA, which I don’t usually rave about. Jandy Nelson manages to create an absorbing story not just of brother/sister love, jealousy and rivalry, but of relationships in all their permutations written in a unique style that I found very moving and totally engaging . . . I feel I should mention the book contains underage drinking, smoking, drug use and sex, both heterosexual and gay, so might not necessarily be ideal for all thirteen/fourteen year olds, though I’d have no hesitation with the young adults I know.

I think it would make for great discussion in a book group.

Vee’s full review – and Guy’s can be found on nudge.

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I’ll Give You The Sun - Jandy Nelson

With Zephyr and Fry – reigning neighborhood sociopaths – torpedoing after me and the whole forest floor shaking under my feet as I blast through air, trees, this white-hot panic.

“You’re going over, you pussy!” Fry shouts.

Then Zephyr’s on me, has one, both of my arms behind my back, and Fry’s grabbed my sketchpad. I lunge for it but I’m armless, helpless. I try to wriggle out of Zephyr’s grasp. Can’t. Try to blink them into moths.

No. They’re still themselves: fifteen-foot-tall, tenth-grade asshats who toss living, breathing thirteen-year-old people like me over cliffs for kicks.

Zephyr’s got me in a headlock from behind and his chest’s heaving into my back, my back into his chest. We’re swimming in sweat. Fry starts leafing through the pad. “Whatcha been drawing, Bubble?” I imagine him getting run over by a truck. He holds up a page of sketches. “Zeph, look at all these naked dudes.”

The blood in my body stops moving.

“They’re not dudes. They’re David,” I get out, praying I won’t sound like a gerbil, praying he won’t turn to later drawings in the pad, drawings done today, when I was spying, drawings of them, rising out of the water, with their surfboards under arm, no wetsuits, no nothing, totally glistening, and, uh: holding hands. I might have taken some artistic license. So they’re going to think… They’re going to kill me even before they kill me is what they’re going to do. The world starts somersaulting. I fling words at Fry:“You know? Michelangelo? Ever heard of him?” I’m not going to act like me. Act tough and you are tough, as Dad has said and said and said – like I’m some kind of broken umbrella.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of him,” Fry says out of the big bulgy mouth that

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clumps with the rest of his big bulgy features under the world’s most massive forehead, making it very easy to mistake him for a hippopotamus. He rips the page out of the sketchpad. “Heard he was gay.”

He was – my mom wrote a whole book about it – not that Fry knows. He calls everyone gay when he’s not calling them homo and pussy. And me: homo and pussy and Bubble.

Zephyr laughs a dark demon laugh. It vibrates through me.

Fry holds up the next sketch. More David. The bottom half of him. A study in detail. I go cold.

They’re both laughing now. It’s echoing through the forest.

It’s coming out of birds.

Again, I try to break free of the lock Zephyr has me in so I can snatch the pad out of Fry’s hands, but it only tightens Zephyr’s hold. Zephyr, who’s freaking Thor. One of his arms is choked around my neck, the other braced across my torso like a seat belt. He’s bare-chested, straight off the beach, and the heat of him is seeping through my T-shirt. His coconut suntan lotion’s filling my nose, my whole head – the strong smell of the ocean too, like he’s carrying it on his back…

Zephyr dragging the tide along like a blanket behind him… That would be good, that would be it (Portrait: The Boy Who Walked Off with the Sea) – but not now, Noah, so not the time to mind-paint this cretin. I snap back, taste the salt on my lips, remind myself I’m about to die.

Zephyr’s long seaweedy hair is wet and dripping down my neck and shoulders. I notice we’re breathing in synch, heavy, bulky breaths. I try to unsynch with him. I try to unsynch with the law of gravity and float up. Can’t do either. Can’t do anything. The wind’s whipping pieces of my drawings – mostly family portraits now – out of Fry’s hands as he tears up one, then another. He rips one of Jude and me down the middle, cuts me right out of it.

I watch myself blow away.

I watch him getting closer and closer to the drawings that are going to get me murdered.

My pulse is thundering in my ears.

Then Zephyr says,“Don’t rip ’em up, Fry. His sister says he’s good.”

Because he likes Jude? They mostly all do now because she can surf harder than any of them, likes to jump off cliffs, and isn’t afraid of anything, not even great white sharks or Dad.

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And because of her hair – I use up all my yellows drawing it. It’s hundreds of miles long and everyone in Northern California has to worry about getting tangled up in it, especially little kids and poodles and now asshat surfers.

There’s also the boobs, which arrived by overnight delivery, I swear.

Unbelievably, Fry listens to Zephyr and drops the pad.

Jude peers up at me from it, sunny, knowing. Thank you, I tell her in my mind. She’s always rescuing me, which usually is embarrassing, but not now. That was righteous.

(Portrait, Self-portrait: Twins: Noah Looking in a Mirror, Jude out of It) “You know what we’re going to do to you, don’t you?” Zephyr rasps in my ear. He’s back to the regularly scheduled homicidal programming.There’s too much of him on his breath. There’s too much of him on me.

“Please, you guys,” I beg.

“Please, you guys,” Fry mimics in a squeaky girly voice.

My stomach rolls. Devil’s Drop, the second-highest jump on the hill, which they plan to throw me over, has the name for a reason. Beneath it is a jagged gang of rocks and a wicked whirlpool that pulls your dead bones down to the underworld.

I try to break Zephyr’s hold again. And again.

“Get his legs, Fry!” All six-thousand hippopotamus pounds of Fry dive for my ankles.

Sorry, this is not happening. It just isn’t. I hate the water, prone as I am to drowning and drifting to Asia. I need my skull in one piece.

Crushing it would be like taking a wrecking ball to some secret museum before anyone ever got to see what’s inside it.

So I grow. And grow, and grow, until I head-butt the sky.

Then I count to three and go freaking berserk, thanking Dad in my mind for all the wrestling he’s forced me to do on the deck, to-thedeath matches where he could only use one arm and I could use everything and he’d still pin me down because he’s thirty feet tall and made of truck parts.

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I

had absolutely no idea what I was about to do but I did have a clear vision in my head – a book shop for all ages but specifically children’s books. It is a gamble in this age of e-books and the A-word, not to mention that I have no background in publishing or bookselling.

However, I’m not one to be told I can’t do something, especially when it is so important to me that children grow up knowing what it is like to have a local bookshop.

I am often told I am brave (nuts) to do this but I grew up with a book in my hand and a

little reading nooks and various corners so people feel embraced by the books.

From the beginning I have supported local authors with various events to champion them. I go to one of the local primary schools once a term to read to the children before I open in the morning and have launched a family book club to promote families reading together and talking about books between themselves and other families.

I was very lucky to be chosen by author, James Patterson, to receive on eof the grants he gave to independents which I used

The Tale of the Cotswold Mice My friend and I have written a children’s picture book for Princess Charlotte which we sent with two silver napkin rings made by another friend, Aneata Boote. She has a collection called the Cotswold Mice and the rings

EMILY DUNN DREAMED OF OPENING HER OWN BOOKSHOP

A F E S T I VA L O F B O OK S CHIPPING CAMPDEN vision in my head of what it would be like to spend my day surrounded by books. I really love reading the children’s books, often reading three at once.

There’s also Gill, who very kindly volunteers for storytelling and occasionally helps me on a Sunday. She is a lover of mindfulness and meditation and one of her favourite books is Skellig by David Almond.

I wanted my shop to be a haven for children but I do have a special corner for adults and I try to keep the selection as current and diverse as possible.

As my shop is very small I have

for events. I want to do more but with a small budget I’m going slow and steady at the minute. I put everything I do onto my facebook and Twitter pages so keep an eye out for future events.

I rarely have a minute to myself but I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed work so much!!

My shop is unique in Chipping Campden - the only shop for children. On my opening day a visiting gentleman said: ‘I give you three months’.

Three months on and he has been in regularly to order books, receive recommendations for his grandchildren and himself.

Result!

have two little mice on them.

So the book is about the adventures of the mice. The book has been on sale in my shop for only a few days but interest has been phenomenal – we’ve already had to do a reprint. I have even sent books to the USA after people saw the book on social media. It is really exciting!

Visit afestivalofbooks.co.uk Cambrook Court, Chipping Campden GL55 6AT Full article is on nudge as one of our BOOKSHOPS WE LIKE. Part of the Love Your Indie scheme loveyourindie.co.uk

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57

Around The World In 80 Books Setting her sights à la Phileas Fogg, Jade Craddock has decided to travel the world from the comfort of her armchair – by reading 80 books from 80 different countries. She begins by explaining why?

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’ve always considered myself to be quite well-read when it comes to foreign authors until I came across Ann Morgan earlier this year. Ann, a voracious reader, challenged herself to Read the World – reading one book from every country. I was inspired. Not to repeat her gargantuan feat, I may add, but to at least expand my own literary horizons.

What about a book from each continent? Antarctica may pose a problem but already my reading list was looking richer, more exotic.

But still, 8 books wasn’t exactly a literary exploration.

Surely I could take it a step further, perhaps an alphabet tour, picking a country of each letter from the alphabet: Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Chad, etc.

There was an obvious and more challenging idea I toyed with, but no, that was getting ahead of myself until Guy came back to me with the very idea I’d tried to ignore – Around the 58

World in 80 Books. It’s the natural choice yet the very notion is somewhat daunting – so I could hardly turn it down.

And I had to admit it seemed less tentative, more committed, than the earlier ideas I’d tossed around. If I was going to take a literary tour of the world, there had to be some sense in which I’d actually toured the world not just gone on holiday here and there. It would also allow me to ‘see’ more of the world, experience not just one or two token countries but really ‘explore’ the globe.

Norway: Naïve.Super by Erland Loe Published by Canongate Books.

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Denmark: This Should be Written in the Present Tense by Helle Helle.

Published by Harvill Secker.

The next step then: to choose my destinations. There was nothing off limits, no country too remote or far-flung for me to reach – the world was very much my oyster although the UK, Ireland and America were out, for obvious reasons. I sat down with a world map and looked at the places on offer – the familiar, the unexplored, the notorious, and the downright obscure.

There would inevitably be restrictions – some countries would not have much in the way of literature, let alone

Latvia: High Tide by Inga Ābele Published by Open Letter.

anything translated into English, and my intention behind the project was to find texts that other readers could access easily should they want to follow up on the book themselves. I also wanted to make sure that I ‘reached’ as much of the globe as possible and represented it - if not fairly – at least meaningfully; a snapshot of what’s been happening in the last decade, contemporary literature of the world.

I wasn’t even sure I could name 80 countries! But the problem was not listing 80, but whittling it down.

Everywhere seemed to have something incredible on offer.

Russia: Sin by Zakhar Prilepin.

Published by Glagoslav Publications.

Countries that I’d naively written off were amongst the most intriguing, productive or appealing.

The final selection is inevitably a matter of subjective choice but I needed to make sure the selections were those that appealed - I wanted to make this a pleasure not a chore. So my selections aren’t meant to be the definitive literature in a given country - choosing only one book meant discounting hundreds of others. I will therefore make mention of other books along the way.

So now I have my 80 books to be getting on with, let’s see what the rest of the world has on offer and what I’ve been missing out on.

Sweden: Montecore by Jonas Hassen Khemiri Published by Random House.

The full listing of the 80 books Jade intends to read is posted on nudgebook.com and we will add there her full reviews country by country, reporting back in nb86 onwards.

Jade Craddock begins her grand literary tour in Finland with . . .

The Winter War by Philip Teir Published by Serpent’s Tale

T

he novel takes its title from a defining conflict in Finland’s history, but it’s a metaphorical sleight of hand from the author whose war is played out on the domestic front between husband and wife, Max and Katriina Paul, whose grownup daughters Helen and Eva are caught in the crossfire while dealing with their own battles. Teir plays on the metaphor by using a comparative timeline for his novel – beginning in November and reaching its peak in March – as that of the Winter War. The novel’s opening epitaph, a quotation from Swedish playwright August Strindberg, is a fitting summation of what is to follow: ‘And yet those trivial matters were not without significance in life, because life consists of trivial matters.’

Indeed, nothing especially surprising or earth-shattering

nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com

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takes place but Teir tracks those ‘trivial matters’ of family life that soon escalate into significance. Whilst the novel has its fair share of adultery, drugs and angst, the plot is rather prosaic with little in the way of edge-of-your-seat tension, but the outcome is resounding as is Teir’s intention.

This is not supposed to be a high-octane epic but a building, cumulative narrative that shows how the seemingly minor incidences of daily domestic life, the creeping discontent, can over time become something much bigger and more destructive. The four main characters are each given their place in the spotlight with interweaving chapters from their perspectives and although each of their testimonies feel authentic and honest in their own way, Katriina and Helen lack the development of Max and Eva. Whilst Teir’s novel is an easy, accessible and universal piece, and his portrayal of a family and its dysfunction feels astute, the characters don’t necessarily win you over and the plot is perhaps a bit too underplayed and safe.

Nevertheless it’s clear to see why this is a writer admired in Finland and worthy of a bigger audience.

Personal Read ★★★ Group Read ★★★

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Iceland – Jade’s second stopping off point with . . .

Butterflies in November

by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir Published by Pushkin Press

I

was drawn to this charmingly titled and whimsically plotted novel which seemed to offer something so different from the dark, tense Nordic hours for which Iceland seems to be famed. Yet despite the book’s obvious divergences in plot, theme and subject, there is still a definite underlying tension and bleakness to the book and a tone that if not tragic is wistful.

Even the comedy is black and not especially humorous. And with its repertoire of accidents and deaths (albeit mammalian), its forbidding, barren, dark landscapes and its isolated characters, it's easy to see the influences here.

Having said that, this is still a quirky, affirming and essentially exploratory novel centred on one woman’s literal and metaphorical journey to find herself, accompanied by her friend’s four-year-old deaf son.

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This premise in itself should bespeak a moving, empathetic and tender charm [but] in our narrator we have a woman, without a maternal instinct, who is very much learning how to look after a child as she goes, and inevitably making mistakes along the way, not least because of her penchant for the opposite sex. However, what the narrator lacks as a character – a flawed heroine she certainly is – is made up by four-year-old Tumi, whose every gesture and word belies a greater significance. This is a very insular and somewhat monotonous narrative, and is as strange and surreal as the Icelandic landscape it envisions.

Yet there seems to be a deeper allegory to this tale about what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a mother and whether the two are mutually inclusive. In many ways it’s just the sort of book that one wants to find on this literary pilgrimage, something so different, unfamiliar and unknown that you feel as if you have left one world behind and entered another, yet it certainly takes an imaginative leap of faith.

You will find Jade’s much fuller accounts of Finnish and Icelandic literature and longer reviews on nudge under ATW80.

Summer Hot lazy days with the time to relax and the perfect book...

The House of Hidden Mothers

Your publisher likes a good summer read and would commend for your consideration two delights . . .

The Truth According to Us

A

nnie Barrows was the coauthor of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book begun by her late aunt, Mary Ann Shaffer. Even as an established children's author, it must have been something of a shock to Ms Barrows to have to follow that book’s success. The Truth According to Us may not have the combination of elements that made Guernsey so distinctive. However, I think it can hold up its head in the same company.

Fictional Macedonia in West Virginia in 1938 is the setting, a town about to celebrate its sesquicentennial (150 years, since you ask). Miss Layla Beck is a hoity toity young woman who has been disinherited by her Senator father and through various correspondence we gradually understand how Layla finds herself in Macedonia to 62

write the town’s history. (Needs must when her father’s choice of husband for her doesn't accord with hers.)

Lodging with the Romeyns, we quickly begin to know and love Jottie, Willa and Felix with a cast of interesting side characters, including the ghost of Vause Hamilton. There is, of course, a secret and Layla plays her part in unravelling the story.

Nominally 12-year-old Willa is our narrator, a girl on the edge of adult understanding who wants to know more but finds grown ups’ actions and words unfathomable. Her father, Felix, is catnip to women and, with the convenient absence of Willa’s mother, pursues his own ‘agenda’. However, the secret will out - although you will be glued to the nearly 500 pages before it all clicks into place.

But not before Jottie Romeyn has her heart pulled this way and that.

The Truth According to Us most definitely isn’t Guernsey: the sequel but that’s

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no bad thing. The Romeyns’ story is entirely of Annie Barrows’ own making and she has acquitted herself more than well.

This book has many resonances of other small town America stories I've read, To Kill a Mocking Bird being one that immediately springs to mind. Obviously, Ms Barrows has her work cut out to top the success of that book but if you are willing to suspend disbelief and give Felix, Jottie and Willa, not forgetting Layla, a chance to engage with you, you will not be disappointed. I loved it.

Guy Pringle ★★★★

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows is published in hardback by Doubleday on July 2nd, 2015.

The full review can be found as a One to Watch Out For on nudge.

I

think I may have read Anita and Me (1997) before I really knew who Meera Syal was. I do remember how vividly she portrayed a West Midlands’ childhood from a semi-autobiographical Punjabi perspective. Since then Ms Syal has become much celebrated in the media for her many achievements. In fact, I was surprised to find Hidden Mothers is only her third book.

And much though we have all enjoyed The Kumars at Number 42 and her appearances in various successful TV/film/theatre ventures, I can't help thinking we readers have lost out.

This book starts comfortably enough in East London with three generations effectively living together. Prem and Sita live in the house at the bottom of their daughter, Shyama's garden. Shyama, early 40s, lives with toyboy partner, Toby, who

is happy to go along with Shyama's desire for a child.

Having tried everything including IVF - the last resort is surrogacy. Enter Mala a young woman trapped in a dull marriage in a village in India.

Don't worry, it’s all above board with Dr Passi's clinic providing a complete and safe service. The fly in the ointment is actually back in the UK: 19year-old first child Tara feels left out of Shyama's arrangements which only adds to teenage angst and awkwardness. Fortunately, Tara has a very strong bond with her grandparents, Prem and Sita.

So the stage is comfortably set for an inter-generational story, except the many twists and turns conspire to confuse and enlighten you along the way. What I didn't see coming was the climax based on a real life event that hit the headlines across the globe. Ms Syal’s whole story is admirably executed and packs a real punch. Prem and Sita’s parallel narrative about trying to reclaim the Mumbai home they have bought for their retirement from Prem’s brother’s squatting family is particularly powerful and the face-to-face confrontation had

me on the edge of my seat.

Admittedly some of the loose ends are conveniently tied up but isn't that what you always want from a good summer read?

Was Meera Syal impelled to write by the real life incident?

Difficult to know but I for one am very pleased she did. The House of Hidden Mothers gives much food for thought and I can imagine many reading groups debating this book well into the evening. Highly recommended.

Guy Pringle ★★★★ The House of Hidden Mothers by Meera Syal was published by Doubleday in June.

Guy’s full review can be found as a One to Watch Out For on nudge.

nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com

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The Turning Point

Coming Home

nb readers obviously enjoyed our Double Exposure in nb83 so please welcome back Freya North on her 14th novel.

T Over one short weekend, when Canadian musician Scott Emerson and British author Frankie Shaw meet by chance, a profound connection is made.

Their homes are thousands of miles apart and it’s a miracle they even meet. Yet, against all advice, they decide to see where this might go. Over oceans and time zones, they make sacrifices and take risks, discovering along the way the truth about love and family. For the first time in a long while, life seems good.

But fate has a tragic twist in store, one that could destroy all that was believed in and hoped for. Sometimes we must seize happiness where we find it – and trust that love will always find a way.

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he Turning Point, took me on quite some journey – emotional as much as physical - and the process to produce this book was as rewarding as it was taxing. Set in North Norfolk and British Columbia, I spent time in both places and the story has many themes that required significant research – as well as a twist that haunts me still.

I liked the notion of two single parents, happy enough muddling along in their lives, meeting by chance and experiencing a conviction so strong that they’ll allow nothing to stand in their way.

It was to be a story about contrast and harmony – how the former can often bring with it the latter. The vastness of British Columbia against the slightly isolated feel of inland North Norfolk; Scott’s quiet, ordered life versus Frankie’s chaotic daily tumble; the demands of one’s children competing against one’s personal desires and needs. The mess and simplicity that love can bring to the daily life of ordinary people.

Perhaps The Turning Point is the most autobiographical of all my novels. Like Frankie, I

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moved from town to country as a single mum of two. Frankie is an author (albeit writing children’s fiction) and I foisted upon her the writer’s block that so hammered me when I was working on my previous novel, The Way Back Home. I hope my readers will gain an insight and sympathetic understanding of what many authors go through to produce a novel – just because something is easy to read, why should it follow that it is easy to write? I hope too that you will love reading this novel as much as I loved writing it.

Annabel Kantaria wanted to explore why expats leave – and what it’s like to come back . . .

T The Turning Point by Freya North is published by HarperCollins as a £12.99 hbk and is available now.

he only thing people want to ask me at parties nowadays is “What’s your book about?” In reply, I always want to ask “How long have you got?”

I can answer in one word – “secrets” – or in one sentence: “Can you ever really know your parents?” Or I can spend hours talking about the more abstract concepts of grief, mental illness and betrayal, all of which play a part in Coming Home.

The book is also, to less of an

extent, about expat life. I’ve been an expat for 17 years and, as I sat down to write Coming Home, I had a phrase going around in my head that I found strangely compelling: “every expat is running away from something.”

Was it true?

I wanted my protagonist, Evie, to seem, like any of us, perfectly normal, but to have a past from which she was running away; some form of hurt that had never healed; something that she never spoke about in her shiny new life in Dubai. Her going home would reignite the issues surrounding this pain.

The other issue I wanted to touch on in Coming Home is the slow-burn concern most of us feel as we watch our parents become older, and how this is compounded when we live far away from them and don’t see them very often.

Deep down, we know that one day something will happen to one of them – a fall, a disease, a stroke, heart attack or even death. We know that, eventually, we’ll get “that” phone call in the middle of the night.

What will you do when you get that call? How will you cope?

I gave my protagonist Evie that worry, and followed up with that phone call: her father has died unexpectedly, and Evie has to drop the strings of her life in Dubai, go home and face her past.

And what a past it is. As Evie helps her mother go through her father’s things, we learn more about what it was that drove her away from home in the first place. And then Evie learns a secret about her father that changes everything she’d ever believed about her childhood. As layer upon layer of Evie’s life is stripped away, Coming Home gets increasingly dark – far darker than you might imagine when you see the smart girl on the cover.

But look again at that woman in the red dress standing at the window and ask yourself where she’s going. Is she about to “come home” to her mother – or is she about to run away from the deepest betrayal ever?

Coming Home by Annabel Kantaria is published by Mira as a £7.99 pbk and is available now.

nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com

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Higher Ed

A

uthor Tessa McWatt gives us the background to Higher Ed...

A book about love and economics. It examines five different kinds of love, from five different narrative voices, during an economic recession.

Revolving around the effects of austerity measures in contemporary London, the novel engages in different areas of the society affected by the economic crisis, in particular the public sector and Higher Education, in which workers face job losses and massive budget cuts. The five strands of the novel are interwoven to form an ensemble of characters who appear to have little in common, but who, beneath the surface, share a London that is sometimes brutal, sometimes tender, always intriguing.

Relationships are forged, broken, and people whose complicated inner lives seem unknowable to others search 66

for real connection.

Displacement, the search for belonging, and the importance of work are key themes, and the characters are outsiders all looking for a way in. The overarching story raises questions about the place of love and connection during times of economic uncertainty.

It is an ‘ensemble’ novel in the style of ‘ensemble’ films in the tradition of Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, which spawned inventions with form such as those by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel). I approached the development of this novel with this style of filmmaking/editing as the basis of the structure. The voice of each character became crucial, and I chose a close-up third person for each, because I wanted to create intimacy without the self-consciousness of the first person point of view.

I wanted readers to see their vulnerability, without the characters being aware of it themselves, and by interweaving these vulnerable characters I wanted to underline our shared humanity. I approached the writing by thinking like a filmmaker, in the way that scenes in a film are often shot

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Calling all Reading Groups!

out of sequence and then cut together to form a narrative arc during the editing process. I was hoping in this approach to represent individuals as part of a wider context, and to underscore that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Questions for discussion: 1.The ways in which people are connected beneath the surface form the central themes of the novel. What do you think about these connections? Are they ones we all share?

2. The novel looks at how some people come to terms with loss. What are the losses and gains that are revealed in the novel? What do they reveal about the characters?

3. The economic issues in the novel are not specific to times of austerity; they explore how people relate to work and their purpose in a community.

What are the main sociopolitical issues that the novel engages in through its characters? How are these issues played out in the narrative? Are there any conclusions?

Higher Ed by Tessa McWatt is published

by Scribe Publications as a £14.99 pbk and is available from 27th August.

Scribe have offered us a reading group set of Tessa McWatt’s new novel Higher Ed to give away – all you need to do is register your reading group on nudgebook.com and agree to summarise your feedback when your group has read it.

Publishers know reading groups are a brilliant way of spreading word of mouth about books.

And they want newbooks and nudge to carry out research with groups to help them introduce new titles to this otherwise difficult-to-reach constituency.

If your group is interested then so are we. There is no obligation – we will advise you in detail of what is being proposed and you can accept or decline as suits your group. It is worth adding, we are – and always have been – paranoid about protecting your personal identity.

To register – and so we have a flavour of your group’s interests – simply email mel.mitchell@newbooksmag.com about your group. There’s the obvious stuff like the following but feel free to add why your group is worth

turning up for – even when you haven’t finished the book.

(Never? You’ve never not finished the book? We want to know!)

Tell us a little about your reading group: * How long have you been going? *Where and how often do you meet? * How many members do you have? * How do you choose which books to read? * What books have you read over the past year? * Give us an example of a book that was a hit with everyone in the group? * And one which divided the group? * What kind of features might your group find useful on nudge – e.g. reading group guides? Author interviews? Book suggestions?

Include your full name, your group name (if you have one), location, photos if possible, and any relevant links and send with your answers to the above questions to mel.mitchell@newbooksmag.com

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Spotlight on Sarah Bruch introduces us to the Prince Philip Hospital Library Book Club, based in Llanelli, south Wales .

How long have you been meeting?

We're currently in our fourth year having started in January 2010.

Where & how often do you meet?

We meet in the Prince Philip Hospital Library on the last Thursday of every month at 6pm.

How many members do you have?

We have between 6-15 members, depending on how many people turn up; mostly it's about 7 people in the meeting. I also email out to all the members of the group and we have some people who only follow us using our blog.

How do you choose WHAT to read?

We've gone through a lot of different methods with this from having books given to us by a publisher to books picked by members only. We've found the best method is for members to suggest books which are then added to by a selection picked by myself, these are then sent out and everyone votes. The books with the highest votes are the ones we then read for the next 5-6 months. I tend to pick

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things from other book clubs, also books that seem interesting to read, but they must all be available cheaply and easily so nothing that is only in hardback.

What have you read recently?

You can see everything we've read on our blog, but the most recent reads have been: The Cuckoo's Calling Robert Galbraith Cleopatra - Stacy Schiff The Girl With All The Gifts M R Carey

A BOOK THAT wAS A HIT?

Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Book Store by Robin Sloan got 8 out of 10 with us. Everyone in the bookclub either finished the book or couldn't wait to finish it which is a bit of a success.

And one which divided the group?

The Hundred Year Old Man ... Jonas Jonasson

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

What Alice Forgot Liane Moriarty

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And longsuffering – but much appreciated - nb reviewer, Dorothy Flaxman unveils The Tree Book Group, based in Bude, Cornwall.

How long have you been meeting?

The group has been together since 2009. I moved to Bude and wanted to join a book group but, after asking at the library, couldn’t find one without a very long waiting list.

The librarian said ‘why don’t you start one yourself ’ and with that thought in mind I placed an advert in the local parish magazine. It turned out there were other like-minded people in the same position and the rest, as they say, is history.

Where and how often do you meet?

We meet monthly at our local pub called the Tree Inn, Stratton hence the name of the group.

The Shock Of The Fall Nathan Filer

Live To Tell - Lisa Gardner

Reading Groups

I think to be honest most books divide the group in some way but The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry gave us a lot to discuss.

Many thanks to Sarah Bruch – go to the

How many members do you have?

We have 16 members, all female, aged from 50 to 80.

How do you choose what to read?

The library has a list of books available for book groups and annually we all go through the list and pick out books we would like to read. The library uses our list to reserve whichever title is available. We know we will get a book from the list but until we collect them do not know which one.

Alongside this, every other month an individual makes a personal choice of a book, which we purchase.

What have you read recently?

Library Choice: Case Histories by Kate Atkinson Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

by John Le Carre

A BOOK THAT WAS A HIT? The Margaret Atwood books were a hit with the group as were the Kate Atkinson.

And one which divided the group?

Some of the classic books are not popular with everyone as most of the members will have already read them albeit some years ago. Rabbit, Run by John Updike was not a popular choice but I wouldn’t say it divided the group. We all seem to be pretty middle of the road and will ‘have a go’ at anything.

The Quiet American

by Graham Greene The Long Song by Andrea Levy Rabbit, Run

by John Updike Individual Choice: Silk by Alessandro Baricco

Reading Groups area on www.nudgebook.com for her response in full and you can visit the group’s blog here: http://princephiliphospitallibrarybookc.bl ogspot.co.uk/

The Handmaid’s Tale

by Margaret Atwood

Thanks to Dorothy Flaxman for telling us about her group and tea party! Go to the Reading Groups area on www.nudgebook.com to find out about other groups – and don’t forget to tell us about yours.

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Just £30.00 SEE PAGE 51 TO ORDER Whatever your perspective on sport, there’s no gainsaying its popularity in this country – as demonstrated by this year’s award winners.

More than £100 worth of materials delivered to your door for just £30.

Probably the most rewarding decision you’ll make this year – certainly the most fun!

GET YOUR READING GROUP OFF TO A FLYING START Our reading Group Starter Pack is a response to readers who’ve said ‘we’re interested but how do we get started?’ well, here’s all you’ll need – except for people.

Our pack offers an inexpensive introduction to eight different books* and eight copies of this magazine so everybody can see what’s on offer.

And for those of you who are already in a group here’s a new injection of enthusiasm.

*Titles may vary from those illustrated but the pack will contain at least 8 books and probably more.

They are called ‘fans’ for good reason. Sport is all consuming for some people which means there’s a high chance there will be books to help them satisfy their interest. Which then creates a need for a yardstick to help readers – or gift buyers? – to decide which is best in its category for the reader in mind.

Enter stage left, the British Sports Book Awards which, since 2003 has steered a course for the unwary towards those titles of serious intent (rather than just fleecing punters as fast as you can say, Premiership season ticket holder).

Yes, there is a high profile sponsor – Cross Pens, an interesting piece of lateral thinking for them – but the categories are a case of stating the bleedin’ obvious. Simply put ‘of the Year’ behind each of the following and you’ve got it.

Autobiography, Biography, Cricket, Football, Cycling, Rugby, Horse Racing, New Writer, not forgetting Illustrated. Thankfully, a little light relief is added by the inclusion of an award for Outstanding Sports Writing and a special

award for Outstanding Contribution to Sports Writing – there’s a subtle difference here.

You may not have heard of Bill Jones who wrote the former Alone, the biography of Olympic ice-skater, John Curry, but you will almost certainly have heard of Michael Parkinson who was awarded the latter.

Perhaps a reflection of changing social mores in what is traditionally a high testosterone arena, (only one female writer won an award) is that the troubled life stories of two gay sportsmen have been the most high-profile winners. Proud, the inspirational story of former Welsh rugby star, Gareth Thomas, has won Autobiography of the Year, and Alone, the award for Outstanding Sports Writing award.

Eight other category winners were announced at a prestigious ceremony held last month at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, hosted by Jonathan Agnew and Alison Mitchell, and attended by stars from the world of sport.

BIOGRAPHY

CRICKET

FOOTBALL

CYCLING

RUGBY

HORSE RACING

NEW WRITER

ILLUSTRATED

An online public vote to determine the overall CROSS British Sports Book of the Year was running through early June and the outright winner and all book details are on the official website www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk

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DOUBLE EXPOSURE

Daughter of the House - Rosie Thomas

Our Double Exposures allow you to sample a bestseller alongside the new book, in this case from

aftermath link the two of them in a series of encounters that span her coming of age and finally draw her into the strange, sub-theatrical world of Spiritualism.

The Great War is over at last, and like millions of other women Nancy is struggling to come to terms with the loss of a whole generation of young men, and the changed world that they have left behind. As the daughter of Devil Wix, a stage magician turned theatrical impresario, she has always been on the margins of polite society,

realises that money and class, class and money, are the two forces she is now and always obliged to acknowledge. For money, to save her family and the Palmyra theatre, she follows Mr Feather and becomes a stage medium. When she falls in love at last, class is the obstacle that she can’t overcome however hard she tries. Her fate is only decided when all the painful contradictions of her life are finally exposed – to her eyes alone.

In the successor to The Illusionists, telling the story of

Rosie Thomas A

s a little girl, Nancy Wix believes that everyone experiences two kinds of dreams – the waking as well as the sleeping ones. It’s not until the day of the pleasure-boat accident that she realises the waking dreams are hers alone, and that her strange gifts will forever set her apart. Against her will her Uncanny, as she calls it, is summoned up in a new and terrifying way by the mysterious and alarming Mr Feather. Afterwards she never wants to set eyes on him again, but the boating tragedy and its 72

but as the 1920s bring a tantalising glimmer of sexual and economic freedom for women she seizes her chance to make her way in the new order.

To join the Suffragist movement is only one of the choices she makes.

Nancy is as much her mother’ Eliza’s daughter as she is Devil’s.

Eliza is a brilliant but thwarted creature whose ambitions for her three children are all the more powerful because she has failed to achieve her own.

Caught between her parents’ passionate antagonism, Nancy

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the next generation, I couldn’t wait to write about the giant upheavals of the 1920s as reflected in the lights and mirrors of the Palmyra theatre.

The immediate post war years were pivotal for women, and I wanted to make Nancy a heroine for her time as well as a woman we would champion today. I hope readers will love her as much as I do.

Daughter of the House by Rosie Thomas is published by HarperCollins as a £12.99 pbk on 30th July.

U

p in the drawing room Nancy idly parted the curtains so she could look down into the pitch-black garden. She could see no further than the twigs poking up from the iron balustrade and these were overlaid by reflections of the room behind her. She caught an overpowering scent of summer roses and damp earth as one of the tall doors suddenly swung open and a child came in from the darkness.

It was a little girl. Water streamed from her hair.

Nancy stood transfixed. The apparition was so lonely and small. A long time seemed to pass.

‘What do you want?’ she asked at last.

The child didn’t speak. Instead she reached out her small hand. It seemed she was trying to lead Nancy outside. Although she was not afraid of her, Nancy could not help but recoil.

‘I can’t come with you.’

Nancy could see the pallor of the child’s scalp where the locks of wet hair parted.

She shivered. The desolation emanating from the little thing chilled the room.

‘Tell me what you want,’ Nancy begged.

She shook her head and her small hand drew back. A sharp gust of wind stirred the heavy curtains as the girl stepped out into the night.

As soon as she was gone frustration swept over Nancy. It was deeply distressing to have seen the apparition and yet been unable to help her.

She sat down in her father’s armchair, closing her eyes to allow herself to recover.

The scent of flowers faded.

Her private theory was that perhaps past and present and future time did not run in a straight line. She imagined that they streamed in curls and loops, doubling back and crossing over each other, and that there were tiny flaws in the gossamer membrane that held them apart.

Through these cracks, was it not possible that glimpses of different times, shadows of people who were gone or had not yet arrived, might seep into the here and now? And equally, might not the curls and loops shift as time spooled by, causing the cracks to close again?

Some people might be more than usually sensitive to such leakages, she reasoned.

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The Illusionists - Rosie Thomas

“I would like to live in one of these houses some day,’ he said. There was no reason not to be ambitious.

‘They’re very large.’

‘A suitable size for a family.’

She turned her head and their eyes met. ‘Is that really what you want, Jasper?

Her directness unnerved him a little but he answered with complete conviction, ‘Yes. Of course it is. A wife, a family, a comfortable home and security for all of us. What man wouldn’t wish for the same?’

‘Quite a number, I believe,’ she said in her composed manner.

Jasper persisted, ‘And what do you want, Eliza?’

They walked under a street lamp and as the light swept over her face he noticed the sudden bright eagerness of her expression. She looked almost avid, he thought.

‘Ah. I want to know the world, and myself.’

Jasper smiled. He sometimes forgot it, but she was very young. Barely twenty years old.

He felt the opposite weight of his own cynical maturity, forged by the years in Stanmore as much as by those that had followed. Eliza was quick to follow his thoughts.

‘You think that sounds jejune? Believe me, I have considered my future with proper seriousness, even though you think I am hardly old enough to have learned my alphabet.’

‘Not in the least. I think you are amazingly aware.’

Eliza almost tossed her head. ‘For one so young and so female, do you mean to say?’

‘Of course not.’

‘I do not want to be like my poor mother. Nor do I even want to be like my sister Faith.’

‘Why don’t you want to be like your sister? Matty is a good man, they have healthy children, Faith appears – to me, at least – to be very contented.’

‘I hope so. But why do you assume that what makes my sister content would have the same result for me?’

He longed to tell her, Because I want to make you happy. Our happiness together will be my life’s ambition.

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A

merican author Ira Levin (1929-2007) is possibly better known for the films based on his books than the books themselves.

Rosemary’s Baby, The Boys from Brazil and The Stepford Wives were all successful movies. But there’s one book that has surprisingly never made its way to the screen. I’d never heard of it before so my thanks go to Richard Vernon for bringing This Perfect Day to my attention. This is what Richard said….

“In my view his best book and a view of a horrendous world: no more war, famine, money, but everyone is controlled and brainwashed and drugged up, but the peasants revolt!

An excellent book, but can’t understand why it’s never been filmed unlike all his other novels (apart from Son of Rosemary).”

Now I’ve not read any of the others so I can’t judge whether it really is his best book but I certainly enjoyed this chilling dystopian novel which examines what it means to be an individual in a conformist society. It takes place about 150 years in the future in a world where there are no longer any borders, any war, any conflict.

All now belong to one big happy family and everyone is the same. Since the Unification a global government has been established and the world is now run by a super-computer

called UniComp which is programmed to keep every single inhabitant content, cooperative and passive.

Everyone receives monthly chemical “treatments” which dulls their desires and keeps them under control. Every aspect of their lives is regulated

by UniComp, and everyone is assigned an adviser who ensures that no one deviates from the party line. Except that sometimes individuals do show signs of individuality, and Chip, our protagonist, is one such rebel. Chip questions, Chip makes discoveries, begins to think for himself.

Inevitably it has been compared to 1984 and Brave New World, against which it can hold its own. Perhaps not so literary, or as deeply political but for pure storytelling and thrills it’s certainly their equal.

Yes, the characterisation is a little weak at times and there’s some misogyny which sits uncomfortably for a modern day reader, but as a perceptive exploration of totalitarianism and the nature of compliance/conformity, personal freedom and state control, this is both a pagetuner and an intelligent look at all the issues raised.

has Mandy read…

Mandy rises to the challenge again.

This Perfect Day by Ira Levin is published by Corsair as a £8.99 pbk.

Want to issue a challenge to Mandy? Send your suggestions to info@newbooksmag.com

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start here www.nudge-book.com Like a kid in a sweet shop, your publisher is reveling in the opportunities to let content be king on nudge-book.com

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ewbooks had its own website for several years but it was never as sophisticated as nudge.

But then, neither was it as tricky to find your way around.

Knowing how much time, money and effort I’d invested in newbooksmag.com I knew a site as forward thinking as nudge would be both a challenge and a delight.

Changing the mechanics of a website is akin to that old ‘ocean liner in midstream’ and we’re making changes below decks as fast as we can. But with a steady current of content, I decided to establish some bulkheads where new visitors like you could come on board.

And the point of embarcation?

Go to the magnifying glass top right of the home screen.

(You’ll be pleased to know I’ve run out of shipping metaphors now.)

So here’s a quick guide of what’s ‘up’ there that we couldn’t get in the magazine.

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There are zillions of reviews on nudge – just type in a distinctive word from the book title OR the author’s first OR surname and press return. As well as what we have that matches your criteria, I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised at all the other interesting stuff to browse that appears.

Within our reviews we’re introducing sub-categories to help you explore particular interests: WHAT WE ARE READING This is the production team – our tastes are, ‘ow you say, eclectic?

SECOND OPINION Inevitably we receive more than one review of some books, so by flagging them as Second Opinions you have two – or more – other readers’ views to help you decide if this is a book for you – or not!

The Mountain Can Wait – Linda Hepworth Readers of Broken Wheel – Anna Rex in Sweden I’ll Give You the Sun – Vee Freir Viper Wine – Susannah Perkins Flight - Yasmin Keyani

POETRY Currently, Jade Craddock is ONE TO WATCH OUT FOR queen of the rhyming couplet The same as above but different but consider this your – these are the books about invitation. which we’re especially excited.

THE VERDICT IS IN 8 complete reviews of Patrick Gale’s A Place Called Winter released a week at a time.

Fortunately they liked it! Ditto with 4 complete reviews of Flight by Isabel Ashdown.

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Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald What She Left by TR WHAT WE ARE THINKING Richmond Roseann Campbell’s piece on The Art of Waiting by Chris Jory Sustainability in Literature is When We Were Friends by Tina fascinating – but too long for Seskis this issue’s already packed pages. The Girl in the Red Coat by This is where we want you the Kate Hamer readers to share something The Shut Eye by Belinda Bauer bookish you want to say. The The Insect Farm by Stuart price of books? The future of Prebble your local bookshop? Is Amazon a good or bad thing?

(See Bert’s piece on page 98.)

Books that made you cry? We’re having a discussion between the OUR INTREPID REPORTERS We asked our reviewers to write team about the books that up the festivals and book events tipped us over the edge – they go to around the country Danielle leads at the moment and we’re off to a flying start – with One Day by David see pages 24-27 for more.

Nicholls – see What We Are Reading (on page 6 or online!) Going to an event yourself ? Do email me your impressions.

So whatever the topic, do send Boswell Book Festival – Sheila A Grant us what’s getting under your skin and let’s see if others share Caro Ramsay – Sheila A Grant Deal Noir Event – Darren Laws your views?

Q&A Quirky or otherwise, when we pitch our questions we often receive back far more than expected . . .

Derby Book Festival Launch – Mary Mayfield Hexham Festival – Linda Hepworth Leslie Glaister – Sheila A Grant Lindsey Davis - Mary Mayfield Tess Gerritsen event – Tracey Walsh Words on the Water Festival – Linda Hepworth

AUTHOR meets REVIEWER Coincidentally, two authors contacted us to thank our reviewers for what they’d written about their books.

If . . . we ‘introduced’ them which led to two enlightening conversations. More than a Q&A, these are real time dialogues with their own dynamics. We think it’s a particularly good way to bring debut authors to wider attention. So if there’s a new kid on the block whose book you really enjoyed then send us your review and let’s see where it goes from there?

Stewart Foster meets Jade Craddock David Owen meets Jade Craddock Jamie Mollart meets Rebecca Kershaw

Rebecca Kershaw

So there you have it: a fantastic resource to dip into – which will only get better. I know you won’t spend hours on there but I also know that many of you now have tablets and smartphones. Why not take a look?

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ded en ONE TO WATCH OUT FOR said Guy Pringle on nudge.

Author Nikki Owen explains how her debut came together.

I

deas have to start somewhere, right? Well, interesting fact: the main character of Spider actually began as a man. However, eight chapters in and all writing stalled; something wasn’t working. So, instead of solving the issue, I did what any selfrespecting writer would, you know, do: I went to the cinema to see the James Bond film, Skyfall.

Now, there’s a character in Skyfall, a female spy, who, at the beginning, is strong, decisive, but, by the final scene of the movie, is, instead, portrayed as weak, having been relegated to a

they think, tell it how it is, while neurotypical people (i.e. you and me - society) tell white lies and often hide their true thoughts. I wanted to write a book that explored the themes of injustice and corruption and global deceit (like the real-life NSA scandal) – so what better way to do that than pit the sinister implications of state surveillance against a highly intelligent, different woman whose brain is not wired to lie and manipulate.

What creating Spider and Maria also enabled me to do was challenge what we view as the norm. See, I passionately believe

The Spider in the Corner of the Room

The Spider in the Corner of the Room by Nikki Owen is published

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PA because she couldn’t, ‘cut it in the field.’ Say what? I was watching the film with my daughter and it made me so cross; here was a woman – and to a greater extent, women in general - being, basically, depicted as feeble. So, film over, I charged home, immediately changed my protagonist’s voice to a strong, complex woman and Dr Maria Martinez was born.

Creating Maria was the catalyst that sparked what is now The Spider in the Corner of the Room and the Project trilogy. Why? Well, Maria has Asperger’s, and the thing about people with Asperger’s is that they say what

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that we should all treat each other with fairness and equality – and yet we don’t. There is so much misunderstanding out there, society labelling almost everything – everyone – as different. Dress up as a goth?

You’re different. A boy who wears dresses? Different. Got sticky-out teeth? Different. Yet, if you think about it, in reality, we are all different to each other – of course we are, it’s just logic; we’re not clones.

So, that’s why I wrote Spider.

Like I said, ideas have to start somewhere, and where better to start than with real life, right?

Because, as the Spider strap line goes, they’re watching you…

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Now, I would like to start the interview, formally,’ he says, reaching for his Dictaphone. No time for me to object. ‘I need you to begin with telling me, out loud, please— in English—your full name, profession, age and place of birth. I also require you to state your original conviction.’

The red record light flashes. The colour causes me to blink, makes me want to squeeze my eyes shut and never open them again. I glance around the room, try to steady my brain with details. There are four Edwardian brick walls, two sash windows, one French-style, one door. I pause. One exit. Only one. The window does not count— we are three floors up. Central London. If I jump, at the speed and trajectory, the probability is that I will break one leg, both shoulder blades and an ankle. I look back to the man. I am tall, athletic. I can run. But, whoever he is, whoever this man claims to be, he may have answers.

And I need answers. Because so much has happened to me. And it all needs to end.

I catch sight of my reflection in the window: short dark hair, long neck, brown eyes. A different person looks back at me, suddenly older, more lined, battered by her past. The curtain floats over the glass and the image, like a mirage in a desert, vanishes. I close my eyes for a moment, then open them, a random shaft of sunlight from the window making me feel strangely lucid, ready. It is time to talk.

‘My name is Dr Maria Martinez Villanueva and I am—was—a Consultant Plastic Surgeon. I am thirty-three years old. Place of birth: Salamanca, Spain.’ I pause, gulp a little. ‘And I was convicted of the murder of a Catholic priest.’

A woman next to me tugs at my sleeve.

‘Oi,’ she says. ‘Did you hear me?’

I cannot reply. My head is whirling with shouts and smells and bright blue lights and rails upon rails of iron bars, and no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I tell myself to breathe, to count, focus, I cannot calm down, cannot shake off the seeping nightmare of confusion.

I arrived in a police van. Ten seats, two guards, three passengers. The entire journey I did not move, speak or barely breathe. Now I am here, I tell myself to calm down. My eyes scan the area, land on the tiles, each of them black like the doors, the walls a dirt grey. When I sniff, the air smells of urine and toilet cleaner. A guard stands one metre away from me and behind her lies the main quarter of Goldmouth Prison.

My new home.

The Spider in the Corner of the Room - Nikki Owen

There is a renewed tugging at my sleeve. I look down. The woman now has hold of me, her fingers still pinching my jacket like a crab’s claw. Her nails are bitten, her skin is cracked like tree bark, and dirt lines track her thin veins.

‘Oi. You. I said, what’s your name?’ She eyes me. ‘You foreign or something?’

‘I am Spanish. My name is Dr Maria Martinez.’ She still pinches me.

I don’t know what to do. Is she supposed to have hold of my jacket? In desperation, I search for the guard.

The woman lets out a laugh. ‘A doctor? Ha!’ She releases my sleeve and blows me a kiss. I wince; her breath smells of excrement. I pull back my arm and brush out the creases, brush her off me. Away from me.

And just when I think she may have given up, she speaks again.

‘What the hell has a doctor done to get herself in this place then?’

I open my mouth to ask who she is—that is what I have heard people do—but a guard says move, so we do. There are so many questions in my head, but the new noises, shapes, colours, people—they are too much. For me, they are all too much.

‘My name’s Michaela,’ the woman says as we walk. She tries to look me in the eye. I turn away. ‘Michaela Croft,’ she continues, ‘Mickie to my mates.’ She hitches up her t-shirt.

‘The name Michaela is Hebrew, meaning who is like the Lord.

Michael is an archangel of Jewish and Christian scripture,’ I say, unable to stop myself, the words shooting out of me.

I expect her to laugh at me, as people do, but when she does not, I steal a glance. She is smiling at her stomach where a tattoo of a snake circles her belly button. She catches me staring, drops her shirt and opens her mouth. Her tongue hangs out, revealing three silver studs.

She pokes her tongue out some more. I look away.

After walking to the next area, we are instructed to halt. There are still no windows, no visible way out. No escape. The strip lights on the ceiling illuminate the corridor and I count the number of lights, losing myself in the pointless calculations.

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‘I think you need to move on.’

I jump. There is a middle-aged man standing two metres away. His head is tilted, his lips parted. Who is he? He holds my gaze for a moment then, raking a hand through his hair, strides away. I am about to turn, embarrassed to look at him, when he halts and stares at me again. Yet, this time I do not move, frozen, under a spell. His eyes. They are so golden, so deep that I cannot look away.

‘Martinez?’ the guard says. ‘We’re off again. Shift it.’

I crane my head to see if the man is still there, but he is suddenly gone. As though he never existed.

The internal prison building is loud. I fold my arms tight across my chest and keep my head lowered, hoping it will block out my bewilderment. We follow the guard and keep quiet. I try to remain calm, try to speak to myself, reason with myself that I can handle this, that I can cope with this new environment just as much as anyone else, but it is all so unfamiliar, the prison. The constant stench of body odour, the shouting, the sporadic screams. I have to take time to process it, to compute it. None of this is routine.

Michaela taps me on the shoulder. Instinctively, I flinch.

‘You’ve seen him then?’ she says.

‘Who?’ ‘The Governor of Goldmouth. That fella just now with the nice eyes and the pricey tan.’ She grins. ‘Be careful, yeah?’ She places her palm on my right bottom cheek. ‘I’ve done time here before, gorgeous. Our Governor, well, he has…a reputation.’

She is still touching me, and I want her to get off me, to leave me alone. I am about slap her arm away when the guard shouts for her to release me.

Michaela licks her teeth then removes her hand. My body slackens.

Without speaking, Michaela sniffs, wipes her nose with her palm and walks off.

Lowering my head once more, I make sure I stay well behind her.

See Guy’s review in the Directory and, in full, on nudge.

We have copies to give away FREE. See page 50 to claim yours.

reviews

A SONG FOR ELLA GREY David Almond Hodder Children’s Books

directory The reviewers have their say

David Almond is already an author with a Carnegie medal and Hans Christian Andersen award to his name and this pedigree is clear to see in his latest offering, A Song for Ella Grey. This is not a dumbed-down, adolescent, High School Musical read but a mature, intricate, intelligent novel.

Lyrical and abstruse, it is a novel that challenges its readers, that shows that reading can be a cerebral, interactive experience and that teens are well up to the job. It is a book that shows young adults just what literature is and what it is capable of doing and of sparking an interest in different forms of writing and fiction. Although YA literature is incredibly varied and nuanced in terms of subject matter and genre, it inevitably occupies more the commercial and popular styles and forms of fiction, but it is crucial that young adults should be exposed to as many different literatures as possible, including the complex, lofty and somewhat daunting prospect of literary fiction . What's also great about this novel is that Almond makes it work for different audiences, on different levels, simply

through the power and magnetism of his prose.

Ingrained in the novel is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice but even without awareness of this narrative, the book is an intriguing, mesmerising, hypnotic read.

Enchanting like Orpheus’ song, this book has the power to hypnotise its audience. A mercurial writer, David Almond is not afraid to push the literary expectations and tastes of young adults which can only be a good thing.

Jade Craddock, Redditch Personal read ....................★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

COUNTRY OF THE BAD WOLFES James Carlos Blake

1828, continue a reign of malevolence, building on their reputations.

James Carlos Blake has something of the writing style of Elmore Leonard.

The family relationships are all well drawn, and feel organic, with names chosen to suit the times. Although this is a work of fiction, a lot of research has clearly also gone in to make it feel realistic, for this book is the first of a Wolfe Trilogy.

Mysterious figures occur throughout the book, intertwining the lives of the Wolfes with an American named Edward Little, whose links to Porfirio Diaz place the Wolfes in the right place, socially and geographically to grow and become an affeared family of crime within the Wild West.

This book has something to appeal to fans of historical fiction, but they will need strong stomachs to cope with some of the more gruesome aspects of the novel. However, it is an interesting read, and gives a new way of looking at history.

Ben Macnair

No Exit Press Personal read ................★★★★

Country of the Bad Wolfes is one of those fictional works that seamlessly blends history with crime in a story that could come straight out of the history books. An alternative history book, one that looks at the hardships of life that many faced in the old west of America and on the Mexican borders between the late 1820’s and the 1910’s. It is not a light read, either in terms of subject matter, or length, but it is worth sticking with.

We see the Wolfe family, started by an Irish English pirate in New Hampshire in

THE INVISIBLE MAN FROM SALEM Christoffer Carlsson Scribe

This is the first in a series staring Leo Junker, a suspended police officer who is addicted to prescription drugs. The action takes place in the Swedish city of Stockholm when a young woman is murdered in the same apartment building where Leo lives. Woken by the flashing blue lights and sirens of the police vehicles, Leo surreptitiously gains entry to the crime scene. In her hand the murdered woman holds a necklace, a necklace that he recognises and one which places him under suspicion! How is this young woman's murder linked to Leo's teenage years, and to the death of Julia, his first love?

Growing up in the town of Salem, a town which had a profound effect on him, making him into the policeman he is today. This is a psychological thriller in which the life, loves and friendships of Leo Junker are all embroiled, this murder enquiry is deeply personal.

A gripping read, from an experienced psychologist.

Jayne Townsend - Lewes Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

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reviews

SALVAGE Keren David Atom

The structure and relationships within families are a staple of YA fiction and Keren David offers an intriguing new portrait in Salvage, by looking at two teen siblings separated in their childhood who’ve experienced two very different lives: one privileged, secure, happy; the other disadvantaged, unsettled, hard. Salvage considers whether it’s possible for these siblings to reconnect and forge a bond in light of their years apart and their contradictory upbringings but also the effect of these upbringings on them in later life.

Although both central characters are engaging, for me Aidan’s story really defined this book and brought out the moral, emotional and psychological impetus of the novel. Cass’s story is more your typical YA fare, although David includes some interesting tweaks, but the novel really works because of the dialogue between these two characters and their opposing narratives. Whilst I enjoyed the fact that there are obstacles and stumbling blocks to their reunion, I felt the climax was all a bit overly dramatic and the

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reviews ending too abrupt and undetermined. Interactions between Cass and Aidan are also thin on the ground given that this is essentially the crux of the novel and I did feel that it was a shame that we don’t get to see more of the siblings’ developing relationship. There’s a lot of heart in this novel and it was also pleasing that the book touches on more difficult, taboo subjects, including the care system, child psychology and behaviour, although largely these form more of a backdrop to events. Similarly, I enjoyed the nuances and antitheses in Aidan’s characterisation; David offers a very clear sense of the competing influences and attitudes he is trying to negotiate and it’s a very touching portrait of a young man who has not had the best of starts struggling to move forward. Hints at problems with alcohol didn’t feel as well-explored and therefore convincing and Aidan’s behaviour at the novel’s close was also something of an idiosyncracy; there seemed to be much more to Aidan that could have been explored but within the dual narrative David managed to create an utterly compelling character. Thoughtprovoking and stimulating, the novel opens up plenty of room for discussion and as such is likely to work as well as a group read as a personal one.

Jade Craddock Personal read ....................★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

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THE SECRET DOG Joe Friedman

HALF BAD Sally Green

Birlinn

Penguin

How I wish I was an 8 year old child again discovering The Secret Dog. This is such a delightful book for young children.

Josh (now 11) has been living with his middle-aged uncle Calum on a remote island - maybe the Isle of Skye - since his mother was killed when Josh was only 6.

Calum is a quiet down to earth, hard-working crofter living a hard life on very little, and thinks that pets are only for the rich - all animals should work for their keep!

One day, Josh rescues a little pup which had been dumped in a river to drown.

Will Calum let him keep her? Read on .....

This book has everything bereavement, loneliness, memories, bullying and friendship in school, love of animals, failure and success in school - the lot! A beautifully written pageturner.

I would certainly recommend this book for children 8-12 years old, but don't think it would be suitable for an adult book group.

The first title in a debut trilogy, this is a pacy, exciting introduction to what looks set to be a thrilling series.

Green's subject – fantasy, witches and magic – is one that has become not only something of a commonplace in YA, but since that franchise-thatshall-not-be-named also something of a risk for authors who face inevitable comparisons to the genre’s defining oeuvre. Green’s edgy, relatable take however is surprisingly refreshing and innovative. This is clearly a different vision and compelling it is too, with its teen protagonist Nathan at the centre of the novel’s grand conflict between the Black and White Witches.

The book has all the required elements of YA fantasy: intriguing characters with powers and potentials; a mythological past in which lies all kinds of ghastly goings-on; a forbidden-love story; split loyalties, divided communities and gobetweens; and of course the age-old battle between good and evil. As such, the book very much ticks lots of boxes and Green’s writing style and immediacy is a big draw. But whilst the story is enjoyable and engaging, there’s no

Deirdre Spendlove, Dublin Personal read ............★★★★★ School Group read .★★★★★

significant depth beyond it.

It is simply just a good, oldfashioned yarn, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. I certainly envisage the series having huge appeal amongst teens, young adults and younger children, although I doubt it has the widespread crossover attraction for adults.

Structure-wise, the novel drifts somewhat in the middle, but Green effortlessly manages to draw you into the wider story from the get-go with the compelling question of what will happen to Nathan, and by the close of the final page, readers are likely to be caught up in the protagonist’s plight. There is still a lot to learn about the characters and the society Green has created and plenty of scope for this series to develop, and having been drawn in by this persuasive first novel, I will be interested to see where Green goes in the next two instalments.

Jade Craddock Personal read ................★★★★ Group read.............................★★

(THIS BOOK WILL) MAKE YOU FEEL BEAUTIFUL Dr Jessamy Hibberd & Jo Usmar Quercus

This is the first book of this type I have read and I have to say I was surprised to read that I am ‘normal’. Lots of people, like myself, have body issues and obsess about them constantly. This book gives lots of tips on how to combat these self-hating thoughts and explains how to think positively. It was refreshing to read that both men and women have low opinions of themselves and avoid situations because of this. Of course, everyone thinks it is only them who have these thoughts and every other person is selfconfident and happy with the way they look.

This is a book to be referred to again and again as and when the need arises. Just reading it evokes positivity which makes you feel good.

Not sure if reading the book as part of a book group would be advisable. To admit one’s thoughts in private are one thing but to air one’s weaknesses and body image issues in public is quite another. After saying that, I can see the book would create some lively debate.

Dorothy Flaxman, Bude, Cornwall Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read.............................★★

FINDING A VOICE Kim Hood O’Brien Press

What begins as something of a conventional YA narrative about not fitting in at school, soon develops into a unique, unforgettable, empowering story about friendship, understanding and communication against the odds. Thirteen-year-old Jo is having a hard time of it at school and at home.

When she offers to help out with a disabled boy, Chris, little does she know just how drastically it will change both of their lives. Kim Hood's novel tackles all the staples of teen life and then some in a really affecting yet never sentimentalised exploration of disability. It’s great that these issues and characters are given centre stage in a narrative that is challenging and provocative, yet affirmative and inspiring.

It’s not perfect – it would have been nice to see more of Jo's problems at school; it gets something of the Disney treatment in its outlook; and it was a shame we only got to hear a little from Chris – but this is truly a book that everyone should read. It is a reminder that everyone has a voice, we just need to have the time, respect and empathy to listen.

Jade Craddock Personal read ................★★★★ Group read.........................★★★

NOT FORGETTING THE WHALE John Ironmonger W&N

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read and was impossible to put down.

John Ironmonger is a new name to me but one I shall be looking out for him again.

Joe flees from his stressful, high powered job as an analyst in a City trading bank, as the computer programme he has developed is predicting not only to bring the bank down but a worldwide collapse of civilisation. He drives until he can’t drive any further and finds himself in a sleepy village called St Piran at the end of a winding lane in deepest Cornwall. When disaster strikes in the form of an oil crisis combined with a flu pandemic, the village barricades itself against outsiders and the community work together as a team to survive.

Besides Joe, the book is peopled with a colourful cast of villagers and a fin whale, who plays an important role in the story. arly in the book there is a quote “Any society is only three square meals from anarchy”. In the case of this small village, however, this is proved false and towards the end of the story we discover that in the country as a

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reviews

reviews

that in the country as a whole, communities have worked together to survive.

There may be a small minority of selfish people who only think about themselves but the author clearly believes that human nature causes the vast majority of us to work together to overcome crisis.

Even though there is a grim scenario of disaster running through the story, I found this novel gloriously uplifting, heartwarming, entertaining, philosophical and thought provoking and it would provide lots of discussion for reading groups on topics such as short selling, disaster planning, pandemics, human behaviour and society’s dependence on oil.

Highly recommended.

feel you are there.

The story relies rather heavily on coincidence but this didn't spoil it for me as there is a good storyline so you want to know what happens next and there are two strong female characters that you soon care about.

Nell, who is having problems in her marriage after the death of her mother attends a cookery course in Marrakech. There she meets Amy who is unhappy about her personal relationship with her boss and is also trying to find out about a family member last heard of there many years ago.

Together with the involving plot where Nell and Amy both discover more about their families' past, this makes for an excellent holiday read.

Sue Smith, Worcester

Berwyn Peet, Carmarthenshire

Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

Personal read ................★★★★ Group read.........................★★★

At Turin airport he watches the world news and is drawn in by a story of an oil spillage and also one of a parachutist killed by a fall from faulty equipment. He likens this story to the tower plungers of Vanuatu, and starts an unofficial dossier.

Meanwhile he has been asked to write the Great Report which will explain the entire modern age.

Apart from U (you?) the only other characters are Madison who is his girlfriend, Peyman, boss of the company Petr, a terminally ill friend and Daniel, a co-worker.

Satin Island comes to him in a dream, but is it Staten Island? Satin, Texas? Josh Satin, a baseball player?

I found the set-up intriguing, but as the book progressed it became so fanciful and random that I lost interest.

Tom McCarthy writes well and has some really good ideas on modern life and how it is lived. It is a very visual book, but this side of it was not developed. The style and layout of the book was like a company report and that is how it felt at times.

Dorothy Anderson Personal read........................★★ Group read.............................★★

THE SAFFRON TRAIL Rosanna Ley

SATIN ISLAND Tom McCarthy Jonathan Cape

Quercus

This is another great summer read from this author. I loved Return to Mandalay and here again Rosanna Ley takes an exotic location - Morocco this time - and evokes the colours, sights, sounds, smells and especially tastes so convincingly that you almost

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‘U’, the main character in the book, is an anthropologist now working as a company ethnographer.

The company he works for advises others how to contextualise their services and products with a view to re-branding them and his job is to gather meaning from situations in modern life.

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MRS ENGELS Gavin McCrea Scribe

In mid-Victorian England, millworker Lizzie Burns is on a train heading for London with her lover, Friedrich Engels, paradoxically a socialist thinker and writer and a wealthy mill-owner. Engels and the new home that awaits represent stability and an escape from the slums.

Engels’ previous lover, Lizzie’s older sister Mary, has died and Lizzie has stepped into her shoes and his bed.

Mary is often credited with having guided the young Engels through the worst districts of Salford and Manchester, helping to lay the foundation for his bestknown work, The Condition of the Working Class in England.

Does Lizzie love Engels?

We’re never quite sure.

The whole story is told from Lizzie’s perspective and what a tour de force it is! In their new London home, with the (Karl) Marx family as their friends and neighbours, Lizzie keeps up an astute running commentary on their shared lives.

Like the little boy who spots the flaw in the Emperor’s new clothes, she provides a bubble-bursting, prole’s-eye view of the movers and shakers of socialist theory, and their endless debate and

discussion (“As for Karl, he was unable to mastermind the evacuation of his own bowels.”).

Very little biographical context is provided and a dramatis personae would have been helpful, especially given the number of nicknames (Nim, Tussy, Pumps…)

That tiny reservation aside, ‘Mrs Engels’ is a romp of a read, a wonderful, earthily funny take on the birth of Marxism, from the perspective of the looker-on who saw much of the game.

It is nothing short of a phenomenon that a youngish male author has managed to inhabit the heart and soul of a middle-aged Victorian Irishwoman, bringing her and her milieu vibrantly alive – and in his debut novel, too.

Margaret Cain Personal read ................★★★★ Group read..............................★★★★

to be at first. In addition to the crimes, Daley’s personal circumstances are brought into the story which makes his character seem more realistic and believable, although that felt somehow contrived to add a bit of personal background, to set up further books. The book is described on the cover as “the first novel in the D.C.I. Daley thriller series” and there are three more books available, so presumably his character develops in those.

Unfortunately the other characters are not so well developed, presumably as most of them will not be in later books, which left something missing for me.

This is not a genre I choose regularly, but I did enjoy it and I think reading groups who like thrillers will find lots to discuss, not only the crimes themselves, but the ins and outs of small communities, society’s current alcohol and drug addiction issues and something else that I can’t mention as it would give away the twist.

Ann Birks Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

WHISKEY FROM SMALL GLASSES: A DCI DALEY THRILLER Denzil Meyrick Polygon

A body is discovered floating in a loch in a small Scottish town, and D.C.I. Daley is sent to solve the mystery.

More bodies are found and solving the crimes is not as straightforward as it seems

THE ZOO Jamie Mollart Sandstone Press

I should first of all say that there is no way I would have read this book if it hadn’t been sent to me as a review copy. The cover alone would have been enough to put me off and the blurb made me sure this wasn’t a book I would enjoy. So I began reading with very low expectations. Happily for me I was proved entirely wrong – though I’m not sure ‘enjoy’ is the right word for experiencing such a dark book.

James is a high flying advertising executive whose life has unravelled. Alcohol, cocaine and the demands of his job have blurred his perceptions of what matters in life and when we meet him he is dealing with the consequences of his choices.

This is a story of the disintegration of one man and the ensuing mental darkness, which he calls The Zoo, from which he is struggling to escape. But it is also the portrait of a marriage in crisis, an exploration of office politics and a questioning of the moral role of advertising.

Which is a lot of material for one book. On the whole I think the writer pulled it off, largely, I think, due to his characters, who were totally convincing.

There is a lot of drinking, drug taking and swearing but I found them all to be in context. Some of the scenes set in James’ dark mental work of The Zoo were a little confusing and there were perhaps too many of them. The ending may have been a little too neat. But this was a book I read quickly and avidly, which made me think and which I will recommend. It’s not a light read but I think it is a worthwhile one and one ideally suited to examination by reading groups.

Rebecca Kershaw Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★ Rebecca’s e-conversation with Jamie Mollart can be found on nudge under AUTHOR meets REVIEWER

ONLY EVER YOURS Louise O’Neill Quercus BookGeek

Louise O’Neill’s stark, unsettling debut novel Only Ever Yours is the deserved winner of the inaugural YA book prize. In a line-up of nine other impressive and provocative titles, O’Neill’s book doesn’t just stand out but leaps out for its brave, edgy storytelling, O’Neill has created a startling dystopian novel; a book that all teens should read. At its heart is a disturbing but worryingly believable vision

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reviews worryingly believable vision of a world in which women are created – literally – for men. From the age of four, girls are raised in the sinisterly sequestered School to be beautiful, obedient and restrained, all in preparation for their sixteenth year, when they will meet the Inheritants – the boys for whom they have been created – and will be divided into their thirds as companions, concubines or chastities. I must admit not being a fan of dystopia I didn’t find the premise particularly appealing but as soon as I started reading O’Neill’s world provides a stark and ominous critique of, and warning against, society’s obsession with female beauty, enhancement and behaviour and is something of a disquieting reminder that the way society treats women hangs on a knife-edge.

This is definitely a book that I can see being used in school syllabuses and is the perfect choice for exploring gender roles, expectations and equalities. But more than that it is simply an incredibly well-written, engaging and creative novel and one that carries the dystopian vision through to its conclusion. Only Ever Yours could very well be a classic of our generation.

Jade Craddock, Redditch Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

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reviews

THE SPIDER IN THE CORNER OF THE ROOM Nikki Owen Mira

Take a big dollop of conspiracy theory and dump it in the lap of a professional woman who is not only on the autistic spectrum, but also has Asperger’s syndrome. Dr Maria Martínez is a consultant plastic surgeon in her early 30s. Chapter 1 sets the pattern – two first person narratives gradually revealing Maria’s predicament albeit at slightly different times. First, slightly in the future, is Kurt with what is set out as therapy in a room with – you guessed it – a spider in the corner. Therapy will turn into interrogation before long but our second narrative is back in the present where Maria has been incarcerated for the murder of a priest, an action she doesn’t know if she really did or not.

Nikki Owen can write in a very high octane fashion that made me feel like I should be hyperventilating at times. Poor Maria is really put through the wringer and I’m not sure she could physically sustain all the action she goes through, nor the amount of vomiting and violence she suffers without going catatonic. However, a

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generous helping of hysteria never stopped The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo catching the public imagination. And since this book is also the start of a trilogy I wouldn’t be surprised to see it being pitched to you all in the same way, perhaps I’m already starting to do that on Mira’s behalf ? (Thinks, have I been brainwashed?)

Seriously, even though this isn’t usually my kind of reading I was gripped until the end and I got there much more quickly than I expected to. If you liked Dragon Tattoo then I would be interested to know what you make of this particular book.

Guy Pringle Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

PANTHER David Owen Corsair

David Owen’s debut novel focuses on mental health, and issues of bullying, binge eating and family breakdown. Impressively, Owen doesn’t go down the obvious route of having his protagonist, Derrick, as the sufferer, although he indeed has his own very real problems. Instead Derrick’s sister, Charlotte, is the one who suffers depression, offstage as it were, which creates a really interesting lens through which we

experience her pain.

Indeed, Charlotte is noticeable by her absence, allowing for an exploration instead of how her illness spreads through the household and implicates her family, most especially Derrick. This narrative choice also speaks of the isolation of mental health as well as the difficulty for others to ever really know or understand what is going on in the sufferer’s world. At the heart of the story, as the title implies, is this figure of the panther. Sinister, lurking and mysterious, Owen has created a metaphor that perfectly captures the depiction of depression his novel elicits and, more tellingly, although it makes the plot a bit more fanciful, he maintains the allegory impressively and opens up plenty of topics for discussion.

Indeed, this really should be a book that all young adults read, there are some issues and scenes that may divide readers, but this gives even more material for reading groups. Some of the character’s behaviour gets quite intense, as does some of the writing, testament to Owen’s integrity as an author that he follows through so committedly to his vision. This is not the dream teen experience and Derrick isn’t your typical teen hero, there’s no idealisation or romanticisation here, but a vivid, stark portrait of a boy struggling to cope.

Jade Craddock Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

See AUTHOR meets REVIEWER on nudge for what transpired when Jade ‘met’ David.

that respect this book did not deliver. That said, it provides a wealth of materiel for reading group discussion. .

Clare Donaldson, Peebles

passages in a font I found really hard to read – don’t know if this will apply to the published version.

A powerful, engrossing, holiday read.

Meg Kingston

Personal read ....................★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

KILLER PLAN Leigh Russell

LIE OF THE LAND Michael F Russell

No Exit Press

Polygon

This is the seventh in a series, but perfectly readable on its own. Set in London it starts with the murder of Dave Robinson. We know who did it but not exactly why until later in the story.

The detective assigned to the case is Geraldine Steel, a feisty yet sensitive officer who stops at nothing to solve the case. The plot was excellent with plenty of twists and red herrings. The last third of the story, involving the kidnap of a young boy was genuinely scary and made me hold my breath more than once.

There were a couple of sub plots which it might have been easier to follow if the whole series had been read, but it didn't distract from the main plot. Geraldine's past is referred to and we learn she hasn't always had an easy time in the Met. It's always pleasing for me to find good British crime novels, it seems easier to follow when we can understand the acronyms and relate to the place names. This was definitely one of the better ones and I will be looking out for more from this author.

City-based investigative journalist Carl Shewan is trapped. He is in a notspot in the post-apocalyptic Scottish Highlands, with no apparent way out.

I have to confess, I struggled with this book, especially the first few chapters where it was difficult to determine what was happening.

However, Russell does succeed in conveying an authentic sense of place – the juxtaposition between the beauty of Inverlair and its bleakness, is managed well.

The characters however, seem very one-dimensional and solitary. The female characters in particular come across as cardboard cut-outs, their cameo roles affording them no apparent depth.

Carl, the main character, is not very likeable which makes it difficult for the reader to to actually care what happens to him.

Throughout, I experienced a senseofdéjàvuasifIhad read the book before but I suspect this is due to the limitations of the genre.

This is a debut from an author who definitely has potential but it just did not fully engage me. For me, there has to be something redemptive to make a bleak book worth reading – in

Fiona Atley Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

INTO THE FIRE Manda Scott Bantam Press

Several fires deliberately set in modern Orléans seem oddly linked to the life of the City’s most famous daughter – Joan of Arc. The fires claim a life, but the victim hid a secret as he died.

Two narratives are intertwined, one in the 21st century follows the police officer investigating the arson attacks, whilst balancing her own complications in marriage and politics. The second tracks the conquests of The Maid of Orléans, seen through the eyes of a man who has sworn to destroy her.

The link between these two will surprise and satisfy the reader with sharp warnings about the perils of family loyalty. This is complex historical fiction - one for fans of Wolf Hall and Labyrinth.

A word of warning – my preview copy has a few

Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

THE DEVIL’S DETECTIVE Simon Kurt Unsworth Del Rey

The Devil’s Detective is one of those novels where the weight of ideas sometimes threatens to overwhelm the narrative drive, and the characterisation. So, we have Hell, which is peopled by Demons, and policed by Angels and Information Men, Humans, who have failed to get into heaven are crammed into every corner, and Thomas Fool, an underpaid, and over-worked Information Man already has enough on his hands, but when he is asked to look into a death, the type of death that is usually ignored in Hell, there is nothing he can do but investigate it. This is not the hell that we imagine from the Bible. It is not fire and brimstone, but more of a continuation of life as it is on earth. At first two murders are nothing, but when they start to mount up, Fool is forced to

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reviews work alongside two other Information Men, Gordie and Summer, but when things take a turn for the worse, all of their lives, and the whole of hell is in danger.

At over 350 pages The Devil’s Detective is a sturdy work to get through, and at times the action and pacing could do with some work, but it shows that Simon Kurt Unsworth is a writer worth watching out for, if you like crime fiction which has an undertone of horror.

Ben Macnair Personal read ................★★★★

WOLF WOLF Eben Venter

Mattheus wants to make something of himself before his father dies (with help from his father’s chequebook) and work out some common ground with his partner, where both internet pornography and facebook are affecting their ability to communicate with one another. How men communicate (or not) is a strong theme throughout the novel. There’s the heat and a vivid sensory richness which that brings about, there’s tension where fears for safety are not too far from the characters’ minds and there’s the use of dialect, with a structure that can subtly add to the distance between the characters.

Mattheus and boyfriend Jack struggle to cope with the responsibilities of adulthood. A symbol of this is a wolf mask which is used to cover up and to intimidate. The novel simmers throughout with depths that reading groups would love to analyse.

Translated from Afrikaans, Eben Venter has produced a rich, thoughtful novel.

Phil Ramage, Isle of Wight

Scribe

With his senses closing down a terminally ill father comes to increasingly rely on the care of his son.

Mattheus has come back to South Africa from abroad to look after a man with whom he has always been in conflict. The father is a successful business man with strong religious beliefs, the son is unsettled and gay and [being] together in a large house a kind of peace needs to be established. This is a subtle, yet powerful tale of relationships and masculinity, of obsession and thwarted dreams.

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Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

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BOUNDLESS: TRACING LAND AND DREAM IN A NEW NORTHWEST PASSAGE Kathleen Winter Jonathan Cape

Boundless is Kathleen Winter's account of a voyage through the famous Northwest passage in the Canadian Arctic. This is much more than a simple travelogue, however, as the author successfully joins narrative of the Inuit societies, with her own, more personal, journey.

The result, although at times fascinating, is one which ultimately left me disappointed.

Throughout the book, the author keeps returning to the erosion of the Inuit culture, and their displacement from their homelands as a consequence of the intense struggle for dominance in the Arctic.

Although I share her concerns, especially when the battle for control of the Arctic is being fought in the name of oil extraction, it was disappointing not to find more discussion of the tension between the benefits and costs of globalisation.

The author's other main theme is that of 'listening to the earth'. While she is doubtless sincere in this, it seems that this is too much of a personal process to be entirely convincing.

A further reservation I have is the author's dismissive attitude towards the birdwatchers and geologists on the voyage.

While these groups may, perhaps, resemble cliques, they are harmless pursuits, and would doubtless have contributed to the author's understanding of the environment she was passing through. Although her attitude toward the geologists does soften towards the end, I feel this deprives her, and her readers, of some interesting insights.

Ultimately, Kathleen Winter's account is interesting as far as it goes, but ultimately tries to do too much and fails to convey much about the natural history of this remarkable and fragile environment. I recommend this more for an interested group who may be able to discuss in depth some of the issues which the book raises only in passing.

Nicholas Cutler Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

Although we are only fifteen years into the new century we thought it was a good time to take stock.

of Tobias. As a debut it was truly outstanding and although Salley continues to write to a very high standard, this may well be her ‘gravestone’ book.

Margaret Cain eulogized The Blind Assassin in nb84 but that book failed to win the Orange prize in 2001, ceding that honour to The Idea of Perfection

by Kate Grenville. Personally, I didn’t get on with Perfection but for a while Ms Grenville could do no wrong. My personal favourite from that year has almost disappeared from sight but Blue Poppies by Jonathan

Letter and Somewhere Towards the End. I’m running out of space and I’ve only managed to get to the end of 2002 but two stand out books for different reasons. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen was a tour de force announcing a major new talent on the American literary scene. Compare and contrast with the very first adult novel

by Alexander McCall Smith.

The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency announced a distinctive voice with an interestingly different take on the world.

What a career has ensued.

The Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far!)

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ewbooks was first published in November 2000, so all of our Recommended Reads would qualify, yes? Well, not quite but, looking back our track record of discovering outstanding books for an eager audience is impressive. Interested to know if you share our thoughts?

We hit our stride as early as May 2001, with Miss Garnet’s Angel by Salley Vickers. Venice, a love of art plus ancient literature combined to seduce many readers and reading groups who unraveled the tale 92

Falla was both lyrical and gripping – much like the man when I met him at an event in Scotland in 2002.

Personality to the fore yet again at the beginning of 2002 when I was fortunate enough to meet and interview Diana Athill. She was then a tender 84 but is still writing and about to publish again at the age of 97.

At book talks I still quote, the opening line of Yesterday Morning, “‘Oh my God,’ said my mother. ‘Can I really have a daughter who is seventy?’ and we both burst out laughing.”

And when you’ve read that one move on to Stet, Instead of a

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The full list of Recommended Reads, issue by issue, is – of course - now on nudge. And if checking the list prompts you to write up your favourite then do email me at guy.pringle@newbooksmag.com

The Road Cormac McCarthy

Roseann Campbell finds highs and lows in her favourite book of this century.

T

his is probably my worst and best book of the 21st Century (so far). It is a psychological thriller that follows a man and his son in a post-apocalyptic world.

The Road is a bleak and unnerving book that builds tension as the pair negotiate a

world with barely anything else in it. It is a seminal text of the modern age and explores what could happen to humanity if we do not exercise caution in international, political or biological affairs. One passage presents a nightmare situation that I could not stop reading but also did not want to read.

To allow me to continue I sought out the company of a sibling - an unusual situation to be in when reading a book.

Through the acute portrayal of the man and his son’s loneliness McCarthy highlights the importance of human companionship.

I had to tell people about The Road. The atrocities portrayed moved me to share my fears of this reality with those around me. The father is suffering from consumption while they travel south in the hope that the climate will be more amenable and have more food and provisions. In parts of the novel the reader finds themselves in familiar situations: a town, house, boat. These still feel unknown as we are constantly reminded of the dangers aroundthem. It is never revealed what has destroyed our world

but the environment described is barely alive.

Throughout The Road the man and son talk through their experiences. Communication is key and in a world where the sun never shines they are ‘carrying the light’. They escape the prey of fellow survivors and starvation on their journey by using remnants of the old world and working together.

McCarthy’s concentration on the father-son relationship is touching and the man teaches the boy everything he can; this includes reading and writing.

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Credit: (c) Icon Film Distribution UK

nb Publisher, Guy Pringle, remembers his high points of the early years (and a few that got away).

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In our current economic climate the humanities, literature and literacy are being neglected. This book adds weight to how our society cannot prosper without these skills.

Vital traits of civilisation are brought back to us time and again in this, my best and worst book of this century.

I left the bleak and desolate environment of the book grateful for the diverse world that we currently inhabit. On telling the story to others you bear witness to the testimony that we need to protect and preserve our world so that we are not confronted with McCarthy’s’s vision. The Road strengthens the reader to confront one of the major issues of our time, that of sustaining our current civilisation. And don’t worry there is some light in the book.

Published by Picador.

The Crimson Petal and the White Michel Faber

Phil Ramage’s favourite reread runs to more than 800 pages – he obviously rates it highly!

See also Roseann’s thoughtful piece on Sustainability in Literature on nudge

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I admit that this book will not be to everyone’s taste. It is, however, in my opinion a monumental achievement. Set in the last quarter of the nineteenth century in Victorian London where dubious moral standards abound and where - with money - every sexual need can be met. Publications such as More Sprees in London are recommending and rating brothels in a thinly veiled code.

Henry Rackham, heir to his father’s perfume empire has a copy of this book. He becomes obsessed with the thought of a prostitute called Sugar, who he for money.

Nineteen year old Sugar, living in a seedy brothel run by her mother, is the life blood of this novel. Fewer characters in fiction get to be known as intimately by their readers and every step of the way the reader is right behind Sugar. She becomes essential to Rackham and his very different world.

The double standards of the times are ever present. How people behave on the surface does not reflect the turbulence underneath.

Society might demand “the white petal” but the crimson is ready to dominate. Sex is never too far away in this novel and it is this which can make it a challenging read. An innocent descriptive passage can be shattered by an explicit sexual image. It is the unexpectedness of this which shocks, more than the language itself. There are so many examples of this, but I think you are better off discovering them for yourself.

In 800+ pages Faber transports us totally into Sugar’s world. It’s a time of unprecedented change and society is being questioned as never before. The story telling skills of Dickens and Wilkie Collins are present but with Faber’s retrospective, unflinching stance. The only modern novel I have read which has captured the sense of the Victorian existence as well is John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman. The 2011 BBC television series was quite faithful to the plot-line but could not capture the robustness of Faber’s writing and that is one of the great joys of this book. Ami Mckay’s 2012 novel The Virgin Cure explored similar themes in a New York setting with the same time-frame and was well received but it lacked the edge and grime of Faber’s London.

Fans of either of those books should snap this one up.

Characterisation is superb. The men are ruled by their lusts, even William’s brother Henry

who has lofty ambitions to join the clergy but cannot come to terms with his more “animal side”. The female characters are often in contrast to this as for them sex equates survival or in the case of William’s wife is dangerously ignored. She has no understanding of the basic facts of life, despite having a child.

This is a long novel but I find myself hanging onto every word. It re-reads superbly.

Reading groups will be divided because of the graphic elements.

As an individual reader you will know within the first pages whether you feel you will be able to accompany Sugar on her momentous journey. Sticking with it has great rewards. This truly is a modern classic.

The Blind Assassin

by Margaret Atwood 2001

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak 2008

Birds Without Wings by Louise de Bernières 2005 Published by Canongate Books.

The Hundred Year

If You Find Me by

Old Man Who

Emily Murdoch

Climbed Out of the

2014

Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.

2012

Read the full reviews of other Best Books of the 21st Century at nudge.

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BLOG SPOT

BLOG SPOT

blog spot

Phil Ramage For Phil Ramage, on the Isle of Wight, the day job is running a B&B but here he walks us through how he set up his blog – reviewsrevues.com which may be helpful to others thinking of doing so.

A

t the beginning of the year, with resolutions still fresh, I decided to take the plunge and start my own blog. For a number of years I have kept a journal of everything I read and have really enjoyed reviewing for newbooks. So having an online home for all my reviews and other book related info seemed like a natural step. I had a clear idea as to what I wanted in

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terms of content but no idea how to achieve this. However, a couple of clicks on the computer and I was presented with a myriad of blog-hosting sites. Picking one was a bit of a leap of faith; most want you to sign up before you can see what it is all about. I chose a free site – WordPress.com - paid twelve pounds to register my domain name and I was away. Then it really is a matter of picking a template, making a few choices as to how you want the site to look and get blogging.

Until I entered the blogosphere I had no idea how many people are actually out there – many, many American bloggers seem to be serious book reading professionals with thousands of followers. How would I, sat clutching my most recently read book in my little office on the Isle of Wight fare amongst these? I needn’t have worried. Many of the bloggers are “niche” specialising in a narrow genre. I am much more

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a general reader who reads a range of books at a human rather than superhuman pace. I just want to write about what I have read, supplementing this with the odd music review and book news which seem to be in shorter supply.

It’s unlikely that a new blogger would overnight gain hundreds of followers. It’s quite a slow process and does need a regular commitment. I aim to post something 3-4 times a week and have been achieving that. Last week I posted my 50th blog and have reviewed 54 books and 6 CDs. With each new blog posting you gain a few new followers. You do have to keep away from the statistics, because these are very thorough and you could spend more time analysing who is reading what rather than getting the reviewing done! I can’t help but marvel when there’s someone in Brazil doing a web-search on Alan Bennett and coming up with one of my reviews.

ere is no doubt that my blog is still very much a work in progress - some cosmetic things I’ll work out in time but overall I have been pleased with the response. ere are community forums who will help out and tutorials for just about everything. I enrolled onto a free daily writing course which wasn’t really for me at the time but it did pick me up a few new followers. WordPress hold blogging courses periodically which will really get the skills honed in an environment where everyone is doing the learning.

Looking towards the future I’m aiming to do more reviewing, more sharing thoughts and ideas about lovely books and getting authors and publishers to contribute. My To-Be-Read pile is growing as followers are recommending books specifically for me. Amongst these are e Martian by Andy Weir and books by Gordon Ferris, Colm Tóibín's, Ed McBain and James Patterson, none of whom I have ever read. If the whole notion of blogging is as new to you as it was to me do take a look at www.reviewsrevues.com.

I’d love newbooks and nudge readers with all your expertise on books to join me as followers and hopefully it may inspire you to get out there and get blogging!

A recent blog from reviewrevues.com Keeping the Libraries Open!

I’ve mentioned before in this blog that I volunteer at my local library. The local council made the decision towards the end of 2011 to close down Shanklin library. Shanklin is a seaside town of about 9000 people situated on the Isle Of Wight. The library had been doing a great job at meeting the reading needs of the residents for many, many years and was also the only place in the town where there are public computers. The smaller Town Council decided to take the library off the Isle of Wight Council’s hands and employ one member of staff to run the library supported by a group of volunteers. Whatever I felt about libraries closing and people losing their jobs to be replaced by volunteers I had to put to one side because if we lost the library we would never have got it back and the building would probably have been in development to turn into apartments. I began as a volunteer from the start, I was trained by the Isle Of Wight Library Services and work at the library about three

sessions a month. I am one of a team of thirty four volunteers who are keeping the library open and watching it go from strength to strength.

This week we discovered we were up for a Community Action Award which led to me organising a presentation for the three judges who came along for a visit (unfortunately, they chose a day when the library was closed) to see just what positive outcomes we are providing for the local community. We find out if we win one of these prestigious awards on May 1st so fingers crossed. I hope we represented the library and the hard work that goes on there as well as we could.

Taken from Phil’s blog, April 2015

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97

what we Are Thinking Lemonade in August Bert Wright, our deepthinker, argues the case for and against a well-known on line bookshop.

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T

he digital revolution has crept up on us so quickly, many of us are struggling to keep up but amid the mayhem some subtle changes have escaped scrutiny.

Foremost among them has been the dramatic shift in focus from the author to the reader.

The Romantics elevated the individual imagination to a position of pre-eminence from which all literary art was presumed to spring. Inspiration befell individual geniuses who, like Stephen Dedalus, forged art in the smithy of their souls.

No longer! Henceforth, books will be forged in the smithy of Amazon’s algorithms; and not by individual geniuses, but by gimlet-eyed opportunists eager to gratify target audiences whose tastes and habits, thanks to Amazon, are uniquely and minutely accessible. Roland Barthes prematurely declared the death of the author in the sixties but Amazon’s customercentric fixation might just finish the job.

In Amazonia, the publisher’s primary function will simply be to align the priorities of buyer and supplier and to eliminate the friction formerly caused by those taste-making editors, now derided as “gate-keepers”.

Amazon, of course, pretends that this realignment will prove favourable to both parties; no entry-barriers for suppliers and dirt-cheap books for buyers.

What’s not to love?

Here’s what’s not to love.

nb magazine & www.nudge-book.com

Amazon is great for cheapskates who think books are worth very little. It’s also great for DIY dabblers, or, as one Amazon hack described his tribe, “proud Grub Streeters with only marginal pretences toward literary finery." Flogging what the same writer called “genre pulp which sells like lemonade in August” may be keeping a host of modestly-talented writers off the streets but by elevating the cult of the amateur, what is it doing for literary culture?

Remember the nine hundred writers who petitioned Amazon? All established professional writers with long successful careers behind them.

Remember too, the counterpetition supporting Amazon?

Who signed that one? Have a guess. That’s right, the proud Grub Streeters who owe their mostly modest living to Amazon.

The plain truth is that in an X Factor culture, Jeff Bezos is a Simon Cowell clone cleaving to the same set of cynically depressing faux-democratic principles. The problem is that if Bezos becomes the dominant publisher, as well as the dominant bookseller, we’ll all be drinking lemonade in August, and from plastic cups.

Want to get something off your chest? You can rant all you want for our What We Are Thinking – we’ll print what we can but the whole piece will go on nudge.

Email info@newbooksmag.com.

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Have you ever wonder d ed d #what if ?