The fun never ends

Just a quick post to let the world know how much I love the title cards on Adventure Time episodes. They always look like so much work has gone into them! And I like the fact that the style of them is quite different from the actual animation itself - more detailed and 'arty'. These are some of my favourites.

(Image source: Adventure Time wiki)

Two book reviews: A Common Loss by Kirsten Tranter & American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar

A Common Loss (2012) by Kirsten Tranter

At the beginning of chapter two of A Common Loss, Kirsten Tranter writes: 'This isn't going to be one of those stories about a suburban boy seduced into a picturesque world of wealth and charm by a group of high-class eccentrics.' And I think, 'damn, why the hell not?!'

Tranter's excellent debut, The Legacy, was very much one of those stories, or at least in the tradition of that kind of story, enough that I drew comparisons with both Brideshead Revisited and The Secret History when writing my review of it. (It still bothers me that I didn't give The Legacy ten out of ten - when I think of how it stands out in my memory, and how most other books I've read since compare to it, it certainly deserves that score, but I believe in letting reviews stand as they are. If I ever re-read it, the rating will most likely go up.) With A Common Loss she makes a departure from the themes of her debut, with a story that's also about a group of close-knit friends, but with a dramatically different feel.

Elliot, Brian, Tallis, Cameron and Dylan became good friends at university and have remained close ever since, although their bonds have started to break down over the years: two of the group barely even speak anymore. Still, all of them feel duty-bound to take a yearly trip to Las Vegas, a holiday without girlfriends or other friends that's become something of a tradition. When Dylan dies in a car accident, the need for this trip is stronger than ever, even as the others fear they've lost the glue that held them together. However, it soon becomes apparent that Dylan was harbouring many secrets, both about his own past and about bad things - from the minor to the potentially life-ruining - his friends had done at various points during their acquaintance.

You know how people will sometimes describe a book as being a 'love letter' to the city, town etc it's set in? Well, A Common Loss is an anti-love letter to Las Vegas. It emphasises everything that's sleazy, dirty, cheap and fake about the place. On top of that, every single one of the characters is horrible, from the Nice Guy™ narrator Elliot, to stereotypical womaniser Tallis, to Natasha, Elliot's featureless and offhand love interest. This is not always an easy read, since it's hard to summon any sympathy for the main characters and the antagonist is equally hateful. But A Common Loss isn't really the mystery it presents itself as. It's not about the secrets the friends are trying to hide - not really about what those secrets actually are, anyway - or the question of Dylan's honesty, or the consequences of the group being blackmailed. It's about loss, reality versus artifice, the routine disappointments of life, how relationships are formed, how much we really (don't) know about those close to us, and ultimately, most of all, the disintegration of friendships. The little incidents that slip between the lines and appear irrelevant to the major plot points are far more important than anything else.

I must admit that the themes of this book, and the unpleasant characters, were a bit of a disappointment to me after The Legacy, but the more I think about A Common Loss, the more I love it. While I didn't enjoy reading it as much as I did Tranter's debut, it's a more complex and nuanced work. The language is clear and lucid: the devil is in the detail with this story, and the detail is beautifully rendered. A melancholy, contemplative story that won't be to everyone's taste, this book confirmed my belief in the author's talent and her very distinctive voice.

Rating: 8/10


American Dervish (2012) by Ayad Akhtar

Told mostly in flashbacks to the early 1980s, this coming-of-age novel focuses on Hayat Shah, a young Pakistani boy growing up in the American suburbs. Much of the plot revolves around his first crush on his 'auntie' Mina, his mother's best friend, who comes to stay with the family having fled her parents and husband in Pakistan. With Hayat's Westernised family lacking in any strong religious convictions, it falls to Mina to teach him about Islam, and a combination of youthful confusion and his burgeoning 'love' for Mina results in the boy becoming obsessed with the teachings of the Quran. When Mina becomes involved with Nathan Wolfsohn, a Jewish friend of the family, Hayat's jealousy, emotional confusion and religious fervour lead him to take actions which - as you might expect - have terrible consequences for almost everyone.

Hayat is an engaging, likeable narrator and his journeys, both personal and religious, are related in a believable style. The naive purity of his adoration of Mina is touching, and his relationship with his parents, often awkward but full of love, is sensitively portrayed. His religious awakening, too, is carefully handled - he experiences great enlightenment, but is also exposed at an impressionable age to extremist views which threaten to warp his mindset and damage those he cares for. As a backdrop, the multiculturalism of the local community is very interesting, although there were times when I wished I could step outside Hayat's first-person viewpoint and learn more about his family, neighbours and acquaintances.

I found American Dervish a pleasurable enough read: however, it moves at a leisurely pace to say the least. Nothing dramatic happens until halfway through the book, and even then, the 'action' is very subdued. Although I liked the story throughout, I often found it difficult to summon up any motivation to keep reading, and spent chapter after chapter wondering exactly where it was going. The prose style is nice, and flows well enough, but it's occasionally clumsy: I did feel at some points as though the book could have benefited from better editing.

This is not a story in which the characters are given neat, happy endings - Hayat is the only one whose life appears to reach a positive conclusion, and even then it's bittersweet. The sometimes bleak story arc is admirable, but it can make what happens seem dull at points, and the reader is denied the dramatic showdowns, romantic reunions etc that could have been portrayed in a less realistic version of this story. In the end, the realism of American Dervish is both a plus and a minus. It makes the book feel 'better', more literary, more of an achievement - but it also makes it far less compelling than it could have been.

Rating: 6/10

Book Q&A

Now, I don't usually go in for these survey/questionnaire things, but when I saw that Michelle (aka Mizhenka - you should visit her blog, by the way) had tagged me in this one, I had to fill it in. I mean, it's about books! How could I possibly resist?

Favourite book cover This was a tough one to pick, but I'm going with the original cover of Lights Out in Wonderland by DBC Pierre (right). I like the style (I prefer covers featuring typography and illustrations rather than photographs) and colours, but I also think it matches the themes and feel of the story perfectly. I was SCANDALISED when I saw the smaller paperback version sporting this cover, which is a) horrible and b) does nothing at all to communicate the vibe of the book (it's brilliant, by the way. BRILLIANT. If the cover appeals to you, you will probably love it).

What are you reading right now? I'm about halfway through Every Contact Leaves a Trace by Elanor Dymott. It's unfortunately not quite what I hoped it would be, but it's still a pretty good read so far.

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that? I have a to-read list as long as my arm, but I try not to plan out my reading too rigorously, because I think that takes some of the excitement out of discovering an amazing new book. However, I have The Man Who Rained by Ali Shaw checked out of the library, so will probably give that a go next, and I also really want to read The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan very soon.

What 5 books have you always wanted to read but haven’t got round to? Oh, there are so many! Without cheating by looking at my 'to read one day' shelf on Goodreads, the ones that spring to mind immediately are: Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (yes, I know, it's a crime that I haven't read this, etc), The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (ditto), The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom/lounge right now? Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Marie Claire, Grazia and the magazines out of the Guardian at the weekend - I have to point out, however, that I do get most of these free through work. I wouldn't bother with fashion magazines on a regular basis if I didn't actually need to keep up-to-date with them (although Marie Claire is usually a decent read, and has a good books page!)

What’s the worst book you've ever read? This is a hard one to answer because if a book is that bad, I just won't finish it, and I don't count unfinished books as 'read'. There's one from years ago that I've always remembered because it was so bloody atrocious: Thin Skin by Emma Forrest. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory was definitely the most boring.

What book seems really popular but you actually hated? Room by Emma Donoghue - the praise heaped upon it is a continuous source of bewilderment to me. I also really disliked The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, a fact which always seems to horrify people.

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone? The Secret History by Donna Tartt, of course!

What are your 3 favourite poems? I know very little about poetry, but I do have a favourite poem (just the one, but I do really love it), Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost.

Where do you usually get your books? Amazon (for Kindle ebooks, special offers and cheap second-hand paperbacks), eBay, and the library.

Where do you usually read your books? Anywhere! In bed, on the couch, at my desk, in the car (er, obviously not while I'm driving the car), in cafes, in queues etc.

When you were little, did you have any particular reading habits? I can't remember. I think I did once fall asleep with a book on my head. I read absolutely voraciously when I was younger, but I wasn't particularly picky about what I read, so most of it wasn't exactly classic literature (think Sweet Valley Twins, Point Horror and various series with the word 'Club' in the title - Babysitters' Club, Mystery Club, Saddle Club, and so on).

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down? I quite often do this anyway because I'm an insomniac! But my most recent absolutely unputdownable book was Alys, Always by Harriet Lane. My review's here - it was excellent.

Have you ever “faked” reading a book? Probably some of the books I was supposed to read at university; I usually just skimmed them. Other than that, no.

Have you ever bought a book just because you liked the cover? Not as such. I'm often attracted to covers (and there are plenty of books I will automatically rule out because they have unappealing covers), but if I then read the plot summary and what the critics have to say and it doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy, I won't be any more likely to buy it.

What was your favourite book when you were a child? I loved Watership Down and the earlier Adrian Mole books, and some of Jacqueline Wilson's, particularly The Suitcase Kid. The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine is a favourite from late childhood that's stayed a favourite even though I'm now way too old for it, it's just fantastic.

What book changed your life? I always find questions like this (about anything cultural) troublesome because how do you define 'life-changing'? Unless you've read something that made you completely change the course of your career, altered your political/religious beliefs or something, I can't see how this is possible... I don't think most people have really experienced it, and I can't say it's happened to me. I've read a number of books that have inspired me to write myself, but that's always been an interest and an ambition anyway.

What is your favourite passage from a book? This quote from Notes On a Scandal by Zoë Heller. It's so beautifully, bitterly expressed and painfully true.

What are your top five favourite authors? I'm going to leave the classics aside here, simply because I think it's more interesting to talk about current authors who others may not have heard of...
Scarlett Thomas is definitely my favourite modern author: she writes intelligent but accessible fiction bursting with ideas and I always end up wanting to be best mates with her characters. Recommended: Our Tragic Universe.
F.G. Cottam is my favourite author of ghost stories. His books are all genuinely chilling without being at all schlocky, beautifully constructed and, most importantly, subtle. Recommended: Dark Echo.
Okay, the next one is probably going to be an author everyone has heard of, but Paul Auster has to be mentioned here somewhere. While I haven't loved everything of his that I've read (Travels in the Scriptorium, for example, wasn't very good), I always adore his narrative voice, characters and themes, particularly the hint of strangeness present in all his novels. Recommended: Invisible.
Lucie Whitehouse has only written two novels so far, but they're both superb, with compelling plots and incredibly likeable, believable characters. Recommended: Both her books, The House at Midnight and The Bed I Made. They're both quick, sparky reads which are definitely worth your time.
Karen Maitland writes excellent historical fiction, mostly set in medieval England. She's brilliant at really making you feel like you're in the thick of the story, and her characters are wonderfully complex. Recommended: The Gallows Curse.

What book has no one heard about but should read? Tourist by Matt Thorne is a little gem worth looking out for, although I haven't been anywhere near as keen on anything else I've read by the same author.

What is your favourite book by a first-time author? I read a lot of debut fiction so it's difficult to pick, but... God's Own Country by Ross Raisin was a first novel from 2008 which I discovered last year and absolutely loved - it jumped straight onto my list of all-time favourites (review here).

What is your favourite classic book? Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. A perfect book, deservedly a classic.

5 other notable mentions? I have mentioned a lot of my favourites in response to the above questions, so here are some I haven't already referenced: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.

Book review: Summer by Tom Darling

Summer (2012) by Tom Darling

Following the deaths of their parents in a freak accident, Grace and Billy Hooper - thirteen and nine years old respectively - go to live with their grandfather on his farm. It's a remote and lonely place: no shops for fifteen miles, no other children, no mobile phone reception - there isn't even a television. On top of that, their grandfather has little idea of how to deal with them and they are often left to fend for themselves, roaming the surrounding farmland for the whole of this strange, baking hot summer. Grace is confused by the encroaching onset of womanhood, Billy becomes obsessed with killing 'vermin' such as rats and pigeons, and both children struggle to come to terms with their grief.

Summer is a strange but effective mixture. It reminded me very strongly of a lot of the children's fiction I used to read when I was about 10 years old, about kids living in these idyllic but oddly lonely countryside homes (although those books did usually have talking animals in them as well). There is something about the style, though, that's clearly reminiscent of the hazy, romantic nostalgia of those stories. At the same time, there are elements to what happens that are most definitely adult in nature, even if they're not wholly understood by the child protagonists. The narrative flows well: Darling's style is accomplished, more so than you would expect from a second novel by a young author, and creates a palpable atmosphere.

I did, I'll admit, expect more from this book. When I first read the plot synopsis, the outline reminded me of Ross Raisin's God's Own Country, a favourite of mine, which also features an isolated young person on a remote farm, but is much darker. I was therefore anticipating a twisted and perhaps disturbing plot with a lot more action. In fact, Summer is quite a gentle read, and until the very end, the disturbing content is confined to a few small incidents and a general uncomfortable feeling pervading the children's aimless days. The ending is strong, although not exactly unexpected - it isn't difficult to guess what kind of conclusion the story is leading up to.

I read this quickly because it was easy to read and possessed a certain clarity of prose, not because I found it enormously interesting. There's a restricted, stifling feel to the plot, and though this is partly balanced out by the writing, the fact remains that little happens, the setting never changes and interaction between the characters is minimal. I didn't quite find it boring, but at points I was quite keen to get to the end. Overall, the idea was better than the execution.

Rating: 6/10

Book reviews in brief: What I read on holiday

The Possessions of Doctor Forrest (2011) by Richard T. Kelly

The story: Grey Lochran, Steve Hartford and Robert Forrest are a trio of successful doctors who have been friends (and rivals) since their schooldays, although in recent years Robert - a plastic surgeon - has developed a dangerous obsession with youth and vanity which has led to him becoming somewhat alienated from his old friends. When Robert goes missing, the others are perplexed by his sudden disappearance, and Grey in particular is determined to uncover the truth about what has happened to him. The story is told entirely through diary entries and charts the increasingly sinister events that unfold after Robert's disappearance.

The verdict: A modern reworking of Doctor Faustus with a distinct neo-gothic feel, The Possessions of Doctor Forrest is a powerful tale of sin and devilry which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's a very meaty and intriguing story with plenty of layers and is deliciously rich and dark in its settings, themes and language. The only problematic issue is that the author has a very distinctive, florid style, and using the voices of several different characters doesn't really work as they sound too alike - not to mention the fact that we all know nobody writes like this in their personal diary. Also, the final 'confession' is much weaker than the rest of the narrative and could have benefited from revisiting some of the other narrators. Still, overall this was an excellent, compelling read - I felt like it was the literary equivalent of a huge slice of black forest gâteau. I'm always excited to find good modern authors who write subtle, effective horror, and I will definitely be looking out for Kelly's future books.

Rating: 8/10


The Uninvited Guests (2012) by Sadie Jones

The story: As my list here will testify, The Uninvited Guests was one of my most-anticipated books of 2012, and I was delighted to discover it had been published in advance of the expected release date. Set in a grand old country house inhabitated by the Torrington family, the whole story takes place across the course of one night, as eldest daughter Emerald's birthday party is interrupted by the 'uninvited guests' of the title, a group of lower-class travellers who have narrowly escaped a train crash. As ever with this type of story, all is not as it seems: the Torringtons are on the verge of losing their home, one amongst the party of survivors is not quite who or what he claims to be, and there may be an even more disturbing reason for the presence of the uninvited guests...

The verdict: This is an enjoyable and likeable book which, unfortunately, has a few too many flaws to be truly memorable. I liked the way the plot did something different and original with a well-worn setup, the characterisation was great (the Torrington siblings are charming, the odious Charlie absolutely hateful) and I could really feel the dread and trepidation in certain scenes. In fact, my main problem with the book has to do with how it's been marketed. A certain word splashed across the cover, along with certain comparisons drawn in the plot synopsis, led me to guess the biggest plot twist before I'd even started reading - a disappointment to say the least. Perhaps, if it hadn't been for this, I would have derived more pleasure from the story. Additionally, I wasn't keen on the ending and found the 'pairing off' that happened between the characters to be incredibly saccharine. Well-written and a decent enough story, but I was left disappointed in several respects, and think it could have been much better.

Rating: 6/10


Bunheads (2011) by Sophie Flack

The story: Hannah Ward is a 'bunhead' - a 19-year old dancer with the prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, she lives, breathes and sleeps ballet and has never even considered devoting any of her time to anything else. However, when she begins to fall in love for the first time, she starts to reconsider her life choices and questions whether life as a ballerina is truly right for her. Is her heart leading her astray, or is giving her whole life to dancing really the right path?

The verdict: A cute, light and easy YA novel that made a perfect holiday read. Very absorbing and entertaining: I was surprised by how much I liked it and how quickly I was drawn into the plot. Despite the brand name-dropping that seems to be a compulsory part of every book for teenagers these days, I really liked the author's style and didn't get that 'this is too childish for comfort' feeling I often experience with YA fiction. I actually think the book could have been longer and contained more drama without doing any harm to the strength of the narrative. The ending was also handled skilfully - it could easily have felt like the book was sending the wrong message, but it worked better than I expected. A great piece of entertainment, this was a 'guilty pleasure' that surprised me by being genuinely warm and engaging.

Rating: 7/10


The Pleasures of Men (2012) by Kate Williams

The story: In 19th-century London, Catherine Sorgeiul is living an isolated life in Spitalfields, where she is confined to her uncle's home. An insular and slightly disturbed young woman, she has a troubled history which always seems to be threatening to rise to the surface. When a serial killer, nicknamed 'the Man of Crows' by the press, starts to strike around Catherine's home, she becomes convinced she can get inside the heads of both murderer and victims, and that she is the only person who can solve the riddle of who the killer really is. The narrative progresses through Catherine's attempts to identify the Man of Crows, and as it does, the secrets of her own past are uncovered.

The verdict: This was an odd one. It's hugely derivative, for a start: it's been compared to Sarah Waters by a lot of reviewers and critics, but then how could it not be when it features: lots of dank, dreary settings in Victorian London; a young woman with a troubled past being confined to her home by a cold, sinister uncle; lesbian liaisons between mistresses and servants; potential implications of supernatural goings-on which may actually be in the protagonist's head; a disturbing murder mystery, etc etc. I was quite surprised by how blatantly the story seemed to be inviting comparisons to Waters' work, and when I began reading, I didn't think there could possibly be anything truly original about it. Indeed, I found the first few chapters somewhat dull. Then, slowly but surely, I found myself being reeled in. Although some elements (including the ending) were rather pedestrian, the book had some sort of mysterious allure which kept me hooked. The narrative voice is fragmented and sometimes disjointed but somehow it works, perhaps because it's so effective in communicating the disturbed state of mind experienced by Catherine. If you're willing to stick with it, this is a delightfully dark piece of historical fiction filled with complex characters and an unsettling, twisted plot which slowly reveals a number of dreadful secrets. Weird, but unexpectedly good.

Rating: 7/10


PS: I did also read another of the books from my 2012 wishlist while in Barcelona... but as it isn't published for several months yet, that review is going to have to wait!

Barcelona break

I spent most of the past week in Barcelona, Spain, so here's some photos - which, frankly, I'm a bit ashamed of, but they're all I've got, so here they are! I was beset by camera troubles (the left-hand picture of the Sagrada Familia looks weird because the camera decided to die and I had to take it with my phone) which were exacerbated by the fact that the Picasso and Miró museums, two of the places I spent a lot of time, don't allow cameras at all. We stayed in a lovely hotel opposite the cathedral and I spent a lot of time exploring the Gothic Quarter - I was surprised at how great it was for shopping, although I didn't really have any cash to splash: my purchases were a €1 bracelet from a stall on La Rambla, Spanish Vogue and a Moleskine 2012 diary reduced to €4 in a museum gift shop... better late than never, eh?! I was also delighted to discover they have these in Spain now (and while Googling that link I found out they are apparently being launched in the UK?? O M G, but I digress) and I also managed to get completely hooked on Adventure Time, as Cartoon Network was just about the only channel on the hotel TV showing programmes in English. My favourite part of the holiday was making a pilgrimage to Figueres to see the Dalí Theatre-Museum, which lived up to expectations and was genuinely brilliant. Barcelona is a gorgeous city and definitely somewhere I would return in the future - there's so much to see, so many hidden gems and a wonderful overall atmosphere.