I felt very pleased with myself this summer, having
managed to read six books. However, Mrs G totally trumped me by reading
fourteen! Nonetheless, here’s a review of each one I read.
Brit(ish) by
Afua Hirsch
A heartfelt, personal and provocative
examination of the mixed race author’s experience of growing up in Britain. I
found this book intriguing as the author’s mother and my father both come from
Ghana - though unlike the author, I grew up there. She has a strong voice and
some of what she has to say is uncomfortable to read, but it needs to be said.
This book is a really valuable contribution to the conversation about race and
identity currently taking place in the UK.
I always look forward to a new Stephen
King novel and this one did not disappoint. Opening with the dramatic arrest of
a well-respected and seemingly upright citizen, the story had me constantly
changing my mind about his guilt, until with King’s characteristic spookiness,
it unfolded into something quite different. All the familiar elements that I
love about King’s writing were there - the small town in America setting, the
down-to-earth characters struggling to deal with events beyond their
comprehension plus the welcome return of one of my favourite characters from a
previous King series. This was a very satisfying read!
Children of Blood and Bone by
Tomi Adeyemi
I had read many good things about this
YA fantasy novel and soon found myself on a rollercoaster ride as the story
whizzed along at breakneck speed. Despite the pace of the story, the author
still managed to convey a strong sense of character and place. Inspired by
Yoruba culture from Nigeria, the novel is set in the once magical kingdom of
Orïsha and introduces the maji who have been stripped of their magic and
oppressed by the ruling k’osidán, led by the tyrannical King Saran. The novel
subverts (very cleverly) the fantasy tropes of an unhappy princess, handsome
and conflicted prince, despotic king, plucky and resourceful commoner and a
kingdom on the verge of war. It left me really wanting to read the next book in
the series, which unfortunately is not out until March 2019!
The Hate U Give by
Angie Thomas
Another YA novel that has been on my
to-read list for a while, The Hate U Give follows events in
the life of 16-year-old African American high school student, Starr
Carter. Starr constantly switches between two worlds - the poor,
predominantly black neighbourhood where she lives and the rich mostly white
prep school she attends. The author brilliantly examines the strain Starr feels
trying to be different versions of herself depending on where she is. When she
witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend by a white police officer,
the carefully maintained balance between her two worlds begins to fall apart as
she struggles to find the courage to do the right thing. The Hate
U Give is a blistering and well-written examination of race relations
in modern America, covering police brutality, civil rights, social injustice
and the Black Lives Matter movement as well as teenage and family
relationships.
Circe by
Madeline Miller
Miller skilfully fleshes out this first
person account of Circe, an immortal nymph and minor character in Homer’s Odyssey.
Daughter of the Sun God Helios, the seemingly powerless Circe naively seeks the
approval and love of her cruel and vain father and indifferent naiad mother
until she realises the futility of this and begins to assert her independence.
Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, Circe discovers the power of
witchcraft. This threatens Zeus and he orders Helios to banish her to the
island where Odysseus encounters her many years later. Here Circe hones her
craft, befriends wild animals and in forays both on and off the island,
encounters many characters familiar to readers of Greek myths. She plays a
pivotal role in the stories of Scylla and Charybdis, Daedalus and his son
Icarus, Ariadne and the Minotaur, Jason and Medea (of Golden Fleece fame) and
Odysseus and his men on their long journey home from the Trojan
War. Circe embodies feminine strength and survives in a male dominated
world using her keen intelligence, wit and courage as well as her trademark
witchcraft. This beautifully written book was my favourite read of the summer!
The History of Bees by
Maja Lunde
This novel tells three inter-connected
stories from different time periods. William’s story is set in England in 1851.
He is a biologist who sets out to build a new type of beehive in the hope that
it will make his fortune. In 2007, George, a traditional bee-keeper in the USA,
is facing the very real trauma of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and the mass
disappearance of his bees. In 2098, now that the bees have long since
disappeared, Tao hand paints pollen onto fruit trees in China, while dreaming
of a better future for her son. Parts of the story feel uncomfortably real,
like events that are about to happen and Lunde evokes the strong sense that our
world is already travelling down an ecologically apocalyptic path. Illuminating
and beautifully written, The History of Bees merges
its three narratives into an engrossing story about familial relationships,
loss and humanity’s relationship to nature.