"Hag-Seed: the Tempest Retold" by Margaret Atwood

Hag-Seed is a retelling of The Tempest, as part of the Random House “Hogarth Shakespeare” series. Although I knew it was a retelling of The Tempest when I bought it, I’m not familiar with The Tempest, and I had hoped that it would stand up as a novel in its own right. I had high hopes from an author of the calibre of Margaret Atwood.

The quality of the writing and the characterisation are excellent. The main character, Felix, has complexity and depth in the portrayal of his emotions around the production of the play, and for his daughter. The supporting women - Anne-Marie and Estelle - also feel alive and distinct, and I enjoyed all of their interactions. The supporting cast of in-mates was solid, but lacked a little variation - possibly due to the need to include so many characters due to the source material.

However, I found the plot a little slow moving and uninspired (which is ironic, given the inspiration). A lot of time is taken in the middle of the book around the development of the play which seems somewhat repetitive and slow moving, and the resolution of the main plot seems hurried, with the ultimate outcome slightly difficult to believe.

I suspect that my dissatisfaction with the plot was due to the author’s desire to echo elements of The Tempest in the plot (although I’m not sure about this, due to my unfamiliarity with The Tempest). And while this may have drawn knowing appreciation from those familiar with the source material, any in-jokes and clever parallels were lost on me.

So overall, engaging and interesting characters, but a disappointing plot.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

"The Call of the Wild" by Jack London

This is a beautifully written book from the perspective of a dog, Buck, who is stolen from a comfortable home environment, and made to work on sleds in the cold north of Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. Buck passes through a series of different owners, who treat him with a range of care and neglect - each resulting in Buck learning harsh lessons of the wild world in which he finds himself.

The story plots Buck’s slow and inexorable transition towards his instinctive wild side. The writing is poetic but also succinct, bringing the environments alive, and giving a real sense of place and emotion. This is a short book, but very powerful, with a strong sense of engagement with Buck, bringing the reader along as each layer of civilisation is stripped away, with an ending that was both satisfying and approriate.

My rating: ★★★★☆

"Because I Don't Know What You Mean and What You Don't" by Josie Long

This is an engaging and complex set of short stories, all from a first person perspective. Each story is from the point of view of a character whose distinct flaws or insecurities are explored through the interactions with other characters and their own internal monologue. There is a ‘stream of consciousness’ style to many of the stories (somewhat reminiscent of Max Porter’s books) which allowed me to feel like I was inhabiting that character - travelling along inside their head for a short time.

I sometimes had a little difficulty with the first person perspective - it wasn’t always clear the gender of the narrator, and the lack of third-person exposition meant that sometimes relationships between people weren’t clear to me. Also, this is not an uplifting book - some of the themes are a little dark, and many of the stories deal with insecurity at some level. However, these minor issues aside, I found the character explorations very satisfying, and enjoyed each one.

The story “Poets Rise Again” stood out as the most enjoyable for me. I would love to see the ideas and characters in this story expanded into a novel in their own right - I was fascinated by what their back-story was, and would have enjoyed a longer, more satisfying narrative arc than the short story form allows.

Thank you #NetGalley and Canongate Books for the free review copy of #BecauseIdontknow in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: ★★★★☆

NetGalley Review

"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin

This book is about enduring friendship, and it weaves this around loss, belonging and identity. The story is set amongst video games development, but is not about games development. It's refreshing for a story to be set in a technical world without getting bogged or becoming alienated by the technology.

The characters are sensitvely drawn, with Sam, Sadie and Marx all feeling distinct and real. I felt an emotional connection to the ebb and flow of the relationships between these main characters, with the final outcome feeling honest and appropriate. It was a shame to leave these characters when I'd finished the book, and look forward to meeting them again if/when (hopefully) a film adaptation comes out.

My rating: ★★★★★

"Man Who Tasted Words" by Guy Leschziner

This is a fascinating insight into the senses and how their operation can go wrong. Not only does the author explain the medical details of how the senses work, and fail, but also discusses the impact such failures can have on the quality of life of those affected. The case studies are always fascinating and sometimes moving, where the impact on some of the patients’ lives has been intolerable. Throughout the book the author presents a sensitive balance between medical detail and the heartfelt human interest.

My rating: ★★★★★

"The Moonday Letters" by Emmi Itäranta

This is a beautiful and lyrical book. The plot is that of a sci-fi eco mystery thriller - but I was captivated by the poetic use of language and the journey of Lumi as a healer. I am surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did: I would normally be put off by such lyrical use of language, or by time spent on description rather than character or plot. But in the The Monday Letters, I was transported by the descriptive quality of the writing, and the poetic style gave the book a serenity and pace that allowed me to immerse myself deeply into the world.

The main narrative vehicle - Lumi writing in notebooks for Sol on the assumption that he will one day read them - is interspersed with other first person perspective and flashbacks. Other reviewers have criticised this inconsistency, but I found the switch between perspectives to be natural and helpful - and provided some variation where I think a complete reliance on the “notebook” form may have become contrived or tiring.

The plot is intriguing, and ultimately satisfying, although the continued absence of Sol felt contrived once or twice - but this is nit-picking. The development of Lumi as a healer shows a glimpse into a spiritual world that could easily be the basis of other books (other books I would be interested in reading) - and it is this aspect of the book that I was most drawn to and found most rewarding.

I now have that bitter sweet feeling of loss that I get at the end of a particularly immersive book - knowing that I can’t continue to explore the world that Emmi Itäranta has created.

My rating: ★★★★★