"Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel

A short and very satisfying story about time travel. It was never Gaspery-Jacques Roberts’ plan to work for the Time Institute, but through a casual combination of circumstances, that’s exactly what he finds himself doing - investigating an anomaly that spans centuries and touches several people’s lives.

What I liked most about this book is the delicate and thoughtful writing of the characters. Emily St. John Mandel has such a light touch with her characters, that each seems to have an authentic emotional presence. I especially liked Olive Llewellyn, whose presence was a gentle foundation for some of the plot.

The plot was intriguing, and well supported by the structure of the book, which pivots around the central chapter, making the second half of the book into a satisfying and drawn out resolution of the first half.

This is a short book that touches on a number of ideas - and for me that left a few things that needed a little more explanation or exploration. And for stalwarts of the time-travel subgenre of science fiction, the reveal at the end won’t come as a particular surprise. These are the only things that prevented me giving a 5-star review. This is the first Emily St. John Mandel book that I’ve read, and I will certainly be putting her others on my to-be-read list.

My rating: ★★★★☆

"Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller

Deeply moving. Unrelentingly hopeless.

My rating: ★★★★★

"Doppelganger" by Naomi Klein

For me, this is a difficult book to review. The author has some important, insightful and well researched observations about the behaviour of significant sections of the population that I have previously found bewildering and difficult to comprehend: conspiracy theorists, deniers of various kinds, and those that would liken minor lifestyle inconveniences with the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis. However, the book felt in places like a disjointed ragbag of ideas that were loosely (sometimes very loosely) tied together by the Doppelgänger theme - a theme that often felt slightly forced, or crowbarred in to justify talking about a particular topic in the context of the book.

Given the disjoint nature of the book, I was also left unsatisfied regarding any overall conclusion. The suggestion that we should work together, rather than as individuals, to address many of the problems we are currently facing seems shallow and weak - especially compared to the depth and strength of some of the issues covered, and the detail with which they have clearly been researched.

After reading this book, I do feel like I have more insight behind what might be driving some mass behaviours that I otherwise found incomprehensible - but I don’t know where that leaves me. I certainly don’t feel any better equipped, nor more hopeful - so I feel I may have missed something.

Thank you #NetGalley and Penguin Press UK for the free review copy of #Doppelganger in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

NetGalley Review

"This is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And with a reveal near the end that absolutely floored me. Still numb from the emotional aftermath of finishing it.

My rating: ★★★★★

"The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

I hadn’t read any Hemingway before so I didn’t know what to expect. This is essentially a book about a man who catches a fish. However, the richness of the character and the descriptions are absolutely captivating. The battle of wills between an old fisherman past his prime, and a large and noble fish is deeply engaging. The experience and emotions felt real and authentic. This is not the kind of book I wouldn’t normally gravitate to, but I read it as part of s desire to read more classic literature, and I’m glad that I did.

My rating: ★★★★☆

"The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame

This is a difficult book to review. I didn’t find the story at all engaging, and had difficulty finishing the book - I just didn’t want to pick it up again. I found the character of Toad infuriating, and his continued vacillation between bad behaviour and being contrite didn’t appear to convey any kind of meaningful message. The characters of Mole, Rat and Badger were amiable but shallow. I’m not sure why it is a classic.

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

"The Thick and The Lean" by Chana Porter

The Thick and the Lean is, in part, a veneration of food and cooking. Set in a world where eating is taboo, the core characters engage in a surreptitious love of the pleasures and sensations of eating well cooked food. It is also a study in deceit and power.

The plot tracks the progress of the two main characters as they navigate their love of food through a society where there is an extreme disparity between the richest and the poorest, and where there is a burgeoning climate crisis. The parallels with current events is clear, but not at all heavy-handed. For me, the story ended up with too many loose ends, but this is a personal preference and does not detract from the power of the story.

The two main characters have depth and complexity, and felt very real. I found myself drawn to them, and wanting good outcomes - albeit in very different ways for each. The supporting cast was also diverse, although with few being especially memorable.

There are themes that some people may find difficult: disordered eating and relationship with food; a free and relaxed attitude to sex, both in public and outside marriage; and the deceitful conduct of one of the main characters. To me, however, these were all justified, and contribute to the colour and depth of the dystopian world in which the author so successfully explores ideas of exclusion, class disparity, and social power.

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

My rating: ★★★★☆

NetGalley Review