One of my favourite things about holidays is that I tend to have lots of time to read. These are my reviews of the six books I read while away with my family. I have done my best not to give away any spoilers but I do reference characters and moments - so be warned if you’re looking for recommendations and don’t want any giveaways!
1. The Power by Naomi Alderman
Women suddenly discover they have the power of electricity which they can wield through their hands. The world, and the patriarchy as we know it, becomes totally unhinged.
The fiery energy, quick pace and dramatic action of this story makes it a rollercoaster read - like a book workout!
I liked that the story was told through numerous viewpoints, although so much happens it might be nice to slow down and zoom into the protagonists and their backstories a bit more.
Since male physical strength has long been a key element in society’s justification that men are superior to women, by turning the tables so drastically, Alderman demonstrates how gender oppression could have been the other way around.
This novel continually caught me by surprise, I could not predict how it was going to pan out and how everyone would end up. But ultimately the message that shines through is, as the saying goes, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
However, Naomi Alderman uses an interesting framing device which I wasn’t convinced by. The book starts and finishes with an exchange of letters which didn’t add anything to the plot or the message in my view. If you have read the book or go on to read it, I would be interested to know if you think otherwise!
2. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Following the lives of three families and three cultures, the rollercoaster of action and reaction that Zadie Smith weaves is impressive.
It took me a while to get engaged with this one. It felt like a must read because I’d heard so many great things, and having finished it I appreciated what an interesting saga it was. Was I riveted and totally compelled by each page? Honestly, no. But did I still enjoy it? Definitely.
The characters took a while to settle in with. Samad and Archie as the two starting voices appear on the page so fully formed and set in their ways that as the reader you have to mould yourself around their stubborn rigidity rather than having the opportunity to bond and grow with them as the story moves.
There is a boldness to all of the protagonists, even those who are less confident, which forces the reader to absorb them on the character’s terms rather than their own.
Sometimes you want to step into the page and shake the lot of them for being stuck in their ways and unable to appreciate one another - which is a brilliant effect by Zadie Smith.
Certainly a distinctive and interesting read that I’m glad I made time for.
3. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Young love separated and then reunited against the odds - you couldn’t tick the boxes of a classic love story with more precision if you tried. With a bit of terminal illness thrown in for good measure, of course - this is Nicholas Sparks we’re talking about.
I wanted to know what the fuss was about. I’ve seen and loved the film with Rachael McAdams and Ryan Gosling, and I’ve seen a fair few of the other Sparks film adaptations so I thought why not try one of his best selling books!
The only credit I can give it is that it was a speedy read. Partly because I wanted to get it over and done with so I could write a scathing review but also because the writing style is very simplistic - almost like a movie script at times, which is convenient for all the directors who seem desperate to put Sparks’ writing onto the big screen!
Mostly my frustration with this book came from its blatant sexist stereotypes and irritating writing. Sparks is the embodiment of the ‘male gaze’ in this book. The first introduction to our leading lady involved a description of her getting naked, admiring herself ( “her body was firm and well proportioned, breasts softly rounded, stomach flat, legs slim”) followed by getting in the bath and shaving her legs. This lens through which Allie is depicted continues on a downward trajectory as just before the lovers reunite she checks herself out in the mirror and laments the fact that she doesn't have any hairpins or mascara but returns to Noah, “feeling pretty despite everything” (“everything” being that it rained so she got wet hair?). So many of Sparks’ lines are so cliché they were embarrassing to read. I won’t even start on the sex scene. (Well maybe just briefly). Supposedly when he came (and of course they orgasmed together after about five minutes) she felt his soul within her?
Male centred, totally not feminist and missing out some of the best moments from the film! One of the truly rare occasions where I can say without hesitation that the film is better than the book.
4. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
The intertwining lives of three mothers coping with tragedy, love, responsibility and morality. When Cecilia finds a letter from her husband instructing her to read after his death, she opens Pandora's box.
Wow. Liane Moriarty does not disappoint.
This is the second of her books which I have read, the first being Big Little Lies. I was captivated from the first page - perhaps even more so than I was with Big Little Lies. Her writing style is brilliant. The ordinary trivial nature of the problems the women face (like getting the kid’s Easter bonnets ready and attending Tupperware parties) while also juggling great all devouring secrets is thrilling to read.
As a dramatic, fast paced page turner, it doesn’t get much better than this. And wow, what an ending.
My only criticism (although I would hardly describe it as a critique) is that her protagonists, the setting and the energy of the story felt similar to that of Big Little Lies. No bad thing when it works so effectively but I’m curious as to whether, in the other seven books that I haven’t read, her style deviates much. However, a wonderful summer read that I would absolutely recommend.
5. You are not a before picture by Alex Light
In thirteen beautiful, amusing and profoundly educational chapters, Alex Light tackles the deeply ingrained diet culture that causes so many people to have an unhealthy and unhappy relationship with food and their bodies. Armed with fantastic information and combined with the voices of a diverse range of experts, this book felt like a reassuring hug.
She spills all the facts on the history of diets (which was fascinating), reminds us that ‘fat’ is not a bad word, that beauty is a trend, fitness doesn’t automatically equate to thinness and it is OK to gain weight - as well as much more!
I first heard of Alex Light on the podcast ‘I Weigh’ where she spoke of many of the things she articulates in this book and after following her on Instagram my love and admiration for her and all that she advocates has continued to grow. (If you follow my Instagram you may notice that I often share her reels.)
For anyone who has struggled with their body image or their relationship with eating, this book is an extremely comforting and useful tool to addressing society’s toxic mindset as well as our own ingrained one.
6. Such a fun age by Kiley Reid
A young black babysitter is accosted by supermarket security when they assume she has kidnapped the child she is taking care of because that child is white. Subsequently the relationship between the sitter, Emira, and the child’s parents shifts as white mother, Alix, tries to prove to herself and Emira how all accepting and “woke” she is.
I have an overflowing buzz of excitement around this book. Sometimes I love a book so much that I want to keep it all to myself because it feels so close and personal to me, other times I love books in a way that makes me want to share them with as many people as possible. This book is the latter - I have already leant it to a friend!
Kiley Reid writes such real, flawed protagonists.
There are no definitive good and bad characters - the moral line is more of a grey blur. You acknowledge and sometimes sympathise with what Alix and Kelley are trying to achieve but often cringe at the uncomfortable way they go about it. Alix’s self congratulation as she notes how many black people she has around her dinner table, for instance, is uncomfortable.
While the book is very much centred around race, it is mainly the white characters who are concerned about these dynamics. Reid’s characters are beautifully complex and confused in themselves which then reflects on their actions and behaviour.
From chapter one I was gripped. Go and read this fabulous novel!
Comentarios