The Worst Journey in the World by John R McKay

Reviewer : Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore, False Lights & Sacred Lake. (www.gillianhamer.com)

What we thought: I was keen to read this novel when it became available for a Bookmuse review as I am a big fan of this writer and enjoyed his earlier novel 'The Absolution Of Otto Finkel'. And I have to say I was as captivated by this latest offering.

George Martin is an inexperienced 19-year-old Navy recruit who finds himself part of the mission to protect supply boats trading with Russia during World War II across some of the most inhospitable oceans in the world. We get to know George before he signs up, and meet his friends and family in his home town of Liverpool. We see how he acclimatises to life in the Navy on his first posting to Malta, and how he develops and matures as Navy life becomes more gruelling. When George’s frigate is hit and he’s forced to abandon ship, the reader is taken through his lowest period when injuries and the cruel conditions threaten to end his life.

Although this is a work of fiction, it has roots in the stories of wartime sea journeys to and from Russia, and the untold of stories of the normal men who were left to survive in some of the worst conditions imaginable. The story is cleverly told from George’s POV and although the attention to detail has obviously taken many months of research, the reader never feels bogged down with information and the story progresses at a balanced pace. Characterisation is superbly handed and the dialogue of the period feels completely natural.

I soon found myself engrossed in George’s life and eager to turn each page to see when the story would take us, especially in some of the most tense episodes. Another excellent book from this talented writer and I very much look forward to reading more books from him in the future.

You’ll enjoy this if you like : Alexander Fullerton, Wilbur Smith, Andrew Turpin.

Avoid if you don’t like : Wartime stories and cold weather.

Ideal accompaniments: Powdered egg and a mug of Bovril.

Genre : Historical

Available on Amazon

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

Reviewer: David C Dawson

What We Thought:

There are some writers whose writing is so beautiful, and so profound, that you have to pause and reread sections of their work. Did he really pinpoint exactly how I felt in a similar situation, over thirty years ago? Did he reawaken that profound memory, locked inside my mind, and phrase it with such exquisite elegance?

Aciman is one of those writers.

This is his first novel. And yet the writing is confident, spare, and pin sharp in its depiction of a six-week romance between a seventeen-year-old boy and a twenty-four year old man.

It is the mid 1980s, and Elio is a precocious teenager on holiday with his academic, liberal parents on the Italian Riviera. His summer routine of reading, composing at the piano and lazing by the pool is shaken by the arrival of Oliver, a young American lecturer from Columbia University. He has come to assist Elio’s father with his academic work. Oliver is bright and brash. He sometimes irritates Elio with his use of the dismissive word “Later” instead of “Goodbye”.

Elio first swoons, then makes clumsy, naïve passes at Oliver. We are unsure whether Oliver is interested, or is even gay. Aciman creates an intricate cat and mouse game between the two, viewed through the eyes of the hormonally charged Elio.

A large part of the book paints an accurate picture of teenage insecurity and frustration. Then the passion kicks in, and things really heat up. The writing is very sensual, and very beautiful. There is a speech delivered by Elio’s world-weary, seemingly all-knowing father towards the end of the book that had me welling up at its poignancy. “Right now there’s sorrow,” he says. “I don’t envy the pain. But I envy you the pain.”

The film of this book came out last year, and captured the atmosphere well. But inevitably the screen adaptation omitted sections of the original. If you have seen the film and not yet read the book, I urge you to do so. There is a completeness in the original text which is missing from the film.

This is far more than a gay coming of age romance. It is a timeless evocation of love

You’ll enjoy this if you like: A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White

Avoid if you don’t like: Some limited description of gay sex

Ideal accompaniments: A fresh ripe peach

Genre: Romance, LGBTQ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Call-Your-Name-Andre-Aciman/dp/1843546531

Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon

Reviewer : Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore, False Lights & Sacred Lake. (www.gillianhamer.com)

What we thought: I have been looking forward to this book since its release, having adored the debut novel from Joanna Cannon – The Trouble with Goats and Sheep. And I’m pleased to say this didn’t disappoint! I actually wiped away a tear as I turned the final page and said goodbye to a collection of wonderful characters.

From a teenage world of the 1970’s in the first novel from this author, here we’re taken to Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly and introduced into the life of some of the inhabitants, including our lead protagonist 84-year-old Florence - and her lifelong best friend Elsie.

This book makes the reader work, and that’s no bad thing. In one thread, Florence is lying alone, having had a fall in her flat, and the author cleverly uses this to introduce flashbacks and info needed to move the story along. In others, there’s a degree of confusion as Florence’s episodes of dementia muddy the water between reality and fiction. But as ever, she has her best friend Elsie at her side to hold her hand, calm down and say the right thing.

There’s also a degree of mystery when a strange man arrives at Cherry Tree, and his appearance rocks Florence to her roots. If this is the person she thinks it is, then he drowned over fifty years ago. And when odd things begin to happen to Florence – including a fire in her flat and a curious incident with Battenberg cakes – she knows some of her own secrets have come back to haunt her.

There is everything in this book; mystery, intrigue, compassion, humour and empathy. The characters are superb, the pace handled with a delicate balance, and the voice and tone are a lesson in the craft of writing. By the time you get to the end you will have experienced every emotion known to human kind.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll be pondering the third thing about Elsie for a long time to come.


You’ll enjoy this if you like : Kate Hamer, Gail Honeyman, Celia Imrie.

Avoid if you don’t like : Dementia and the strength of the human spirit.

Ideal accompaniments: Fish and chips with extra salt and vinegar and a can of Dr Pepper.

Genre : Contemporary.

Available on Amazon

Can You Brexit without Breaking Britain? By Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson

Reviewer: JJ Marsh

What we thought:

An interactive gamebook which puts the reader in to the Prime Minister's shoes. Every decision you make has an effect and you must deal with the consequences. For such a polarising issue, this is accessible to all and good fun while making you think.

You wake up on the morning after the Brexit vote and choose your first move. Flip to the relevant page and pick your next option. When you hit a dead-end, go back to the fork in the road and have another go. This is not just about running the country, but maintaining control of your party and shining a light on yourself.

The PM must deal with quandary after crisis, all the while keeping tally of one's score under four headings: Authority, Economy, Goodwill and Popularity. Who must you keep happy? Who do you listen to? Where can you find friends? What advice dare you trust?

While witty and acerbic with a sly dig at the contemporary players in the Brexit drama, this is well researched and intelligently thought out. Facts and realities underpin every move and you cannot claim a lack of knowledge as all the implications are there on paper.

Bear in mind the British media are watching, ready to criticise everything from your choice of holiday to frivolous footwear. Reading this while watching the reality play out on our TV screens is a bizarre experience.

Highly recommended for anyone who wonders what the hell is going on and why. Warning: might possibly make you feel sorry for Theresa May.

You’ll enjoy this if you like: Witty political drama such as The Thick of It; Yes, Minister; Dear Bill

Avoid if you don’t like: Politics, the British, having to deal with the fallout of your decisions

Ideal accompaniments: Full English breakfast, a pint of British Bulldog and Bach's St John Passion

Genre: Humour, Contemporary

Available on Amazon

Almost Love by Louise O'Neill

Reviewer: JJ Marsh

What we thought:

One of those rare reads you can't stop thinking about.
O'Neill's previous two novels - Only Ever Yours and Asking For It - are both pitched as YA and dive right to the heart of the female condition. Their protagonists are flawed and human and the damage unfolds in front of our eyes.

But with Sarah Fitzpatrick in Almost Love the damage is already done. This young woman is selfish, demanding, ungrateful, judgemental and throws her self-respect on and off like a cape.

The story switches between now and then.

Now Sarah's a lucky girl, living with her boyfriend Oisín in a house given them by his mother. She has a good job as an art teacher in Dublin and looks down on her country background and small-town friends. That doesn't stop her despising the glamorous crowd she hangs out with at the same time.

Then was different. Then, she met Matthew Brennan, successful estate agent and father to one of her pupils. Flirtation becomes an affair, strictly on his terms, but like any addict, she will sacrifice anything for a summons to that shabby hotel room. Her father, her friends and the man who loves her for who she is, Fionn, are all cast aside in her craving for Matthew's affection. Her betrayals get harsher as her need grows. Simultaneously, a sense of discomfort builds in the reader. It's like watching a car crash in slow-motion in the full knowledge there is nothing you can do.

Much has been made of Sarah as an unlikable protagonist, but I think we react against her because she reminds us of ourselves at our worst. Alarming and powerful, this book is a reminder of how your worst enemy might be yourself.

You’ll enjoy this if you like: Psychological shadows such as in Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas, We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver or Involved by Kate O'Riordan

Avoid if you don’t like: The realities of obsession/addiction or a heroine you want to shake

Ideal accompaniments: Vodka Red Bull, fizzy colas and Human Behaviour by Bjork

Genre: Contemporary, literary fiction

Available on Amazon

The Beasts of Electra Drive by Rohan Quine

Reviewer: Catriona Troth

What We Thought:

The Beasts of Electra Drive is the story of a games designer who becomes deeply disenchanted with the ‘lowest common denominator’ mentality of the big corporation he works for, and leaves it in order to create a game of his own. But when his former employers refuse to take his desertion lying down, something rather strange happens, and the characters from Jaymi’s game start to cross over into ‘meat space’ and become the arms of Jaymi’s revenge.

Quine’s narrative challenges the arbitrariness of commercial gate-keepers and the randomness of success – and has a lot of fun in the process. It’s an odd mixture of dark – verging on horror – with more than a bit of kitsch. Some of the characters overlap with characters from Quine’s earlier work (like The Platinum Raven), though this is not strictly a prequel.

The Beasts of Electra Drive makes use of passages of almost incantatory repetition – something we accept quite happily in music and in books for young children, but which is unexpected in a book written for adults. It’s used primarily when Jaymi builds each of his characters and draws then through into ‘meatspace’, giving the act the feel of a creation myth.

It’s a very visual novel too. Quine gives his narrative voice (and sometimes his characters), the eye of a camera mounted on a drone, able to fly across valley in zoom in on details miles in the distance – like a tiny reflection in the pupil of someone’s eye. It’s set in and around Los Angeles and swoops from the Hollywood Hills mansions of the mega-rich, through the glass-sided towers of business districts, down into the slums and back again.

Reading this book is a little like watching a particularly unsettling art house movie. You will be, in turn, disoriented, enchanted and repelled.

For all the technology involved, this is more magic realism than science fiction. It deliberately pushes the boundaries of the outrageous and challenges you to go along for the ride.

You’ll Enjoy This If You Loved: The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas, The Imagination Thief by Rohan Quine, Delirium by Barbara Scott Emmett

Avoid if You Dislike: Surrealism, incantatory prose

Perfect Accompaniment: A Tequila Sunrise

Genre: Literary Fiction, Magic Realism

Available on Amazon

Temptation: A User’s Guide by Vesna Main

Reviewer: Barbara Scott Emmett, author of Delirium: The Rimbaud Delusion, The Land Beyond Goodbye and The Man with the Horn (http://barbarascottemmett.blogspot.co.uk/)

What We Thought: Vesna Main's short stories are unlike anything I have read before. I was occasionally reminded of Beckett and Pinter - though for me these stories lacked the dramatic tension of the plays. They vary in length from a page or two to interminable. Well, those long ones do actually end eventually but often without a conclusion.

These stories are irritating, bewildering, annoying, bemusing, challenging and enraging. The thing is, that appears to be the intention. They prod you and poke you and generally disturb you until you want to fling them aside in a fit of pique.

I made the mistake of reading some of these before bed - something I would strongly advise against as I was kept awake trying to puzzle out what they were about and what they might mean. Or, if they weren't about anything, what the fact that they weren't about anything might mean. I had to stop reading a couple of the more repetitive ones for the sake of my sanity.

Many of the stories feature people who are obsessed with something, though often that something is not obvious. Some seem obsessed with overthinking and others with having no particular thoughts at all. The characters are not particularly rounded and often there is little or no description or dialogue. Indeed, these pieces conform to no conventions of short fiction at all. Now, this is not to say they are bad. Or badly written. If the intention is to frustrate the reader and provoke a reaction, they are very good indeed.

Now, I expect some people will think these are rubbish and that the publishers are suffering from Emperor's New Clothes syndrome. Being the sophisticated consumer of modern fiction that I am, however, (or that I imagine myself to be) I am determined to avoid falling into this trap. I can't honestly say I enjoyed them and they certainly weren't relaxing - but then neither is Picasso's Guernica.

Anyway, you will have to read them yourself in order to decide whether they are good or not. Go on - give them a go. I dare you.

You’ll enjoy this if you like: Unconventional fiction that challenges and provokes not because of its subject matter but because of the way it is written.

Avoid if you dislike: Being rubbed up the wrong way by a writer you've never met.

Ideal accompaniments: A couple of paracetamol.

Genre: Short Fiction.

Available on Amazon

The Chalky Sea by Clare Flynn

Reviewer : Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore, False Lights & Sacred Lake. (www.gillianhamer.com)

What we thought: A well crafted WWII story of love, loss and acceptance. We follow twin stories of Jim from Canada and Gwen from Eastbourne, UK. Poles apart in terms of their lives before the war, both haunted by memories and tragedies of the past ... and both of them about to experience passion for the first time in their lives in the most unlikely of circumstances.

The two threads run separately for two thirds of the novel, but there’s a rich intensity in knowing that at some point the character’s paths will cross. And when Jim runs away from home and joins the army, he’s soon sent, via a training camp in Aldershot, to the UK town of Eastbourne to help with the coastal defences.

Gwen is alone in a large house, her husband away at war, and finds herself helping others for the first time in her life - and feeling more useful than she has ever felt. She takes in a homeless family bombed out of their home, and soon finds herself housing three Canadian soldiers – one of them being Jim.

The story is told at a gripping and emotive pace, with highs and lows, and with attention of detail and location accuracy that added another level to the book. By the end, I was desperate to know if either of the characters would get the happy ending they deserved – and I’m delighted there’s a sequel for us to enjoy too.

If you’re a fan of romantic drama and historical fiction, this is one not to be missed.

You’ll enjoy this if you like : Maggie Hope, Pam Howes, Grace Thompson.

Avoid if you don’t like : Wartime stories.

Ideal accompaniments: Corned beef and mash with half a pint of Mild.

Genre : Historical.


Available on Amazon