I expected horrors to come at the end, and the story behind her face is revealed in the last few pages; the full terror of skin grafts and sedation expressed through the same subtle language that’s used throughout this wonderfully understated book, which concludes with a satisfying epilogue and last chapter which is full of hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  As If 
by Blake Morrison

 

This was a recommendation from she_ghost

 

I was interested in this as the Bulger case was one of the cases I covered in my dissertation on the link between violent media and violent acts, and although it did touch on the media violence angle, I was pleased that this was a detailed look at the case and our society as a whole.

 

Starting with a lengthy ramble through the children’s crusades, I wondered where this was going, but it made sense once he started talking about the case.

 

Blake Morrison was at the trial of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables in Preston, and looks at their backgrounds, influences, the nature of childhood and evil to find out what I wanted to know at the time: why?

 

There are a few passages I found hard to read (especially one that reads like a sex scene but turns out to be a description of him putting his daughter to bed) but this is a complex book that covers a lot but never strays too far that it loses your attention.

 

As Morrison illustrates, children can be, and often are cruel.

 

Through personal anecdotes, fables and factual examples, he looks at why children are portrayed as innocent, when they are far from that, and sets out a calm and fair conclusion that is far more thought-provoking than anything else I’ve read on the subject.

So, I’ve done. 50 books in one year. Phew! 



It could have been more, except there were a few I jettisoned half way through for failing to be what I wanted. Others, I stuck with em and failed to see the fuss even on the last page. Others made me feel excited about books, about writing and about the availability of ace books at my local library.

 

So, to finish this year’s first 50 books in a year on this journal, here are my top 5’s...

 

The Book of Other People - By Zadie Smith

I think I may do it again in 2008. anyone care to join me - it doesn't have to be 50, any number really
x

  

The Book of Other People
by Zadie Smith

I was excited by this book. The cover art, the authors I’ve previously enjoyed (Toby Litt, Adam Thirlwell, A.M Holmes, Nick Hornby) and illustrations by Daniel Clowes and Posy Simmonds.

According to the blurb:  "The Book of Other People" is just that: a book of other people. With an introduction by Zadie Smith and brand-new stories from over twenty of the best writers of their generation from both sides of the Atlantic, "The Book of Other People" is as dazzling and inventive as its authors, and as vivid and wide-ranging as its characters."

Although the characters and situations are wide-ranging this doesn't mean they're engaging.

Short stories are often seen as the less glamorous siblings of the novel but they’re often a lot harder to master, and this is evident here.

 

The trouble is, it left me feeling bit flat. Whist there are some ace stories in here, I get the feeling that some of these writers are so sued to having a full novel to flesh a character and their story out, that having a short story to make their mark was perhaps too much of a challenge.

 

David Mitchell’s Judith Castle, Heidi Julavits Judge Gladys Park Schultz and Rhoda, By Jonathan Safran Foer really stood out, but the rest, whilst the actual writing is proficient, a fair few of the scenarios refused to lift off the page, with characters who weren’t that interesting or believable, which was disappointing.

Stag Hunt
by Anthony McGowan 
 

A macho stag do, made up of southern ex-public schoolboys plus one token northerner who went to state school, takes place at a private house in the wilds of Cornwall.

 

One of the group is out for revenge, and McGowan provides enough character traits that made me think it could be any of them. They have a grudge against the group (bar Matthew who is a late invitee) due to being raped by the other men when they were at school, which was a practise actively encouraged by their pervy Latin teacher who meets a sticky end in the first part of the book.

 

All of the men have secrets and demons, which are told from the point of view of narrator Matthew (the token northerner) and also each of the other characters. Instead of being confusing, this technique works well, with clear voices and detailed back stories for each. The story also flips between their schooldays, to the recent past, to the present, which is also easy to follow, but very intricately plotted.

 

McGowan explores class and the male psyche very well, with details that are well researched - myths and legends, military references - and a heavy dose of machismo that you’d expect from a bunch of fellas with numerous hang ups ring true.

 

It’s mysterious and dark and violent and totally gripped my imagination with the possibilities that this story presented and would make an ace film.

 

 

Having read 'Cuban Heels' and 'Baggage', I chose this because of the author. And whilst this is good, it felt a lot ‘fluffier’ than her previous work.

 

The story is about Evie, a British cellist who is more famous for her looks than her musical ability. On the night of a major performance, she dumps her husband and embarks on single life, moving in with another girl and sleeping with reality popstars. So far so humdrum.

 

Then, she starts getting poison pen letters, runs off to New York where her best mate is having fertility treatment. This is where the pace picks up and it all starts to get interesting. Evie has secrets, which come tripping out as people from her past catch up with her and she catches up with them.

 

The last part of the book, feels a bit rushed, and although there are a few too many elements for one novel (it could have been way simpler) and I wasn’t massively keen on the epilogue, where all loose ends are tied up all too comfortably, Atlantic Shift is a bit of fun that, due to the knowing tone throughout, is one step up from chick lit.

 

A well planned out story, with an array of film noir –ish characters, filled with twists and (often violent) surprises that meant I couldn’t put this down until I got to the end.

 

If you like New York, Jazz, strong female characters or books like Stella Duffy’s Saz Martin series, then you’ll like this.

Long Way Back
by Brendan Halpin 

Being a lapsed catholic I usually shy away from religious themed books. This appeared to be about music, but the main characters, Clare and Francis turned out to be Catholics. Sneaky, but thankfully, their religion was a theme, but not the focus and they were portrayed as well-rounded people rather than born again botherers.
 
The story starts with the brother an sister from Boston in their rebellious teenage years following onto being responsible adulthood, where they both face tragic experiences which prompts Francis to lose his faith in God, get tattoos and join a band, and Clare, who cares for dying people and has a family to raise,  to try to help him find who he is again.
 
Their relationship rings true, as does the dialogue which switched from serious to playfully mean in a moment. For a book involving personal grief and breakdown -which is remedied through the euphoria of listening to and playing music (Ramones, the Who, the Cure, Buzzcocks) and using it as a tool for recovery -it isn’t actually hard going, and although there are moments which made me well up, it’s a positive story that has some great moments and I’d definately recommend it.