I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit behind on my book reviews.
Last autumn, I was really busy with work and editing my novel, so I didn’t get much time at all to blog. When I did manage to post, I wanted to do something quick and engaging and writing up my monthly reading round-up does take a bit of time and effort.
So I’m making a start on getting caught up, before 2019 gets away from me!
In August and September, I read some really great books.
The Lido, by Libby Page
Twenty-something Kate is a journalist on a local paper in Brixton, where she leads a lonely, anxious life. When she’s assigned to a story about a local outdoor pool, which is under threat of closure, she meets eighty-six-year-old Rosemary, who has been swimming there all her life.
The two women form an unlikely friendship, determined to save the lido. But it might just save them.
One of the big debuts of last year, The Lido is riding the post-Eleanor Oliphant up-lit wave and it manages to capture the same bittersweet but ultimately uplifting vibe as its predecessor.
Kate and Rosemary are very different people, but they’re both struggling: Kate with anxiety and a sense of inferiority, Rosemary with the death of her husband. But their relationship brings both women joy and it is life-changing for Kate, who is introduced to the tight-knit community and begins to grow into herself and her adult life.
I really enjoyed this one!
In Our Mad and Furious City, by Guy Gunaratne
Three boys grow up on the Stones Estate in London, only bothered about football, music and their own freedom. But they all have family troubles and there are riots brewing across the city that threaten to destroy the futures they each hope for.
This book was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize last year and it’s easy to see why. Written in a flowing poetic grime-infused language that captures the essence of modern youth across the spectrum of race and religion, it’s an intense and powerful read.
Living the lives they do, there probably isn’t much hope for these boys, despite their talents. Selvon is an athlete, always running from something, towards something, while Ardan dreams of being a grime artist. Yusuf is focused on his family and his religion, after the death of his father, an imam at the local mosque, his brother has been drawn in a troubling direction.
The story deals with issues of racism and otherness, of a community made from disparate parts, and poverty. It drives the reader on towards the shocking conclusion. This is a book that explores something fundamental about our time, while focusing on the characters and portraying them all, whatever their backgrounds, as young men with the same hopes and dreams of a life that offers something more.
The Chalk Man, by CJ Tudor
This crime thriller features a creepy narrative split across two timelines, after the body of a teenage girl is discovered brutally killed in a small town, a local man is accused of the crime. But 20 or so years later, a group of local men who were at school at the time of the killing begin to wonder what really happened.
The Chalk Man was one of the big crime reads of 2018, but I must admit, I didn’t fall in love with it.
The story is creepy and gruesome in places, but it reminded me of the Point Horror books I used to read as a child, it had the same kind of atmosphere, although obviously aimed at adults!
Turning Blue, by Benjamin Myers
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a few years now, after I picked up an advance copy at a book event. I finally got round to reading it and was blown away.
Benjamin Myers has won various literary awards and his star is on the rise after his latest book, The Gallows Pole, won the Walter Scott Prize last year.
Turning Blue is a literary crime novel that follows local journalist Roddy Mace and loner detective DS Brindle as they investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl on the remote moors of the Yorkshire Dales.
The case soon leads them to uncover the shocking secrets of a group of local businessmen, including TV presenter Lovely Larry Lister, and the destitute farmer Steven Rutter, an outcast from the community, but one who takes on the jobs no one else is prepared to do.
The book is beautifully written, which contrasts sharply with the sometimes disturbing nature of the story and the brutality of the characters. It captures the desolation of the landscape and the often desperate lives of the people who live among it. There are moments of shocking violence and uncomfortable sex scenes that won’t be for everyone, but this is a powerful, engrossing read.
Lethal White, by Robert Galbraith
The latest book in the Cormoran Strike series, which follows an ex-army private detective and his assistant as they investigate dark and violent cases.
Things between Strike and Robin are a bit awkward, after her wedding to Matthew and the subsequent change in their relationship. When they’re hired to look into a blackmail case involving an MP, it means Robin has to go undercover in the Houses of Parliament. But she’s still struggling to deal with panic attacks after being attacked on a previous case and is having trouble at home.
Meanwhile Strike is obsessed with finding out the truth about the young lad who turned up in their office, convinced he’d witnessed a crime years before. But when he disappears a connection soon to their other case soon turns up.
I’ve been waiting for three years for this book and it was lovely to be back in the world of Strike and Robin. This isn’t the best book in the series and the story is a bit convoluted, but I enjoyed it. The characters are the best thing about this series and seeing their progression and changing relationship is always exciting. Hopefully it won’t be three years until the next one comes out!
N.B. This post contains affiliate links. I received a complimentary advance copy of The Lido, In Our Mad and Furious City and Turning Blue for the purposes of review, but all opinions are my own.