More Fantastic Reads from Hastings Book Chat

As always there was a mixture of old favourites and wonderful new discoveries at the Book Chat meeting for June. We heard about some top contemporary fiction beginning with a really unusual but entertaining novel.

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck is quite a different sort of love story in that it follows the brief marriage of Lewis and Wren when Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He has less than a year to live as a human; over the following weeks and months he will gradually become a shark. How Wren comes to terms with this forms much of the story. Our reader found the book a little odd to start with but then enjoyed it hugely. 

The Broken Wave by Matthew Ryan Davies explores the fallout from an event in Drew’s childhood, which happened one summer when he and his friend Tom were boys. Decades later, Drew returns to the seaside town where it happened for Tom’s funeral. Are the secrets of the past about to be revealed? An excellent read full of tension and emotion.

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout is a surprisingly engaging collection of stories that feature a recurring character in Strout’s books: Lucy Barton. Not a lot happens in this grim little town, where all the stories are interconnected. Strout captures this small-town world and the characters that people it in interesting ways.

The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey has been recommended by several of the group and our latest reader also enjoyed it immensely. You pick it up wondering how a magpie can be an interesting main character, but from the first page you can’t help delighting in his narration. Rescued by a farmer’s wife, Tama reflects on the people he lives with and sees a darker side of human nature. A really clever story expertly told.

The first historical novel discussed was Pandora: a novel in three parts by Susan Stokes-Chapman. The story is set in a ‘shop of antiquities’ in London, 1799. It is here where we find Dora, an aspiring jewellery artist who lives with her nefarious uncle and who she suspects is up to no good. Dora sets about on a journey of discovery to help save her parents’ shop but opens a can of worms. Or perhaps a box of worms. An enjoyable read.

The Crooked Rib by Judy Corbalis is a really interesting story following the life of Eliza, the wife of New Zealand’s Governor Gray. In a loveless marriage, both sought affection elsewhere, which led to Eliza’s fall from grace. The book captures really well what it was like in colonial New Zealand from a woman’s point of view, but our reader thought the writing could have been better.

On the other hand, A Better Place by Stephen Daisley is terrifically well written. Our reader thought how wonderful to read a book that manages to describe the camaraderie between men sent to the Second World War, and the brutal effects it has on two brothers, in a nuanced and sensitive manner. A stunning book that won a slot on this year’s Ockham’s shortlist.

Another historical novel is The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth J Church, which is told from the point of view of Meridian Wallace, an American student of ornithology who falls in love with her physics professor. The two end up at Los Alamos, the site of the development of the atomic bomb. It’s a man’s world, and Meridian finds herself unable to continue her studies or choose her destiny. A really good read.

It seems it isn’t Book Chat without a John Boyne novel, and this time there were two. Next of Kin takes us back to the time of Edward VIII and his scandalous relationship with Mrs Simpson. Another family black sheep, Owen Montignac, has run up a huge gambling debt, only to discover his uncle has disinherited him in favour of his cousin. He’ll have to come up with a plan soon to save his skin, but luckily he is both ruthless and inventive. A terrific earlier book by Boyne that captures the intricacies of power among the aristocracy and government.

Our other John Boyne was A History of Loneliness which is the story of Father Odran Yates, a priest who has endured seeing some of his dearest friends condemned for their role in child sexual abuse. Committed to his faith, he wonders about his belief in the institution of the Church and of his own culpability. A thoughtful and intelligent read.

Sparrow by James Hymes takes us back to Spain under the rule of Ancient Rome where the Sparrow of the title is a young boy raised in a brothel. Hymes brings the world of Cathago Nova to life, its class structure and bustling town life, as well as the last gasps of pagan Rome, and the advent of the new Christian religion. A really interesting read with a memorable main character.

There’s usually some speculative fiction on the table and this time we heard about The Mars House by Natasha Pulley. This one’s set on a terraformed colony on Mars. Here January, once a principal dancer with London’s Royal Ballet, lives as a second-class citizen, when a xenophobic politician threatens January’s future. The story takes some unexpected twists and is a really enjoyable read.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon combines spec fic with the historical and is a regular around the book groups. The series began with the first book in 1991 and with nine fat books to get through, is a big commitment. However, once started, it is hard to put down, so set aside some time for this epic read.

Among the non-fiction that turned up at Book Chat was the beautiful coffee-table book Gordon Collier’s 3 Gardens, which is also beautifully written, and the memoir Knife: meditations after an attempted murder by Salman Rushdie. This is a deeply personal book and a more mellow offering from this author, describing his ordeal which began on 12 August 2022, following thirty years of a fatwa ordered against him. An excellent read with some positive life-affirming thoughts.

The first crime novel on the table was The Teacher by Tim Sullivan, the latest in a series that is becoming addictive for some of the group. In this story, socially awkward DS Cross investigates the death of an elderly teacher in his home. It’s difficult to find a motive for a respected community member, until the hint of a clue leads to a breakthrough. Another brilliant detective story that is an intricately plotted and a rewarding read.

Beautiful Death by Fiona McIntosh is the second book in the mystery series featuring DCI Jack Hawksworth, a cop on the tail of a serial killer in London. Complicating his case we’ve got the world of illegal immigrants and the trade of human organs. This was a very clever story, and it didn’t seem to matter that our reader hadn’t read the earlier book in the series first, Bye Bye Baby.

The Heron’s Cry by Anne Cleeves is the first book in the Matthew Venn series by the author of the popular Shetland and Vera series. This is another cleverly plotted story with a good surprise ending. The setting, like so many of Cleeve’s books is beautifully brought to life, although our reader prefers the Shetland books.

The Secret by Lee and Andrew Child is the latest book in the Jack Reacher series. For those that haven’t enjoyed the new books penned by the two Child brothers as much as the earlier ones, The Secret is a return to form and an excellent story. An inter-agency task force is called to investigate when a man is thrown to his death from a hospital window. Reacher, representing the Army, must investigate a secret that goes back 23 years.

Hastings Library Book Chat meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 10:30. New members are always welcome.

21 June 2024

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