Terrific New Book Recommendations from Book Chat

The crew that meets once a month for Book Chat at Hastings Library discuss a wide range of books, but at the last meeting, it was contemporary fiction that was the stand-out genre, along with some interesting fantasy and some historical novels. 

Top pick for the month from one reader was Apeirogon by Callum McCann. The title is a mathematical term meaning a shape that has “infinite countable sides”. The novel is mainly about the problem between Israel and the Palestinians and follows the story of two men, one from each side, both of whom have lost a daughter to the hostilities. The book has multiple story threads and references – a pot-pourri of interesting asides. Brilliant and moving all at once.

Body Friend by Katherine Brabon is the story of three women, the unnamed main character suffering from from a chronic and mildly debilitating illness. When she meets Frida at the swimming pool, her new friend encourages her to swim often, while Sylvia who has a similar illness tells her she must rest. A compelling read about pain, recovery and friendship.

Love as a Stranger is a brilliant novel by favourite Kiwi author Owen Marshall. This story focuses on Sarah, a likeable character who is in Auckland with her husband while he is being treated for cancer. During a walk in a nearby cemetery, Sarah meets Hartley who becomes obsessed with her, encouraging her to have an affair with him. A disquieting novel about manipulation and a terrific character study.

The Farm by Joanne Ramos centres on a resort where women go to be surrogate mothers for wealthy clients. Jane is from the Philippines and needs money, so the “farm” offers a solution. But unable to leave the resort for nine months, her worries about her life outside, particularly the welfare of her daughter, are a growing concern.

Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas is a beautifully written debut novel about a relationship between a young woman and a much older man. Having just finished university, our narrator holidays at the beach with her mother. Here she comes across Jude, an enigmatic but self-contained man and the two embark on an affair. A story about nostalgia, love and loss hauntingly written in poetic prose.

The Unfolding by A M Homes is set just after the election of Barak Obama. It paints a picture of an America divided, and the extent a right-wing faction of wealthy Republicans would go to in order to disrupt the new government. The story focuses on one particular family where young Megan gets to vote for the first time and discovers her hopes for the future do not mesh with her father’s.

Eucalyptus by Murray Bail is a kind of modern-day fairy tale and as such is in a class of its own. First published in 1998, it won both the Miles Franklin Award and a Commonwealth Writers Prize. The novel tells the story of Holland, the owner of a large property where he has planted hundreds of different kinds of gum trees. When his daughter Ellen is nineteen, Holland sets a task for any suitor wishing to marry his daughter – he must be able to name all the species of eucalypt on his land. A brilliant but bizarre love story.

Among the historical fiction discussed was The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict. This is the story of Hedy Lamar, from her life under the threat of Nazi Germany, to her escape to America where she became a famous actress. What people may not know is her reputation as a scientist and her patent for torpedo tracing technology, spurned at the time as she was a woman and as such not taken seriously, but now used in cell phones. A great read about a fascinating life.

This book is over a hundred years old, and certainly wasn’t a historical novel when published, but reads a bit like one now. The Passionate Puritan is by Jane Mander, the Kiwi author who brought us The Story of a New Zealand River. This novel dates from the 1920s and is set in a Northland mill town, capturing the industry of kauri milling, along with a light-hearted romance. A charming story worth picking up.

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward is the latest book from the award-winning author of Salvage the Bones. The new book takes us back to the era of American slavery, its main character Annis sold by the white enslaver who was also her father. She is marched all the way from a rice plantation in the Carolinas to a sugar plantation in Louisiana, and suffers repeated acts of inhumanity, talking to spirits for strength. It’s a powerful read, really well written, the title taken from a line from Dante’s Inferno.

Mr Einstein’s Secretary by Matthew Reilly requires the reader to suspend belief once or twice but is an entertaining read nonetheless. The story spans 40 years beginning in 1919, and is set in both Berlin and New York. It follows Hanna Fischer who only ever wanted to study physics. Circumstances dictate otherwise and she becomes a secretary, and spy during the challenging years of Nazi Germany and the war.

Introducing a touch of the gothic is The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker. Sylvia lives in New Mexico, a well-respected but reclusive artist. A journalist tracks her down, asserting that he knows her real identity. She grew up as Iris Chapel, one of six sisters who were heiresses to a firearms fortune. Cloistered and secluded, each of Iris’s sisters made a bid for freedom through marriage, only to meet a mysterious death. Can Sylvia/Iris outrun her family curse? An enjoyable, and imaginative ghost story.

The Constant Rabbit is Jasper Fforde at his cleverly imaginative best. Peter Knox lives in a quintessentially English village as the garden of the year competition approaches. As a rabbit spotter Peter is kept busy. Due to an anthropomorphising event, Doc and Constance Rabbit are talking, walking rabbits who have joined society and have moved in next door to Peter. Loads of real-life parallels come to mind when you read this witty allegorical tale.

Morgan is my Name by Sophie Keetch takes us back to the days of Arthur and the early years of Morgan le Fay and what made her the evil sorceress of the famous legend. A novel about the machinations of power at court, banishment and magic as Morgan attempts to live her life on her own terms. An interesting read.

Alix E Harrow’s novel Starling House is named for the home in Eden, Kentucky that belonged to a writer who disappeared in mysterious circumstances. E Starling’s only book was disturbing, and the town of Eden has experienced an odd amount of bad luck. Main character Opal takes a chance to see inside the house and discovers secrets as well as sinister forces to be dealt with. An entertaining read full of atmosphere and possibly also the prettiest cover on the table at Book Chat that day.

23 February 2024

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