Review of 'Normal People' by Sally Rooney

I'm going to do my best to keep my thoughts about the BBC drama of Normal People separate from the book because I watched it between reading the book and writing this review. I read Conversations with Friends by the same author last year and really wasn't a fan, but I decided to stick with it and give Normal People a go. It was definitely better, but I'm not sure I enjoyed it anywhere near as much as I did on screen because wow do I fancy Connell or Marianne more?

Normal People is told from two perspectives: Connell's and Marianne's. They're two teens living in Ireland who go to the same school. Whilst Connell is popular, Marianne is not, which is why he insists that they keep their sexual relationship a secret. Whilst Connell's grown up in a very poor one parent household filled with love, Marianne's home is rich in money but poor in love. They're drawn to each other and despite their differences, fall in love.

The chapters of the book take place every few months over a number of years, following the pair through school, university and beyond as they gravitate in and out of love and friendship. The pair attend the same university where the popularity balance is inverted, with Connell struggling to find his place there and Marianne really thriving. 

For a book that's part of the literary realist genre I did quite enjoy this. I liked the fact that the pair never had a 'perfect' relationship and things didn't seem unrealistic. There was a lot of discussion around mental health issues, including mention of suicide, depression and anxiety. The book also opened up a lot of conversation around sexual assault and domestic abuse, so I'd send a big trigger warning around that. It really taps into both emotional abuse and physical abuse, highlighting that both can have intense effects on people.

I gave this three stars and would recommend it if you're a fan of Ordinary People, Sally Rooney's writing, or literary realism in general. 

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Review of 'On The Come Up' by Angie Thomas

After reading The Hate U Give I put off buying and then reading this for a while because I was worried it wouldn't compare at all to just how incredible THUG was. However, that was dumb and I should have trusted Angie Thomas' writing because this was SO GOOD too. They're both some of my favourite YA books I've ever read and now I can't wait for Concrete Rose to be released. 

On the Come Up is all about 16 year old Bri who wants to be a rapper just like her dad was before he died. Her mum however wants her to focus on school and just stay out of trouble. There's no food at home, and despite her mum's and brother's best efforts, the family is running out of money. Bri is determined to make a difference, and the only way she knows how is by trying to get her name out there as a rapper. 

When Bri uses the stereotypes that are forced onto her to make a rap that goes viral when she uses it at the rap battleground her dad had so much success at, she is misunderstood. The nuance of showing the stereotypes are wrong is not understood, and Bri starts to face more discrimination and hate than she ever had done before. With her mum and friends begging her to step away, can she do it?

As I said already, I LOVED this book. Although I wouldn't describe myself as really being into rap, I liked that Angie Thomas included Bri's raps in the book. The book was excellent at showing what it's like to be a teen trying to work out who you are when the world is pushing a whole bunch of different agendas on you. Bri's family and friends (and herself) are flawed, but likeable, and it did feel like delving into a community when reading this book. It touches on police brutality, and how the presence of police in schools can make Black students feel, which is something I've never really seen discussed in detail, but is so important.

The book made me laugh and cry and want to scream and I'd really recommend it for and YA fans. This was of course a 5 star read!

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Review of 'Bad Romance' by Emily Hill

I'm not always the biggest fan of short stories - they have to be really well done for me to enjoy them at all - but I had high hopes for this. From the blurb/outset it sounded great: vaguely feminist stories about different situations women encounter, however I really struggled to enjoy this.

The stories in the collection are all written by the same author, and range across a variety of different situations, from a woman faking pregnancy at her ex's wedding to get back at him, to another woman being widowed under circumstances you'd never expect. I really wanted to enjoy this, and I liked the idea of the stories, but I just feel as though they weren't very well done. 

Each story had a woman in it that was so similar it meant all the stories weren't very distinct from one another, but different enough to make it disjointed. There was also a twist at the end of each story, which was another thing that sort of bound these stories into being a bit similar, but sometimes it felt like the twist was so forced that the story no longer made sense? I really struggled to get my head around the whole book because of it.

I gave this 2 stars because there were a couple of the short stories that I enjoyed. I just felt as though it either needed to be more coherent or more dissonant, and not have this weird in-between state that made it a not very enjoyable read. I found myself really trying to tear through this to finish it as soon as possible.

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Review of 'The Unseen' by Roy Jacobsen

I love the kindle store - searching through streams of books and picking out the ones you really think you'll love and having them all their at your fingertips is incredible. However, sometimes the algorithm gets a little fuzzy or maybe I've just read a range of books that have confused it because it recommended The Unseen to me and it's totally out of my comfort zone and also unlike things I've read in recent years.

I don't think I've read any Nordic noir before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from The Unseen. It was dark and gloomy and full of isolation and bleakness. Ingrid Barroy lives on Barroy island, named after her family, which are the sole inhabitants. Her family live a hard life there, working the land and struggling through long, hard winters. 

Her father's greatest goal is to build a quay to connect the island to the mainland, but when modern life tries to enter the island, Hans realises that perhaps he doesn't want this connection as much as he thought.

I struggled quite a lot with this book, in part because of how dark it was. It was well written, and I really could envision this misty, gloomy island, but I think I just wasn't quite the right reader for the book. It reminded me a bit of Little House on the Prairie but instead of rolling meadows there were endless bogs.

I gave this three stars because I enjoyed the storyline about this family trying to cope in the isolated setting, but I found myself wanting to push ahead and skip bits to get closer to the end.

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Review of 'The Memory Wood' by Sam Lloyd

I *think* this may well be the first thriller I read in 2020 (although definitely not the last!). I'm a big fan of thrillers, although this one leached into horror a bit more than I normally would go for. 

The Memory Wood tells the story of the kidnap of 13-year-old Elissa. She's at a chess tournament with her mum when she's abducted and taking to a basement in the middle of a forest. There her abductor leaves her in the dark with little food and water and torments her. However, a boy named Elijah who lives in the Memory Wood visits her, sneaking her in food and offers a little respite. Soon Elissa sees Elijah as the key to her escape, and hopes that she can manipulate him into letting her free.

The book has a whole lot of twists, which I really enjoyed. It was well paced and dramatic and I definitely felt myself wanting to read more. The trial points of view of the detective working on the case, Elijah and Elissa worked really well in adding to the tension. However, there were a few things that I really didn't get on with in the book. Elissa is constantly being described in ways to set her apart from 'normal' 13 year old girls, and the author spends a LOT of time stressing how unusual it is that she's able to think logically. The other major issue for me is that at one point she decides to kiss her captor and the way it is described sexualises her, which as she's 13 I really don't think needed to be included in the book.

Aside from those issues, it was a complex thriller that did keep you guessing. But for me the ending was very rushed. Everything happened very quickly and some plot threads that were built up during the book just weren't explained, and I ended up finishing it feeling a little disappointed.

I gave this three stars, but if you like having a lot of suspense at the end of a book still then this might be a good read for you.

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Review of 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare

'Macbeth' is the first play that actually made me like Shakespeare. We studied it at school after a few years of the comedies like A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. Whilst I *sort of* appreciate them now, I just don't think they're a good starting point for teens? They're confusing and the gory tragedies appeal much more to school kids. 

Anyway, 10 years on I came back for a re-read and I loved it even more than I did the first time around. If you're not familiar with the story, three witches make a prophecy to Macbeth that he will be king, but his children will not. He tells his wife and Lady Macbeth hatches a plan to secure his position as king. It all gets out of control when they commit murder; whilst he regrets it, she looks down on him as being weak.

This is one of my absolute favourite Shakespeare plays. Macbeth isn't a massively interesting character, but I love the three witches and Lady Macbeth. It really is all about the women despite the name. The women drive the plot: the witches by creating their prophecy and then Lady Macbeth by driving everyone's actions to fulfil it.

The play contains some of the most well known Shakespeare quotes ('Out damned spot') and has a plot that's very easy to get to grips with. It's one I could read time and time again - the darkness at the heart of it is exciting and interesting: you want to know what plan Lady Macbeth will hatch next, and just how far she will go to secure the power she seeks. 

I gave this play 5 stars, and just writing this review has made me want to go and read another one of his plays again.

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Review of 'The Good Father' by Noah Hawley

This is one of those books that I would never normally pick up based off its cover. However, it was a book club read and one that showed me why perhaps I should give more books the benefit of the doubt. 

Set in the US after a man assassinates a prime democrat presidential candidate, this book is told from two points of view: the father of the killer and the killer himself. The father can't quite believe that his son who he has grown distant from but still loves deeply would do something like this, so he set out to prove his innocence despite the fact that the son has never proclaimed he is innocent. The book takes you on the father's increasingly desperate attempts to make sense of what happened, and makes you question it too. 

The son's chapters on the other hand show his life in the years leading up to the murder he commits. You see the incidents in his early years that may have affected who he became as an adult, as well as the issues he had in the years preceding the murder.

The book really is as sad tale of regret from a father who never bothered to take the time to try to understand his child until he was forced to. He'd always considered himself to be a good father, despite the split with his ex wife and not living with his son. For me, his attempts to find out what really happened on the day, and rationalise the murder as either not being committed by his son or as his son being radicalised, was not really about his son: it was about the fact that he couldn't face the idea that he hadn't been the father he thought he was. He had to re-evaluate his own identity, rather than his son's.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author included snippets about other high profile US assassinations throughout which I found very interesting as I really didn't know much about any of them. The emotional journey that the father went on was really well done, and I found myself along with him willing the son to not have committed the crime. I liked the fact that the book kept you guessing at the end - there's a segment of the son's life missing that the father cannot find the answers to and is kept from the reader in the son's sections. It means that I came away with different thoughts about what may or may not have happened in that time than other readers and thus a different perception of the book as a whole. 

I gave this four stars and would recommend it for fans of Louise Doughty's books.

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Review of 'Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How To Guide' by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

The older I get, the more non-fiction I read. I never saw myself as a non-fiction kind of person, but I've read a couple so far this year and even that is a massive step up from a couple of years ago, let alone from when I was in my teens. I've been obsessed with the My Favorite Murder podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark for about a year now and it's my go-to listen for when I'm doing any kind of chore. Listening to something instead of letting my thoughts run wild whilst I'm doing something boring has done wonders for my anxiety.

I was so excited when I heard about the book release and so glad my best friend bought me a copy for Christmas (which I've now totally lent back so she can share in the joy too).

This dual memoir has a section from Karen and Georgia on each topic discussed in the book. The chapters all have beautiful artwork at the start of them, mostly depicting some of their catchphrases (stay out of the forest/fuck politeness etc). They talk through important topics including Karen losing her mum to dementia, Georgia's drug addiction as a teen and both's struggles with their mental health.

If you're a fan of the podcast, this really is an incredible read. I felt their voices came across really well in the book and I could almost hear them saying what I was reading. The book was very raw and stories were shared that haven't been spoken about on the podcast before. They deal with touchy subjects in a very sensitive way and are open about their flaws and things they regret. The photos interspersed throughout were a great addition to the book.

They don't cover any true crime stories, but rather discuss why and how they got into true crime and the impact this and the podcast have had on their lives. So if you're looking for an insight into particular crime stories, this isn't the book for you. However, if you want an actually laugh out loud book that will also make you cry that tells you more about the lives of these ladies that so many people have come to admire then this is a great read!

I gave this five stars.

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Review of 'Ordinary People' by Diana Evans

It's hard not to compare this to 'Normal People' when they both have similar titles, both are examples of popular literary realism, they were released at the same time and I read them almost back to back on my kindle. Although they're both centred around relationships, and I loved the BBC drama of Normal People (if you haven't watched it, then you need to), Ordinary People was definitely my favourite.

The book follows the stories of two couples living in London in 2008, just after Obama's election. Melissa and Michael have a new baby and adjusting to this makes the small cracks in their relationship intensify. Meanwhile Stephanie's worried about her partner Damien's reaction to his father's death and is struggling to cope with his new crisis whilst looking after their children.

This was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction last year, and I read it as part of an effort to try and read everything from that list. I feel like this was literary realism done well. Although it covered the mundanity of relationships - the petty arguments, thoughts on daily commutes and little struggles with children, it still delved into deeper issues. The four main characters are Black and it felt important that this book has been so popular without having the emphasis in it on Black pain and trauma, but rather highlighted different Black cultures being brought together in different households.

Other important topics which happen in life are interwoven with the more ordinary ones: Damien is working through grief for a father that he didn't have an 'ordinary' relationship with; Michael is not faithful to Melissa and feels both guilty and relieved by it; Melissa and Michael argue over living in bustling London vs being out in the suburbs.

I gave this three stars - I enjoyed this book, but the genre is something that I'm not the biggest fan of and there definitely were moments where the plot really slowed down to a point where I wanted to skip past until it got interesting again.

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Review of 'Things in Jars' by Jess Kidd

As I mentioned in my last review post, 2020 did not get off to the best start in terms of reading, and this book definitely was part of that. Again, on the face of it, this sounded like something I'd love, but I just found it a real slog to get through.

Things in Jars is set in the Victorian Era with Bridie Devine, a female detective, as the main character. When she's asked to find a stolen child, she doesn't expect things to take the turn they do. As soon as she arrives at the family home, she realises things are amiss and that the child might not be as human and normal as she was led to believe initially. Coupled with the tattooed ghost that starts following her around, Bridie is surrounded by the supernatural. She's not quite short why this top hat and underwear-only wearing man from beyond the grave has turned up, but he's getting in the way of her focusing on the task at hand.

I really expected to enjoy this, but I found the whole thing a bit disjointed. I don't think the magical realism worked very well in this - there was a almost naked tattoo covered ghost interspersed with very sensory descriptions of a gritty London. I felt like the author had attempted to add some lightness to the novel with his character, but it just didn't work for me. I also couldn't get invested in the weird love story between Bridie and her ghost pal because you knew from the start that this could never work out? 

I gave this three stars because I was invested in the search for the missing girl and the descriptions of London made the book very easy to imagine and almost feel as though you were there.

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