Catherine Chidgey gets historical fiction right. Remote Sympathy is set in wartime Germany and follows several German characters as they navigate BuchCatherine Chidgey gets historical fiction right. Remote Sympathy is set in wartime Germany and follows several German characters as they navigate Buchenwald and its environs, exhibiting various outward manifestations of ignorance about the function of the camp. This is less a retelling of the Holocaust than a psychological examination of the distinction between knowledge and belief. How did the German people cope psychologically with the reality of what was happening - events that were very much their leader’s agenda from the beginning. The characters that deny, feign misunderstanding, or just plain ignore the function of the camps are not excused by their willful ignorance, but rather Chidgey illuminates the thought process employed by those in complicity. The book did drag in places and I didn’t need all the storylines, but readers with more patience than I have may enjoy the discursions....more
Morowa Yejidé's Creatures of Passage is a novel featuring characters of Gullah descent, relocated from the Sea Islands to Anacostia in Washington, DC,Morowa Yejidé's Creatures of Passage is a novel featuring characters of Gullah descent, relocated from the Sea Islands to Anacostia in Washington, DC, a disinvested neighborhood at a low ebb in 1977 when the story is set. The novel is a master class in magical realism, incorporating echos of African mythology (Egyptian and Ethiopian references bleed into the text), confronted with contemporary American ills (racism, violence, poverty, alcoholism, child abuse), and layered with a Western African sense of storytelling that some commentators have seen as reminiscent of the griot/djeli tradition. The author has found inspiration in Toni Morrison and Gabriel García Márquez, influences that can be seen here. The sense of place in Anacostia is pitch perfect, reflecting a land, barely a square mile, that has passed through the dominion of other earthly realms before settling into a neglected corner of a capital that seeks to erase all prior history. Some may quibble with the pacing or other aspects of the storytelling - Yejidé may have an even better novel in her - but, for me, those quibbles miss the importance of Yejidé’s project, which is unobtrusively ambitious and may well embody the next direction in American literature....more
With the rightward political shift over the past decade in the UK, US, and elsewhere, it’s unsurprising to see a growing number of writers try their hWith the rightward political shift over the past decade in the UK, US, and elsewhere, it’s unsurprising to see a growing number of writers try their hand at a novel set in the near-future with a dystopian bent. Lulu Allison’s second novel does this more successfully than most, with a fantastic premise, well drawn characters, and an engaging story. The preachy second half didn’t bother me as much as it did others, but it’s true that my interest gradually waned after the very compelling set up. I may be alone in appreciating the cow chorus - it lent an eerie quality to the story and I would have liked to see the cows make more frequent appearances as bystanders and observers. I would read a sequel to this....more
This isn't awful, but it could have been much better. The latest novel from Elif Shafak is set in Cyprus and London, examining the lives of those who This isn't awful, but it could have been much better. The latest novel from Elif Shafak is set in Cyprus and London, examining the lives of those who left the island during the unrest in the 1970s, those who stayed, and those of the next generation who live with the scars of civil strife. The fig tree at the heart of the story is a nice metaphor: transplanted from its native Cyprus, it needs extra care in order to adapt to its new London ecosystem. The fig tree is also emblematic of what's wrong with this book. Shafak has a tendency to hit a metaphor so hard that the book almost feels YA. The fig tree here talks, or at least narrates, and roughly half of the book is first-person narration by the tree. There is a beautiful story here among the human characters, particularly in the present day, but it becomes buried beneath heavy handed metaphors, excessive exposition, and talking flora. The book itself needs tending to like the fig tree: a healthy pruning would have done wonders....more
This is a very strong work by Trinidadian writer and journalist Lisa Allen-Agostini. Set in Port of Spain and largely written in Trinidadian creole, tThis is a very strong work by Trinidadian writer and journalist Lisa Allen-Agostini. Set in Port of Spain and largely written in Trinidadian creole, the main story is centered on Alethea, a 39 year old woman in an abusive relationship. As the narrative develops, we see that violence is endemic in Alethea's life. The story explores generational trauma and patterns, but it never feels like the characters are stand-ins for anyone other than themselves. Alethea is a fully developed character with a powerful voice. Although this a harrowing read (triggers abound), there is a note of hope at the end....more
There’s a lot to unpack with this one. This is a multilayered story that takes place in Vietnam, with the main action leading to a climax in 2010. TheThere’s a lot to unpack with this one. This is a multilayered story that takes place in Vietnam, with the main action leading to a climax in 2010. The most convincing part was the strand that followed Winnie, a young American woman of mixed white/Vietnamese ancestry who takes a position as an EFL teacher in Saigon. The rest of the story lines varied between unsuccessful and unconvincing. Orientalist tropes abound, with a fortune teller and unknowable Vietnamese mysticism taking center stage at various points throughout. I'm not convinced that this was an exploration or deconstruction of those tropes, but that may have been the intent. The prose is obnoxiously florid and all of the characters seem to operate with an American sensibility. But for all its faults, I found it tolerable until the last section when everyone started swapping bodies at an alarming rate. At that point, it just became too silly to take seriously....more
Popisho is Leone Ross's labor of love, a book that was 15 years in the making. The novel, published in the UK as This One Sky Day, is set on an imaginPopisho is Leone Ross's labor of love, a book that was 15 years in the making. The novel, published in the UK as This One Sky Day, is set on an imaginary archipelago in the Caribbean, where each character is born with a special "cors" or magic power. The story leans heavily into magical realism and, often, leaves the realism behind. The characters are lush creations, brimming with emotions - joy, exuberance, pain, sadness - at levels that are so acute they are almost palpable. Popisho itself is a visceral world where vulvas and food are described in detail. The magical realism allows Ross to explore a number of themes - addiction, beauty, relationships, patriarchy, politics - in a way that invites conversation without shutting it down. Although the narrative often crawls at a glacial pace, there is real beauty in this world....more
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