Hokkaido Highway Blues: Hitchhiking Japan by Will Ferguson – review

 

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First published in 1998, this travelogue recounts the author's – Will Ferguson's – hitchhiking adventure from the south of Japan to it's most northern point, following the blooming cherry blossoms as spring washes across the country.

The arrival of the cherry blossoms is of great importance to the Japanese, a celebrated moment in the calendar. And Ferguson tells of how he announced to colleagues (he taught English in Japan), after a little too much saké, that he would hitchhike a journey, following the blossoms blooming across the country, to really celebrate their coming. To give the moment its proper due. 

Swept along by the ensuing enthusiasm of his colleagues and, as it turns out, probably a lack of satisfaction with his life, he commits himself to his expedition . . .

I am finding it hard to drum up the words for this book. It left me torn.

For a start, I think that I would've probably hated hitchhiking with the author on the trip he details. Readers might be grateful for only experiencing the trip via Ferguson's telling.

He falls in love with every woman with whom he has even the slightest of encounters, if they are pretty enough in his eyes. 

And his attitude towards the wildlife of Japan is to sit resolutely in his ignorance, to anthropomorphise, giving himself reason to justify fear and mockery. That's a bit of a personal bugbear, but from reading other of Ferguson's work, I know he is not incapable of study and understanding. That he is capable of balancing the humour with fact and reason. 

However, the reader should reflect upon the title of the book perhaps, before judging the author too harshly – Hokkaido Highway Blues. This book is not just the recounting of a trip across Japan, it is a man reflecting on his place in the world. Sometimes literally his place in the world. It is a realisation that some journeys need to be taken not because of where we are going, but because it is time to leave. 

The very notion of trying to follow spring, the arrival of cherry blossoms, hitchhiking across Japan to do so, speaks to that desperate desire to some have to keep ahold of what is passing. The lengths that people go to trying to hold onto things that are meant to be temporary. Can only ever be temporary.

When the author tells of finding himself in parts of Japan still touched by cold and brutal winter, it reflects his feelings of discontent.

It is notable that his journey ultimately ends not with sunshine and blossoms, but with a storm and the inability to travel any further.

This is a tricky read. Enjoyable because Ferguson is a talented writer, and capable of great insight, humour, and something poetic at times. But difficult because the writer is cynical and, as he is in the chapter of his life he details here at least, struggling with feelings of dissatisfaction. Once the reader realises this though, that deeper feelings might be the root of the surface sourness, perhaps they can forgive the writer some of his surly sarcasm, and consider his telling with some understanding.

My advice might be to consider that the author's outward attitude in this book – towards the landscape, the people, and the pursuit itself at the centre of this book – says much about where he was himself emotionally. That any discomfort you feel as he falls for another woman on the road or when he winds up in some cheap hotel, alone and drunk, is intended. Being human means sometimes being unlikeable as we deal with our shit. That the discomfort you feel, may be what the author felt as his hitchhiking became a journey of self-discovery. 

And self-discovery isn't always sweeping music, cinematic shots, and uplifting quotes – affirmation porn. Sometimes it's another shitty path you have to walk a while.

We need books to remind us of that too.

Do I recommend this book?

Yes, I do. Ferguson really is a talented writer, capable of wonderful insight. But he isn't always likeable here. But, if you stop and consider why that could be, you might find yourself returning to the pages with empathy and understanding.

You can purchase Hokkaido Highway Blues by Will Ferguson here.

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Thank you for reading!

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie – review

 

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I suppose it is really quite unoriginal, and maybe old fashioned, to say that one of my most favourite fictional detectives is Hercule Poirot.

Still, there is something about this quite fastidious, sometimes feline-like, but certainly not French little detective. With stiff little moustaches decorating his egg-shaped head, he has cut a distinctive figure in the world of detective fiction for just over one-hundred years. Ever since he appeared in Agatha Christie's first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920, he has earned his place amongst the best and most recognisable of crime fiction's most famous detectives.

But his distinctive appearance and fussy attitude would be nothing if it weren't for those "little grey cells", which were put to such great use over the course of five decades in Christie's original novels and short stories featuring the detective.

In 1941, Evil Under the Sun, was published; Poirot's second decade as depicted by the Queen of Crime . And this novel, despite Christie's burgeoning dislike for the character, proves that his powers of detection and desire for justice had not waned with the passing decades.

In this mystery, a body lies upon a beach – the body of Arlena Marshall. She is bronzed, and appears like any other sunbathing beauty holidaying in the area, stretched out with flesh bare to the sun. However, upon closer inspection, it's plain to see that Arlena Marshall is not sunbathing. She is dead. The life strangled out of her by some unknown individual. 

A mad, lone, and opportunistic attacker? Or someone known to the victim?

Other guests, holidaying at the same hotel as Arlena Marshall, had been quick to consider Arlena as wicked, a temptress. But it seems, as Poirot had suspected, she was always much more likely to be a victim than any kind of fiend.

And so, the little Belgian seeker of truth and justice begins investigating . . .

I suppose that it is his desire for truth and justice, rather than a slavish loyalty to the law, which partly makes Poirot such an attractive fictional figure. As evidenced in other stories featuring the detective, perhaps most notably Murder on the Orient Express, he does deviate from the rule of law to strive to do what is right.

And, a character that strives to do that can't ever really go out of fashion. An odd little hero, striving for what is right in a unjust world.

Christie can be considered cosy crime, but she did point a finger at, or at least hint towards, some of the darkness in the world.

I began reading Christie when I was a young teenager, and tore through her stories at a furious pace. Finishing one book, finding another, and so on. As an adult, I return to find that, unlike many things which seemed like a good idea in adolescence but which, in retrospect, were always pretty horrid, Christie's mysteries are still a joy.

I urge you to return too. And if you are yet to discover Poirot, and other of Christie's creations, oh, how I envy you!

You can purchase a copy of Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie here.

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett – a review

 

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As I read The Help, I was reminded of dystopian novels that depict some possible future or alternate reality. The characters are constantly on edge, afraid that if they say or do "the wrong thing", they will lose work, status, or even their lives. Except this novel is not a portrait of an imagined dystopian society, a warning of what might be, à la 1984, but a piece of historical fiction, and a reminder of how things really are.

The main characters of the novel, the eyes through which we experience 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, are Aibileen, a black maid who raises the children of white people while processing the death of her own son; Minny, a black maid who has found it difficult to keep work because of her inability to remain silent in the face of wrongs done by her white employers; and there is Skeeter, a young white woman recently returned from college, trying to figure out her way in the world.

Then, there is Hilly Holbrook, the epitome of racism and cruelty in the book. It is interesting to note that she, a wealthy Jackson socialite, married to a future politician, is motivated by a selfish desire to maintain the status quo. A fear that societal change might tip her own world into disorder. She strives to maintain the divisions between blacks and whites as The Civil Rights Movement makes it's way across the south to protect herself from some imagined threat. Out of the same selfish desire to protect her own interests, she bullies, manipulates, and threatens the white women in her social circle that do not conform to her own views and wants.

Interestingly, Skeeter's mother, another example in The Help of someone deeply flawed and desirous to maintain social and racial divisions also shows a desire for control. She is overbearing and is always critical of her daughter's appearance.

This speaks to the white fear that we might lose all that we have, that societal change might mean a loss of control and wealth, and how we use violence and intimidation, how we justify prejudices and bigotry, to maintain our hold.

There is a danger in reading books like The Help – white readers can come away believing the themes explored within to be problems of the past, that such attitudes are antiquated, and "thank god things aren't like that any more!" 

But just a little tumble down some of the darker spots of social media, or sliding down some of the comment threads, is enough to prove those attitudes to be alive and well. Yeah, we might not be able to say it as brazenly as we could in the past, but it's there. 

The author herself has spoken about conflicting feelings for the novel and the fears she had about crossing a line, writing in the voice of a black person. 

"I don't presume to think that I know what it really felt like to be a black woman in Mississippi, especially in the 1960s. I don't think it is something any white woman on the other end of a black woman's paycheck could ever truly understand. But trying to understand is vital to our humanity."

Much of what can be discussed about this novel feels so beyond the scope of a little book blog . . .

The Help is a masterful novel full of hope and humanity. A novel that reminded me of dystopian settings, but in fact a novel that considers the past. However, not long past. An excellent debut that feels more like the work of a novelist much more experienced.

Kathryn Stockett was born into the world she describes in the novel, in Jackson, Mississippi, 1969. And she, like the white children in the novel, was raised by a black maid. After graduating from Alabama university, she moved to New York and worked in magazine publishing and marketing for nine years. The Help is her first novel, inspired partly by the place she came from.

You can purchase a copy of The Help by Kathryn Stockett here.

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The Choice by Claire Wade – review

 

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Who ever our next Prime Minister is, they might benefit from reading one of those novels that throws totalitarianism under the spotlight. A novel like The Choice.

My waistline gives away my own enjoyment of sugary things. And, though you will not often find me in the kitchen, apron adorned and flour on my nose, I have dabbled in baking. 

I think it would be a slightly less joyful world without sugary treats and baked goods.

And, that is the central theme of this novel.

Originally, Claire Wade intended to write a fairly light story about friends who secretly baked cakes in a world where sugar and baking is illegal. However, as she began to consider the implications of a government that monitors what its public consumes and makes certain behaviours mandatory, she ended up writing something darker.

The author, has said, "The story might have started out about baking, but it rapidly evolved into something darker. It forced me to think about choices, mine and everyone else's, around what we eat, how we live and the role the government has in those decisions."

In recent years, discussions about what we eat have come to the fore. How sugars and fats impact our health are but one part of that. We desire more transparency too about how our food is sourced. We want to know how our dietary choices impact upon the environment and climate change. There is also more discussion about the dietary needs of those who are intolerant of certain ingredients, additives, proteins, and whatnot. Then, there are those fad diets that make their dubious presences felt now and then.

Wade does not address these themes in her novel, instead focusing on the question of how much governments should concern themselves with what we eat and how much we exercise for our health. Is it a loss that the author doesn't acknowledge these other issues? Who knows. Perhaps. But then, maybe the novel would have been a thing too convoluted to enjoy. Perhaps too though, it would have made for a more interesting novel, to add these themes to a discussion on our modern eating habits. 

We could speculate all day on what could have been, though . . .

The totalitarian nanny state of the novel is a frightful place indeed, though we are reminded throughout the story that Mother Mason, the leader, was voted in by the public. Perhaps the choice to which the novel's title alludes. At one time, it seems, Mother's policies on health and wellbeing seemed benevolent to the characters of the novel. Which makes the reader wonder; what happened between Mother Mason's victory for leadership and where we meet the characters in the novel? Did the harshness of her policies only become truly apparent after she was in office? Or, did a desperate and fearful electorate elect a leader they didn't really understand? Was the election a near thing or a landslide victory?

Unfortunately, we might look to the real world for the answers to some of the above questions. Even more unfortunately, in looking to the the real world, we might not necessarily find some of those answers. Sometimes, as fantastic as fiction can be, the books we read make much more sense than real life.

I'll tell you this, I would collapse into a sweaty and panting heap in one of the mandatory exercise classes Wade describes in the novel. And I am not sure I would get back up again!

I'm also not sure that I would be one of the rebels of the novel. I would like to think that I might be, at least sharing subversive content across social media. Perhaps I would act, like Olivia in the novel, once I saw that I was not alone. But it takes strength to go up against corrupt authority and the indoctrinated masses.

Who knows. In the UK, we're not quite living in a totalitarian state (at the time of writing anyway – check with me again next week!), so, fortunately, I haven't been tested in this way. And, for now, sugar, cakes, and alcohol are still available to the public (though rising prices and a cost of living crisis might put paid to that – again, check with me next week). 

Here's hoping, for the foreseeable, these terrors remain the stuff of fiction.

As dystopian novels go, I don't think this novel is going to knock 1984 or Brave New World from their pedestals, but it might inspire readers to discuss the government's role in what we consume and how much it polices our behaviour. It might inspire the reader to question what is considered healthy.

We live in a time where the majority bounce from one screen to another, not just as viewers, but as performers ourselves. A time that makes many feel that they are not valid unless their life looks good in an Instagram reel. And, of course, slimness and attractiveness goes hand-in-hand with that. It's a shallow old world. And any novel that asks readers to consider that, just maybe, healthiness and wellbeing doesn't just look one way is a good novel. I think this book might have gone further with that idea, explored its themes further, but it is still worth a read.

In a world of cost of living crises, energy crises, corrupt and corrupting world leaders, and more than enough shame and hatred being thrown around on social media to last a lifetime, yeah, I think our incoming Prime Minister might benefit from reading such a novel. But then, that's assuming they wouldn't be using it as a how-to-guide on running a totalitarian state.

You can purchase a copy of The Choice by Claire Wade here.

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Thank you for reading!

Most recent reads

 

Disclaimer: this blog is affiliated with third party sellers. If you make a purchase through the links in this blog, I might earn a small commission from the sale. However, this does not impact the price of items, and it does not influence the content of this blog. 

In today's post, I am reflecting on my most recent reads. That pile of books which waits not to be read, but to go back on the shelves. The last pages have been turned, the final sentences read, and that wistful feeling has been felt . . .

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

A deserved winner of the BookBrowse Best Debut Award, 2020.

Hà Nội, 1972. Twelve year old Huong clings to her grandmother as they navigate war torn Việt Nam. As Huong comes of age in a land scarred by war, she must do as her grandmother has done before her; hold her family together as war tears everything else apart.

You can purchase The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quể Mai here.

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie's famous little Belgian detective, with his little grey cells and handsome moustaches, triumphs in another case. This time, as he weaves through red herrings, he must solve the murder of a young girl at a Halloween party. A young girl that claimed to have seen a murder herself.

You can purchase Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie here.

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

A mutilated body in Crawley.

Robert Weil is the prime suspect, but it must be discerned whether or not he is just an average serial killer or whether he has links to things more powerful. 

And, as if that isn't enough, London always has a lot more to throw at PC Peter Grant.

Grant navigates a weird world and must connect dots everywhere he goes . . .

You can purchase Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch here.

Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit by PG Wodehouse 

A novel starring perhaps Wodehouse's most famous pair – Jeeves and Wooster.

'Stilton' Cheesewright would very much like to beat poor Bertie Wooster to a pulp – thankfully, for Bertie, Cheesewright has money on Wooster's performance in the Drones Club annual darts tournament. 

And poor put-upon Bertie is upsetting others too . . . with an offensive moustache. How will he survive a world this much against him?

You can purchase Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit by PG Wodehouse here.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

The beautiful Countess Olenska returns to rigidly conventional New York society, sending reverberations throughout its upper reaches. 

The Countess brings with her sophistication and a hint of scandal, having left her husband and claimed her independence. 

A passionate bond develops between her and Newland Archer, a man about to announce his engagement to May Welland, a beautiful young woman. 

You can purchase The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton here.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

An excellent novel.

Ugwu, a boy from a poor village, works a houseboy for a university professor. Richard is a shy Englishman enraptured to Olanna's twin sister. Olanna being a young woman from Lagos who has given up her life of privilege to live with the university professor, her lover.

You can purchase Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie here.

Thank you for reading. You can support this blog with a coffee for the author here, and/or you can like, comment, share and subscribe.

Thank you again!

The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths – review

 

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There is a quote on the cover of this book taken from the Sunday Mirror. A love letter to murder mysteries. And it certainly feels as though Elly Griffiths was having fun when she wrote this book.

In The Postscript Murders, we are invited into the world of crime authors, where sometimes they become the victims at the centre of a murder mystery themselves.

DS Harbinder Kaur investigates the death of ninety-year-old Peggy Smith, a 'murder consultant' who plotted deaths for authors. At first DS Kaur is little concerned by the case, but when Peggy's carer, Natalka, reports being held at gunpoint whilst cleaning out Peggy's flat, that soon changes.

By turning her lens onto the world of crime writing, Griffiths has been able to have a little fun with her own profession, and share its best aspects. For a start, there's Peggy, the victim herself, whose job it is to devise interesting ways to murder people. Not real people, mind you. Still, inventing ways in which to commit murder is still inventing ways in which to commit murder. 

And from Peggy, inventing murders and people-watching, and her death, there is born a mystery solving gang, almost à la Scooby Doo. Natalka, Peggy's carer leads the way, a strong and determined young woman from Ukraine with a past that's home to shadowy figures; Benedict is a mindful coffee shop owner – The Shack – who used to be a monk, and he is measured, but also uncertain when it comes to the ways of the world; Edwin is an elderly gentleman, a real gentleman, who used to work at the BBC, and who knew Peggy because they lived in the same building. Together this gang make it their mission to find the answers to the questions around Peggy's death. 

DS Kaur works with the gang to solve the case, whilst also navigating the struggles of having to live at home with mum and dad. Whereas other fictional coppers might hit the bottle for relief from the pressures of the job, DS Kaur is addicted to the games on her phone. 

Along the way, we traverse the world of the crime novelists, and even get to poke a little fun at elements of that world. Such as the slightly pretentious writer who insists their work is more literary than crime fiction – genres such as crime, horror, and romance all have to put up with their snooty detractors, sometimes from within.

Yes, it definitely feels as though Elly Griffiths was having some fun when she wrote this one. 

And, I had fun reading it. In particular, following the amateur sleuths, Natalka, Edwin, and Benedict. To be honest, I found each of these characters more interesting than the detective of the novel. If Elly Griffiths ever feels the need to return to this world, I hope it is to revisit the gang rather than the detective. 

In this novel, Griffiths presents each chapter from the point of view of each character. Apart from giving the reader the chance to see the mystery of the book from different points of view, the chance consider the problem from different angles, it is a useful device for getting to know each of the characters better. And I very much enjoyed getting to know the characters.

Though it is useful to have a detective in the novel, able as they are to go places an amateur sleuth would find it difficult to gain access, I did find those chapters with DS Kaur the least enjoyable of the book. I found her to be the least likeable character. She seems to have a problem with absolutely everyone and everything else – her brothers, her partner at work, the family dog. To be mildly annoyed seemed to be her default setting. 

However, of course, liking or disliking a character is all very subjective. It could be that I am in the minority and others will completely and utterly despise Natalka, probably my favourite character of the novel. 

Yes, I very much enjoyed this crime novel set in the world of crime novelists. I don't know that I have read a crime novel quite like it before. 

You can purchase a copy of The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths here.

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Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins by Rupert Everett – review

 

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Ah. The showbiz autobiography. When done well, an insightful piece of work, an enjoyable and interesting peek into the mansions, the studios, and VIP sections . . .  And the personalities of the people that populate them.

When done badly, thinly veiled, empty self-celebration, and/or an attempt at raising one's profile. Like perfumes and fashion lines, just something every celebrity does because . . . Well, it's just what's done, dahling. A nice bit of passive income too, sweetie.

Anyone with just a whiff of fame's toxic scent can get an autobiography on bookshop shelves. From the awfully vacuous to the splendidly soulful . . . 

I am referring to the biographies, of course, not the celebrities. I swear. 

But, after all, Rupert Everett's Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins is a showbiz autobiography done well. Very well.

This account of his life and career begins with a scene at an Essex farmhouse, slap-bang right in the middle of the 1960s, surrounded by burning fields; a scene of high domestic drama. And, from there, to cinema screens and beyond. From the seedy to the showbiz. The reader follows the progress of Mr. Everett's life from sixties England, through Parisian nightclubs, to early 2000s America.

The writing is witty, and ranks with the very best, having been compared to Evelyn Waugh and the Byronic. It does what all good writing ought to – it scrapes away the bullshit to get at the truth. Oh, and it entertains.

This book, though filled with dramatic scenes, populated with extraordinary people, and recounting fantastic events, is human and soulful. Alongside the champagne scenes, there are accounts of vulnerability. Death and sadness happens even amongst the stars.

But, fear not, there is no performative victimhood or self-pity here, only a disarming honesty.

Rupert Everett's career as an actor, for me, has always existed on the periphery of the cultural landscape. I have been aware of his work, but I have felt no strong feelings about it one way or the other.

I am no avid follower of celebrity lives either, so many of the people in this book I was only vaguely familiar with. Some I recognised not at all.

I tell you this because I want to assure you that this book is not just showbiz and celebrity. Indeed, the showbiz and the celebrity is incidental. It is the humanity and soul on every page that makes this telling worth the read, it is this that kept me reading.

I might not have been paying much attention to Everett's work as an actor. But as for his work as a writer, I am ready for more.

You can purchase a copy of Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins by Rupert Everett here.

Before you go, I want to thank you for reading, and ask you to consider supporting this blog, buying the author a coffee here.

To avoid filling this space with adverts and links, I turn to the kindness of the readers. And, in return, I strive to bring you the best bookish content I know how to produce.

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Surrounded by Psychopaths by Thomas Erikson – review

 

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Following the success of Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson has had published a series of books about how we interact with our fellow human beings. Whereas the first was a general look at how we might communicate better with the people in our lives, this one specifically casts its eye on the "psychopaths" we might encounter. 

The use of this word, psychopath, has drawn some criticism, with some readers feeling that the word is used too freely. And the reader does wonder if it is not used to sensationalise, as a sales tactic, rather than because the book deals with genuine psychopathy.

The title, and the book throughout, might have been criticised less, had the word "psychopath" been replaced with "self-serving manipulators". But, as I say, that's not quite as saleable a title.

The cold manipulator is not necessarily a psychopath. And this book does have some thought provoking points when it comes to spotting and handling manipulators.

As far as I can tell, Thomas Erikson, works in fields concerned with communication and behaviour. He is not a psychologist. So, yes, there are points worth paying attention too as he writes about communicating with people who will manipulate and exploit to get what they want. But his assertions about psychopathy should probably be questioned by the reader.

As a simple guide to spotting and handling manipulators, this is worth a read. If it's a study of psychopathy you're after, you will need to do some further reading.

There is value in the book. As I read, I found myself considering an unhealthy relationship of my own. Wishing I had had some of the words that I found in this book. Some of the responses the author suggests for manipulative and controlling behaviour. I am not sure she is a psychopath, but the manipulative behaviour described rang true to some experiences, and I think I might have been better equipped had I read a book like this then. So, yes, there is value in the book, in my opinion. It does provoke thought.

Then, of course, I was occupying a completely different space, mentally and emotionally, when I was in that relationship. So, I might still have fumbled with the tools provided by this book, and failed . . .

I would say, if you are in a miserable situation, with someone whom you fear is using you for their own benefit, do not turn to this book as an instruction on how to escape that. There isn't really anything more practical than suggested responses to the manipulator's words and behaviours. There are no resources listed for the victim concerned for their safety. 

If you are that person, seek out better resources than this book.

Would I recommend this book? Hmm. As I say, it depends what you are looking for. Do not let this be the book that shapes your idea of psychopathy, and bear in mind the author's experience. But there are some valid points and descriptions of red flags, and tools suggested in dealing with exploitative  and manipulative behaviour. This is where the book's worth can be found.

I am a little back and forth with my feelings on this one, I'm afraid. There are valid criticisms to be levelled at the book. But that doesn't mean it is without worth. 

Anyway, with those cold hearted manipulators in mind . . .

Keep your eyes open, watch out for those red flags, don't get caught up in charm and excitement. Go at your own pace, and if it looks like a bad situation, if you can, reach out and get out.

And, if I might be allowed to offer some further advice, don't concern yourself so much with chemistry, but look for compatibility instead.

You can purchase Surrounded by Psychopaths by Thomas Erikson here.

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Out of Love by Hazel Hayes – review

 

Disclaimer: this blog is affiliated with third party sellers. If you make a purchase through any links in this blog, I might earn a small commission from the sale. However, this does not affect the cost. And it does not influence the content of this blog.

Out of Love is one of those novels that has the power to blow away all the other books on your TBR pile. A headlining act.


The main themes with which it is concerned are nothing new – love and heartbreak. However, Hazel Hayes has written with an honesty and wisdom that is fresh and insightful.


After a break up, a young woman considers the relationship that led to her broken heart. Anyone who has been through a painful break up will know the time spent turning over the good times and the bad, trying to figure out exactly when things went rotten. Was it ever right? When did they stop loving me? And though Hayes is not the first author to consider love lost – far from it! – she has demonstrated a rare gift. She has written on love and heartbreak in such a way that it feels almost as though it had never been written about before.

Artists of all sorts have been inspired by heartbreak. We have the novels, songs, poems, paintings, and films to prove that. But when we must experience it for ourselves, it still feels gigantic, profound, and lonely.

And so, we turn to those works. For me, during my own last heartbreak, I remember playing a lot of Jeff Buckley. For others, you could do a lot worse than Out of Love.

Though, it is not only the heartbroken that might find something wonderful here . . .

In telling this story from the end of the relationship to the beginning, Hazel Hayes leaves the reader with all the hope and healing with which we begin romantic relationships. If it had been told the other way, we might be left feeling that it is a story of tragedy, of love turned foul. But there is healing and hope there in the relationship. Though it might not last, and though the ultimate destination might be painful, the journey was full of value.

In the end, it turns out, this is not a book about broken hearts, not entirely, but a book about the value of love. It is a book about what love can teach us, how it can heal. And why we ought to be open to it, despite past pains and losses.



My advice? At the risk of this posting being a tad to heavy on praise – though I think this novel is worthy – I will just say, read this book!

You can purchase a copy of Out of Love by Hazel Hayes here.

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A Room With A View by E. M. Forster – analysis and review

 Disclaimer: this blog is affiliated with third party sellers, and if you make a purchase through links in this blog I might earn a small commission from the sale. However, this does not impact the cost of any items, and it does not influence the content of this blog.

E. M. Forster was known for writing on the theme of hypocrisy. And he did so wonderfully in this 1908 novel, a sunny story about love and social convention – this has been called the most readable of Forster's novels. This is a critique of Edwardian restraint. It is also a consideration of expectation and propriety, and how they stand up to genuine feeling and truth. Though the Edwardian era may be an alien world to many modern readers, these themes are everlasting. Do we not still live in a world of people torn between expectation and genuine feelings?

Lucy Honeychurch is visiting Italy, with her prim and proper cousin Charlotte acting as chaperone. And this is the beginning of things. Between the unconventional Emersons – Mr Emerson and his son, George – and her family, Lucy is pulled between social expectation and what stirs in her own heart. Confused by her feelings, she begins to wander down the path that she believes she ought to travel. But signs that this is not the way of greatest fulfillment and happiness reveal themselves.

The heart and truth must win out . . .

At 114 years old, the conventions and hypocrosies that Forster critiqued here might seem dated to the modern reader. But what does not date or become irrelevant is the struggle of trying to bridge the gap between one's inner and outer life. That is something that many a reader can understand. The question of being true to oneself when that might just upset your whole world. 

Forster though, a gay man who lived in a time and place when it was criminal to be so, knew that the heart must win. That truth and real feeling should rise. A world without these, a world of empty ceremony and loveless engagements, is a confusing and suffocating world.

You can purchase a copy of E. M. Forster's A Room With A View here.

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Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson (and what I learned about myself)

 

Disclaimer: this blog is affiliated with third party retailers. If you should make a purchase through links in this blog, I might earn a small commission from the sale. However, this does not affect the cost of the books, and it does not influence the content of this blog.

I am a smidge of yellow, green, and blue. Though there is not much red in me, if any at all, that I can see. Though I was in a relationship with a red and I did not enjoy that very much at all.

By this, I mean that I am optimistic, creative, and easygoing (yellow); considerate, thoughtful, and a good listener (green); cautious, methodical, and unassuming (blue).

My ex was ambitious, impatient, and controlling (red). 

But, enough of all that . . .

Surrounded by Idiots is a method for assessing everyone that we communicate with, and how to communicate more effectively. The book uses the DISC method  of describing human communication and behaviour, and from there discusses and explores better means of how to understand, and be understood by, the people we meet. 

Erikson points out that, as we communicate with others, whatever our intentions, the people to whom we are speaking or writing will always receive what we say through their own lens. We all have our own points of reference, our own experiences, and our own individual levels of intelligence through which we filter the information we receive. So, communication depends very much upon the recipient. 

Erikson posits that once the reader understands this the easier they will be able to express themselves to others, and that the communicator will be able to adapt their message to the recipient.

The book also makes an effort to point out that all colours, all behaviour types are needed, and are of value. Because, as it turns out, we are not surrounded by idiots, just people who are reading a different map than our own.

I began this post with a little tongue-in-cheek revelation about myself and an ex-partner. Well, sort of lighthearted. 

This book reminds the reader to consider themselves and how they relate with others. The relationship between two people depends upon the effort that each makes to understand the other. If you cannot meet the listener, the person you are trying to reach, if you cannot make the effort, at least, then the breakdown in communication is the responsibility of each of you.

But this is not a blame game. This is about getting better. And that always has value, and is worth a try. For that reason alone, this book is worth a read, and worthy of its popularity. 

You can purchase a copy of Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson here

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Eeny Meeny by M. J. Arlidge - analysis and review

 

Eeny Meeny by M. J. Arlidge (Photo from personal collection)

Disclaimer: This blog is affiliated with bookshop.org and Waterstones. If you should make a purchase through any of the links in this blog, I might earn a small commission from the sellers. However, this does not affect the price of the books, and it does not influence the content of the blog.

The central theme of Eeny Meeny is a dark and terrible question - how much could you endure before you would commit a horrible act? 

A killer is abducting people in pairs, holding them captive, and forcing them to choose which of them lives and which of them dies. And, on the hunt for this monster, is DI Helen Grace, and her team, a DI who has her own demons, which she manages in her own way - the infliction of pain.

Throughout the novel runs a theme of people trying to cope with their demons. From the victims of the killer, to the killer too, who has taken the darkest of routes. But there are also the members of DI Grace's team, with their own pains and losses they are trying to navigate. DS Mark Fuller's problems with his ex-partner have seen him falling into a bottle. And then there is Helen Grace, dealing with emotional pains through the infliction of physical pain upon herself.

Yes, this novel could be considered an exploration into the ways which people further their own misery, through the unhealthy ways in which they manage troubles and pains.

This novel, Eeny Meeny, was the first Helen Grace novel, and it spawned a successful series. And, as I found out, back in March, when I had a little Q&A exchange with the author, M. J. Arlidge actively enjoys exploring those dark corners of what it is to be human. You can read that interview here.

In Helen Grace, Arlidge has created a unique and fascinating character. She does not turn to drink or drugs, like other fictional detectives before her, to deal with the darkness in her life. She controls inner torment with physical torment. She is a matter-of-fact woman, devoted to her work. But, though she gives little away to her colleagues, there are signs of a deeper and richer inner life to DI Grace. Signs of a good and caring heart.

She is a character I find myself wanting to know better.

The book is fast-paced, with chapters short and delivering only what is necessary to tell the story - there is little fat here on this lean tale. I used to read quite a lot of crime fiction when I was younger, and this novel reminded me of why. I really enjoyed Eeny Meeny and, since I read the book, other novels in the DI Helen Grace series have been added to my bookshelves.

You can purchase Eeny Meeny by M. J. Arlidge here

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Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann - analysis and review

 

Disclaimer: this blog is affiliated with bookshop.org and Waterstones. If you should make a purchase through any of the links in this blog, I might earn a small commission from the sale. However, this does not impact upon the price of the items, and it does not influence the content of this blog.

Oscar Wilde's life was lived in two parts. In the first part, a famous literary man, celebrated and satirised in almost equal measure, an outrageous figure, but a respected author and playwright of Victorian London. In the second part, he was an exiled man, nearly broken by two years of prison and hard labour, fated to die lonely, scraping by on donations from the few still willing to give.

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Richard Ellmann brought the subject's life into sharp focus, from Wilde's fame and flamboyance, to his pain and depressions. Wilde is brought to life here.

It has been said that Wilde almost lived his life as though he were planning to be the ideal subject for a biographer, and it is hard to disagree with that assertion when you have finished the final page of Ellmann's work. 

The best biographies strip away at time and space, and make the subject more than just a sample of a life, something studied in cold analyses. The best biographers bring their subjects, regardless of the time or place in which they lived, to life, and that is what Ellmann did here. We find Wilde as a kind, innocent, and generous man. We find him as a man broken and pained by prison and exile, by the cold cuts from past friends, because of his homosexuality. We find Wilde as a man brought down by love and cruelty.

If you've any interest in literary history at all, or if you just have an appreciation for well written biographies, biographies written with real care and consideration, then you should know that this is a charming and captivating read. A truly excellent biography of a truly excellent man!

I have discovered that this biography can be somewhat tricky to track down, but if you should come across this book, be sure to snap it up! However, a more recently published biography of Wilde, Oscar: A Life by Matthew Sturgis, has received very favourable reviews that compare it to Ellmann's work, and this book is available here.

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