I enjoyed this story and characters mainly based around the WWII campaign in Timor. I love it when a story makes me experience a range of emotions throughout the story. It is a story on the horror of war and its aftermath, mateship, complicated families, love and ultimately hope. The story jumps time periods several times per chapter, sometimes throwing me off the flow of the story, but this is only a minor complaint.
Month: October 2017
A long way home by Saroo Brierley
Not the most beautifully written, A Long Way Home is an extraordinary story of a very small, lost, boy holding tight to his memories, being supported by his adoptive parents and using technology methodically and painstakingly to find his family. It is uplifting and hopeful, if not very revealing of personality.
Child of God by Cormac McCarthy
I am quite often drawn to books that have unpleasant characters or subject matter, not because I can identify with them but because the lives of the characters or the subject matter is so different from my own experiences. Cormac McCarthy is the unsurpassed master of writing about the human condition and Child of God is no exception. I was so appalled, disgusted, horrified and entertained by Lester Ballard that I couldn’t put the book down. A short but compelling read.
The kite runner by Khaled Hosseini
I thought I hadn’t read this before, but given that the first half of the book held no surprises, it seems I must have at least started reading it, years ago. Broadly, it’s about the terrible things that have happened in Afghanistan, and it is also about a boy who does something terrible, and, years later, gets a chance to try and make things right. It’s a moving story, though I found it a little predictable and overwrought.
Insomniac city by Bill Hayes
Insomniac City is a love story, about a man who falls in love with New York City and Oliver Sacks. It must be more than twenty years since I read my first Oliver Sacks book, and I have read many since, feeling so drawn to this gentle, ever curious, genius of a man. And, while I am not especially keen on the US as a whole, New York is different, magical somehow. So, this memoir of Bill Hayes’ moving to New York and loving Oliver Sacks until his death, was totally captivating to me. A whimsical , quirky, deeply moving book about love, loss and life well lived.
Daughter of mine by Fiona Lowe
Although most events were predictable I enjoyed reading about this family in rural Victoria. It brings to light the affect of family secrets, experiences, expectations, history, perceptions and dynamics. Fiona has a great writing style that flows well.
Terra nullius by Claire G. Coleman
I don’t want to give away too much about this thoughtful novel. It was completely different to the style of book I usually read. The author does a good job of grounding the reader into the story and then pulling you into something completely different. The concepts were therefore familiar to me at the beginning of the story, keeping me reading when things were revealed to be not as they seemed.
The Wolverine
I love the X-Men movies, but fell behind with watching them, so am catching up now. Struggling to deal with the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, Wolverine is enticed to Japan where he encounters much fighting, a little romance and some great scenery. I think the Wolverine films aren’t as much fun as the X-Men films, and this one is less emotionally affecting than Logan, the final Wolverine film, but it was still enjoyable.
My lover’s lover by Maggie O’Farrell
A young woman moves in with a mesmerising fellow she has just met, and is troubled by the spectre of his former girlfriend. That’s the gist of this disturbing story, which weaves in and out of time periods and narrators, and is suspenseful and moody. The characters weren’t as compelling, or well drawn, as in her later books, but it was still an enjoyable read.
Big little lies by Liane Moriarty
A suburban primary school’s trivia night degenerates so badly that someone ends up dead; if only all school events were so exciting! This is a murder mystery with characters and a setting so familiar, suspense, humour, twists and turns. It deals with the complex issues around domestic violence and also about school politics, parenthood, marriage and friendship. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read, definitely not just for women!
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