Pig’s Foot – Carlos Acosta

What’s it all about?:

One day Oscar Kortico wakes to find himself utterly alone in the world. As the sole descendant of his family line he is not sure what to do or where he should go, but in the midst of this uncertainty, he holds fast to what his grandfather always told him: ‘No man knows who he is until he knows his past, the history of his country.’

As he sets out to find the lost village of Pata de Puerco and the meaning of the magical pig’s-foot amulet he has inherited, the search for his country’s hidden history becomes entangled with his search for the truth about himself.

Through a vivid, if not entirely reliable, retelling of the stories of his ancestors we live the tumultuous history of Cuba through Oscar’s eyes, from the arrival of slaves through the wars of independence, to Bacardi rum, dictatorship, revolution and, finally, to a freedom of sorts.

What did I think?:

Pig’s Foot is the last novel that I read in the group dubbed The Waterstones Eleven for 2013. Please see my previous post HERE for information and the reviews of the other ten novels. My interest in this book was piqued not only because it was part of the Waterstones Eleven, but because the author is principally known for being a Cuban born British ballet dancer. As a dancer, he won numerous awards for his roles and was also a member of the Royal Ballet in London. More recently, he was appointed Commander of the order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Years Honours List for his services to ballet. No Way Home – A Cuban Dancer’s Story, published in 2007 tells the story of his rise from poverty in Havana to becoming the lead male ballet dancer in the world. But is he any good as a novelist?

The narrator for this story is a young(ish) man called Oscar Kortico who is desperate to find out where he comes from, historically speaking. He has in his possession a lucky amulet in the form of a pig’s foot and he proceeds to tell us the story of a hidden village in Cuba called Pata de Puerco and how he came to discover the story of his ancestors and the meaning behind the mysterious pig’s foot. Oscar’s story begins in Cuba in the 1800’s and he takes us through the politics and history of his country seen through the eyes of four generations of the same family, from the days when slavery was the norm to the present times when Oscar takes over to tell his own story. I really enjoyed reading about the history of Cuba in this way, although I was less interested in the politics side. At times however the factual information appeared in little chunks in peculiar places and sometimes this interrupted the general flow of the story-telling. Our narrator Oscar also seems slightly unreliable but this is an intentional ploy by the author that leads to quite a dramatic and unexpected ending. While I do think that Pig’s Foot is an impressive debut, and there are moments of genuinely high-quality writing I wasn’t blown away by it and found the fantastical elements a bit hard to swallow.

Would I recommend it?:

Not sure.

Star rating (out of 5):

COMING UP: The Waterstones Eleven 2013 Round Up – What Did I Think?

Marriage Material – Sathnam Sanghera

What’s it all about?:

If you’ve approached Bains Stores recently, you’d be forgiven for hesitating on doing so. A prominent window advert for a discontinued chocolate bar suggests the shop may have closed in 1994. The security shutters are stuck a quarter-open, adding to the general air of dilapidation. A push or kick of the door triggers something which is more grating car alarm than charming shop bell.

To Arjan Banga, returning to the Black Country after the unexpected death of his father, his family’s corner shop represents everything he has tried to leave behind – a lethargic pace of life, insular rituals and ways of thinking. But when his mother insists on keeping the shop open, he finds himself being dragged back, forced into big decisions about his imminent marriage back in London and uncovering the history of his broken family – the elopement and mixed-race marriage of his aunt Surinder, the betrayals and loyalties, loves and regrets that have played out in the shop over more than fifty years.

Taking inspiration from Arnold Bennett’s classic novel The Old Wives’ Tale, Marriage Material tells the story of three generations of a family through the prism of a Wolverhampton corner shop – itself a microcosm of the South Asian experience in the country: a symbol of independence and integration, but also of darker realities.

This is an epic tale of family, love, and politics, spanning the second half of the twentieth century, and the start of the twenty-first. Told with humour, tenderness and insight, it manages to be both a unique and urgent survey of modern Britain by one of Britain’s most promising young writers, and an ingenious re-imagining of a classic work of fiction.

What did I think?:

This promising debut novel was part of the Waterstones Eleven for 2013, please see my previous post HERE. It is a contemporary work of fiction set in Wolverhampton which follows the lives of a British Asian (specifically Sikh) family who own a corner shop and have two daughters. Kamaljit is the elder sister and possibly more traditional than her younger sister, Surinder who is desperate to carve a career for herself away from the familial duties of the shop. Their father, Mr Bains is ill and spends most of his time in bed upstairs leaving the running of the shop to his wife, daughters and some family friends. The girls mother is a devout Sikh and takes great pains to try and arrange for both of her daughters to be married off. This is terrible for Surinder, who wants to carry on with her studies at school, and feels guilty for wanting to better herself against the traditional Sikh values.

The other narrative of this story is set slightly in the future, when the daughters have married. Our narrator is Arjan, who is the son of Kamaljit and her husband Tanvir, currently managing the family shop. Arjan is desperately worried about his mother who is left behind to run the business, and he questions her coping strategies after the loss of her husband. There is also a bit of a mystery going around surrounding Surinder, who eloped with an English salesman and hasn’t been heard from since. Arjan ends up giving up his job as a graphic designer to help his mother and ends up re-evaluating his life and uncovering old family secrets threatening his own relationship with his fiancee Freya.

There is so much going on in this novel that at times it can be difficult to keep up, however it moves along at a nice pace keeping the reader interested as to what will come next. Parts of this story were very intriguing, especially the difference in Sikh castes and how individuals from lower castes are viewed and treated by other Sikhs. I also thought the issue of race was very well handled and there were certain parts that made me quite disgusted, as I believe racism of any kind is abhorrent. However, the author kept a nice balance of humour that did not make light of race issues, but put a smile on my face nevertheless.

Would I recommend it?:

Probably!

Star rating (out of 5):

Burial Rites – Hannah Kent

What’s it all about?:

Set against Iceland’s stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes’s death looms, the farmer’s wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they’ve heard.

Riveting and rich with lyricism, BURIAL RITES evokes a dramatic existence in a distant time and place, and asks the question, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?

What did I think?:

This brilliant debut novel first came to my attention when it was picked for the Waterstones Eleven this year, please see my previous post HERE. It is based on a true story set in Iceland in 1829, where three people are charged with the murder of two men, Natan Ketilsson and Petur Jonsson and are awaiting execution. Our main character, Agnes Magnusdottir is one of those three, and they mean to make an example out of her by proceeding with her sentence, whilst giving one of her conspirators a reprieve, mainly for being a “pretty young thing,” which apparently appeals to the public’s sympathy in a case such as this. The date of the execution of Agnes was also the last recorded instance of capital punishment in Iceland, so obviously the case is notable and more memorable. However, Agnes is proving a little too expensive to keep in the regular prisoner cells, so the District Commissioner Bjorn Blondal decides to house the prisoner with one of his officials on a small farm until the date of her death could be determined. The family concerned, consisting of husband Jon, his wife Margret and their two daughters Lauga and Steina are understandably terrified and disgusted to hear that they will be housing a murderer, and have no idea what to expect or how to act around her. Nor too does the local Assistant Reverend Tóti, when he hears that Agnes has requested him to be her spiritual advisor while she stays on the farm and before she meets her Maker. When Agnes arrives though, they are all taken aback when they come to realise that there might be another side to the story that they have not yet considered.

Firstly, it is obvious when reading this novel how much effort and research the author must have carried out on this subject before writing it. It is told from a number of perspectives, the most interesting being Agnes, and the reader is swept along with the emotion of her impending death, and the brutality of the justice system. We are also treated to transcripts of letters at the beginning of each chapter written between those overseeing Agnes’ sentence, including details of the costings of the axe and other materials purchased especially for the execution, which seems fairly surreal but provided that touch of authenticity. Some parts of the story are fairly graphic and brutal, but at no time did I feel that this was too much, and in fact added to the poignancy of my reading experience. The characters were all written with considerable depth, and I still find myself thinking about them days later, and the harsh, unforgiving conditions and poverty experienced by many Icelanders at that time really gives the reader food for thought and complements the tale perfectly. This is a hugely talented author and a phenomenal debut, this is one author I will definitely be added to my “automatic buy” list.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

The Spinning Heart – Donal Ryan

What’s it all about?:

In the aftermath of Ireland’s financial collapse, dangerous tensions surface in an Irish town. As violence flares, the characters face a battle between public persona and inner desires. Through a chorus of unique voices, each struggling to tell their own kind of truth, a single authentic tale unfolds.

The Spinning Heart speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel. Wry, vulnerable, all-too human, it captures the language and spirit of rural Ireland and with uncanny perception articulates the words and thoughts of a generation. Technically daring and evocative of Patrick McCabe and J.M. Synge, this novel of small-town life is witty, dark and sweetly poignant.

What did I think?:

This book first came to my attention when it was chosen to be part of the Waterstones Eleven 2013, eleven debut authors who Waterstones predict big things for, please see my previous post HERE. Since then it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize this year (unfortunately, it did not make the shortlist), and has won other literary awards including The Sunday Independent Newcomer of The Year in 2012. The story is told in 21 short chapters, each chapter being told by a different voice in a small Irish community, each voice is only heard once but they are all individually unique in their personalities – a tough asking but one I think the author pulls off beautifully. Our story revolves around a man called Bobby Mahon, who is foreman at a building firm managed by Pokey Burke. The recession hits Ireland with a bang, and Pokey disappears into thin air after his firm goes bust, without having paid any of his workers National Insurance stamps or pensions. Understandably, there are a lot of angry people around, and after we hear Bobby’s story in the first chapter, we learn that every character is involved with him in some manner, and that they have been wounded or affected by the recession. The spinning heart of the novel is a physical object which hangs from Bobby’s fathers garden gate, and I think is also a metaphor for Bobby himself, as the moral centre of the story from which everything revolves.

The author’s use of different voices is both beautiful and poignant as we hear from a variety of individuals, from Lily (the “village bike”), to a young child, a single mother, and men who have worked for Pokey Burke and are desperately unhappy with the lot that they have been left i.e. nothing. Ryan writes the novel in the Irish voice, using the regional slang, which only adds to the authenticity of the novel in my opinion. This story is not just about the economic crash however, love, violence, a kidnapping and murder is also present which brings a sense of surprise and intrigue into what the reader is going to learn next. The dark humour connected with the Irish is also present, much to my delight, and I loved how the gossipmongers of the village are referred to as the “Teapot Taliban.” Favourite parts? Too many to discuss! Bobby’s strained relationship with his father is insightful and destructive, and he often mentions wishing for his death – this is important later on in the novel for a gripping twist that leaves the reader unable to put the book down, desperate to know how it is going to turn out. The following quote is a particular favourite of mine that completely spoke to me on a personal level:

“I’ll never forgive him for the sulking, though, and the killing sting of his tongue. He ruined every day of our lives with it… Sober, he was a watcher, a horror of a man who missed nothing and commented on everything. Nothing was ever done right or cooked right or said right or bought right or handed to him properly…. We couldn’t breathe right in a room with him. We couldn’t talk freely or easily.”

By the end of the novel, the characters and setting feel so familiar, it is almost like you are reading about people you know, and it is a certainty that we have all come across the colourful and more eccentric characters in our own lives. The only one problem I have with this book is that we only hear the voices once – and interestingly we never hear from Pokey Burke, who seems to have vanished into thin air. I would have loved to hear more about the characters, especially Bobby, who I think would have benefited from a short excerpt at the end, so the reader could analyse his thoughts and feelings after certain events in the story have played out. However, this is a fantastic debut novel, a worthy Booker long-lister, and I can’t wait to see what the author does next.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

Ballistics – D.W. Wilson

What’s it all about?:

It is summer and the Canadian Rockies are on fire. As the forests blaze, Alan West heads into their shadows, returning from university to his grandfather’s home in the remote Kootenay Valley, where the man who raised him has suffered a heart attack. Confronting his own mortality, the tough and taciturn Cecil West has a dying request for his grandson: track down the father Alan has never known so that the old man can make peace with him.

And so Alan begins his search for the elusive Jack West, a man who skipped town before his son could walk and of whom his grandfather has always refused to speak. His quest will lead him to Archer, an old American soldier who decades ago went AWOL across the border into Canada. Archer has been carrying a heavy burden for many years, and through him Alan learns the stories of two broken families who came together, got too close, and then fell apart in tragic ways.

Ballistics is a remarkable first novel, about family ties and the wounds that can linger for generations when those relationships are betrayed.

What did I think?:

This is another of the debut Waterstones Eleven authors predicted for great things this year, please see my previous post HERE. The premise definitely sounded interesting, a man is searching for the father he has never known on the dying request of his grandfather who raised him from a baby. For some reason not known to the reader yet, Alan’s grandfather Cecil West and father Jack, have not spoken or seen each other for many years. Cecil hopes that by reaching out to his son at the end of his life he will dissolve the feud between them, and also allow his grandson to get to know his previously absent father. As expected however, there are many underlying and complicated issues present, not only between Cecil and his son, but tensions that have been festering for a while, involving an ex-soldier called Archer and his daughter Linnea, who becomes an integral part of the plot for all the men concerned.

Unfortunately, I’m finding it quite difficult to formulate my opinions on this novel. On the one hand, it is an excellent piece of writing, with a storyline that is both clever enough to hook you in, and intriguing enough to keep you reading. If I were perfectly honest though, I’d probably come to the conclusion that despite these factors, the book wasn’t quite my sort of thing. I thought it was interesting in the way that the author explored the different sort of relationships i.e. father to son, husband to wife, and between good friends, and what happens in each of this cases if the relationship goes sour, and feel the author accomplished this tremendously. The whole style of writing in general though was incredibly “blokey,” (sorry to sound sexist, but that’s how it made me feel!), and just wasn’t for me personally. I like to think that I read quite a wide range of material, and am neither prudish nor squeamish, but the balance of gun/car/fight talk tended to slant into overkill, and didn’t appeal to me. But to end on a positive note, the talent of the writing should not be under-estimated, and if you enjoy a story which analyses the fragility of human relationships this is definitely the book for you.

Would I recommend it?:

Probably not.

Star rating (out of 5):

The Son – Michel Rostain

What’s it all about?:

We first meet Michel eleven days after the death of his son Lion. Lion was lost, suddenly, to a virulent strain of meningitis and the tragedy left his father and entire family reeling. We join Michel on his personal journey through grief, but the twist that makes the journey truly remarkable, and tips this true story into fiction, is the fact that we see it all through Lion’s eyes. In a stunningly original blurring of memoir and fiction, The Son tackles the very hardest of subjects in the most readable of ways. Michel Rostain resolutely ducks away from sentimentality and pathos, and tells his story instead with wit, wisdom, and vitality. For this is not a book about death; it’s a book about life.

What did I think?:

The Son is the June selection from the Waterstones Eleven debut authors – please see my previous post HERE. It is a highly emotional and moving read that blends memoir and fiction seamlessly, exploring grief and loss through the son’s eyes after his death as he watches his parents (specifically his father Michel) come to terms with their loss. Lion dies quite suddenly and unexpectedly after succumbing to the horror that is meningitis, and the story is told by flipping backwards and forwards from just before his death, to his actual death, the funeral, and the time afterwards which can only be described as heart breaking.

I read somewhere that there are no words to describe parents who have lost a child. When we think of the word “orphan,” we automatically picture a child who has lost their parents, but do we use the same word to describe parents who have lost their child? Especially since it is usually expected that parents will die before their children, so to have the tables turned so as to speak, must be a horror that is indescribable. I found the section describing Lion’s illness, especially when it worsened, particularly hard to read and it must have been incredibly difficult to write. The quote below was particularly poignant:

“We don’t yet know when we’ll die, but the unknown is only ever two numerals away.”

Throughout it all, despite the immense grief and suffering, Michel comes across as a strong, talented and admirable individual – the sub-title of the book being: This is not a book about death. It’s a book about life.” 

I respect the author for the strength it must have taken to write this book, and enjoyed the moments of humour and the richness of the writing. I highly recommend it as a truly thought provoking  novel which offers hope and positivity for the future ahead.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

Idiopathy – Sam Byers

What’s it all about?:

Idiopathy (ɪdɪˈɒpəθi): a disease or condition which arises spontaneously or for which the cause is unknown.

Idiopathy: a novel as unexpected as its title, in which Katherine, Daniel, and Nathan—three characters you won’t forget in a hurry—unsuccessfully try to figure out how they feel about one another and how they might best live their lives in a world gone mad. Featuring a mysterious cattle epidemic, a humiliating stint in rehab, an unwanted pregnancy, a mom–turned–media personality (“Mother Courage”), and a workplace with a bio-dome housing a perfectly engineered cornfield, it is at once a scathing satire and a moving meditation on love and loneliness. With unusual verbal finesse and great humor, Sam Byers neatly skewers the tangled relationships and unhinged narcissism of a self-obsessed generation in a remarkable, uproarious first novel.

What did I think?:

This is the May read for The Waterstones Eleven debut authors, please see my previous post HERE. The tag line for this story is that it is “a novel of love, narcissism and ailing cattle,” which actually sums it up quite well! On starting, I really wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, as all the characters are quite awful to each other, and it’s written in quite an original style. The author focuses on three main characters – Katherine and Daniel, who used to be a couple but have broken up, and Nathan their friend, who has spent a year in a psychiatric unit and is back home living with his parents. His mother has used his mental state to re-invent herself as an author – “Mother Courage,” telling the world how she copes with such a wayward son. Katherine is single and full of bitterness at men, and at the world in general. She sleeps with a few different men but has not been able to find happiness (or even care about finding happiness). Daniel is in a new relationship with a girl who he’s not really sure if he loves, but has to continue saying he loves her, for fear of being alone and that he might actually love her. Make sense?

The book has a few different quirks, and once I got used to the style, I did enjoy it, and when Nathan comes back into Katherine and Daniel’s lives, we begin to see how toxic their former relationship really was. The author writes about their arguments in such a way that the reader feels almost like a guilty onlooker, with many cringe-worthy moments. It’s very hard to like Katherine or Daniel as characters, especially Katherine, who seems to be spiteful and full of hatred, angry at everyone and everything, although at the end, I did feel quite sorry for her, as her true loneliness came across.

Oh yes, and the news stations are going mad across the country because all the cows are staring off into the distance, not moving, and clearly ill. There is a very funny moment at the end involving a cow called Mavis, a hippy, and a fairly quiet suburban street, which is probably not the best mixture! I found the book quite humorous throughout, and although I didn’t love it, I definitely think Sam Byers is a debut author to watch out for.

Would I recommend it?:

Probably!

Star rating (out of 5):

The Hay Festival 2013

I was very excited to be able to attend The Hay Festival this year for a day with my sister Chrissi. It can be described as:

“gathering people together to think about the world as it is and imagine how it might be. It’s a big conversation about discovery and intellectual adventure. We share stories and ideas with international writers and thinkers, film-makers, historians and novelists, philosophers, environmentalists, poets and scientists; and at night we like to party with the greatest comedians and musicians. It’s a bunch of friends hanging out in a field with time to think, finding the inspiration to re-imagine the world.”

As a pair of book-fiends, we were both looking to a day spent in Hay-on-Wye in Wales, known as “a town of books,” where we would attend two talks at the Festival and explore the many bookshops the town had to offer. However, our journey didn’t start off too well…

Yes, something crashed into our coach on the motorway – that thing you see hanging down is the exhaust! Luckily no-one was hurt, but it took a long time before we were on our way again.

Hooray, we made it to Newport! Which was incredibly wet. The train to Hereford was next, through some beautiful countryside and what we hoped was a short trip to our B+B near Hay-on-Wye. Much later, and to our dismay a fifty pound taxi ride later (!!), we arrived at our home for the evening – in the back of beyond but perfectly situated for the festival.

Oh, and the lovely owner took pity on our poor bedraggled souls, and fed us hot cheese and potato pie, and homemade biscuits. Excellent! Our room was just right, with some fantastic views over the Brecon Beacon countryside.

After a good nights rest, we headed off to the festival, our first talk centred around three of the Waterstones Eleven debut authors – Gavin Extence who wrote The Universe Versus Alex Woods, Kevin Maher who wrote The Fields, and Taiye Selasi who wrote Ghana Must Go. (please see my reviews attached to the title). We were particularly interested to see these three authors as we are following the list closely over this year. All authors brought their own slice of personality to the interview and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to their explanations over the writing process. Kevin Maher has to win the award for the funniest line ever in an interview situation: “Ah hello, I’m a child-molester to be sure!” Don’t worry folks, he ISN”T, but was making a joke regarding the controversial topic in his novel.

Onto the next talk which was entitled “Geekhood and Geek Girl.” This involved two authors, former actor Andy Robb who is famous for his Geekhood series, and former model Holly Smale who has recently published her first novel – Geek Girl. I’m not familiar with these authors, but Chrissi has read Geek Girl recently and highly recommends it. The interview was tailored towards a younger audience, trying to figure out where we (the audience) rate on the geek spectrum, the difference between “geek” and “nerd,” the rubbish status or not so rubbish status of the TV programme The Big Bang Theory and some great teen advice about loving the person you are and not caring what others think by Holly which went down a storm. I thought they both engaged with the audience on a great level, and it was lovely to watch the interaction and comedy moments between the two. Oh, and the tent had a sparkly ceiling. Nuff said.

Our day was almost coming to an end, but before preparing ourselves for a long journey home, we had to go and investigate the dozens of bookshops promised in a town famous for its books. It did not disappoint. Just one picture to whet the appetite…

And we got a great haul too!

So despite bus exhaust issues, outlandish taxi fares and wet and blustery weather, we had a fantastic time at the Hay Festival and would highly recommend it to any other bibliophiles. Hopefully next year we will be able to stay a bit longer and attend more talks, and buy more books (obviously!) Although you can perhaps see from my bookshelves at home, I might already have a bit of a problem…

Please feel free to comment or share your book festival stories. Please also see Chrissi’s post HERE for her take on the Hay Festival. Happy Reading everyone!

Ghana Must Go – Taiye Selasi

What’s it all about?:

Kweku Sai is dead. A renowned surgeon and failed husband, he succumbs suddenly at dawn outside his home in suburban Accra. The news of Kweku’s death sends a ripple around the world, bringing together the family he abandoned years before. Ghana Must Go is their story. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted, Ghana Must Go is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love, from a debut novelist of extraordinary talent.

Moving with great elegance through time and place, Ghana Must Go charts the Sais’ circuitous journey to one another. In the wake of Kweku’s death, his children gather in Ghana at their enigmatic mother’s new home. The eldest son and his wife; the mysterious, beautiful twins; the baby sister, now a young woman: each carries secrets of his own. What is revealed in their coming together is the story of how they came apart: the hearts broken, the lies told, the crimes committed in the name of love. Splintered, alone, each navigates his pain, believing that what has been lost can never be recovered—until, in Ghana, a new way forward, a new family, begins to emerge.

What did I think?:

This novel is the April read for the Waterstones Eleven debut authors, please see my previous post HERE. This book centres around the sudden and unexpected death of one man – a remarkable surgeon and father of four. As each of his children hear about his death, we learn how much of a failure he was as a father, and how much each child has been affected by their fathers abandonment. There is Olu, the first-born son, under a great deal of pressure from his parents to perform. He ends up following in his fathers footsteps by also becoming a surgeon, but who undergoes considerable emotional problems in his private life. The two twins, who were probably my favourite characters were very intriguing. Unable to cope with the marriage breakdown, their mother sends them to live with their uncle where a traumatic experience for both twins unfolds. I enjoyed the way this was continually hinted at in the novel, and how different the reactions of both twins were to their shared experience and their parents divorce.  Finally, the baby of the family, Sadie appears to have more of an issue with her mother than her father, and also harbours a secret.

The language in this book is rich and beautifully descriptive, and I found it slightly difficult at the beginning like a couple of other reviews of the book I have read. However, once getting used to the style, it became almost a treat to read. I cannot believe that this is a debut novel, the author writes like she has been writing for years, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this book ended up a contender for the Man Booker prize this year. Although I probably wouldn’t read this book again, I’m glad I’ve read it once, even just to appreciate the author’s stunning way with words.

Would I recommend it?:

Probably!

Star rating (out of 5):

The Fields – Kevin Maher

What’s it all about?:

It’s the first summer of lust for 14-year-old Jim Finnegan, a boy trying to become a man in 1980s Dublin. Jim’s vivid and winning voice leaps off the page and into the reader’s heart as he watches his parents argue, his five older sisters fight, and the local network of mothers gossip. Jim hilariously recounts his life dealing with the politics of his boisterous family, taking breakneck bike rides with his best friend, dancing to Foreigner on his boombox, and quietly coveting the local girls from afar.

Over the summer, Jim wins the attention of a beautiful older girl-but he also becomes the unwilling target of a devious religious figure in the community. His life starts to unravel as he faces consequences from both his love for his girlfriend and his attempts to avoid the Parish Priest. When he and his girlfriend take a ferry for a clandestine trip to London, the dark and difficult repercussions from the trip force Jim to look for the solution to all his problems in some very unusual places.

What did I think?:

This is the March release from the Waterstones Eleven debut authors – please see my previous post HERE. The book follows a young boy, Jim Finnegan, through his early adolescence in Ireland during the eighties. The book starts with a punch, with the family cat being hit by a car and a young girl being hit in the face with a hockey ball all in the first few pages. The drama never ceases, as we become involved with Jim and his family of five sisters, and a paedophile priest who lures Jim into becoming an altar boy so that he can have his wicked way with him. Along with the torrent of sexual abuse that comes his way, Jim also falls in love for the first time with an older girl called Saidhbh (pronounced “sive” like “hive.”) Although the novel is incredibly disturbing because of the subject matter, the author manages to keep things light, with a sense of humour throughout, even in the darker and more shocking moments of the story.

The story is beautifully written with some wonderful memories of the eighties (Jimmy Somerville and the weird and wacky clothing get a mention), and the characters fantastically realised. However, I felt it really hit a bump with the ending which I was very disappointed by. I could almost deal with some of the spiritual and mystical parts… until it just hit my belief systems a bit too hard. (Somebody else please read it so I can talk about it with you!) Aside from that, it is a wonderful book which I would recommend and I think the author pulls off a dark subject with ease and panache.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):