#12. Starting With The Letter "L" – Lullaby by Leila Slimani (Paperback)

“The baby is dead. It took only a few seconds.”

Browsing the local bookshop, I gasped in shock as I read those words. The first chapter is only 2.5 pages long, so I just continued reading, mouth open.  Immediately I knew I wanted to read this book, and that it was one I wouldn’t put down until it was finished, so armed with my new purchase, I headed off to the local park, bought an ice-cream, and continued reading.

“When Myriam decides to return to work, she and her husband look for a nanny for their two young children. They find their dream candidate: Louise: a quiet, polite and devoted woman who sings to their children, cleans the family's chic Paris apartment, stays late without complaint and hosts enviable birthday parties. But as the couple and their nanny become increasingly dependent on each other, jealousy, resentment and suspicions start to breed, and Myriam and Paul's idyllic domesticity is shattered.”

From the first lines, Leila Slimani sets out her intention, that this is going to be a horrific tale and one that those triggered by child violence should not read. There is not going to be a soft approach to any of the issues which are raised in this book. Within the first paragraph you know that a baby is dead, a little girl is in a critical condition and the mother is hysterical. A 4^th person has tried to take their own life. The wheels have been set in motion and the reader must make an uncomfortable decision, keep reading and head out on a  journey to find out how and why the children are dead, or leave the book on the shelf and find something less disturbing in the bookshop.

TRUST. Such a short word, but so powerful. Believing someone, hoping that they are honest, reliable, that they are speaking the truth…it is a difficult thing to do, especially the older you get. We put trust in people all our lives, from our early years of trusting someone with a secret that they then tell the whole school about, so you find out that they’re not as reliable as once thought, to getting older and trusting a complete stranger to operate on us.

I’ve never had the worry about employing someone to look after a child. The closest I’ve got to is when I go on holiday, there’s only one person I trust with the welfare of my cat; God knows what I’ll do if I (or they) ever move house. I know my cat is safe, so I really can’t imagine how hard it would be for me to put my trust in someone to look after my flesh and blood – especially a small defenceless child.

“ ‘My nanny is a miracle-worker.’ That is what Myriam says when she describes Louise’s sudden entrance into their lives.”

After interviewing several candidates for the role of a nanny, Myriam and Paul decide they have struck gold when Louise walks into their life. She is immediately at ease holding the baby and playing games with Mila, calling her a princess. She cooks dinner and cleans the house so that Myriam can concentrate on her career as a successful lawyer, and Paul can continue with his demanding schedules working as a music producer. Louise quickly makes herself indispensable, the household has never run so smoothly, but there is already a chilling discomfort as each page is turned, the reader is aware, unlike the parents, that Louise is no Mary Poppins.

#11. Title Starting With the Letter ‘K’ – The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (Audible)

This is the fourth book by Natasha Pulley that I have listened to, and then decided that it would have been better to have read a physical copy of the book. At some point, I may treat myself to the books, because I’m sure there are details that I’ve missed whilst walking and getting distracted by something I’ve seen. That is a shame really, because her books are full of such exquisite details, they deserve more attention than what I’ve given them.

 

“Joe Tournier has a bad case of amnesia. His first memory is of stepping off a train in the nineteenth-century French colony of England. The only clue Joe has about his identity is a century-old postcard of a Scottish lighthouse that arrives in London the same month he does. Written in illegal English—instead of French—the postcard is signed only with the letter “M,” but Joe is certain whoever wrote it knows him far better than he currently knows himself, and he's determined to find the writer. The search for M, though, will drive Joe from French-ruled London to rebel-owned Scotland and finally onto the battle ships of a lost empire's Royal Navy. In the process, Joe will remake history, and himself.”

 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the history you thought you knew was wrong? What if you were given the chance to go back in time and change events that have already happened? If you did change things, then the future as you know it wouldn’t be able to exist…you might not be able to exist; those you love now might not exist because of the changes you’ve made. It’s quite the deep soul-searching question, and one that comes to play out in this novel.

The first thing that I have to say about this book is that it is a slow burn, in fact all the novels I’ve read by Natasha Pulley are slow burns, which is why I think I would do better reading her books than trying to listen to them. That said, I don’t mean to suggest that the books are boring, rambling on about nothing, I mean that the story slowly unfurls. Pulley is a storyteller, she weaves a magical tale around “nothingness,” it is as though you can read several pages and still feel left in the dark, but you continue to read because you know, you know, that something interesting is being kept from you, it’s just ever so slightly out of reach, but with a bit of patience, the answer will come in its own time. At some point, everything you have been told will suddenly start to make sense.

The year is 1898 when Joe Tournier disembarks from a train in London into a world which is unfamiliar to both him and us the reader; only this isn’t London, it’s Londres. The UK is under French rule and slavery still seems to exist, somehow, the French won the Battle of Trafalgar, and the English are now slaves.

#10. Told In Non-Chronological Order – After the Silence by Louise O’Neill (Audible)

I first heard of this book when it was chosen by broadcaster Laura Whitmore as her ‘Bring Your Own Book’ for the BBC's “Between the Covers” program. She described Louise O’Neill as a “beautiful Irish writer,” and that whilst this novel is a work of fiction it is based loosely on similar events that have happened in the past in Ireland.

Years ago, I listened to a true crime podcast called “West Cork” on Audible. It was the fascinating, yet harrowing tale of the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier near her holiday home in Co. Cork in December 1996. Whilst suspicions were rife, no-one in Ireland was ever charged with her death, although there has always been whispers that locals knew more than they were letting on. This novel has echoes of that, and that is why I added it to my TBR pile.

 

“Nessa Crowley's murderer has been protected by silence for ten years.

Until a team of documentary makers decide to find out the truth.

 

On the day of Henry and Keelin Kinsella's wild party at their big house a violent storm engulfed the island of Inisrun, cutting it off from the mainland. When morning broke Nessa Crowley's lifeless body lay in the garden, her last breath silenced by the music and the thunder.

 

The killer couldn't have escaped Inisrun, but no-one was charged with the murder. The mystery that surrounded the death of Nessa remained hidden. But the islanders knew who to blame for the crime that changed them forever.

 

Ten years later a documentary crew arrives, there to lift the lid off the Kinsella's carefully constructed lives, determined to find evidence that will prove Henry's guilt and Keelin's complicity in the murder of beautiful Nessa.”

 

The Kinsella family have it all. Henry and Keelin have two beautiful grown-up children, a son and a daughter, they live in a gorgeous mansion on the small island of Inisrun, and they are wealthier than most people dream about. But is it just an illusion? Ten years ago, Keelin held a birthday party in which one of the infamous “Crowley Girls” died. The small island community blamed Henry, but he was never arrested, and no-one was found guilty of committing murder. The Kinsella’s become unpopular inhabitants on the island, and the disdain shown by the islanders who treat them with suspicion causes a tense atmosphere, one in which Keelin now deems it necessary to live a life of enforced solitude.

Two Australian filmmakers have arrived on Inisrun to film a documentary about the infamous death, a documentary which Henry hopes will help to clear his name and put the past behind him. The story is told via interviews with various island residents and Keelin Kinsella; however, it becomes clear she isn’t comfortable telling her version of the story to the camera.

#9. A Character-Driven Novel – The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer (Paperback)

Many, many, moons ago, I was given the nickname Mad Bob. I worked with a girl called Vicky, who became a great friend until her untimely death. At the time Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer were starting to become household names, everyone at work would be talking about “Vic Reeves Big Night Out” on Channel 4 and so my mate and I became affectionately known as Vic and Bob! Many a happy hour after work was spent in the pub trilling the well-known catchphrases from the TV, so all these years later, when I heard Bob Mortimer had written a book, I knew it was something I would enjoy reading. I thought it was bound to have some unique and interesting  characters in it like the ones he makes up on the panel show “Would I lie to You?” and it would be a perfect fit for #9 on my reading list.

"Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn't catch her name but falls for her anyway. After she leaves suddenly, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: The Satsuma Complex. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers. And so begins a quest, though the streets of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into an unremarkable life…"

I honestly cannot believe Bob Mortimer has waited so long to pen a novel. I was worried that as a fan of Bob Mortimer, the book might not live up to my expectations, but I loved it. From the start I was laughing and looking at the world through the joyous eyes of this great comedian and I was genuinely sad when I finished the book and had to say goodbye to the character Gary Thorn.

In this tech savvy world where everyone has their face firmly attached to their smartphone, even when out for a walk in the countryside, Gary Thorn is living in the here and now:

“if I’m out and about I keep my head up and my mind stimulated by the sights and sounds around me: neighbours arguing (I might imagine it’s over the need to replace a washing machine filter); a broken window (I imagine it was smashed by a child manoeuvring an adult ladder); rust penetrating the wheel arches of a long abandoned car (I imagine the car has been dumped by a wine merchant who went nuts); dogs sharing an interest in a spillage (I imagine the dogs are called Zak Briefcase and Lengthy Parsnips).”

I think I’d like Gary. He is a solicitor, but one of little talent, who enjoys eating pies and going to the pub. It’s refreshing to meet someone with such an upbeat outlook on life, even if he does have imaginary conversations with a squirrel in the local park. I can’t say anything really, I talk to the squirrel who regularly visits my garden, and Mr and Mrs Dove, and of course I have many lengthy conversations with my cat. I’m still trying to work out if it’s the first signs of madness or an overactive imagination…although I have spoken to animals from a very early age, so…

#8. Feature’s The Ocean – Mr Peacock’s Possessions by Lydia Syson (Paperback)

I was in a second-hand bookshop last year, and my friend picked up this book and asked if I'd read it. I hadn't, she recommended it wholeheartedly. I sometimes find historical fiction a bit dull to read, however, the cover captured my attention, my friend recommended it and the blurb on the back cover sounded interesting enough; for £1.00 I wasn’t going to argue!

 

“Oceania, 1879.

 

For two years the Peacocks, a determined family of settlers, have struggled to make a remote volcanic island their home. At last, a ship appears. The six Pacific Islanders on board have travelled over eight hundred miles in search of new horizons.
Hopes are high, until a vulnerable boy vanishes.

In their search for the lost child, settlers and newcomers together uncover far more than they were looking for. The island's secrets force young Lizzie Peacock to question her deepest convictions, and slowly this tiny, fragile community begins to fracture ...”

 

Lydia Syson is known for her young adult fiction which explore less familiar historical events such as the 1871 Paris Commune in “Liberty’s Fire” and Battle of Britain Polish pilots in “That Burning Summer.”  It is said that you should write about what you know, and for her debut adult novel, she has explored the history of her husband’s family, for a remarkable tale built on a solid foundation of facts and real events, showing the lengths a family will go to for survival.

Mr Joseph Peacock has decided to move his family from New Zealand to a remote uninhabited Pacific Island, hundreds of miles away from any other human civilisation. At the start of the novel there are six children, Ada, Albert, Billy, Queenie, Gussy and a baby, Joseph, who is born on the island. Albert is expected to be a big, strong man who can help his father, but instead he is a vulnerable child who fears his father and his temper. Fifteen year-old Lizzie can fulfil many of the demands that Albert can not face, and she appears to do no wrong in her father’s eyes.

“This island will change everything for the family. ... Land. That’s the important things. That’s what a man needs to survive. To take his place in history. To keep his name. The land will be our future. Your future.”

Since moving to the island, exhaustion and hunger has set in. The captain who brought them here has sailed away, promising that he will return in three months. After he leaves, they realise that all the provisions he left them with were rotten and it dawns on them they will never see him again. They will have to rely on foraging and tending the land to grow food, otherwise they will starve to death. This is not the romantic Utopia that Joseph Peacock had dreamt of as he led his family to this small volcanic island. Their adventure is turning into a nightmare as each day passes and the island’s dark secrets are slowly emerging.

As the family’s hope of ever seeing other human life wanes, some Polynesian Islanders arrive to assist with clearing the land and planting food, a commodity now in scarce supply. They have been travelling for over eight hundred miles in search of work and new opportunities and they relish the challenges ahead. Perhaps these outsiders will be the answer to the Peacock’s prayers to finally turn the island into a paradise the family can enjoy.

Lizzie thinks the arrival of the kanakas (native workers) will be an opportunity to start all over again, and their hard work does begin to tame the harsh landscape into something more manageable. Of the new arrivals, Solomona is a teacher and pastor, whilst his brother Kalala dreams that they will one day return home and their family will be proud of their achievements. Kalala, is unsettled by Joseph’s quick temper, and when Albert disappears, a spectacular turn of events takes place to fracture this fragile community, as feelings of mistrust are centred on the newcomers. 

“Lizzie stops trusting herself. She begins to doubt the island. Its noises have not changed but now she is alone in the forest Lizzie hears them freshly. Birds whose unremarkable cries have kept her company on hunting expeditions for nearly two years squawk like frightened children among the fleshy leaves of mouse-hole trees, whose branches meet high above her head. She catches something of Albert’s voice; misrecognition pierces her just below the ribs. The air itself feels violent, as though the island is gathering itself for something. She imagines it breathing, heaving, maybe shifting.”

Lizzie is remarkable character who shares the narrative with Kalala in a portrait of family life, cast adrift to survive this unforgiving landscape. The duel perspective is also combined with a “before and now” narrative, so we embark with the family on their journey to the island and realise that they endured a great deal before even setting foot on the island.

#7. At Least Four Different POV – How Not to Murder Your Ex by Katie Marsh (Kindle)

This book was an option on Amazon Prime’s Nov 2023 First Reads list. I've not read the author before and I thought it looked like a light-hearted cosy murder mystery. I had already traded the book that I was originally going to use for “At Least Four Different POV” to a different category, so this seemed like the ideal opportunity to read a book that had been sat on my Kindle for several months.     

“It is 5:30 am on Clio's forty-fifth birthday and her hated ex is lying dead on her doorstep. Even worse, this is no accident. Someone’s killed him...

 

When single mum Clio’s ex Gary turns up dead on the doorstep of her caravan – the one she’s been forced to live in ever since he stole every penny she had – there’s only one suspect. Her.

 

What’s more, she doesn’t remember much about the night he was killed – not just because of the forgetfulness that’s been plaguing her along with the hot flushes – but because she definitely had one too many cocktails with her two best friends Amber and Jeanie.

 

Clio does remember them talking about how much they all hated him though. And, in the frame for murder, she has to ask herself – if she didn’t kill Gary, who did? One of his many enemies? Or someone a little closer to home? And can she and her friends find the real killer before it’s too late?.”

Clio, Jeanie and Amber are celebrating Clio’s 45^th birthday in the caravan she now calls home (which belongs to her first ex-husband Bez, and is due to her second ex-husband Gary, stealing her home and business from her and leaving her as a single parent to look after her and Bez's teenage daughter Nina.)

As forty somethings, all three women are experiencing difficulties in life, and this night is a chance for them to really let their hair down and let things get messy.

“Maybe Amber's lethal margaritas had tipped her over the edge - cocktails mixed by someone doing the Macarena were always going to be a risk.”

After drinking and dancing the night away, Amber manages to lock herself in the toilet, Jeanie has passed out on the floor, and Clio has gone for a walk among the sand dunes. When she returns to the caravan, she finds her ex-husband Gary slumped on the doorstep with his head bashed in. Naturally, instead of ‘phoning the police, Clio immediately panics that she might have done the dirty deed. She is in the throes of the menopause and has become rather forgetful recently, plus it doesn’t help she’s drunk far too many cocktails during the evening. Roll on much hilarity as the three friends try to unravel the truth to clear Clio’s name!

#6. Women in STEM – Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Hardback)

I read this book in 2022 not long after its release. I heard countless reviewers extoling its virtues and so, unusually, I bought the hardback. It had been classed as original, fresh and captivating. By the end of the first page, I already loved Elizabeth Zott and wanted to read her story.

For this challenge I didn’t plan on re-reading the book. I was looking for another book relating to women in STEM, however, as the challenge progressed and I still hadn’t found something I wanted to read, the local book group announced their next book was going to be…"Lessons in Chemistry." It seems fate decided I would read the book again!

 

“Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.”

 

Sometimes debut novels come with a pomp and ceremony that isn’t deserved, the “must read” becomes a disappointing trudge through endless pages of nonsense until you finally reach the end with a sigh, wondering why you’d missed what the fuss was all about. Thankfully, this is not one of those books. This is a thought-provoking story, tackling hard hitting issues of abuse, loss, misogyny, self-worth and change, seen through the eyes of a very remarkable woman and her dog.

1950s/60s trailblazing women are nothing new, in “The Queen’s Gambit” by Walter Tevis, Beth Harmon is a chess prodigy who against all odds becomes America’s number 1 chess player. Julia Child was an American chef, author and TV personality, recognised for bring French cuisine to an American audience. Elizabeth Zott, the fictional heroine of “Lessons in Chemistry” becomes a success in the male dominated area of chemistry (albeit not in the way she would have liked or imagined.)

This is obviously a well-researched novel, but it is written with a dry wit that keeps the novel bright and entertaining rather than a mundane trudge through the history books. This light-hearted novel is centred around a unique character who has experienced some dreadful things in life, but she does not let them define who she is. She refuses to be anything but herself, despite the best endeavours of those around her telling her what she can and can’t do.