Review: The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel

The cabins around North Pond, Maine, have been burgled numerous times over the last quarter of a decade. While items of value are ignored, the cabins all find themselves perplexed at the loss of batteries, food or gas bottles. What starts off as a possible memory slip on the part of the owners becomes a community-wide outrage at decades of midnight home invasions, leaving people unnerved and paranoid. Despite cameras, locks and smarts, The Hermit (as the thief becomes known) has never been seen and has never been caught. Part urban legend and part menace, The Hermit only reveals himself as all too real when he is apprehended, mid-thievery, 27 years later.

Christopher Knight was a smart, witty introvert as a child from a close-knit and intellectual family. Nobody knew why he disappeared, or later, why he became a hermit, relying on thievery and his own wits to survive, isolated and removed from this society. Michael Finkel’s book is his attempt at answers, having met and questioned Knight.

Initially, I believed that The Stranger in the Woods was fiction, the story seemed to strange and too catchy to be true (I attribute this confusion also to Finkel’s easy style of writing). A Google search proved its veracity, and attested to Finkel’s excellent writing. Win-win.

Throughout his documentation of Knight’s actions and past, the story seems somewhat inconclusive – why the heck did Knight willingly fall off the radar and divorce himself from human contact for a quarter of a century? However, I feel that this is the exact point both Finkel and (possibly) Knight are trying to make – that no human can be explained or defined accurately; thoughts and actions are not inert objects capable of dissection.

Christopher Knight may have broken the mould and defied what it means to be ‘innately human’, but Michael Finkel nevertheless shares a glimpse into the mind of this man; a person who simply sought his own company, and did not wish to be among his own kind. Self-discovery is perhaps inadequate an explanation, it seems to me that Christopher Knight sought self-validation; meaning and undiluted individuality. Finkel helped him do this on a larger scale, through an addictive read that rattles and confounds almost as much as its subject does.

The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel is published by Simon & Schuster and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers

Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Starr Carter lives in two worlds – one which centres around the mainly white, upper class school of Williamson Prep and the comparative ‘ghetto’ that is her home town of Garden Heights. While maintaining a delicate balance between the two, never really in both simultaneously, she feels she never truly belongs in either.

The divide was triggered when Starr’s parents sent their children to Williamson to get away from the violence and crime that permeates every alleyway of The Garden. Yet apart from cleaving Starr’s social life, it does nothing to remove her from violence. While returning from a party, Starr’s childhood friend is shot by a policeman; he was sixteen and unarmed.

In the aftermath of the devastating loss, Starr tries to come to terms with her place in both her worlds, and wonders how the two can peacefully meet. Public opinion about the incident is divided, in an eerie display of the darkness that can reside in any heart or the light that can eliminate it. At the risk of peace and safety, Starr realizes that her friend was not the only voice silenced, the only life robbed of its future, and that she must speak up for those who cannot. In making herself heard, Starr becomes brave, and takes action. She is neither fearless nor experienced in speaking out, but she has determination and a group of friends and family who urge her on. Starr becomes a hero.

The Hate U Give is beyond compliments – there are no praises I could shower upon it that could explain its worthiness as a great literary work of our time; no single thing I thought to pen seemed to do the work justice. It is more than a necessary read – it is vital. The work is incredibly moving, heartbreaking and illuminating, and an all-out masterpiece. Angie Thomas does an incredible job of giving voice to an oft-misunderstood and misrepresented movement, and raises the voice of many through one – an enormous feat and an excellent read. It is not enough to simply want to read this book; you need to read it. Please.

The Hate U Give by Angle Thomas is published by Walker Books, and is available in South Africa from Pan Macmillan South Africa.

Review: The Inside-Out Man by Fred Strydom

Bent Croud is about to have a radical change in circumstances. A routine meandering between a run-down apartment, a bar and a piano shapes Bent’s life; jazz music in dark rooms filled with smoke in exchange for just enough money to get by. Only when a dapper gent by the name of Leonard Fry approaches the jazz pianist and offers him a private gig – with a 2 million rand payout – that Bent considers things could be different. All he has to do for this sum is play piano over a weekend; a straightforward, albeit hard to believe deal.

To satisfy his curiosity, Bent arrives at Mr Fry’s palatial residence at the appointed time, and plays his set. Two million rand richer, he prepares to leave when Fry introduces another proposition – a social experiment between the two men, which will require Bent’s presence in the house for a year. With nothing to lose, and a new lifestyle to gain, Bent accepts.

Fred Strydom is brilliantly sneaky – a story as darn and bent (cough cough) as the main character, The Inside-Out Man is as unpredictable as it is macabre and thrilling. Bent is thrust into a world of complete indulgence and murky moral grounds, and his reaction to this is a judge of his character and his sanity – how much can he keep from those around him, and how far is he willing to go to secure his new place in the world? The Inside-Out Man could make a brilliant film – think of a stylish mash-up of Gattaca and Inception, with a South African accent. This book is without doubt the best South African fiction title of the year, making the local literary scene that much more enthralling. Kudos to the author; he’s a rock star.

The Inside Out Man by Fred Strydom is published by Umuzi, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa.

Review: The President’s Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli

Our story starts where it ends; with beheadings. Tariq, Abdullah and Ibrahim are brothers in all but flesh. Born in the same year, they face life’s various milestones and paths together as one, until the day they don’t. Ibrahim and Abdullah drop out of school, leaving Tariq to study while they are enlisted in the army. The time in service brings Abdullah and Ibrahim closer together, until it doesn’t. Abdullah is captured and kept as prisoner while Ibrahim returns to his village and to Tariq. Fate, it conspires, seems to keep the trio apart, until it doesn’t. Abdullah returns, after 20 years away.

Finally reunited, the three men attempt to come to terms with all they have missed in each other’s lives, and to make the most of what is left. Yet apart from the horrors and barbarism witnessed during the war, there are other horrors at home, which almost go unnoticed. Ibrahim’s wife is in the grip of cancer, and in order to provide for their daughter and his wife’s treatment, he takes a job in Baghdad, tending the President’s gardens.

Growing among the pristine flowerbeds and immaculate lawns, Ibrahim discovers also that other things have taken root; massacres sprout about his feet, and he must tend to them, silent and obeying.

Memory can be inspiring or foreboding. As we retrace the steps of this trio of men from childhood to their separation, we need to overcome the obstacles of war. Brutalities and barbarism abound, in the words of the author, ‘madness incarnate’. While the work is one of fiction, it encompasses whispers of atrocities faced by real people, the tearing apart of real limbs and families, making it all the more powerful and macabre.

The narrative is steeped in melancholy and stirred by outrage. Al-Ramli surrounds the reader with discomfort; forcing them to see the cruelty of which their brethren are capable, and to question what can be done about it. The President’s Gardens is deeply distressing and equally beautiful, making it a powerful and vital read.

The President’s Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli is published by Hachette and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: A Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume

Frankie is falling. Slowly, her world is being leeched of colour, dried and crisped as fallen leaves. The effort of trying not to cry and fold up within herself is becoming suffocating. An uninspired artist drowning in the hubbub of Dublin, Frankie reaches out to her saviour; her mother. Returning to her childhood home, in seek of comfort or understanding, of meaning or routine, Frankie finds none. In a nostalgic bid to rediscover herself, and her art, she relocates to her grandmother’s bungalow, empty now and reluctant to find a new owner following the death of its last occupant.

Among dusty knickknacks and fading memories, Frankie fights to stop herself being weighed down by a whirlpool of despair; she attempts to rebel against indifference. All the while, she embraces her own otherness or lack thereof, fuelled by longings and memories past. She knows that she is on a path to a conclusion – an end – yet what form this will take remains to be seen.

Dealing with depression, memory and one’s reason for being, it seems strange that such weighty topics can provide for such beautiful imagery, yet such is Sara Baume’s skill. She’s a magician.

Baume’s works require much contemplation. Carefully arranged and powerfully hypnotic, she moulds words into what can only be seen as timeless art. There is no singular aspect which makes A Line Made by Walking a masterpiece (for that it is), it is a puzzle of smoothly interlocking pieces which reveal a stunning image. I pity the reader who does not read this book.

Such was my love for this book (true fan girling, no doubt) that I re-read the last chapter, desperate to wring out every last drop of literary goodness, to keep the story with me. And I realised that you could re-read this book many times and each time find something new; something hidden beneath the lines that march across the pages. The story evolves with the reader, revealing itself delicately yet forcefully. If that isn’t great literature, then I don’t know what is.

A Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume is published by William Heinemann London, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Review: The Reminders by Val Emmich

Joan Sully is not your average ten-year-old. She’s gifted with an uncanny ability to remember every detail of her life, from dates to conversations and feelings. However, this immense skill reminds Joan that the memories of others are fallible, and her greatest desire is never to be forgotten, to secure her role in the memories of others as they are cemented in hers. Having a musician for a dad, along with a natural flair for music, Joan decides that the way to do this is to write the winning song for a song-writing contest, ensuring that her name will be featured among the likes of musical greats like the Beatles.

While Joan seeks to enforce memories, Gavin is trying to forget. Lost in turmoil since the death of his partner, Sydney, Gavin tries to escape the memories the pair made together. Visiting his college friends and their gifted daughter, Gavin makes a deal with Joan; her memories of Sydney in exchange for his help with her song. Through this process, he discovers a different set of memories of Sydney, which is both healing and unnerving.

The Reminders is truly heart-warming; a story to be consumed quickly, yet with lingering effects. Emmich does a stellar job of questioning perception and memory, as well as the double-edged sword that is forgetting. He skilfully illustrates the importance of the bonds that hold relationships together, and their elasticity and willingness to accommodate new links. The Reminders gracefully follows an unusual friendship between a man in mourning and a young girl in search of permanence. This is a book with great power; it is inspirational and impossible to put down. Ultimately, Emmich shows the natural progression of life; things change, despite our hesitance to allow this. It is how we react to change that defines us.

The Reminders by Val Emmich is published by Pan Macmillan

Review: Here Comes Trouble by Simon Wroe

Ellis Dau is in a predicament. He caused some trouble at school and now he is grounded; stranded with his parents, with no electronics and without permission to leave the house. When he is instructed to tag along to work with his dad (the editor of the Chronical newspaper), Ellis realises that problems are everywhere, and that the world as he knows it can be darker than he ever realised. In an impoverished country with high rates of corruption, things are far from idyllic. However, when a group of radical protesters in white hats start tormenting the paper and the population, Ellis is ripped from his self-centred focus, and is inspired to act and bring about meaningful change. All the while, there’s more to contend with; think love interest a la Romeo and Juliet, as well as teenage angst and sarcasm. It’s a winning combination.

Simon Wroe is an incredibly gifted writer; it has been an age since I felt so truly moved by a book. His use of language to sculpt masterpieces of imagery and nuanced humour testify to the man’s brilliance. Wordsmith is perhaps an inept description, for Wroe seems to reinvent the narrative, making it an adventure in linguistics as well as a scarily addictive journey into Ellis’ world.

Don’t be fooled by the cover – this is not a fictionised account of some soviet political rerun, this is an entirely new and brilliant look at what can go wrong when democracy and sanity crumble. Wroe challenges conceptions of oppression and ignorance; in his world, things are turned upside down, and the detritus that falls from pockets is sheer brilliance, scattered across the page.

I demand more from the writer, and encourage everyone to add Here Comes Trouble to the top of their to-read piles.

Here Comes Trouble by Simon Wroe is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: All That's Left to Tell by Daniel Lowe

Marc’s life as a mid-level executive at an American corporation has taken a turn for the worse. Sent to the company’s offices in Pakistan after the death of his only daughter, Marc is kidnapped. Bound and blindfolded, he is visited daily by a mysterious woman called Josephine, who urges him to tell her about his daughter; her past and, painfully, the future she could never have. In turn, she fills Marc’s mind with her own versions of what may have been, had his daughter not been killed. While he is held captive, his daughter is given freedom, and the possibilities are painfully beautiful.

Lowe is an instigator of spine tingles and disbelief, penning a story which speaks to the very definition of ‘what if?’. His is a world which resides quietly between the real and the dreamlike, occasionally dipping into the surreal, but always with style and a deeply poetic prose. The sheer number of possibilities the narrative may take is enticing and consuming, egging the reader on. All That’s Left to Tell is fiction in its purest form – escapism for both reader and protagonist, with a myriad outcomes and unpredictable adventures.

I need to take a moment to discuss the author’s style, in particular. All That’s Left to Tell is singularly unusual in its saturation of nostalgia and its heart-tugging revelations. It is truly a difficult task to interrupt one’s reading, and Lowe has a true skill in keeping a reader engrossed and entranced. What could have deteriorated into political commentary or culture bashing is instead a liberating chance for a person to have a second chance, to rewrite not only the past, but (more importantly) the future. It is a brilliant book worthy of your time, and your tears.

All That’s Left to Tell by Daniel Lowe is published Pan Macmillan

Review: Pages for Her by Sylvia Bronwrigg

Flannery’s life may not have taken the path she envisioned, but it is completely filled with light – the light of her daughter, Willa. Her relationship with her bear of a husband (all the more flavoursome for his being a bold artist) has its ups and downs, but Flannery’s love for her daughter is constant; an anchor in foggy waters. However, she can’t help feel that her life and sense of self have been whittled down to definitions provided by others: mother, wife, and companion. The once wild and deeply passionate writer seems to have been replaced by the practicalities of school lunches and lift clubs. While the writer within her feels starved and undernourished, an opportunity presents itself; a conference aimed at women writers, which she has been asked to attend. The creative allure is enough to pique her interest, but it is the other attendees that cement her decision. Among those participating will be Anne, her first love.

Anne’s career has bloomed. The books and articles she has had published surround her life plumage. A superhero among the literary elite, she wields a power and position many would yearn for, and yet this success does not define her. Recent emotional upheavals leave her feeling aloof and floundering. However, redemption may come in the form of old comforts, as Anne realizes that a distant love will suddenly be only a heartbeat away.

Brownrigg, if nothing else (yet there is so much else), completely dissects the idea of love, in its multi-faceted adventure between torture and elation. The conclusion that the reader reaches is that it seems impossible to define love, making it a journey rather than a destination. The relationships between people are ever-changing and evolutionary; hard to pin down and examine. The mystery of those moments between the minds, souls and hearts of two people are what make Pages for Her exceptionally beautiful, drawing the reader in as a moth to a flame. Poetic and luxurious, Brownrigg presents an in-depth examination of the human heart and its myriad workings, and it is a thoroughly worthwhile experience.

Pages for Her by Sylvia Brownrigg is published by Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan.

Review: History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund

Linda is not like the other girls her age, much to her mother’s distress. She’s more feral; strangely connected to the forest that surrounds their cabin, as though it were a quiet extension of herself. Despite labels like ‘freak’ sticking to her, Linda lives a relatively uneventful life, all the while acknowledging that because her world started off in a commune, there is something different about her.

It is only when Paul arrives that she truly feels at home; a part of a family. Four-year-old Paul and his young but eccentric mother, Patra, take up residence in the cabin across the lake from Linda, and the young girl becomes Paul’s babysitter. Her life settles into a new comfortable pattern, which is disrupted by the return of Paul’s father, and a seemingly innocuous illness that settles upon the young boy.

While Linda tries to make sense of her newly adjusted role within their family, there are things left unsaid; quiet secrets and rumours that hand like dried leaves in the air around her, daring to be examined. Nevertheless, Linda chooses to forge her own path, ignorant of the consequences.

History of Wolves is both frighteningly realistic and utterly surreal; a stream-of-consciousness walk through a life untainted by experience or understanding. Linda is in a world isolated from humanity, and yet she is thrust into situations which require her input, or are fed by it. As things slowly fall apart, she attempts to examine herself through her own lens of otherness, with macabre findings.

Fridlund has gifted the reader a truly remarkable experience, simultaneously jarring and yet comfortable; a fairy tale retold in the shadows of a thriller. The prose is beautiful and the rhythm erratic and delicious. Questioning faith and science, as well as one’s place in the universe, History with Wolves is as moving as it is addictive, and I highly recommend it.

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, an imprint of Orion Publishing, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: American War by Omar El Akkad

As published by W24.co.za

American War may superficially focus on the USA, but its message holds no geography, it is a call for humans everywhere to stay together and not divide themselves.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this book is about current politics or anything to do with the US’ relations with the Middle East. No, Omar El Akkad provides a look into what could be; the second American Civil War.

Sarat Chestnut’s life has been crumbling apart from the start. Amid an encroaching war, her childhood was interrupted by the death of her father, and her mother relocating the family to a refugee camp.

Safety eluded the Chestnuts still, as even the camp was not immune to the violence of the war. With every bullet and bomb, Sarat’s heart hardened, propelling her along a path of retribution and revenge, under the tutelage of those more seasoned in war.

While Sarat and her family acclimatise to her transition from young girl to rebel fighter, the war is shifting; there is no firm footing to be found and Sarat finds herself lost, no longer in control, and broken. Her redemption comes at a cost many will be unwilling to pay.

American War is a dystopian tale that reminds you of a few movies you’ve seen ringing the déjà vu bell, only it’s more elegant.

Sarat’s journey is more than a search for revenge, it is a portrayal of the schism of humanity; the breakdown of a person’s spirit, and the many ways we tear ourselves apart. El Akkad is a shadow puppeteer, pulling the strings in a dark tale to make the characters seem alive and tangible.
American War may superficially focus on the USA, but its message holds no geography, it is a call for humans everywhere to stay together and not divide themselves. A pertinent call in the present political climate.

Beautifully written and satisfyingly dark, American War is the ultimate ‘what if’, and needs to be read.

American War by Omar El Akkad (first published in 2017 by Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan)

Review: Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Louise is going through the motions. Divorced with a young son and no action on the dating front, her life is a series of routines and mediocracy; too many cigarettes and too many glasses of wine. But there would be no story without an intervention, and for Louise, this takes the form of the man in the bar. A chance encounter with someone different; handsome, witty and interesting. The only snag, as fate would have it, is that he’s married.

So Louise may not have dabbled completely in adultery, but the thought lingers, as does the memory of what could have been with the man in the bar. Luckily for her, she gets to find out just what may have been when it dawns on her that the man is also the Man; her new boss.

As Louise tries to forget their almost-indiscretion and not die of embarrassment, she happens to meet her boss’s wife, Adele, a beautiful and lovely woman who she instantly befriends, bringing with her guilt and secrets.

Louise has truly gotten herself in the shit. Poor choices, no doubt, but she’s pushed along by a delicious magnetism that draws her to the couple, despite her attempts to extricate herself from the situation. Her weak moral fibre makes for truly brilliant reading. Pinborough has penned an addictive and darkly seductive work that is as varied in twists as it is in characters; we visit the moral high ground, the taboo of infidelity, the valleys of insanity, and the peaks of love. It’s a fabulous tableau that is written with such style. There’s no predicting endings or scenarios here; what the reader will quickly learn is that nothing is as it seems, and they’re in for a hell of a trip.

Read it, you’ll love it.

Behind her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough is published by HarperCollins and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers

Review: The Hearts of Men by Nickolas Butler

Nelson has turned thirteen. While he’s not exactly the most popular boy, nor does he have the greatest father for a role model, but he does have passion. Nelson has a motto flowing through his blood, powering his organs and his actions, and it is the motto of the Boy Scouts; Be Prepared.

While at camp, where he excels despite the bullying and awkwardness, Nelson truly discovers who he is; not his father’s son or his friend’s plaything – he is his own person, and he is destined to be a great man.

Despite the upheaval of the times, and his own less-than-ideal personal circumstances, Nelson moves through military school and wars to become the man he was destined to be; honest, righteous and strong as hell.

Sharing the mantel of Boy Scout and honour of being Nelson’s friend (for every reader will realise that despite his ‘otherness’, it is indeed an honour to befriend the likes of Nelson) is Jonathan Quick, the yin to Nelson’s yang, and yet his perfect companion. The two stay in touch throughout their lives, passing each other occasionally amid the drama and horde of bodies that is life.

Yet for every brave and honest man is an undesirable counterpart, and Nelson and Jonathan (as Boy Scouts and thus the spokesmen for all that is good) must each face the many versions of this other. Whether they will be swayed by the evil or stay righteous is their test, and the pull of these two sides of the coin will affect their families and friends for generations to come.

The feminist in me was almost hesitant to read a book so focused on the male, yet that is precisely why The Hearts of Men is vital. Too long have we shunned stories of men, their world, and what makes them tick. But as a lover of literature, I cannot miss to the chance to live in the skin of another, and Nickolas Butler allowed me to do just that, with devastating depth and feeling. Nelson’s story is one of transformation and growth in the truest sense, he shuns the burden of ‘less’ that the world tries to thrust upon him, and remains true to his principles and ideals to the end; a true man. Despite the allure and the ease with which a man can fall into debauchery and degradation, the Nelson’s of the world remind us that each man is indeed an island, and that all they need is the right conditions to thrive.

The Hearts of Men by Nickolas Butler is published by Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan.

Review: Mama by Mina Holland

I’ve always been fascinated with cook books. I don’t mean recipe books (although, let’s be honest, I love those too), but the books about food; its history, impact, evolution and the way it affects us. So it was with great satisfaction that I eyed Mina Holland’s Mamma: Reflections on the food that makes us. A humble book it is, that feels excellent in the hands, and lacks the horde of glitzy (albeit beautiful) images that usually adorn its neighbours. This is an honest book about an honest subject, and it is brilliant.

As the name suggests, Mamma seems to have a core focus on the food of families, and how this has evolved with time and geography. The book is broken down into eight sections, which each feature the thoughts and inputs of a person with culinary know-how (from Stanley Tucci to Jamie Oliver, it’s an excellent selection), as well as a specific type of food with a real connection to Holland’s own culinary past and present, and a horde of recipes. Yes, there are, above everything else, recipes, and they certainly look scrumptious. As a person who is not fond of eggs, having an entire section dedicated to the little orbs has partially changed my mind, and I find myself itching to try eggs in avocado cradles or baked eggs.

The beauty of a book such as this is its interactivity, as well as its firm but friendly nostalgia. I dare any reader not to work their way through Mamma without thinking of their own families or cultures or favourite recipes and personal tastes. Holland has given a book which connects her directly to the reader, and connects the readers to each other; it is brilliant, and it’s delicious.

Mamma by Mina Holland is published by Orion Books and is available in South Africa through Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: Bone Meal for Roses by Miranda Sherry

Poppy is about to undergo a transformation. Rescued from an unfit mother with a fondness for hard drugs, she is whisked away to a farm in the bowels of the Western Cape, where greenery and hope abound. Wrapped in love and warmth by her grandparents, she emerges as Sam, a beautiful girl filled with potential and a fierce intensity. Despite the shadow of her mother’s return looming over her, Sam is coaxed back into happiness, slowly adjusting to her new life with her grandparents. Like them, develops a love of the land and all it presents, and particularly the oasis that is the garden.

Sam’s new life is not without event; her grandparents must succumb to the inevitabilities of old age and creaking bones, and her carefully sheltered heart makes a discovery that literally broadens her horizons. Across the hills lies the neighbour’s farm, shrouded in taboo due to decades-old disagreements, and Sam has sworn to never set foot there for fear of what may happen to trespassers. Yet adventure beckons, and Sam’s interest is piqued by horses and a woodworker.

Bone Meal for Roses is much more than a love story or a tale of redemption. While it encompasses both these aspects, it is also a map for the soul; from being lost to truly finding oneself. Sherry has presented a uniquely South African work with its roots in love and forbidden fruit, and it is up to the reader to see how the story will bloom. With immense character depth and a hint of the macabre, Bone Meal for Roses is certainly a thrilling read that can find itself a place in the hearts of any lover of literature.

Bone Meal for Roses by Miranda Sherry is published by Head of Zeus and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: You Too Could Have a Body Like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman

A is starting to feel like a prisoner in her home. Living with her roommate B is becoming challenging, for B seems to live only in the moments that A is home; non-existent otherwise, and slowly chiseling away at her own life until it resembles A in every regard. Smothered and unnerved, A seeks solace in her boyfriend, C, and the darkness of her bedroom, hidden by shadows yet illuminated by the flickering television, through which the world speaks to her.

When B’s assimilation of A becomes too great, A’s life slowly begins to crumble. Everyday assurances no longer comfort, and the mundane and trivial become loaded with crushing importance, yet with their meaning just out of reach. Beyond her claustrophobic world, others are also subjected to cloying strangeness. The neighbours across the street have abandoned their home, and pamphlets infiltrate the lives of all, calling for inevitability. As A loses her footing in her own world, she decides to start anew, guided by the pamphlets and an unknown yearning.

Then everything changes.

One of the most impressive aspects of the novel is its ability to truly have the reader question reality. Dream-like sequences and repetitions seem to divide the narrative into what is happening, and what is possibly not happening. Coincidences abound, and bleed from the pages into the reader’s surrounds, making Kleeman not only talented, but frankly magical.

From the surreal power of advertising and the illusion of what it means to be an individual, Kleeman not only questions everything we seem to take for granted in a busy world, but illustrates what could be happening in dark corridors behind the scenes, when people are numbers and reality no longer has a grip on society. The ability of people to be swayed can have disastrous effects if not checked in time.

You too could have a Body like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman is published by Harper Collins, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: The Legacy by Ysra Sigurdardottir

If murder mysteries with completely unpredictable, mind-blowing, gasp-aloud twists are your thing, this is the ultimate book for you.

Detective Haldur takes lead on a gruesome murder case, the likes of which have never been seen in Iceland. The only possible lead he has on the murder of a young women is her daughter, who was hidden in the room at the time of the incident, and was greatly affected. Young Margaret warns that the killer mentioned another victim, but the police are powerless to find her until it’s too late, and another body turns up, with no apparent connection other than the horrific murder itself.

While the police chase a ghost on a deadly rampage, Karl is frozen in social limbo, an outcast with a love of radio. While cruising the radio waves one evening, he stumbles across a number station – one which, as the name implies, broadcasts only numbers. When he recognises his own identity number in the stream of numerals, he is intrigued. Copying down the figures, a quick web search brings up results of other people, including a woman who was recently murdered in her home. Could there be a connection? Is it a distasteful prank?

The Legacy is a noir masterpiece. It encapsulates the macabre with such grace that one can’t help but seem more gruesome details, in order to piece together the inner workings of the mind of a disturbed killer. One of the primary concerns with reading a great deal of whodunits (probably my favourite genre) is that you can get pretty darn good at predicting endings and guessing the killer a mere few chapters in. not so with Sigurdardottir; she stays one delicious step ahead of the reader at all times, with an elaborate and truly unique twist that makes the journey of the story not only worthwhile, but deeply satisfying. Top marks!

The Legacy by Ysra Sigurdardottir is published by Hodder & Stoughton and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne

Who is Cyril Avery? He’s not a real Avery, as his adoptive parents constantly remind him, but was adopted as an act of charity. What Cyril does know is that he’s not like the other boys his age. Shy, reclusive and smart, he spends a great deal of time in his own head. With a writer and human chimney for a mother, and a slightly bent banker for a father (who adds his own flavour to the house with his occasional stints in prison), Cyril does not have the most conventional home life.

Things are further complicated with the arrival of Julian, a precocious little boy of Cyril’s age who fascinates our young recluse. When he later meets Julian in school, Cyril knows he has found his partner in crime, and is hopelessly devoted to Julian, joining him in a series of adventures in Catholic Ireland, where their type of fun seems to be not only discouraged, but a sin.

All the while, Cyril is faced with the possibility that his life could have been different, that the unknown parents who gave him up for adoption could be more than just a murky shadow in his past. Little does he know that the world is indeed a small place, and that fate is about to take him on the ultimate journey of self-discovery, spanning decades and various continents.

The Heart’s Hidden Furies is an incredibly moving tale that could melt the heart of any ice queen. Boyne is such a gifted story-teller that one cannot help but praise his craft, while seething at the injustices inflicted on his characters. In a country which holds religion as its highest form of order, Cyril Avery’s Ireland is oppressive and bleak, and he and his counterparts long for escape, in order to taste an unknown freedom. However, life has a way of demonstrating that you can never run away from your problems, and that the consequences of bad choices will follow you no matter your geography. In trying to be true to himself, Cyril deceives those around him, further burying himself in secrets, lies and taboo. Only once he truly learns to accept himself as he is, with the help of truly magnificent people, can he truly become Cyril Avery, real or not.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne is published by Penguin Random House.

Review: Wildlife of Southern Africa, edited by Vincent Carruthers

I cannot praise this book enough. If you are living in Southern Africa (or visiting, or even thinking of visiting) you need a copy of this book. It is unbelievably detailed, and contains literally all the information you could hope for, thoughtfully divided into lower invertebrates, spiders and arachnids, insects, fish, frogs, reptiles, birds, mammals, grasses, flowers and trees. Each section is compiled by an expert in that field, and has gorgeous illustrations of each entry. In addition, the sections begin with a short introduction, as well as a generic diagram of the topic, labelled appropriately. Also, they are colour-coded. Truly. So easy to find the right flower!

This book is field guide meets text book with a handful of cool. I may have an advantage because I live on a farm, but I have already identified a spider (a real cutie, the velvet spider, who technically, according to this book, does not belong in this geography) as well as a tortoise we passed in the field, three snakes (none of them will kill me, the book says) and many flowers and grasses. This book is amazing. I cannot find anything to fault in it, except perhaps that I find myself annoyed at living in the Western Cape because all the butterflies I want to find are in Namibia and Zimbabwe, so thanks, Carruthers for making me long to be in Zimbabwe.

As an aside, credit must be given to the illustrator because the drawings are phenomenal. They are incredibly detailed and life-like, and so much better than a photograph!This book would also appeal to any audience; nature lovers such as myself, students, as well as anyone wanting a reason to go outside and hunt butterflies (or snakes, or spiders – whatever floats your boat). I want to get copies for my entire family immediately!

Wildlife of Southern Africa, edited by Vincent Carruthers, is published by Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Source: Review: Wildlife of Southern Africa, edited by Vincent Carruthers