Review: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Silence becomes a woman. This was the mantra that shaped the childhoods of Trojan woman for as long as Briseis can recall. Once, she was a queen whose only concern was bearing an heir. Yet the Greeks put an end to that story when they sacked her homeland, and rewrote her narrative as Achille’s trophy and slave. Now, a prisoner in her own land and subject to the will of a fiery tyrant, she can do nothing but watch as the country she loves is torn apart by war, and her brethren face a bloody trip to Hades. Where silence was once becoming, it is now enforced.

Few myths are as well-known as that of Achilles, and so in undertaking a retelling of this epic tale – regardless of perspective, Pat Barker is committing to a daunting task. Despite this, she delivers a masterpiece of historical legend bedecked in contemporary finery – this is the story of the tortured bystanders; of the women behind the battles. The Silence of the Girls tactfully and creatively brings to the fore those who were cast into the shadows of great warriors, forgotten and ignored. This is the story of the women of Troy, forced from their homes and int the halls and beds of the Greek men who tore their lives apart. These girls are silent no more.

Barker’s mythology casts the Trojan war in a new light – that of slavery, oppression and suffering. Behind the polished shields and swords of history’s greatest heroes lies the bitter shadow of those defeated – the women whose families were butchered before they themselves were given as playthings to the conquerors, beaten, raped and humiliated, they were forced to accept their fate or face death and dishonor.

The Silence of the Girls delivers a profound message through poetic prose and vivid imagery, against a familiar background tinged with the unknown. Together, this careful weaving of old and new, and said and unsaid, make this novel not just an enjoyable read, but a vital voice to the disenfranchised women of the past.

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker is published by Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Review: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

Sarai is dead. Lazlo is blue. The world has been turned upside down. Thankfully, Minya has used her strange gift to keep ahold of Sarai’s ghost, so that she and Lazlo are finally, despite the circumstances, together. Yet Minya’s gesture is steeped in ulterior motives – with Sarai as a plaything, she can control Lazlo Strange and force her way along a path of bloody retribution. Unless Minya can be stopped, Strange and Sarai can never have their happy ending, corporeal body or not.

However, Minya’s games are not the only concern the young lovers have – Strange’s discovery of his powers and reawakening of the citadel means that, as doorways are reopened, so are secrets revealed. The inhabitants of the citadel are suddenly made aware of their history, with age-old questions answered, but not the answers the godspawn anticipated. With the knowledge come greater foes and far-reaching threats which span not just the world, but worlds.

I am no doubt not alone in my slight hesitancy to read a sequel; often, they do not live up to the first book, yet Laini Taylor has surpassed my expectations and asserted herself as a force to be reckoned with. Taylor has taken a solid foundation created in Strange the Dreamer and expanded it to create an immense world that, dare I say, allows this book to outshine its predecessor. Kicking off sheer moments after the final moments of the last book, no time is wasted in welcoming the reader back to the city of Weep.

Muse of Nightmares is a superb book – the imagery exceeded my expectations, the plot was intricate and so cleverly put together, the characters evolved into mature versions of their past selves, and the lore was breath-taking and imaginative. Taylor’s talent is evident on every page of this book, and is a gift for the reader, to be cherished and marveled at. With this book, you hold the universe in your hand; don’t let it pass you by.

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor is published by Hodder & Stoughton and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: Fugitive Six by Pittacus Lore

The Mogodorian invasion may be a thing of the past, but the Lorien and newly legacied human Garde still face other challenges. The Foundation is a shadowy group attempting to sell off those gifted with legacies to the highest bidders, and are behind abductions and disappearances of Garde around the globe. In addition, fear mongering by mainstream media has people afraid of the powers exhibited by the gifted teens now has tempers high and tensions higher. Despite everything, Earth needs saving from itself, and the Fugitive Six are determined to come to the rescue.

Action-packed from the first page, Pittacus Lore wastes no time setting the scene and thrusting the reader into turmoil. Sadly, this quality means that the book would not be as enjoyable as a standalone novel, and really only blooms when read as part of series. However, for those who have been following the Lorien from their initial arrival in I am Number Four, it feels like going home. With a return of characters from previous books, and a hinting at more exciting things to come in the next chapter, the tension is palpable.

There is so much to love about the Lorien series – it is an immensely easy and fun read, with an offering of everything; mystery, intrigue, action, fantasy and romance – I think you will be hard-pressed to find someone who won’t enjoy this series; it was crafted with general appeal in its DNA.

The only major downside to this series is that each book ends with a dramatic cliffhanger, which proves a wreck for one’s nerves, and the wait until the next installment is as frustrating as it is tedious. A well-established series such as this also makes a reader somewhat greedy – I want the rest of the story immediately, and thus have to warn readers that starting this series may increase your levels of sass and grumpiness as you wait for each new offering. So, until we meet again, Mr Lore, I wait impatiently.

Fugitive Six by Pittacus Lore is published by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Review: Newcomer by Keigo Higashino

Detective Kaga has just been transferred to a small precinct in an area of Tokyo. However, he is interrupted in his attempts to get to know his new home by a murder investigation. A middle-aged woman was found dead in her home, the victim of strangulation, and the police have no leads as to the perpetrator. However, with his objective perspective and uncanny ability to piece together the smallest details, Kaga dedicates himself to finding the killer.

In the process of investigating the murder, he comes across various people with a link, however small and intangible, to the murder. Kaga does his best to acquire answers to questions these bystanders never thought to ask, and attempts to give them peace and solace in the place of grief.

Despite being an immensely fun whodunit, Newcomer is a surprisingly feel-good read, with a heart-warming plot and characters. Keigo Higashino cleverly illustrates that no man is an island, and that a community, like a family, needs each other, and is shaped by those around them. A violent action that taints a small town evolves under Higashino’s guide into a lesson of the importance of forgiveness, love, and peace, and the delicate thread which holds these aspects in a precarious balance.

Newcomer is an easy and thoroughly enjoyable read, and I doubt anyone will be surprised when they start it to discover that they cannot book the book down. A single sitting was all it took me to delve into the Kaga’s world, and I loved every minute. Higashino is a very talented storyteller who is rewriting the detective story, one thoughtful action at a time. In a world where there is so much darkness, his characters and their actions shed a hopeful light, and is is pure bliss to follow. Enjoyable is an understatement - this book will change the way you see crime drama, and most assuredly for the better. 

Newcomer by Keigo Higashino is published by Little, Brown Book Group, a Hachette Company, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: The Witches of St Petersburg by Imogen Edwards-Jones

Militza and Stana have been married off to Russians. The sisters, who hail from Montenegro, are victim to the culture of the times; they serve as links between their father’s country, and the wealth and influence of the Russian empire. Forced to marry for power, with no consideration for love, they do their best to be integrated into the society of Russia, despite the unsavory reception they receive. Shrouded in names and insults, allusions to their backwater homeland and suggested inferiority, the duo are at a loss in their new homes. Desperate to be included among the elite, they befriend the new Tsarina, who herself is an outcast and foreigner.

The Tsarina, apart from being foreign with patchy Russian, is also suffering the misfortune of not producing an heir. As girl after girl fills the home of the Tsar, the public and the Romanovs wait with bated breath for the arrival of a son. Militza and Stana, familiar with the occult, become dedicated to the mission of helping the Tsarina with her deepest wish – a son. Through a carousel of mystics, prophets, rituals and spells, they offer up their last hope to a new arrival – Grigory Rasputin.

Edwards-Jones weaves a glorious golden thread between fiction and history, knitting together a story that is all the more entrancing for the truth that lies at its heart. Rasputin is as infamous as he is mysterious, and to be afforded an insight – albeit embroidered and tweaked, is a treat to any fan of history or the occult. Edwards-Jones’ prose is hypnotizing and bewitching, casting a spell on the reader to follow every carefully selected word as a trail to a beautiful world long since past. The riches and excesses of the Romanov court shine brightly against the impending doom that awaits the family and the country. The Witches of St Petersburg is a delightful dive into another land and another time, being hypnotic in its ability to express such turmoil, angst and frustration against a background of shining palaces and dripping jewels. To read this book is to be transported into another world, and to thoroughly enjoy it.

The Witches of St Petersburg by Imogen Edwards-Jones is published by Head of Zeus, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.