An imaginative look at time travel using 5 ancient machines of unknown origin, one of which in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Travellers can go back in time only; most of the action in this story takes place in 2022, 1992-93 and 1893-94. The goal is to alter the timeline, to reduce future misogyny and prevent the loss of female reproductive rights (think Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments).This is a very entertaining blend of historical and speculative writing; highly recommended.
Category: Book themes
The Broken Hours – Jacqueline Baker
H.P. Lovecraft wrote horror fiction in the 1920-30s. This delightfully creepy story imagines that Lovecraft hires a personal assistant, Arthur Crandle, in 1936. Lovecraft is almost entirely absent in the story. Instead, Crandle is enveloped in increasing uneasiness, the sense of a vague presence, someone watching, a malevolence is a predictably creaky old house. Crandle has an inherent weak character, prone to deflection and deception and so he is susceptible to creepy suggestions. And not surprisingly, there may be a ghost. Ms. Baker writes in an old-fashioned prose, in keeping with the timeline. Wet miserable weather adds to the gloom – this is a fun and entertaining read.
Middle England – Jonathan Coe
A contemporary novel of the last decade in England, a time of profound societal change: the rise of populism, rage against change, the chaos of Brexit and much middle-aged angst. A quirky set of characters undertake some brilliantly funny actions. Thanks Mary & Mike, for this enjoyable recommendation.
Akin – Emma Donoghue
An odd couple makes a trip to Nice France. Noah is a 79-year-old recently-widowed childless retired University professor; Michael is his 11-year-old great-nephew who Noah has never met. Their wildly disparate backgrounds create both considerable conflict and humour as they investigate a series of World War II photographs from Noah’s mother. This is a wondrously written story of love, loss and family.
In Search of the Perfect Singing Flamingo – Claire Tacon
This delightful novel is about complicated family relationships. Henry and Kath have two grown daughters; Starr is the oldest and is special-needs (Williams Syndrome). Part of the story recounts a disastrous road trip by Henry, Starr and Darren (Henry’s co-worker) to a ComicCon convention in Chicago. How can a father get the correct balance between being protective, to hold on tighter, to hold off the future, with the absolute need to let go? In parts the story is hilarious but also poignant and at times heart-breaking. Henry can be frustratingly hapless at times, full of contradictions. All the characters have rich complex personalities, proving that life is messy and complicated: a very fine read. Thanks Amy, for this recommendation.
Autopsy of a Boring Wife – Marie-Renee Lavoie
Simply put, this is a marvellous read. Diane is a married mother of three grown children whose life is over-turned when her husband leaves her for a younger woman. What is brilliant in the story-telling is the raw emotions, the biting anger displayed by Diane in encounters with her mother-in-law and her husbands new partner are priceless.
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
This is an emotional book, a coming-of-age story with an inevitable loss of innocence. Kya is progressively abandoned by her family, so by age 10 she lives alone in a North Carolina marsh. Really this is about the psychology of solitude. Her affinity for the natural environment, the sea, sand and marsh life (birds, insects, animals), is remarkable. But her eventual need for human companionship and love produces a tragic outcome that leads to a murder trial. This book is both a fierce and hauntingly beautiful story of challenges and resilience. Highly recommended.
The Ticking Heart – Andrew Kaufman
This is a wildly imaginative book: where to begin? For starters, there is an Epiphany Detective Agency, a Library of Blank Pages and clever acronyms like NEED (Never Ever Enough District). The story is philosophical with questions about the function of the human heart (spoiler alert: true love) and the downside of hope. Overall, a magical read.
Amy notes; he wrote what is one of my favourite books of all time, All My Friends are Superheroes.
The First Time Lauren Paling Died – Alyson Rudd
An intriguing speculative fiction story set in 1970-80s England. When Lauren dies accidentally at age 13, she reappears in an alternate reality; new lives also begin for her parents. Lauren has glimpses of her former lives, that she has slightly different mothers, for example. By her third life, these glimpses of her previous two lives become increasingly disturbing. This is an imaginative look at loss and grief.
What David Read 