Mr. Johnston has written many fine books about Newfoundland (The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, The Custodian of Paradise), but none so graphic as this new novel. Wade is a young man from a Newfoundland outport, a true provincial in every sense of the word, who meets South African born Rachel in the MUN library. Rachel is a wounded soul, obsessed with reading and re-reading The Diary of Anne Frank; her three sisters are equally conflicted. Most of the book takes place in South Africa and Amsterdam in 1985. Be warned – this story contains some dark and disturbing secrets that are very intense.
Category: Location / Setting
The Double Life of Benson Yu – Kevin Chong
The author of the prescient The Plague has now written an inventive story of metafiction. The narrator/author creates a fictional version of himself as 12-year-old Benny living in 1980s Vancouver Chinatown. Accordingly, there is a blend of reality and invention. What if the author loses control of the narrative? Consequently, the story is often confusing because of two timelines, and thus can be frustrating. Some complex themes of child sexual abuse and suicidal ideation abound. This original story is deservedly on the Giller long-list.
Crook Manifesto – Colson Whitehead
This is the second book (first is Harlem Shuffle) of what will be a trilogy about life in the east side of New York City (Harlem). As always, context is everything in the 1970s: progressive chaos and disintegration of the city, profound police corruption, blaxploitation movies, arson and bent politicians. Whitehead’s writing is sublime: “It was a glorious June morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the ambulances were screaming, and the daylight falling on last night’s crime scenes made the blood twinkle like dew in a green heaven”. The exploits of Ray Carney, furniture store owner and occasional fence, continue in a shady system. Highly recommended.
East Side Story – Growing Up At The PNE – Nick Marino
This is a sentimental history of the Pacific National Exhibition site, in particular its working class East Side aesthetic. The story is based on personal experiences as a summer employee at the fairground as a 12–17-year-old, plus interviews to obtain anecdotes and historical information about the 17 days of the fair, plus year-round Playland activity and sporting events and concerts at the Empire Stadium and Coliseum. Overall, the PNE was a place for scammers and dreamers.
The Ink Black Heart – Robert Galbraith
Be advised that this 6th book about the London PIs Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott is long (>1000 pages), but given that RG is the pseudonym for JK Rowling, there is impeccable (and necessary) detail. The often-seedy online world and a complex collection of anonymous Twitter aliases creates a real-world story with two murders and multiple conflicts to navigate. Robin and Cormoran’s formidable powers of deduction are tested but their personal chemistry remains deliciously complicated.
The Twist Of A Knife – Anthony Horowitz
A perfectly silly but completely enjoyable murder mystery. As always, context is everything – the London Theatre world. When a nasty theatre critic is murdered, all evidence points to the writer of the play that has been savaged by a review. With the dogged persistence of a detective, much is learned. And as a nod to Agatha Christie, all the suspects are brought together for the big reveal. Overall, the author is a master of misdirection.
The Paris Bookseller – Kerri Maher
The cover of this book of historical fiction/fact has the phrase: “a love letter to bookstores and libraries” – enough said! This is the story of Sylvia Beach, an American who opens an English language bookstore in Paris in 1920, called Shakespeare And Company. Ms. Beach acquires fame and notoriety by publishing James Joyce’s Ulysses in 1922. Insight into her motivations and candid descriptions of the many writers who frequent her store makes this a treasure to read.
The Librarianist – Patrick De Witt
Although this story unfolds in Portland, there is little sense of place. Instead, this is an account of people and their often-complicated relationships. In 2005, Bob is a 71-year-old retired librarian. A chance encounter with an elderly confused woman leads him to volunteer at a Senior’s Centre, where the residents are “challenged by subdued disappointment”. Bob’s backstory over 60 years is presented with humour and pathos, an ordinary life of an introvert. De Witt’s writing is brilliant – highly recommended.
Snow Road Station – Elizabeth Hay
Predictably, Ms. Hay has written another superb short novel. There are many relationships in a coming-of-middle-age story: intense complicated friendships abound. On page 214: “They were lovers the way some people are Sunday painters – not fulltime, not exclusively, but companionably and gratefully”. And there is an exquisite description of place; Snow Road Station is a barely discernable dot in an Ontario map, but there are wonderful descriptions of the changing seasons, a wedding, and harvesting sap. In short, tour-de-force writing.
What David Read 