A brilliant story: sad, poignant, about fragility and uncertain realities, and the unsettling grip of mental illness. This book is even better than her previousbook The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Under The Wide And Starry Sky – Nancy Horan
A story of the complicated, often tempestuous relationship between Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife Fanny. The setting is constantly changing in the search for a climate that is healthy, a search that eventually leads to Samoa. (Horan wrote Loving Frank which is also excellent)
Hidden – Catherine Mckenzie
A 3-way story: a man who dies accidentally, his wife, and the woman he was having an affair with. It is not so much a story of infidelity but what secrets need to be hidden.
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
This is a compelling story of relationships: two brothers, husband-wife, and most complicated, child-parents. Typical of most Lahiri’s writing, this story takes place in both India and USA. (Jhumpa Lahiri previously wrote short stories – The Namesake).
Watch How We Walk by Jennifer LoveGrove
This is a horrible story about abusive life within a Jehovah’s Witness family, told from the viewpoint of the 11 year old daughter. Combination of desperate guilt and cruelty.
Accusation by Catherine Bush
A story of how an accusation can take on a life of its own, and have consequences that have little to do with truth. The ending is very satisfying because it is ambiguous.
Cataract City by Craig Davidson
This is a real testosterone-filled guy book starting with two 12 year old boys lost in the woods and then progressing to: wrestling, pit bull dog fighting, bare knuckle fighting between men, greyhound dog racing and finally another “lost in the woods” episode. Ultimately the book is about friendship and loyalty. This was a Giller nominee.
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage – Ann Patchett
This is an excellent collection of essays, non-fiction writings in part to pay the bills before and during her subsequent life as a fiction writer. The writing is very insightful, covering important and topical issues like censorship (her brilliant book Truth And Beauty was removed from a University recommended reading list because the book was too graphic in describing drug use, for example). Everything by Patchett is a ‘must read”.A Fairy Tale, by Jonas Bengtsson
A Danish writer has produced a melancholy story about a father/son relationship. The story has an interesting mix of moral behaviour juxtaposed with illegal activities. This book is a great example of how children can be infinitely accommodating to their parents odd behaviour.
What David Read 