Francesca Spector, author and journalist
I was lucky enough to be sent an early copy of David Nichols’ upcoming novel. you are here, a well-timed publication for those who loved the recent One Day Netflix adaptation. Nichols’ latest book has long been of interest to me, as I have written extensively about the central themes of loneliness and isolation.
Marnie and Michael, the lovebirds in You Are Here, are 38 and 42 years old and are far from the final years of their lives, having passed through the heat of weddings and babies. This meant that the typical romantic comedy tropes (proposals, weddings, babies, etc.) were refreshingly absent. Instead, the plot is structured around a walk from coast to coast, while dramatic tension is created by the ghost of his estranged wife. There is honesty and authenticity to this romance, especially in the river wrestling scenes where one party wears waterproof shorts/pants that can be zipped up and closed.There was a reaction of Curtis Sittenfeld romantic comedyanother book that I loved.
I read a book at my local book club. Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, a feminist, postcolonial prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Mr. Rochester’s “Mad in the Attic” first wife, Antoinette Cosway (who he renamed Bertha), is a powerful storyteller with a timeless heart. It made me rethink the romanticization of Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre (last January we read Wuthering Heights…the same story as Heathcliff).
I never liked the short story medium, but a friend convinced me to do it. Alice Munro’s Runaways would be an exception. He was right. The Nobel Prize-winning author’s prose is filled with haunting details, such as the reappearance of a lost goat in the heavenly light of a car’s headlights. It was fun to see multiple characters reappear across stories, as it felt like meeting an old friend.
Helen, Guardian reader
reading Emma Flint’s “Other Women”, a crime novel based on a real-life murder committed by Emily Beilby Kaye’s married lover in the 1920s. Beautifully written, yet harrowing and tense. Kay is recast as Beatrice, a woman who falls in love with a colleague who was “left behind” after the First World War. She was of an age considered marriageable at a time when most eligible men were away at war. It was interesting to read about a character based on such a woman who strived to build her life and career and was almost invisible in society.
Alba Arija, Author
It’s been ten years since Michael Cunningham wrote a book, and as a fan I’ve been waiting for his latest work. Day, while feeling anxious. Over three consecutive Aprils from 2019 to 2021, we followed a Brooklyn family during and after the onset of COVID-19. Like all of his work, there’s something haunting about Cunningham’s writing. It makes us acutely aware of the invisible fragility of life: how we speak to each other, who we are, and how we make it. This book is a powerful example of dysfunction and what happens when cues are missed or ignored. But it’s also about desire, and the spaces we live in and try to escape from aren’t always successful.
I’ve always wanted to read his books, so I started reading Isaac Babel’s short stories in preparation for a writing class I’ll be teaching in Greece this summer. sunlight and bed bugs. Before I knew it, I was airlifted along with Jewish thugs, prostitutes, wagon drivers, milkmen, and rabbis to the vibrant, rich, and colorful port city of Odessa 100 years ago. Ta. Despite the pogroms looming in the background, there is an air of humor and irreverence.
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I started reading How to Make a Bomb by Rupert Thomson I finished it just before landing on a flight from London to New York. History professor Philip’s midlife crisis and his decision to “throw away structures and open himself to possibilities and opportunities” is completely gripping. This beautifully written novel has no endpoint, resulting in a fragmented rhythm that lunges forward breathlessly.
For nearly 20 years, Anne Roe has been writing obituaries for The Economist. I remember her late mother speaking of her with quiet admiration.That’s one of the reasons I picked up her book lifescape. And I found that same silence rustling through the pages as I moved between prose, poetry, memoir, and biography. “The smallest thing may provide the most important clue,” Lo wrote about her own death, which she called “capturing her soul.” She is not interested in her chronology. But those clues exist, from objects to images, strangers to ghosts, the sacredness of blood to the sound of snow. Her unusual, almost divine writing has a magical quality. She’s a soul catcher and I’m still thinking about it.
Twohours by Alba Arikha is published by Eris (£1)4.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy here: guardianbookshop.com.Shipping charges may apply
Rupert, Guardian reader
As a teenager in the ’60s, I followed the relationship between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor along with the rest of the world. Now I had a chance to read this issue again. “Erotic Vaglancy” by Roger Lewis, a fascinating dual biography that delves deeper into the lives of that (in)famous couple and all the people surrounding them. There was a relentless, almost obsessive quality to Lewis’s writing that kept me reading late into the night. I highly recommended this book.
