Sunday 29 September 2019

The Life of Brian

Inspiration
How to express my deep affection
for verse which blends depth and confection?
A story most mysterious, dramatic and witty,
with seances, bins, custard cremes and a kitty.
Bilston's diary has made me so happy,
I'm inspired to write poems, however crappy.

I have admired Brian Bilston since I stumbled upon his Twitter account where he posts poems about all sorts of things - from Brexit to biscuits and everything in-between*. His witty wordplay and punchy verse is delightful and always brightens my day.

Bilston's new book Diary of a Somebody (2019) is a fictional diary which follows a year in the life of Brian. Now in his mid-forties, Brian's New Year's resolution is to write a poem a day in an effort to get himself out of the rut he is in. He has a soulless office job, his teenage son is growing distant, his ex-wife has moved in with a motivational speaker, and, his book club dislikes him as he never finishes their monthly read. To make matters worse, his poetic nemesis Toby Salt, is constantly being published. 

Things are looking up... sort of. He has a crisp new diary to begin his writing career, Liz has joined his poetry group, and his ability to string together management jargon makes his boss think he is a genius. But Brian often misreads cues, avoids taking risks, and regularly retreats to places of comfort. The humdrum of his daily life is interrupted when Toby Salt disappears and Brian becomes a suspect.

The diary structure of the book works well to explore Brian's thoughts about the mundanities of life. Many days begin with a verse, which set up the diary entry that follows. It also makes it easy to read in short grabs or longer sessions. I briefly toyed with the idea of reading it over the course of the year, but once I started I couldn't stop. The story ebbs and flows, as in life when days roll on with nothing happening, punctuated by some event which changes the pace. 

Diary of a Somebody is a uniquely genius comic novel. I regularly laughed aloud at both the verse ('Her name was Yoda, / A showgirl she was') and the situations Brian finds himself in.  There is so much empathy, sweetness and warmth in this book. While it won't appeal to everyone, I absolutely loved it. It reminded me of Sue Townsend's The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 (1982) with a tiny bit of Bridget Jones. I would heartily recommend this book to lovers of language, wordplay and witticism.

*I particularly enjoy Bilston's commemorations of overlooked events like #InternationalCatDay or #SpoonerismDay

Saturday 28 September 2019

Return to Gilead

When Margaret Atwood announced that she would be writing a sequel to her classic novel The Handmaid's Tale (1985), I experienced a range of feelings. I was excited to be returning to Gilead, as I loved the book and always wondered what might have happened to Offred and the regime. But I was also apprehensive; worried that the sequel would not live up to the first, or it would somehow seem that Atwood was only capitalising on the popularity of the television show.

I should never have doubted. Atwood is a master. The Testaments (2019) is a brilliant novel and a worthy successor, equal to (arguably better than) the original. Praise be! I was completely engrossed in the book, and upon completion I immediately began listening to the audiobook, which heightened my admiration for Atwood's clever, intricate writing.

The Testaments was embargoed prior to release to prevent spoilers. As a reader I appreciated being able to enjoy the novel free from knowledge of what was to come. So I will not reveal too much of the plot here, other than to say what is commonly known.

Set 15 years after the events in HandmaidThe Testaments is narrated by three women: Aunt Lydia, Agnes and Daisy. Aunt Lydia, a figure who looms large in Gilead, secretly writes her memoirs and in doing so imparts not just her role in the current regime, but how she got there. She is a cunning, smart and witty woman who reveals much about the cracks in Gilead. Agnes, a young woman who has been indoctrinated into Gilead culture, tells of how she is being groomed to become the wife of a Commander. Daisy, a teenager in neighbouring Canada, protests the Gilead regime. These three seperate narratives provide different perspectives on Gilead: an insider, a follower and an outsider. How they interlink and evolve is fascinating.

Today - in the era of #MeToo and FakeNews with the rise of nationalism, increasing restriction on women's reproductive rights, erection of border walls, increasing conservatism - Handmaids have become a symbol of the oppression of women. As such, the timing of this novel could not be more perfect: returning to Gilead is a hopeful reminder that tyrannical regimes face resistance and failure.

The Testaments is a well-crafted page-turner, which takes the reader on a thrilling journey. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, this novel is definitely my pick for winner.

Saturday 21 September 2019

After the Flood

Twenty years ago, long before I started this blog, I was engrossed in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Northern Lights (aka The Golden Compass) (1995) The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass (2000) told the story of Lyra Belacqua, a smart young girl and her daemon Pantalaimon as she journeys through the multiverse. The fantasy series was clever and thrilling; exploring deep questions about morality, religion and science.

Pullman has now embarked on a new trilogy called The Book of Dust, Dust being the mysterious Rusakov particles attracted to objects formed by consciousness. The Magisterium (Church) is obsessed with Dust, seeing it as evil and corrupting, akin to the concept of Original Sin. Dust permeated the first trilogy and does so again here.

La Belle Sauvage is the first book, named after a canoe owned by young Malcolm Polstead. Set ten years before Northern Lights, here Lyra is a baby being cared for by nuns at an Oxford priory. Malcolm helps out at the inn his parents run, alongside a teenage girl named Alice. Malcolm sees and hears many things from the customers who stop by for a pint 'n pie. One day, a group of men arrive at the inn and start questioning Malcolm about Lyra. But when creepy Gerard Bonneville and his hideous hyena daemon arrive in town, Malcolm knows for sure that Lyra is in danger.

Flood waters are rising in Oxford as the Thames threatens to break her banks. Taking advantage of the inclement weather, Bonneville attempt to steal the child, but Malcolm and Alice are able to flee with Lyra in La Belle Sauvage. The three children, pursued by Bonneville and various others, undergo all sorts of ordeals as they try to find sanctuary after the flood.

I loved being back in the world of Dust, daemons and alethiometers - in fact whenever the story mentioned anything related to His Dark Materials (like Lord Asriel, Mrs Coulter, gyptians or Jordan College), I immediately became nostalgic. The mysterious 'Oakley Street', extremist Magisterium, and disturbing League of St Alexander kept the story moving along. While Malcolm is a great protagonist, feisty Alice is the one who interested me most, and I liked how their relationship changed over the course of their journey.

So far, I haven't found The Book of Dust as engrossing as the first trilogy.  The flood was a drag on the story; so many pages take place in the titular boat that it became a bit dry. The tone was also considerably darker than the first trilogy - which, admittedly, I kind of liked, but made me wonder what younger readers might think. To enhance my reading, I also listened along to the audiobook with Michael Sheen narrating the story. This enlivened the tale and I particularly loved his portrayal of Bonneville's hyena.

The second volume of The Book of Dust will be released on 3 October 2019 and from what I understand the story will fast forward to Lyra as a young woman. So I will be intrigued to see where this series takes us! But what I am really excited about is the new BBC series, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials which will air in early November with James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson and Lin-Manuel Miranda among the cast.

Saturday 7 September 2019

Unclean hands

In 2016, journalist Niki Savva produced a riveting book about the downfall of Tony Abbott titled The Road to Ruin. Her latest, Plots and Prayers (2019), is a sequel to that tale - focusing on the incredible fall of Abbott's successor, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and the subsequent victory of Scott Morrison.

Savva talks to all the insiders about what they were doing and thinking during that week in August 2018, when Peter Dutton attempted to oust Turnbull in an ill-advised and poorly-conceived coup. The forensic analysis of who said what, when, and to whom, paints a brutal portrait of our political leaders as a bunch of spoiled, privileged bullies who are only thinking of themselves.  Savva explores the issues plaguing the Coalition government in the months leading up to the overthrow: the National Energy Guarantee; Queensland; Abbott; Barnaby Joyce's affair and child with a staff member; and, Turnbull's inability to gain traction inside the party.

The events of that week were bizarre to those of us outside the 'Canberra bubble': Dutton gathering his forces; Turnbull urging him to put up or shut up; Abbott destabilising from the back stalls; Fifield defecting; Cormann backstabbing; and then, from seemingly nowhere, Morrison emerging victorious.

Over the past year, Morrison has repeatedly claimed that he was loyal to Turnbull, and that he stumbled into the top job once Turnbull's hopes of holding on were lost. But Savva reveals that his supporters were working the numbers and positioning Morrison to take advantage of the chaos they helped cause. It will be interesting to see what Turnbull makes of all this when his memoir is published early next year.

Plots and Prayers is a real-life political thriller - an intriguing, page-turning read. The writing is witty, wry, and intelligent. I knew I would enjoy it from the moment I read veteran journalist Laurie Oakes' endorsement on the front cover where he writes 'How good is this book!' - turning Morrison's catchphrase into wicked praise.

Wednesday 4 September 2019

The Booker Prize Shortlist 2019

The shortlist has been announced for the 2019 Booker prize. The thirteen longlisted titles have been whittled down to six:

  • Margaret Atwood - The Testaments (Canada)
  • Lucy Ellmann - Ducks, Newburyport (USA/UK)
  • Bernardine Evaristo - Girl, Woman, Other (UK)
  • Chigozie Obioma - An Orchestra of Minorities (Nigeria)
  • Salman Rushdie - Quichotte (UK) 
  • Elif Shafak - 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World (Turkey)


I am delighted that Atwood made the list, and I am eagerly awaiting my pre-ordered copy of The Testaments which will arrive next week on publication day. Of the shortlisted titles, she is my pick for winner.

I had only read two of the longlisted titles - My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, and John Lanchester's The Wall - and was not surprised that they didn't make the cut. But I was disappointed that Max Porter's Lanny didn't survive. 

Here's what the Booker Prize judges had to say about the shortlist.


The Winner will be revealed on 14 October 2019.

Sunday 1 September 2019

The Rising Tide

Our worst fears of climate change have occurred. The seas have risen. Millions of people are displaced and desperate. Young people are enraged by the inaction of older generations, effectively robbing them of their futures.

In Britain, the government has chosen isolation, building a massive sea wall around the entire island, to protect the country from waves of refugees - the 'Others' - who attempt to reach a safe haven. To defend themselves from these intruders, armed guards are conscripted and placed along the entire Wall, while the coast guard patrols at sea.

We meet Kavanagh, a new Defender, straight out of his initial training, and follow him as he navigates his new existence on the Wall. Defenders who fail, and allow the Others to traverse the Wall, will be put to sea and exiled. So the stakes are high, and Kavanagh must not let down his Captain, the Sergeant, and his fellow Defenders.

The Wall (2019) by John Lanchester has been longlisted for this year's Booker Prize. It is a quick and easy read, with the story moving at a good pace, particularly in the second part. He captures the droning boredom of the Defenders, then the sudden shift in to action. I am not sure it is Booker-worthy, as the writing is not exactly literary, but it is a compelling novel for readers who enjoy dystopian fiction.

It is a cautionary tale in many respects. There are shades of Trump's wall along the Mexican border and his racist demonisation of immigrants. There is also the isolation of Brexit, with Britain literally walling itself in to separate itself from the world. But the overriding caution is related to climate and the global failure to act to slow/reverse the effects of humans on our planet. Lanchester perfectly captures the resentment young people do and should feel towards our current political leaders for failure to act. For example, when a politician comes to speak to the Defenders, he describes the Change as follows:
'...The Change was not a single solitary event. We speak of it in that manner because here we experienced one particular shift, of sea level and weather over a period of years it is true, but it felt then and when we look back on it today still feels like an incident that happened, a defined moment in time with a before and an after. There was our parents' world, and now there is our world.' (p110)
The 'our world' Lanchester portrays is bleak and hopeless, with limited opportunities for young people. Let's hope he is wrong.

For those interested in speculative fiction, I would also recommend Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake (2003) trilogy.