"The Reader on the 6.27" Jean-Paul Didierlaurent

I was recommended this novel by my local book shop, Harpenden Books who have currently based their window display around this title. It is also the Book of the Month for Waterstones. It is a slim volume of 190 pages and as the manager Ines Freitas said, it is a book you can easily read in one sitting. Although, I must say I didn't really want it to end and think it's definitely a book I'll reread again. Maybe even aloud on my next train journey!

Guylain Vignolles, who hates the fact his name is a spoonerism of Vilan Guignol - ugly puppet - works in a book pulping factory. His only pleasure is reading aloud to the commuters on the 6.27 train every morning from random pages he has saved from the thrashing jaws of the pulping machine, otherwise referred to as "The Thing".  Passengers show him the "indulgent respect reserved for harmless nutters" and Guylain's motivation is that he believes by reading to them he is allowing them to "forget the tedium of their lives." He reads one or two pages at a time, all from different books of any genre or type and no two extracts are ever connected. Guylain has no interest in the content of the books, it is the act of reading that matters: "He enunciated words whatever they were with the same passion and dedication....and the magic worked." He loves books even though he spends most of his life destroying them; he loves the power of books to "make colours brighter, things less serious, winter less harsh...the ugly less ugly ....life more beautiful."

I loved the personification of "The Thing". There is a whole ritual connected with setting it up in the morning and then it "burped, gasped, sounded reluctant to get going but once it had gulped down the first mouthful of fuel, The Thing went into action." Words like "armageddon" and "genocide" are used to describe it as well as some fantastically fearful images like "temperamental ogress" who frequently becomes congested as she is a "victim of her own greed." It makes Guylain miserable to see books pulped - even though they are they recycled into new books - and he loathes his position in the factory despite being surrounded by gently eccentric characters.

One of the workers, Giuseppe, suffers a tragic accident at the plant, losing both his legs in the machine. Giuseppe then begins a search for his legs by finding out what book was printed using the pulped pages and trying to seek out every one of the 1,300 copies so that he can be reunited with his legs! Brilliant! The actual title of the book and the fact that it is was an unimportant work of "Jean Wotsit Thingummyjig" do not matter to Guiseppe, "you can't choose your children". What is important to him, as he gazes at the empty shelves waiting for the further 600 copies he is yet to locate, is that he is gradually returning and restoring himself. In this novel, books are a lifeline; a healing power, a way of bonding with people and a way of developing friendships.

Guylain is a gentle, appealing, sensitive and intelligent character who the reader warms to with ease. He shows such kindness towards Giuseppe by searching out as many copies of "Gardens and Kitchen Gardens of Bygone days" (which stole his legs- the English Teacher in me is sure that fact it's a book about growth, new life and plants which provide food, colour and flavour is significant and metaphorical!) and keeping a secret hoard aside ready to "discover" whenever Giuseppe becomes depressed and grinds to a halt in his searching. I loved the description that the "bookshelves ate up an entire wall in the living room." I also liked the description of the relationship between the two men: "The Thing had make them very close, a closeness that only trench warfare is capable of forging between soldiers who have shared the same shell hole." Didierlaurent has an incredible skill for creating effective and evocative imagery. He has a subtle yet masterful and imaginative use of language. Although it is a very simple, accessible, fluent and light read, the novel is full of phrases which deserve a deeper analysis and appreciation of the way the writer skilfully uses words. The tale is about people celebrating the power of words, and this book in itself is an example of how powerful language can be in the right hands.

One day the Delacote sisters stop Guylain on the station platform to let him know how much they enjoy his reading on the 6.27 every day. They sit nearer too him to "drink in his words" as Guylain pulls the first "live skin" from his bag - a recipe for a farmhouse vegetable soup. They invite him to read to them on a Saturday morning and when he arrives, finds himself at a nursing home, ushered into a room of at least 20 people, "each older than the other, the room as hot as a pizza over minus the aroma, all staring at him through their cataracts or incipient cataracts." Fantastic! This is writing that makes you smile and is heartwarmingly humorous.

Guylain is searching for meaning in his life. He is searching for something deeper and more satisfying or rewarding. His reading at the care home helps him on his journey and once again, shows us what a caring character he is; unmotivated by the usual pursuits and commodities, seeking fulfilment from bringing the pleasure of literature (or non literature!) to all. The effect of his reading on the guests at the care home is equally heartwarming. They stimulate discussion, "colour in their cheeks and a sparkle in their eyes." Didierlaurent's choice of adjectives to describe the effect of the extracts highlights the magical impact of reading with words like "burst" "feeling alive" and an "infant that had drunk its fill of milk". It takes one bibliomaniac to know another and here I have found a kindred spirit!

Guylain then discovers a memory stick which turns out to be a diary of a lavatory attendant. He begins to read it and it has a profound affect on him. The next day "everything glistened and twinkled" (maybe like a sparklingly clean bathroom?!). And so begins his real journey - a journey for love and happiness - as he falls in love with the anonymous author. I won't spoil the rest of the story but it is as captivating, warm and tender as the rest of the book.

I would describe this book as enchanting, simple and short yet richly rewarding and full of exquisite writing. The characters are charming, endearing and entertaining. The messages of love, hope, happiness, purpose and healing create an affirming and optimistic atmosphere. The affectionate celebration of books and words will appeal to any reader and fellow bibliomaniac. Other reviewers have called it a "beautiful testimony to the universality of the love of books" and some refer to it as a fable about the "power of literature to elevate our lives." This is a great read for Waterstones to nominate as its book of the month as it is such a short, fluid, amusing and well written novel but a little bit different and quite refreshing from a lot of the other current chart toppers. I really enjoyed it and it was a welcome breath of fresh air which transported me to a different place, and even different pace, of life for a while. I really do recommend it!

Thank you to Harpenden Books for chatting with me so enthusiastically about this book while I browsed your display table unable to make a choice  - with your help, I know I bought the right one!

If this sounds like your kind of book, I would also very highly recommend "The Little Paris Cafe" which I have also reviewed on this site for an equally heartwarming story about books.

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or subscribe to receive future posts via email.

"All is Not Forgotten" Wendy Walker

The premise of Walker's novel is that teenager Jenny Kramer is brutally raped while at a house party in the seemingly perfect and respectable suburbs of the town of Fairview. Her parents are offered a chance to give Jenny some pioneering treatment for PTSD patients - a drug which will eradicate her memory of the event- an offer they accept in a bid to protect their daughter from the horrific trauma she has been through. However, what Walker then goes on to explore is the fact that the brain may forget, but the body won't. Jenny continues to suffer emotionally, struggling to piece together scraps of memories in order to try and move forward. The repercussions of the parent's decision quickly spiral out of control.

The first thing I have to say about this book is actually how disturbing it is and how the opening section is actually quite overwhelmingly upsetting. The author depicts the rape scene in great detail and almost the first 20% of the novel is completely focused on the injuries Jenny suffers and the nature of the abuse to which she was subjected. The writing is vivid and graphic. It is good writing and it is important writing but at the same time it is intense, shocking and to a certain extent, draining. I do feel it is necessary to give readers a warning about the content.

The novel is narrated by an anonymous voice who doesn't reveal themselves until about a quarter of the way through the story. Before their revelation, it is difficult to fathom why this person has such an interest in Jenny. They seem hugely affected by what has happened to her and clearly are against the medication she has received believing she cannot heal properly without being allowed to confront her experience fully which means remembering it. What is a little unnerving is how compelled the narrator feels "to return her to what she has taken away." It does create great tension as the reader tries to work out the details about who is speaking and what is going on. I found sentences like "it became my single minded pursuit to give back her horrific nightmare" compelled me to read on. The narrator seems obsessional and it is defiantly a strange thing for someone to wish for. It is intriguing and the number of questions raised within the reader ensure we kept turning the pages avidly.

The narrator is insightful, omniscient, judgemental and full of detailed observations. Their voice is clinical, methodical, controlled and sometimes uncomfortable. Once the identity is revealed this all makes sense and is in keeping with the character's role but it does mean that I found myself a little confused about what sort of novel I was reading and slightly questioning whether the author had fully decided in which style she wanted to write. The prose contains first person monologues from the anonymous narrator about drugs, medicine, memory and the brain; recounts of events from each of the different characters told by this same narrator, transcripts taken from interviews and therapy sessions of the main characters. This is a very thorough analysis of a crime and serious exploration of the repercussions of such an event. It is also a puzzle; a jigsaw. The narrator is controlling the information they are willing to share and choosing at which point to share it. This does make it a more complex plot and the reader has to appreciate we are beholden to the narrator. It also means it is a slow read. There is immense detail. The voice gets sidetracked; it deviates, jumps around, changes the chronological order and means this is a slow burner of a read rather than your typical page turning thriller.

The characters are all flawed. Sometimes quite unlikeable. It is easy to judge Charlotte, the mother, although we are warned not to and further invited to learn more of her background and subsequently view her more sympathetically. Tom, the father, is equally fallible but the contrast in their behaviour and reactions is interesting. The author raises lots of interesting questions about parenting and about living in suburbia where reputation and appearance are of all importance. It looks at what happens when a "perfect" family and a "perfect" community is violated and shaken.

Jenny's character is also interesting. Her role allows the author to really examine the mind and how our memories work. "She had no memory of her rape but the terror lived on in her body." There is great discussion about PTSD and how physical responses are triggered, how memories live on within us even when deeply buried. Walker is clearly fascinated by the  psychiatry of PTSD has clearly researched the topic in great detail.

This would probably make a good read for a Book Group. There are plenty of questions about whether you would take the drug, whether you would allow your child to take the drug as well as plenty to explore about parenting, image, teenagers and rape. It also has enough thrill and mystery to make it reasonably accessible read.

Personally I did find it a little slow and at times did become a little frustrated at being beholden to the narrator and their manipulation and presentation of events. I also found the fact that so much of the opening of the book focuses so fully on the horrific rape and medical detail that I found it hard to really engage and "enjoy" the novel in the way it deserved.

The publisher introduced this book by saying it is "a hugely original psychological thriller - just when we though there weren't any new ideas." I would agree with this descriptor and think Walker has indeed created almost a "sub genre" within this sector. I think it is unique and interesting. Her choice of narrator is original and completely changes our presumptions about these kind of stories; showing us what more can be done within this genre.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this novel in return for a fair review.

For more recommendations and reviews please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK)

"Baby Doll" by Hollie Overton

Lily has spent the last eight years held captive in a 400 ft sq room with her 6 yr old daughter Sky. One day she doesn't hear the bolt slide across to lock the heavy door after her captor's visit. She takes her chance, seizes the moment and with Sky, escapes. She finds her way back home - unbelievably only a mere 5 miles away.

On her return home, she finds much has changed. Her identical twin sister Abby, older than her by only 6 minutes, is pregnant. Always the more dominant and controlling twin, Abby's manner seems more aggressive and more unhappy than Lily remembered. Abby is quick to chide their  mother and is not afraid to challenge or answer rudely to the questions from the police - she is incredibly protective towards Lily. But there seems to be something more troubling her than just a short temper. Also troubled and changed is their mother, Eve, whose husband has died while Lily was held prisoner, and now seeks the company of men though one night stands in a bid to escape her loneliness and grief.

Lily tries to adapt to being free and safe but is clearly deeply traumatised from her experience and extremely reluctant to name her captor. It is a small town. He is an upstanding member of the community. He has a partner. He holds a position of trust and responsibility within the town. Everyone will know him and she fears no one will believe her. She tries to gain reassurance by constantly reminding herself that she is no longer alone, "her sister, her best friend, was here to see her through this," but it is a struggle and she suffers from a huge fear and distrust of people.

This novel is interesting because it focuses on the aftermath of Lily's escape rather than her imprisonment. The tension, suspense and thrilling finale are all to do with events after she is allegedly safe and free. It explores how everyone is affected and how everyone struggles to come to terms with what Lily has experienced and the revelation of her captor.

The story is narrated through multiple points of view, switching between characters in each new chapter. The main voices are Lily, Abby, Eve and Rick - the captor. This technique keeps the pace swift and pulls the reader along making it a quick read. By letting so many different voices tell the story, Overton can create a more multi layered plot and can also somewhat reduce the intensity of Lily's immense injuries and suffering as she is sharing the narrative with several other dominant voices so it doesn't become an oppressive read. It also keeps the central focus on what happened next rather than the horror of the abduction and confinement. We dip in and out of people's thoughts and emotions rather than staying with one person, which consequently also means we do not form overly deep bonds with the characters, neither are they allowed to develop in detail. As this is a fair review of the book, I must say that for me, I found this meant the characters sometimes lost a little of their authenticity and conviction. With a large cast of characters all with their own story to tell, all created with turmoil, crisis, volatile behaviour and finishing their respective sections with cliffhangers, the novel is quite melodramatic; we are watching as events spiral out of control and it is the people around Lily who are falling apart rather than just Lily. As another reviewer commented it begins to feel like a "soap opera" at times. This isn't a wholly negative comment as it means Overton retains pace, drama, tension and action throughout the whole story and maybe it reads like a TV Kay Mellor crime series or some of the more popular shows like "The Fall", "Mistresses", "From Darkness","Doctor Foster" - a bit of a box set to enjoy one Friday evening. I think it would make quite a captivating film or series.

There are some really dramatic scenes in the book. They are written in a very vivid and filmic style and perhaps more sensationalised than some of the other psychological thrillers I have read. There were a few moments which require a the reader to suspend reality a little but if you do this, the scenes are more thrilling and powerful. Overton keeps her audience engaged by revealing a family reacting to things in a way that is not as you'd expect. The real threat and person who completely changes the course of everyone's future doesn't actually come from the one you are primed to suspect. Maybe this makes it more realistic or raw. It certainly makes things more theatrical.

Abby is a really interesting character. Her anger and loyalty are so fierce and all consuming. Her guilt, her sense of responsibility and her desire to fight for her sister drives her to make decisions that will have catastrophic repercussions. In a way, she behaves more as husband or mother should and it is interesting that Overton has chosen to make her main characters identical twins. This adds an unusual dimension to the plot and another layer to the relationships between the characters.

The role of the captor was also interesting. I liked the fact that he was such an upstanding member of the community and had been so well respected and liked by everyone who knew him. This made some of the revelations very tense and effective. I also found giving the character of Rick his own voice was quite effective and the fact that he still poses such a real threat to Lily even when he is arrested. He is still able to threaten her and manipulate her every day even though she has "escaped".

Overton keeps the tension bubbling away all the way to a very dramatic conclusion - one I could not have predicted or expected.

This book cannot avoid being compared to "Room" or the recent TV series "Thirteen" and indeed, I think "Baby Doll" would also make a fantastic TV series. It is perhaps more accessible and less harrowing than "Room" and I think will reach a wider audience because actually it is the behaviours of Abby and Eve that are as engaging and take up as much of the action and focus as the rehabilitation of Lily. It does have stiff competition from the plethora of psychological thrillers currently on the market but I think it will probably hold its own.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair review.

For more recommendations and reviews, follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK)

"Circling the Sun" Paula McLain

I read "The Paris Wife" a few years ago and it was one of those novels that quietly exceeded all my expectations, quickly becoming one of my favourite reads for that year and one I often recommend. I can still recall the main character of Hadley with ease and affection. I was keen to read the new McLain title; again it is also a fictionalised account of a real person, Beryl Markham, who grew up in Kenya becoming a pioneering horse race trainer and a record breaking pilot in the 1930s.

The book opens in Kenya, 1904, with Beryl's mother abandoning her and returning to England with her younger brother. The Kipsigis tribe that Beryl lives amongst, give her a cowie shell to ward off evil spirits. Even though she is "a white daughter of their white bwana - something unnatural has happened that need setting to rights....no African mother would ever have thought of abandoning a healthy child that is not maimed or weak...so they stamped out that start and gave me another." With this fresh new start bequeathed by the tribe, it seems Beryl becomes intrinsically linked with the Kipsigis people, learning how to throw spears, hunt warthogs and feel as if this is the place in which she truly belongs. A feeling which never leaves her.

The novel then continues to chart Beryl's childhood. She is a girl of strong character, refusing to be "straightened out" by the persevering, rule abiding housekeeper Mrs O, who tries to fulfil the role of wife and mother as well as managing the running the house. She is expelled from school but on her return to the Horse Farm run by her father, she finds it greatly changed by the outbreak of the First World War. The horses have been conscripted and race meetings suspended, the workforce depleted. I was fascinated by the historical detail and powerful image of the Kipsigis warriors going off to fight with their "spears held high, buffalo hide shields in the other..sent 100s of miles away, handed a rifle in place of a spear....come home with stories and enough gold to buy a wife." McLain's attention to detail and thorough research means the reader is effortlessly placed firmly within the historical context and location. Her description of Africa is evocative and convincing. It was easy to feel part of the landscape and visualise the setting.

Part Two takes us to 1919 and Beryl is now 16 years old. Despite her protestations, Beryl is persuaded to marry Jock, who is "alright" and "will make the farm work". Again, the reader is reminded of the historical context and restrictive role of women, perhaps emphasised within a colonial society. Beryl tries to "match" Jock and "be good at" the physical side of the relationship but she doesn't feel old enough or ready enough to really be a wife and she spends her wedding night feeling "lonely and numb as if some part of me had died".

Beryl is an interesting character. The novel feels very much a journey of emotional discovery as she strives to find her place in the world. She is a talented, bold, unintimidated woman who wishes for equality and to be given the same opportunities as men. In many respects she succeeds later on with her career but her late teenage years are spend trying to reconcile herself with the restrictive life of a female in a high profile marriage. Even her successes in training a winning horse are celebrated more fully by Jock, who stands to make more fame and financial gain then her. Jock changes too as the relationship continues to struggle and Beryl refuses to conform. He is worried about his name, his reputation, his family and is a proud, controlling man. Their marriage becomes a sad pretence.

The intriguing thing about Beryl is how connected she is to the Kipsigis tribe and the environment. She is quite spiritually connected to the land and to the rituals of the tribal people. As she struggles to make hard choice she loses herself within tribal songs and chants and throughout her whole life, whenever faced with a difficult decision or needs comfort, she always retreats to the African songs, stories and ways. One evening she steals away to watch a dance and to lose herself within the rhythms and movements. As she watches she reflects that "they know something I didn't and possibly never would......my heart seemed to leave my body as the verses and refrains gathered speed like a great wheel". Beryl's lifelong dilemma is how to offset her limited reprieves of freedom, love and career against the entrapment of the enduring conventions and expectations of propriety amongst society. It is no wonder that it is flying which really appeals to Beryl - to be able to move in a space where there are no barriers and nothing "to stop you from going on forever....it doesn't hold anything back or want to stop you."

McLain writes with vivid description and there are some beautiful phrases and imagery throughout the novel. I found Beryl an appealing, likeable character. Although fallible and not always reasonable, she had flair and individuality. There are some poignant moments within the story and ultimately Beryl completes her physical, spiritual and emotional journey and finds reconciliation. She makes bold decisions and often disastrous ones - either ill fated or selfishly- she makes some decisions which might not enamour her to the reader but it makes for a rich tapestry and fascinating tale. She is a woman of adventure and ambition who seeks to be unconventional. I enjoyed the story, the character and the setting. I did feel transported to another country and era and I thought the closing lines of the novel were very resonant.

McLain's novel has also made me consider reading "Out of Africa" and Markham's own book "West with the Night" to learn more about her life story and of Africa. I was interested to read in the Author's Notes that Beryl had met with Hemingway who admired her (there are rumours of an affair!) which must have intrigued McLain following her research and interest in Hemingway from "The Paris Wife".

I would recommend this book. It is an easy and interesting read and McLain's style is very accessible and enjoyable.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair review.

For more recommendations and reviews please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up to subscribe to receive future posts via email.

"The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir" Lesley Allen

Crime writer G J Minnet ("The Hidden Legacy") posted a picture of the cover of this book on his twitter feed in conversation with another author and then recommended it a few times. The power of Twitter is amazing - from just seeing this attractive cover pictured on my feed a dozen times and trusting in Minnet's judgement, I decided to read this novel. I am so glad I was successful in getting a copy! It has become one of my most favourite reads this year.

There are about three books this year for which I have been desperate to tell the world about but have dreaded writing a review, feeling decidedly inarticulate in comparison to the beautiful writing I've been wallowing in and a definite inability to fully express the effect the author's work has had on me. This is one of those books!

"The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir" is not an easy book to read at times. We first meet Biddy, aged 30, making a telephone call to a chat show running a phone in about bullying. The opening description is full of bird imagery - a theme which permeates the entire novel- and not only effectively captures Biddy's trepidation and emotion at this moment in the narrative, but is also used to illustrate her fragile yet unique and naively innocent personality as the book continues.

"Butterflies as big as bats flapped ferociously in her stomach, thrashing against her ribcage, soaring into her chest.....what if it all goes wrong? What if they catch you out?  ...She tried to ignore the cresecendo what ifs and focus on the dream instead...."

Biddy admits to the researcher, to whom she is first put in contact with, that she suffered psychological bullying for 7 years. When asked what the worst thing the girl did to Biddy was, she replied "I nearly died because of her."

So the stage is set, the reader hooked, the premise established. We then begin "Part One" which takes us back to the small seaside town of Ballybrock when Biddy was two months shy of her tenth birthday; to the moment when the bullying began and she discovered she was Biddy Weir the "Bloody Weirdo"- or simply B W for short. "From this day forward, her life was defined not by her religion, colour of her skin, her sex, the school she attended....but by her oddness.." Biddy is the only daughter of Howard, now retired, who was forced to marry Biddy's much younger mother following a "fumble" and discovering she was pregnant. Biddy's mother left them when Biddy was 6 months old and he has struggled to bring her up ever since. The conventional description of Biddy through her appearance ("curly, unruly red hair ") is helpful but what really captures the reader's imagination (and then their heart) is the description of her clothes and belongings. Her school uniform was either too big or too small. It's never quite right and her school bag is a string shopper with "broken handles packed together with sellotape." Everything is makeshift, broken, drab, brown, grey and old. Biddy is doomed. With a father who is much too old and clueless, her complete lack of self awareness or care for appearance and commodities and to really top it off - a fascination and love for bird poo! Yes, indeed, Biddy is an "individual".

But she is happy. Or has been. Until Alison Fleming arrives at the school. Alison is a "clever, accomplished and manipulative little bitch." What a brilliant line! So up front and so true! And I'm sure reminds us of the Alison Fleming's we've met in the past. Alison is as captivating a creation as Biddy. She will make your blood boil. I could hear her snarling over my shoulder as I read the book. I could see her lips curling unpleasantly at the corner as she glared derisively at the beautifully naive and utterly vulnerable Biddy.

It takes a little while to adapt to Allen's narrative style. She is a master of language and description but at first this is disguised through the simple, childlike manner of writing. However, this understated, innocent voice effectively reflects and mimics not only Biddy's character but I think also reduces some of the impact of the events of which we read. By keeping a more childlike perspective on events it helps to not overwhelm the reader or make it sensationalised or sentimental. It remains raw, real and authentic. It's been a while since I've become so entranced by characters that I feel my pulse rate increase as I read about them and find myself muttering responses under my breath as I see them acting out their role in the novel. I really lived and breathed this story.

Biddy has never been aware that she is different before. She has got to the age of 11 without ever crying. She's carefree. She looks to the sky and birds for meaning and company. She sketches. She's unaffected. As events progress, the depiction of the "halo of sunlight highlighting her wild copper curls....her pale eyes glistening like slivers of broken glass....looked like a miserable angel" is surely metaphorical of something more significant and special within Biddy. But this naivety and frankly, stunted emotional development, is what makes Alison's behaviour towards Biddy even more significant - threatening and dangerous; destructive and fundamentally damaging. All from a spoiled, indulged child with her own significant insecurities and a basic hatred for Biddy spurned merely out of the fact she will not "clamour to be part of Alison's gang of followers". She is an ugly character. Allen really exposes the real mechanics of a bully and the fears which push them to become bullies rather than risking a revelation of their own anxieties and rejection.

Allen's presentation of teachers is interesting. All but one are reluctant to probe in any depth into any nagging suspicion that something is amiss. They don't want to meddle, or open a can of worms. They don't really want to get involved with an oddball and her misfit of a father, especially if it means crossing a perfect student who has rather voluble, wealthy parents. Apart from Penny Jordan the PE Teacher. Penny is so affected by the "heavy mist of persecution" that clings to Biddy that she decides to take some control and help Biddy. It's a beautiful friendship. But, Allen hints that it cannot last and my heart was absolutely in my mouth throughout this whole section, the tension of waiting for Fleming - junior and senior- to destroy any happiness or healing was just so paramount. Oh, oh and oh. There was so much insight in these pages about care, compassion, love, jealously, hatred and downright sadness; I wept.

The novel continues, following a bit of an epiphany or more ethereal experience for Biddy on a school trip - exquisitely written, laden with metaphor and meaning. And then moves into "Part Two" where we meet Biddy as a woman in her mid 20s.

This section is as hauntingly tragic and as traumatic but then, with the introduction of the bright, warm, sensitive and intuitive friendship of Terri Drummond, becomes one of hope, resolution and rehabilitation. Biddy grows both emotionally and physically. "Part Two" is filled with warmth and optimism.

The final denouement is fantastic. I was air punching, high-fiving empty spaces, smiling and wriggling with satisfaction and glee. It is heartwarming, uplifting, with a clear message of healing and hope.

I am reluctant to say anything that isn't exceptionally effusive about this book (did you get that yet?!) but I guess, if forced to, I would say the ending was a little contrived and convenient. However, it was also immensely satisfying and added humour, lightness and resolution that the book needed to stop it from becoming a depressing and bleak tale of a damaged soul. It is in keeping with Biddy Weir's legacy.

I hope this has managed to convey how special this book is. It tackles a depressing topic but through it has created a character of stunning uniqueness. You will be enthralled. It is a captivating read and Allen's prose is impressive. This is her debut and I can't wait to read more of her writing - she is clearly talented and full of imagination and talent.

Finally, all I can say is read it. And may this book be dedicated to all Biddy Weirs. May all of them overcome their demons, survive and learn to live again.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in return for a fair review. I have truly enjoyed it.

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up to receive future posts via email.

"Fates & Furies" Lauren Groff

I was intrigued to read this book as the reviews used words such as enchanting, exhilarating, electric, complex and addictive. It follows the story of Lotto and Mathilde, married at 23 years old after a fleeting romance which is largely based on a deep sexual attraction. We meet them on the day of their secret marriage where Lotto is completely enamoured with this girl he has "magicked into his life". It is very different from the ceremony Lotto had in mind when he'd imagined his wedding, coming from a wealthy and privileged background but it was what Mathilde wanted and she was "always right... he would know this soon enough." There is a hint that this dream like love will be tested over time - the thought that "marriage meant forever" briefly runs through his thoughts but they are both so consumed with their obsession and hunger for each other that they try to ignore that "between his skin and hers, there was the smallest of spaces....a third person, their marriage, had slid in."

It is an inciting opening. The reader is intrigued; caught up in the fairy tale coupling and hoping for a fairy tale life. This relationship always appears nothing short of perfect in front of their friends  - Lotto is a charming, attractive man heralded as a genius by all around him (to such an extent it almost gives him a sense of entitlement). Then there's quiet Mathilde, siren like with her beauty and equally worthy of a great future. But what is really going on beneath the surface? What feelings do the couple really carry for each other and what secrets bubble away beneath this surface of perfection?

The story continues to chart the marriage over the following 24 years, reflecting on its triumphs and tribulations; the continuous ebb and flow, give and take, undulating rise and fall of patience, disappointment, failure, success, hope and love that a marriage journeys through. Their friends are disparaging about the future of the relationship and take bets on its future but the couple continue to survive. One of their friends comments that "Mathilde is a conundrum wrapped in a mystery, wrapped in bacon. She's so calm and quiet. And Lotto is the loudest. Opposites. First marriage. Guess who'll be there with casseroles when it all comes apart."

The early days of their marriage reminded me of accounts about Hemingway and Hadley (I highly recommend the "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain). A couple that "have so little....still so happy". A couple full of artistic potential and talent and constantly floating between one party after another. Lotto and Mathilde seems to spend the early years of their marriage constantly entertaining with "Yuppies in embryo.....hurricanes of entitlement....nothing at the centre." Groff writes beautifully about Lotto's back story and this helps understand his present behaviour. I enjoyed reading about his parents and how Lotto learns to "live in this world". His first sighting of Mathilde reads like something from a halcyon place and Mathilde something more celestial. His happiness is constantly referred to and repeated and it does seem that he is bewitched by her and unknowingly being played. There are subtle hints that Mathilde is not so enamoured with her husband and marriage. There are insinuations that she is more frustrated and fed up; but then the animalistic attraction and lustful desire consumes her when there are times of success and celebration. The reader begins to realise that one of them is more powerful and controlling than the other.

Groff writes that up before Lotto rose a "vision of himself as if attached to a hundred shining strings by his fingers, eyelids, toes, the muscles of his mouth. All the strings led to Mathilde pointer finger and she moved it with the subtlest of twitches and made him dance." I though this was one of the most brilliant sentences in the whole book. It captures the essence of the relationship and actually as the book continues the reader becomes more and more aware that she "choose" him, she saw his genius as soon as she met him and has looked to release it and nurture it throughout his periods of apathy, inertia, depression and inactivity. With artfulness and a pretence of effortless coincidence, she skilfully manipulates him and directs him towards his artistic development and success. This reveals a more complex, perhaps even slightly unsettling, side to Mathilde's apparently shy exterior. It also reminded me of the phrase "Behind every great man is a great woman". Unsung. Out of the limelight. An ability to weather any storm. A resilience and patience that is not mirrored by her partner.

I also liked the description of the marriage "picking itself up off the ground, stretched, looked at them with its hands on its hips..." following one of their brief periods where they are a little lost to each other.

The prose captures the artistic nature of the couple. It is dreamlike and poetic. The phrases run on into each other, building images fused with contrasting half finished sentences and half formed suggestions. Metaphors are piled on top of each other and the cadence of the descriptions depicts both the carefree, unpredictable, disordered life of the couple. The dialogue is revealing and pertinent. Like the couple, Groff's writing appears effortless and smooth, masking the "sacrifices and machinations" and work that goes on to create this illusion. This novel is as much about language, metaphor and words as it is characters and marriage. It is intense and mediative. It is a style which takes some getting used to and does require quite a lot of investment and engagement from the reader. I did find that I needed to persist with my reading a little;  at times I found the way the passages drifted along in a fluent and unbroken manner made the passing of time difficult to track and differentiate between the changes. However, Groff's purpose must be to show how time aimlessly meanders from year to year and the changes in people, friendships and relationships are so slight and tiny they often go unnoticed or without immediate impact.

I would recommend this book to people who admire authors who explore language and who enjoy reflecting on the power of metaphors and poetic imagery. It is a literary novel. At 390 pages long it's not a quick read and actually the weighty dense prose does make it feel a little longer. However, there is some beautiful writing to enjoy and marvel!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

For more recommendations and reviews, follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or subscribe to receive future posts via email.

"Love Anthony" Lisa Genova

I have been saving this book to read on holiday as I absolutely loved "Still Alice". I had also convinced the Book Group I am part of to read this as our choice for April. Look out for a blog about our discussion - coming after our meeting!

The book opens with Olivia, recently separated from her husband and mother to Anthony, who was autistic and tragically died aged 8. She has returned to the holiday home they own in Nantucket that they stopped coming to once Anthony turned 3 as "pretty much everything stopped once Anthony turned three". Olivia is completely unable to move forward with any aspect of her life, so full of guilt and grief. She hasn't gone back to her job as an editor of Self Help books in five years as she has become so disillusioned with the genre. When Anthony received his diagnosis (aged 3) Olivia read everything, searching for someone to "transform their lives....somebody must have the key that would unlock her son." But now she says bitterly, "What do they know? What does it matter?" And this is really the fundamental question for which Olivia is searching answers. What does anything matter? What did Anthony's life matter? What was its reason and purpose? What is her reason and purpose now? As well as answers, she is also desperately seeking atonement and an acceptance of the past and the cards she has been dealt. She hopes to find some space to recover in Nantucket.

In contrast, we are then introduced to Beth who receives a card in the post from an anonymous sender claiming to be sleeping with her husband. Both women set out on a journey for closure, release, happiness and love. They are also both in need of new beginnings and a need to redefine themselves for who they are, not who they were responsible or accountable to.

Beth and Olivia meet by chance and a gentle friendship begins to form, Beth seeks Olivia's advice on a manuscript she has been compelled to write, rekindling a passion for writing from long ago while she finds herself at a crossroads. Through Beth's fictional narrative of a child who experiences the world more unconventionally, Olivia begins a journey of self discovery showing us that sometimes we receive help in the most unexpected places and from the most unexpected people.

Olivia's situation is sad. She doesn't really want to move on. She doesn't know how to live without Anthony, he so dominated and defined every waking moment of the last 8 years. She reminisces about Anthony's life, each new day reminding her of a past day and a past sadness -like Anthony's birthday and how this was always a day of dread and desperation when they were "forced to stare at the severity of Anthony's autism straight in the eye, to be fully cognisant of how much progress he hadn't made." Olivia presents the role of a parent of a child with autism as a very challenging one; one of relentlessly trying situations, one where you are unable to form the most simple of bonds with your child and the heartbreak that Anthony is unable to speak means that any communication of love or response is so limited and so rare, it is truly painful to keep going daily in a world where you feel so alone and isolated. Looking through forgotten belongings that have been stored in the house, she comes across her old journals and begins to read them again. They reflect some of her anger and frustration that became part of her mothering and accounts for the subsequent guilt she feels now her short time with Anthony is over. As the novel progresses it becomes clear that Olivia needs to see Anthony as Anthony the boy with autism, not autistic Anthony. She needs to understand him, his perspectives and the way he saw the world; his love. It's interesting that this understanding comes from Beth who has no direct experience of autism at all. Perhaps this is exactly why she is able to offer Olivia the perspective she needs?

I was slightly skeptical about the part of the story which showed a psychic link between Beth and Anthony but the characters definitely share an affinity of some kind. They also mirror each other in the sense they are both frustrated and angry and feel they are not being heard. Through her writing, Beth not only finds a voice for Anthony so he can at last be heard, but also is able to find a new voice for herself and see answers through her words that offer her closure. Also, on rereading the prologue once I had finished the book, I wondered if it was Olivia and Anthony that Beth meets and therefore deep in her subconscious is a striking memory of the child. She is reading "The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time" and another book about a mother of a child with autism so actually, her choice of subject and her engagement with Anthony's voice, is not totally out of the blue. They are subtly involved and there are several hints and suggestions at Beth's interest in this subject. In fact, on rereading, the prologue seemed laden with deeper symbolism now that I had experienced the characters.

There is a really interesting contrast between the two women's reactions to Anthony and how they describe that experience. In her journal, Olivia writes:
"How can I help you if you don't tell me what you want? We say all these words but we don't talk about anything.......We're the parents of a permanently disabled child and our marriage is crippled. I don't feel abused by Anthony but abused by this life. What happened to my life? ....all about autism....living it, reading it, talking about it...sick of it. Scared this is all it will ever be.... David and I are self trained therapists working on the same patient ....trying to fix him but failing." 

And then Beth, while she sleeps, dreams of a boy who "hears and feels the world in a unique and unimaginable way". ..."Detached from people. Bewildered by emotions. Enthralled by repetition. An uncelebrated intelligence. Persistent. Silent. Honest. Brave. Misunderstood." She is fascinated by the "neurological alchemy not described in any book" and then her own process of writing takes on a daily routine where she begins to obsess about order and ritual before she can work. Both the women's responses to Anthony are so different that this reveals much about their own internal conflict and how they need to heal themselves. Olivia is isolated, closed, "guarded and weary". Beth is tactile and more openly loving and giving - but her life has been upended by her husband's infidelity. She is perhaps more attuned to people's emotions and needs - but then, unlike Olivia, she hasn't been living with autism for 8 years so this may be the reason she is enabled to offer this insight. There are several examples of where the women react differently - one with fear, one with happiness. Olivia needs Beth. Beth needs Anthony.

I loved the chapter Beth wrote about Anthony's incident with the "french stick". The grammar, structure, pace, repetition and language made it feel so authentic and so effective. It must be as close as one can get to gaining insight to how the mind of someone with autism works.

It is a sad book but ultimately one of hope and love. It is heartwarming. The various different threads, stories and voices all become intrinsically linked by the end and there is a sense of the women having completed difficult journeys successfully. The last 40 pages gain pace and show a deepening relationship between the women. It is emotional and leaves us asking big questions like what is our purpose in this life?

I think there will be a lot to discuss at Book Group regarding this book and I am really looking forward to the opportunity to talk about it some more. I hope the rest of the group have enjoyed it as much as me! I am definitely going to get hold of Genova's other books as I like the way she writes about complex, difficult issues with a sensitive and considered manner. I did not feel I was reading a book about "autism" but a book about motherhood, marriage, love and friendship. I guess that's one of Genova's main messages about Anthony. You need to look beyond the label and see the person first. We all need to look beyond our labels and enjoy the world around us for what it is.

If you haven't already discovered Lisa Genova, then I highly recommend you seek out her books! My review of "Still Alice" is also available on this site (23/01/16)

For more reviews and recommendations, follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or subscribe to receive future posts by email.