Bibliomaniac's Book Club: February Read (PaperLight)

FEBRUARY'S BIBLIOMANIA IS FOR 

AYISHA MALIK

SOFIA KHAN IS NOT OBLIGED 

 published by Bonnier Zaffre in January 2016

What is it about?

"Brilliant idea! Excellent! Muslim dating? Well, I had no idea you were allowed to date.' Then he leaned towards me and looked at me sympathetically. 'Are your parents quite disappointed?'

Unlucky in love once again after her possible-marriage-partner-to-be proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all expose about the Muslim dating scene.

As her woes become her work, Sofia must lean on the support of her brilliant friends, baffled colleagues and baffling parents as she goes in search of stories for her book. In amongst the marriage-crazy relatives, racist tube passengers and decidedly odd online daters, could there be a a lingering possibility that she might just be falling in love . . . ?

Click here to watch a clip of Ayisha reading the opening chapter from Sofia Khan

To read my full review please click here:

Bibliomaniac's Review of Sofia Khan is not Obliged

Sofia Khan is not Obliged: Questions

Watch this video of Ayisha chatting about why she wanted to write Sofia Khan, what sort of heroine she wanted Sofia to be and what she hoped readers would take away from her novel. Have a chat about anything that strikes you or you find interesting........

You Tube Video of Ayisha Malik talking about Sofia 

How did you find Sofia as a character? Did you like her? Relate to her? Sympathise with her?  Malik wanted to create a "character who readers would fall in love with and would perhaps stop that immediate link between Muslim and terrorists in people's minds". Did you fall in love with Sofia? 

The book opens with a quote from Sofia's blog: "Yes, I'm Muslim, Please Get Over It." Did you get over it? How much is this a book about being Muslim and how much is this a book about being a young woman in today's society? 

Malik uses a lot of extracts from blogs, emails and diaries. Did this work for you? 

"Some people like shopping, some people like therapy, I happen to like praying." How did you find this aspect of Sofia's character? How does this element add both comedy, empathy and depth to the novel?

"Yes, that scarf thing." Sofia's hijab is frequently referred throughout the novel and often becomes a point of discussion or contention within her own family as well as her wider community. Apart from the obvious, what else is it being used to symbolise? 

"Yes, I'd like to be known for writing that one awful book that had to be edited to within an inch of its life." What sort of insight does Malik offer into the world of publishing and the office staff she works with?

"Fresh", "Funny", "Groundbreaking", "Snort diet coke out of the nostrils funny" have all been used to describe this book. Which one word would you use to sum up this novel? 

This is a book about dating. Have you ever gone on a blind date, gone speed dating or joined an online dating agency? 

This book has been compared to Bridget Jones. Would you agree?

Have a chat about how the theme of love is presented in this novel. 

Have a chat about some of the other themes explored in this book: parenting, expectations, pressure, family, friendship, death.......

Extras: 

Below is a link to a You Tube clip featuring an interview with Ayisha Malik: 

You Tube Video Clip: Ayisha Malik on What's it like to be a Muslim Woman

Where to hold your book group for Sofia Khan is not Obliged:

• Someone's front room 
• In the corner of an office 

What could you serve?

• Lemon Puffs
• Chocolate digestives 
• Coffee 
• Diet Coke 

What props could you use to start a conversation about title?

• A flyer for a dating agency or some dating profiles - or write your own!! 
• A packet of biscuits 
• vintage shoes 
• cigarettes

Quotes to start a conversation with:

“I wanted women to come across as strong, not oppressed just because they wear a headscarf, not oppressed just because they choose to follow a certain belief system. The women I know aren’t downtrodden. It gets kind of nauseating when you have to read that over and over again. And I wanted them to be relatable characters despite their ethnic or cultural or religious origin.” Ayisha Malik

"Do you really think you'll find someone who adores you as much as I do?"

"Terrorists don't wear vintage shoes, you ignorant wanker!" 

"After I'd explained about common Asian practice, not only did I feel like a black sheep, but I would have quite like to be a sheep. Sheep are not judged." 

"Emma asks a lot of questions. I find this to be a problem. Not the questions, per se, just the assumption that I have the answers. I'm not an anthropologist." 

If you liked this book and want to read similar novels try:

• Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding 
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

For more articles about Ayisha and more interviews with her about her writing, please click on the links below:

Article on Dating from the Huffington Post by Ayisha Malik

Article from WHSmith Blog on fresh talent about Ayisha Malik
Article from Buzzfeed about what writing means to Female Muslim Authors

AYISHA MALIK 



Ayisha is a British Muslim, lifelong Londoner, and lover of books. She read English Literature and went on to complete an MA in Creative Writing (though told most of her family it was an MA in English Literature – Creative Writing is not a subject, after all.) She has spent various spells teaching, photocopying, volunteering, being a publicist and a managing editor at Cornerstones Literary Agency.

Ayisha was one of WH Smith's Fresh Talent picks, Winter 2016.

Twitter @Ayisha_Malik

twenty7books.co.uk

AND DON"T FORGET TO LOOK OUT FOR AYISHA'S SECOND BOOK COMING IN APRIL 2017!



Sofia Khan is just married. But no-one told her life was going to be this way . . .

Her living situation is in dire straits, her husband Conall is distant, and his annoyingly attractive colleague is ringing all sorts of alarm bells.

When her mother forces them into a belated wedding ceremony (elopement: you can run, but you can't hide), Sofia wonders if it might be a chance to bring them together. But when it forces Conall to confess his darkest secret, it might just tear them apart.

A book to make you smile, laugh and cry, this is the story of a mixed-race marriage and a mixed-up family, for anyone who's ever struggled to balance their pride with their principles, or stuck around to try to mend a broken heart



To find out more about Bibliomaniac's Book Club and further recommendations and reviews please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

To find out about Bibliomaniac's February PaperWeight read please click here:

"Dare to Remember" by Susanna Beard

Reeling from a brutal attack that leaves her best friend dead and her badly injured, Lisa Fulbrook flees to the countryside to recuperate. With only vague memories of the event, she isolates herself from her friends and family, content to spend her days wandering the hills with her dog, Riley.

However, Lisa is soon plagued, not only by vivid flashbacks, but questions, too: how did their assailant know them? Why were they attacked? And what really happened that night?

As she desperately tries to piece together the memories, Lisa realises that there's another truth still hidden to her, a truth she can't escape from. A truth that may have been right in front of her all along.

I think there are a few words in the book blurb above (courtesy of Goodreads) that really capture the essence of this novel: brutal, plagued, desperate and inescapable. This novel is about a character who is terribly traumatised, falling further into depression each day as she tries to remember the real events from that evening and tries to understand how she can overcome the devastating loss of her best friend.

To me, this didn't feel like a conventional psychological thriller even though it is almost entirely a novel about the mental, emotional and psychological state of the protagonist. To me, this felt like an exploration of what it means to survive a tragic event; of what it means to suffer colossal mental anguish and what happens when you have witnessed a crime and yet have no memory of it. This is a novel that focuses on the internal journey of a character rather than the action of the criminal events they have physically been through.

Lisa wakes up in hospital; injured, confused, distressed and without any real memory of the events leading up to why she is there. Odd pieces of the jigsaw have fallen into place but large chunks remain missing. The importance of remembering what happened to Lisa and her best friend is for Lisa's own sense of sanity as much as for the prosecution.

"By the time the rest came back, it was too late to tell the police; the verdict had been handed down and the sentence passed." 

But Lisa's life will never be the same. She walks away from the flat her and her friend Ali shared, from the carefree life they led and their innocent life centred around having fun and "kicking back".

"She never went back to the flat. Her previous life was reduced to a small bag of belongings. Lisa shoved it, unopened, under the bed." 

Beard is able to convey the intensity of Lisa's feelings, the oppression of her anxiety and the all consuming distress she feels every single minute of her days. The narration may be in third person, but we are kept very close to Lisa and Beard is able to evoke atmosphere and tension through her well written prose.

"She would have stayed longer, but the silent pressure from her mother, the unformed questions, felt like an ever present weight on her shoulders. She was jumpy and bad-tempered. She couldn't confide in anyone for fear of making those around her even more worried." 

Beard's descriptions on panic attacks, flashbacks, glimpses of memories and adverse reactions to sounds or certain objects are effective if not unbearably intense and relentless. Despite the advice of her psychotherapist and her mother, Lisa keeps herself hidden away in isolation, knowing that even in December "The malevolent spirit of her nightmares has no respect for Christmas."

Although the mystery and tension surrounding what really happened on that fateful night isn't fully disclosed until the very end of the book (and Beard maintains a satisfying degree of suspense until the last minute) it probably won't shock or surprise many readers. However that isn't Beard's goal - or at least I don't think it is. She uses characters like the psychotherapist to explore the emotional turmoil and psychological distress from which Lisa is suffering and uses things like the "Restorative Justice" scheme to look at different ways of confronting her emotions. Beard is obviously fascinated by the work of psychotherapists and the conversations between Lisa and her therapist were very authentic and convincing. I think "Dare to Remember" travels an interesting line between being a book about mental illness and the judicial system and a novel about a murder.

There is a lot of exposition in this book and there are a lot of quite dense passages. At times the scenes are quite oppressive and harrowing. The role of Lisa's neighbour is also full of tragedy and violence; there is very little respite amongst these pages. It is interesting to watch the dynamics between them and how these two women learn to help each other but it does make for quite a weighty plot and raises several complex issues.

However there is a lot of wisdom hidden in these pages which reflects Beard's sensitivity and ability to avoid sensationalism when portraying domestic violence, depression and anxiety in her characters. In this debut, Beard has shown us that she can definitely write good prose and that she is capable of writing a book which manages complex issues.

If you are interested in the mind of the victim as much as the killer, then this will be the book for you. If you like a novel when you get completely inside the head of the main character and cannot help but become involved in their pain and anguish, then you will enjoy this. It's not a long read and you will keep turning the pages, but perhaps not because of the reasons you originally thought.

"Dare to Remember" is Susanna Beard's debut novel and is out on the 1st February 2017 with Legend Press.

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

"Dead to Begin With" by Vivian Conroy

Coming home can be murder.

Vicky Simmons is looking for the simple life. She’s ready to trade in London for a slower pace by opening a British Country Gift Shop in her old hometown on the coast of Maine. Little does she know a few old faces are back in Glen Cove, including unrequited teenage crush Michael Danning—having taken over the local Gazette and looking better than ever.

All is looking rosy until Vicky finds herself face-to-face with a dead body and Michael is the prime suspect. When the sheriff links the motive for murder to the unsolved disappearance of a teenage girl twenty years ago, Vicky must turn amateur sleuth. She’ll stop at nothing to save Michael…and unmask the real killer!

This is an upbeat, charming and cosy read from the author of the hugely enjoyable Lady Alkmene series. Conroy has left the 1920s behind for her brand new amateur sleuth series (#Country Gift Shop) which is set in the modern day world. This new protagonist, Vicky Simmons, lives on the coast of Maine and is as likeable, as endearing and as charismatic as Lady Alkmene. Conroy has stuck with the cosy crime genre and "Dead to Begin With" is a fun, enjoyable and perfectly pitched detective novel that will appeal to crime lovers, Agatha Christie fans as well as those who enjoy a light chick-lit-esque read.

So meet Vicky, who has returned to Glen Cove to set up her own gift shop selling all things English. Throughout the novel, the setting of Maine provides the perfect backdrop to this cozy crime novel. By using a seaside town, Conroy takes the image of a colourful, happy, safe town full of holiday makers and sprinkles a suggestion of something more sinister over the top of it. Not only does this help with creating the right atmosphere for a crime novel and a murder, but it also introduces some tension with the sub plot of Vicky. How successful will her attempts to set up a gift shop in a place that might only bring her custom for half the year?

"In summer, when the tourists flooded in, the town flourished, presenting that postcard idyll holiday makers longer for. It was like the incoming tide, bringing unsuspected riches to the shore. But in the fall the tide became outgoing as the ocean that had lured the tourists now drove them away, cold gusts of wind whipping the sharp sand across the deserted beach and even into the windowsills of cottages that were no longer let."

As we meet some of the characters in Glen Cove and Vicky begins to settle back in, Conroy again emphasises that despite appearing like a pretty, safe, tourist fuelled town, there is more to Glen Cove than meets the eye - specifically an unsolved mystery of a missing girl, which surely can't have anything to do with the local residents?!

"Glen Cove was such a friendly little place where people only wanted the best for each other. It was impossible someone would have lived among them for over twenty years, hiding such a dark secret."

It isn't long before Vicky finds herself caught up in solving the mystery of Celine's disappearance from twenty years ago. Unwittingly she becomes embroiled in Michael Danning's amateur investigation into the unsolved case which soon sees them not only discovering a new murdered body but also trying to make sure they are not the prime suspects.

"Some fine mess this was. She was going to be questioned by the police again. This time not because she happened to be in college with a girl gone missing, but because she had found a dead body!"

Vicky has returned home and finds herself living with her mother Claire. There is a fun dynamic between the women and Claire's vivacious character adds humour as well as perceptive observations and comments which help the reader get to know Vicky's character more fully. I liked Claire's statement that she's "not nosy; I just like to know things," and her accusation that Vicky only came back to see Michael Danning again draws our attention to the possibility of a potential romance. There is indeed tension between Michael and Vicky which adds another layer to the plot.

Vicky is our new protagonist and I really liked her. She is a bright, determined woman who has no intention to become a detective or indeed seek out a crime to solve. As with all the best amateur sleuths, it is just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time - or perhaps meeting up with the wrong person at the wrong time. She can't believe that there may be a murderer amongst this innocent town of happy people and even tries to hand everything over to the police, but Danning and Conroy have other plans for her.

I also enjoyed the sub plot of Vicky's attempts at setting up her gift shop and think this provides a good distraction as well as a great way of revealing more about her character.

"Vicky always got defensive when people told her she couldn't do something. Challenge was the biggest trigger word in her book." 

I don't want to give anything away about the storyline but what I enjoyed most about this book was that it moves along at a very comfortable pace. I wouldn't say it gripped me but I would say I was very reluctant to put it down! I was really enjoying being part of Glen Cove and felt very settled and relaxed within Conroy's story. It is a crime novel; there is a mystery, there are twists and turns and moments of great revelations and I was caught up in the anticipation, suspense and tension as it jogs along to its grand finale. Sometimes it is a relief to read something without your heart rate accelerating beyond what is healthy and without your blood pressure shooting off the scale!

This is a story of disappearance, murder, jealousy, revenge and all things deliciously criminal, yet it is a remarkably cheerful read and there is a lightness throughout the whole book. This really would be the perfect book to take on your next seaside break or to enjoy with your favourite box of chocolates on a Sunday afternoon. You will not want to put it down.

"Dead to Begin With" draws you in with it's charm, warmth, likeable characters, lively dialogue and an intriguing tale of an unsolved mystery from Vicky's past. I really enjoyed the dialogue and the way it drove the action forward.

Vicky makes a competent and enjoyable sleuth and a great central protagonist for a new crime series. Her excitement about her shop and all she might stock is also infectious and I for one am rooting for its success. As the last line of the book claims:

"The Country Gift Shop was off to a roaring start." 

And so is the first instalment in the Country Gift Shop series. I'm very much looking forward to the next book!

So if you've enjoyed Conroy's other novels, or are a fan of writers like Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers you must look out for "Dead to Begin With" which was published on 13th January 2017 by HQ Digital.

For more recommendations and reviews you can follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

My First Blog Birthday!

A year ago today, I sat down at my computer and decided to start a blog. I had never been on Twitter before, I had never set up a webpage before, I had never written book reviews before - well, not for public viewing anyway! But on a whim, I set up a twitter account, a blogger page and wrote my first ever review and suddenly I discovered a whole new world of book bloggers, TBR piles, acronyms, blog tours and - the most coveted prize of all - advance reader copies!! 

I have had such a blast this year! I have "met" so many lovely, friendly, generous book bloggers who all share my passion for books and I genuinely look forward to chatting with. I have had "conversations" with authors who I admire and adore and with some great people from the world of publishing. I have read more than ever and my screams of delight can still be heard at the end of the street the when I'm approved for an ARC or I receive some book post! Sadly for my neighbours - and my very confused children, I don't think I will ever stop doing that - it's just far too exciting! 

So here are a few highlights from the last 12 months! No, I cannot tell you my favourite book or author because quite frankly that is impossible!

Here is my Top Ten Most Read Posts - click on the link to read the review!

The Girls by Lisa Jewell
Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas
My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood
Watch Me by Angela Clarke
Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller
What Alice Knew by TA Cotterell
Glass Houses by Jackie Buxton
The Easy Way Out by Steve Amsterdam 

How To Be Brave by Louise Beech

Jo Malone - My Story by Jo Malone

And my first 5* review of 2017?
The Unseeing by Anna Mazzola

My very first Book Review was Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Still Alice by Lisa Genova

My very first ARC via NetGalley was Unforgotten by Laura Powell
Unforgotten by Laura Powell

My very first Festival was the Killer Women Crime Festival in October
Killer Women Festival: Fresh Blood
Killer Women Festival: History and Mystery
Killer Women: How to Write a Thriller
Killer Women: Inside the Killer's head
Killer Women: Silver Scream- book v film?

My first quote in a paperback was for "The Good Mother" by A L Bird
The Good Mother by A L Bird

My first "live" event was when Deborah O'Connor (My Husband's Son) came to our book group:
My Husband's Son by Deborah O'Connor
Bibliomaniac's Book Club: Deborah O'Connor

My first Bibliomaniac's Book Club event was only held on the 18th January 2017:
Bibliomaniac's Book Club: Criminally Good Books
A review of Criminally Good Books

My goals for the next year?

• To run another Bibliomaniac's Book Club live event! (Dazzling Debuts)
• To run Bibliomaniac's Book Club via this blog with suggested reads for each month providing questions and ideas for any book group to use
• To attend more festivals! 

And most importantly -

• To carry on enjoying book blogging, sharing my passion for books with anyone who will listen, chatting away with all the fabulous book bloggers, authors and publishing peeps I have got to know over the last 12 months, hopefully meet a few more and whatever else happens, to carry on reading, recommending and reviewing as many books as my bibliomania can manage!! 

There are so many of you out there to thank - far too many to mention but I really would like to say a huge thank you to anyone who reads my blog, retweets, shares, comments and likes my posts, and an enormous thanks to the authors and publishers who are generous enough to send me ARCs!




And to show my thanks, here's a giveaway! A mystery prize for anyone who loves reading!! Enter below if you'd like to be in with a chance of winning! Ends of Friday 3rd Feb 2017.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you'd like to see how I get on in the next 12 months of my blog then please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk) 

**BLOG TOUR** Corpus by Rory Clements

"Corpus" By Rory Clements was published on 26th January 2017 by Bonnier Zaffre.

1936.

In Berlin, a young Englishwoman evades the Gestapo to deliver vital papers to a Jewish scientist. Within weeks, she is found dead in her Cambridge bedroom, a silver syringe clutched in her fingers. 

In a London club, three senior members of the British establishment light the touch paper on a conspiracy that will threaten the very heart of government. Even the ancient colleges of Cambridge are not immune to political division. Dons and students must choose a side: right or left, where do you stand? 

When a renowned member of the county set and his wife are found horribly murdered, a maverick history professor finds himself dragged into a world of espionage which, until now, he has only read about in books. But the deeper Thomas Wilde delves, the more he wonders whether the murders are linked to the death of the girl with the silver syringe - and, just as worryingly, to the scandal surrounding King Edward VIII and his mistress Wallis Simpson... 

Set against the drumbeat of war and moving from Berlin to Cambridge, from Whitehall to the Kent countryside, and from the Fens to the Aragon Front in Spain, this big canvas international thriller marks the beginning of a major new series from bestselling author Rory Clements


It is my turn on the "Corpus" Blog Tour today and I am thrilled to be able to offer you the chance to read an extract from Chapter One! Read on and then I dare you not to want to read more!!

***EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT FROM CHAPTER ONE***

God, she was a fool, a bloody novice. She had been told what to do, of

course, how she must lose possible pursuers with backtracking, circling

and stops. How to spot a tail. But that was theory; this was reality.

The man with the sandals had disappeared into the heaving mass of

people. Perhaps he had been one of many; perhaps someone else was now

on her case. Nancy had attempted to dress as anonymously as she could,

in a shapeless green frock, with her hair braided and pinned up around

the top of her head. In their shared hotel room, Lydia had looked at her

oddly. ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ Nancy had said. ‘You think I look

like a bloody little Waltraud.’ Lydia had raised an eyebrow. A Waltraud

was their private derisory name for the sort of Nazi girl who belonged to

the BDM, wore dirndls and eschewed make-up and cigarettes. Was there

anyone in the world less like the clean-living jungmädel ideal than Nancy

Hereward? They had both fallen about laughing.

She headed south and westwards. On every corner and from every

public building, the swastika banners fl uttered in the warm breeze, black

on a white circle in a sea of red. Every one of them seemed like a personal

threat. Turning right into a side street, she stopped at a butcher’s shop

window and gazed at the cuts of meat and the endless varieties of sausage

without really seeing them. She tensed as an old woman bustled up to her

elbow and put a letter in the red Reichspost box fixed to the wall at the

side of the shop, then ambled away at snail’s pace. No one was following.

She carried on, walking further away from the main arteries of the city. At

the end of the street she turned right then, quickly, went left . The area was

residential now, a respectable mixture of smart tenement blocks, parks

and churches, very different from the regimented grid of streets bordering

Friedrichstrasse.

She knew that Lydia would be getting worried. Nancy had told her

she would only be gone twenty minutes; she should wait for her at the

Victoria with a coffee and cake and her book. ‘I just want a little time on

my own,’ she had said. Lydia had shrugged, clearly puzzled, but seemed to

accept it. This was going to take a lot longer than twenty minutes; Lydia

would just have to wait.

My thanks to the publisher for letting me be part of this Blog Tour, an advanced copy of the book in return for a review and for the exclusive use of this extract on the blog tour.

To read my review of "Corpus" please click on the link below:
Bibliomaniac's Review of Corpus

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

Bibliomaniac's Book Club: My Husband's Son by Deborah O'Connor

BIBLIOMANIAC'S BOOK CLUB:
 “MY HUSBAND’S SON” BY DEBORAH O'CONNOR

What's the book about?

You'd always recognise your own son. Wouldn't you?

Heidi and Jason aren't like other couples.

Six years ago, Heidi's daughter was murdered. A year later, Jason's son Barney disappeared. Their shared loss brought them together.

By chance, Heidi meets a boy she's certain is Barney.

But Jason is equally convinced it's not him.

Is Heidi mad? Or is Jason hiding something? And can their fragile marriage survive Heidi's newfound quest for the truth . . 

Shoebox Prompt Box

Here are a few ideas of things to pop in the box to start off the evening:

• A page of photos of celebrities as children to match to their adult photos 
• Why? Think about how much people do  / don't change over time and how easy it might be / might not be to recognise someone after a long time)
• A Newspaper Headline from the Ben Needham case
• Why? A true life story of a mother searching for her son for 25 years
• A photo fit of Madeline McCann as they believe she may look now
• Why? Think about how faces change, how the police or press can influence investigations, opinions and the truth....
• Some props from the story - see if people can guess what they are, why they are significant to the story and any other comments generated from thinking about these specific items and their role in the story
• We chose: a fire engine, a compass, a hotel room key, a black file with 'Vicky' written on it, a jiffy bag with some strands of hair
• Questions (see section below for full details)
• We cut the questions up and put them in an envelope for a kind of "lucky dip" approach to vary the discussion 
• A sheet with a few games / activities / fun discussion points, for example:
• Write Jason and Heidi's wedding vows
• What questions would you ask Heidi when she's 'on the psychiatrists couch'?
• Write a letter from Clara to Heidi following their falling out
• Write Heidi's work appraisal / final warning letter /resignation letter
• Write a one line synopsis / sales pitch for the book or one line selling the book to another book group
• A copy of the book 
• A list of suggested books you might want to read next if you enjoyed this one - several copies so people can take them away if they wish (see below for full details) 

Questions for Book Group:

·       How effective do you find the inclusion of a prologue in this book?

·       Does one single event have the power to shape and define a person?

·       What does the book have to say about the parent / child connection? Was there anything you particularly agreed or disagreed with?

·       Is there ever an instance where it is right to do the wrong thing? 

Characters: 

·       How did you feel towards Heidi? Is she a reliable narrator and how far can we trust her?

·       “What happened to my daughter now defines who I am.” (Heidi). Is this true? To what extent does Heidi fight this definition? Is it possible to not be defined by it?

·       How convincing did you find Heidi and Jason’s relationship?

·       Why is Heidi attracted to Tommy? What does he give her that Jason cannot?

·       Heidi refers to her weight a lot. It is used in descriptive detail as well to reveal character, relationships and her mental state. Did you find this an effective metaphor in the novel? If so, why? If not, why not? 

·       “If Jason were to get his kid back, how long do you think it would be until he realises you and he no longer have anything in common?” (Tommy). What do you think about Tommy’s comment? Does Heidi have Jason’s best interests at heart?

·       How did you feel towards Vicky? 

·       Jason is always searching for something “concrete” or for “an answer, any answer”. He clings to “a fable” and the belief that a bond between parent and child can never be broken or lost. How convinced are you by Jason’s search? Does he want to find his son? Is Jason really able to recognise the truth amongst the myths, false sightings, police findings and years of searching?

General:

·       “Family is who or what you make it.” “We raised him, we’re family.”(Tommy) What might the author be saying about family in this book? 

·       “You don’t have a conscience. Your sort never do.” What did you think about the presentation of the media and journalists in the novel? 

·       Some of the key revelations in this book come a little early than in many conventional thrillers. How effective did you find this? How effective did you find this book as a thriller or would you put in another genre?

·       The epilogue has the final twist. Did you enjoy this? Did you like it? Dislike it? Was it needed? 

Quick Fire:

·       Did you like the ending?  How plausible did you find it? 

·       Do you like the title of the novel? Why is it effective? (or not?!)

·       If you were Heidi, would you have made the same decision? 

·       What motivates Heidi? What is her overall goal?

·       Where do you see Heidi and Jason in five years time?

·       Who is the villain in book? Who is the victim?

·       “Life is series of trade offs, of choices considered and choices made.” Do you agree with this?

·       What was the thing you liked best about the book?

If you liked this book, try:

Gone Astray by Michelle Davis

Lesley and her husband Mack are the sudden winners of a £15 million EuroMillions jackpot. They move with their 15-year-old daughter Rosie to an exclusive gated estate in Buckinghamshire, leaving behind their ordinary lives - and friends - as they are catapulted into wealth beyond their wildest dreams. But it soon turns into their darkest nightmare when, one beautiful spring afternoon, Lesley returns to their house to find it empty: their daughter Rosie is gone.

Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra

In 2003, sixteen-year-old Rebecca Winter disappeared.

She’d been enjoying her teenage summer break: working at a fast food restaurant, crushing on an older boy and shoplifting with her best friend. Mysteriously ominous things began to happen―blood in the bed, periods of blackouts, a feeling of being watched―though Bec remained oblivious of what was to come. Eleven years later she is replaced. A young woman, desperate after being arrested, claims to be the decade-missing Bec.

Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller

1976: Peggy Hillcoat is eight. She spends her summer camping with her father, playing her beloved record of The Railway Children and listening to her mother's grand piano, but her pretty life is about to change.Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from London to a cabin in a remote European forest. There he tells Peggy the rest of the world has disappeared.Her life is reduced to a piano which makes music but no sound, a forest where all that grows is a means of survival. And a tiny wooden hut that is Everything.

After Anna by Alex Lake 

A girl is missing. Five years old, taken from outside her school. She has vanished, traceless.The police are at a loss; her parents are beyond grief. Their daughter is lost forever, perhaps dead, perhaps enslaved.But the biggest mystery is yet to come: one week after she was abducted, their daughter is returned.She has no memory of where she has been. And this, for her mother, is just the beginning of the nightmare.

The Missing by C L Taylor 

When fifteen-year-old Billy Wilkinson goes missing in the middle of the night, his mother, Claire, blames herself. She's not the only one. There isn't a single member of Billy's family that doesn't feel guilty. But the Wilkinsons are so used to keeping secrets from one another that it isn't until six months later, after an appeal for information goes horribly wrong, that the truth begins to surface.Claire is sure of two things – that Billy is still alive and that her friends and family had nothing to do with his disappearance.A mother's instinct is never wrong. Or is it?

The Good Mother by A L Bird 

Susan wakes up alone in a room she doesn’t recognise, with no memory of how she got there. She only knows that she is trapped, and her daughter is missing.

The relief that engulfs her when she hears her daughter’s voice through the wall is quickly replaced by fear.

The person who has imprisoned her has her daughter, too.

Devising a plan to keep her daughter safe, Susan begins to get closer to her unknown captor. And suddenly, she realises that she has met him before.

Madeleine: Our Daughter’s Disappearance….. Kate McCann

'The decision to publish this book has been very difficult, and taken with heavy hearts ... My reason for writing it is simple: to give an account of the truth ... Writing this memoir has entailed recording some very personal, intimate and emotional aspects of our lives. Sharing these with strangers does not come easily to me, but if I hadn't done so I would not have felt the book gave as full a picture as it is possible for me to give. As with every action we have taken over the last five years, it ultimately boils down to whether what we are doing could help us to find Madeleine. When the answer to that question is yes, or even possibly, our family can cope with anything ... Nothing is more important to us than finding our little girl.'

Ben by Kerry Needham

In 1991 Kerry and her son Ben followed Kerry’s parents to live on the Greek island of Kos. On 24 July, she was at work when her mum Christine arrived crying uncontrollably. Ben had been playing outside, and then disappeared. Someone had taken Ben.

In her heartbreaking memoir, Kerry describes the agony of being initially suspected by the police, which meant the closure of airport and ferry terminals were delayed, the early sightings that raised their hopes and the hoaxes which dashed them completely. And the unbearable pain of knowing her baby boy was alone somewhere without his mum.

And don't forget.....

Best snacks to accompany this title:

Rich tea biscuits taken from the staff room

A packet of crisps or nuts grabbed from behind the pub counter 

Take Away selection of starters 

Best drink to accompany this title:

Coffee / tea

Chilled White Wine 

Best venue for this title:

College staffroom 

Canteen (college / school hall style) 

Wine bar 

Deborah O'Connor can be found on Twitter @deboc77 
Deborah O'Connor is a writer and TV producer. Born and bred in the North-East of England, in 2010 she completed the Faber Academy novel writing course. She lives in London with her husband and daughter.

For more recommendations please follow @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk) 

"The Girl in the Garden" by Melanie Wallace

When June arrives on the coast of New England, baby in arms, an untrustworthy man by her side, Mabel—who rents them a cabin—senses trouble. A few days later, the girl and her child are abandoned.  June is soon placed with Mabel’s friend, Iris, in town, and her life becomes entwined with a number of locals who have known one another for decades: a wealthy recluse with a tragic past; a widow in mourning; a forsaken daughter returning for the first time in years, with a stranger in tow; a lawyer, whose longings he can never reveal; and a kindly World War II veteran who serves as the town's sage. Surrounded by the personal histories and secrets of others, June finds the way forward for herself and her son amid revelations of the others' pasts, including loves—and crimes—from years ago. 

I requested this book not just because the cover looked so appealing (although that was a large factor!) but because it sounded like it would be a complete contrast from the other novels with "girl" in the title that are out at the moment. And it is.

This is a novel to be read slowly. This is a novel which is about characters and relationships. This is a novel about the universal themes that affect everyone as they make their journey through life. I felt elements of Anne Tyler, Anita Shreve and Maggie O'Farrell seeping onto some of the pages as Wallace focusses a small community, gradually revealing what lies behind them and how their stories are interwoven with each other.

This is a perfect novel for those of us who like to people watch. In fact, some of the characters love to people watch too and it is Mabel who is uses her "sixth sense" to interpret the unhappy situation that June finds herself in at the beginning of the novel.

"She said her name was June. As though, it struck Mabel, she'd never had or no longer had a last name or a need for one........[Mabel] wasn't about to send her on her way with that, not that she and anywhere to go. Nor was Mabel about to discuss the girl's future, as her present was disastrous enough, the thought of it almost intolerable." 

All the characters are likeable and in a way the novel is almost like a collection of short stories or character studies as you follow from one to the other, tugged gently along by the swell of the tide and aware of the undercurrent that links them altogether. The setting of the coast line is used very effectively to illustrate emotional turmoil, the sense of insignificance or failure and the isolation or sense of being lost that some of the characters feel.

".....the ocean- like life - simply beyond comprehension because of its magnitude, it's meaninglessness."

I do like a long sentence and I do like a lot of beautiful imagery so Wallace satisfied me with this on nearly every page. Although it is a relatively short novel, the writing is quite dense. Not only are there long sentences, but also long paragraphs. There is very little dialogue but this is a book about exploring the inner thoughts, feelings, fears and sadness of these carefully crafted characters; characters who appear reserved and understated yet are full of complexities.

Wallace's use of long sentences does mean that finding appropriate quotes and pulling out succinct examples for this review is tricky but I am going to share a few! The following quote is about June herself when she arrives at the coastal town.

"She gazed at the water dumbly, unable to make sense of it, too tired to be overwhelmed, not even fully realising that they'd reached an edge of the continent, unable to process the enormity of having come to the destination she'd chosen, because every cell in her body was crying out for sleep."

 Although June appears to be our protagonist, for me I felt the book was actually equally about all the characters who feature. It almost like "The Girl in the Garden" is a story where the understudies take the stage and the lives of those who we usually overlook take their chance to speak; a chance for the lost, failing and reclusive shadows to win the affection, sympathy and care of the reader.

My favourite character was actually Iris. I thoroughly enjoyed the passages about her and found the ending of the novel very poignant and moving.

"I don't need to be nostalgic.....I'm not even capable of such a thing. And I'm not interested in seeing myself as someone I can no longer recognise."

It is hard to write a lengthy review on a book where the plot is secondary to the prose so all I will say is that this is a read that demands attention, time and appreciation. It will force you to slow down and allow you to consider, reflect and enjoy Wallace's insight, observations and description.

If you enjoy books like "Stoner" then this is the book for you. Similarly if you enjoy eloquent literary fiction then this is also the book for you!

I recommend this book. It was well written and with some memorable characters.

"The Girl in the Garden" by Melanie Wallace is published on 31st January 2017.

For more recommendations and reviews you can follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)