Wren Lit

"Saville's corpse, already stiff, was laid on a table beneath the kitchen window; upstairs the shape of his sleeping self was still indented on the sheets and pillow of the cot" - The Suspicions of Mr Whicher

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This past week I spent 13 hours on a train and discovered what will forever be one of my favourite books. I bet you can guess it from the image above.

Before my thirteen hours of travel commenced at 7am on Monday morning you could say that I was quite hesitant to step on the train. I have never been one to enjoy long train rides mainly due to my incredible talent for feeling nauseous on any form of moving object. For this very reason, my first stop after raiding my bookcase was the chemist, to try and find any form of anti-nausea medication that wouldn’t have me passing out every 45 seconds. Travacalm saved the day! 

For the first time in my life I was able to spend the entire train trip reading and I managed to get through three books, two of which were crime novels that I was reading for research purposes (and also just for the fun of putting post-it notes through them), while the third was Rose McGowan’s memoir, BRAVE. 

I finished this book within three hours of starting it because it was completely and totally enthralling. It forces you to see the dark inner workings of Hollywood, the abuse, the gruelling working conditions and the psychological trauma that can be caused by being a cog in the misogynistic machine. I will add in a trigger warning here for anyone that has experienced sexual abuse of any kind, BRAVE deals with McGowan's personal experiences head-on.

The style of her writing plays a large part in its readability, while it isn’t masterful literary prose, her style is crafted in such a way that you feel like she is sitting across from you telling her story. Her casual tone and use of conversational phrases often found on social media make it incredibly easy to hear the sarcasm and sly wit that she has breathed into her work.

I loved that in some places it read like a masterfully crafted rant, full of harsh truths. While this may turn some of you off, it shouldn’t, because it is a well-deserved rant about a topic that is important as hell and needs to be addressed, and I can’t think of anyone who could have done it better. She has taken her own personal experience, her own pain and her triumph and has forged it into swift blades that have cut right to the heart of Hollywood, right to the heart of any man or woman that has taken advantage of any human. But more than that, she hands the blade to the reader and tells them to be brave.

“We survivors are using our voices in record numbers. We cannot let up, and as hard as it is, we must continue to get even louder, to push even harder. We all count. We all matter. Here’s to freedom, yours and mine. Now go breathe fire.”

It doesn’t matter where you are on the sexual identity spectrum, read it. Read it now.

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Grist Mill Road - Christopher J. Yates

In the summer of 1982, the lives of three young teens changed forever. It is now 2008 and Patrick looks back on that year, the year that 13-year-old Hannah was tied to a tree and blinded by his then 14-year-old friend Matthew. 

His most vivid memory from this time was that he stood there and watched it happen, without doing anything to stop it. It was only after the two of them fled the scene and left Hannah for dead that Patrick’s conscience edged forth and forced him to turn back, despite Matthews violent protests.

Twenty-six years later, Patrick and Hannah are married and living together in New York, however, their recollections of the event that haunts their past are very different. Hannah only remembers Patrick being her knight in shining armour, cutting her down and saving her from the monster that took her dignity and then her eye. She has no idea that he stood there on the sidelines and watched it all happen. Patrick has never told her the full story, with the burden on him often becoming more than he can bear.

“This revelation has become the monstrous secret that paces the perimeter of our marriage, like something that prowls in the shadow, a dangerous creature awaiting its moment, the right time to strike,” he says, “To have kept the truth to myself for so long feels like a crime in itself.”

Then to make things even more complicated, Matthew re-enters their lives, drawing up all the unresolved emotions and violent tendencies that have been repressed for twenty-six years.

The thing that Christopher J. Yates has gotten very right in this book are the characters. They are masterfully crafted in that they are all entirely human and very flawed, with them all sharing the roles of victim and perpetrator in their own way. As soon as the book starts you are drawn into their different stories and motivations, constantly asking yourself why these characters are the way they are. Although admittedly the journey Yates takes you on is winding and you can sometimes get lost within the chapter transitions between present and past and different narrators, he still maintains the strength of his characters throughout the entirety of the work, which is no mean feat.

The main issue I found with this book was the largely tepid nature of the initial crime. Although it was horrible that the character lost her eye and would undoubtedly be traumatised, it leaves the reader with a lukewarm feeling of horror that is hard to maintain throughout the 350 pages. Perhaps this is his way of commenting on the fact that crime doesn’t have to be sensationalised and gruesome to have a serious impact on the lives of victim, perpetrator and bystander. If this is the case, then he does it very well. However, in a world that is saturated with horrific crimes occurring within both the fictional world and in our own reality, the acts of violence in this book just seem to pale in comparison. The result is that the tension seems to ebb until the very explosive ending.  

Despite these flaws, Yates sophomore novel is still somewhat enjoyable, as he is a talented writer that can execute plot twists with a masterful hand. The main critique here is that his writing and his great potential were marred by the overall sense that he was holding back and veering away from the grittier side of crime. If he was to let go of his constraints and sink his teeth into a story that is more at home with the darker side of humanity we would have a brilliant addition to the crime genre on our hands.

3.9/5

As always, opinions vary across the population of readers and Grist Mill Road has been praised by many. One such example of this is the review written by Crime By The Book, a blog entirely devoted to the crime genre. 

http://crimebythebook.com/blog/2017/12/12/book-review-grist-mill-road-by-christopher-j-yates

If you read Grist Mill Road and have your own opinions on it, let us know what you think!

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Better late than never, here are the six books that we have added to our TBR list for this February!

As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner (Release Date: February 6th)

Set in Philadelphia during the 1918 epidemic of the Spanish Flu, As Bright as Heaven is a story of heartbreak and perseverance. Pauline Bright and her husband venture to Philadelphia with their three daughters in the hope of having a better life. However, these hopes are quickly dashed as only a few months later the Spanish Flu arrives on American soil. With more than twelve thousand victims in their town, the Bright family are thrust into a world entirely different from that they had come to know. Then, even as they lose their own family around them, they take in a baby orphaned by the disease who becomes a beacon of hope for their family.

Vengeance by Zachary Lazar (Release Date: February 13th)

Having been called ‘powerful and important’ Lazar’s fifth novel brings the American incarceration crisis even further into the spotlight.  The main character and narrator, who remains nameless throughout the story befriends an inmate at a Louisiana prison when he visits for an Easter pageant. The inmate, Kendrick King is serving a life sentence for a murder that he maintains he did not commit. With his interest piqued the narrator starts to investigate, endeavouring to sort out what happened in King's life. Along the way, he meets all of the people in King’s family, and as his investigation progresses the writers own sense of identity comes into question.

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (Release Date: February 13th)

Born in Nigeria, Ada always knew she was different and felt as though she had “one foot on the other side”. Throughout her journey towards maturity, her identity becomes increasingly fractious and it becomes clear that something went terribly wrong on the night she was born. When she comes of age she moves from Nigeria to America to go to college where a traumatic assault leads to her other selves being cemented in her psyche. Her alternate selves, Asughara and Saint Vincent, start to take over and Ada begins to fade into the background of her own mind. As their control grows her life starts to spiral towards the dark and dangerous.

Drawing on the authors' own experiences this is a powerful story about identity, love and self-destruction.

White Houses by Amy Bloom (Release Date: February 13th)

A love story inspired by “one of the most intriguing relationships in history”. A young woman, Lorena Hickock met Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on the presidential campaign of Franklin Roosevelt. Throughout the campaign, the relationship between Eleanor and Lorena deepens into intimacy and she moves into the white house and becomes known as the “first friend”. For readers who enjoyed “The Paris Wife” and “Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald” Amy Bloom’s new novel tells a love story that is complicated and constantly scrutinised by the public eye.

What Are We Doing Here: Essays by Marilynne Robinson (Release Date: February 20th)

A new collection of essays brought to us by the Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson. With most of the essays delivered as lectures at universities and religious institutions, she tackles the topics of faith, history and modern values, providing insight into our modern political climate and the mysteries of faith.

Some Hell by Patrick Nathan  (Release Date: February 20th)

A heart-wrenching story about a gay teenager wrestling with guilt after his fathers' suicide. After the tragic night, his mother throws herself into therapy and Colin tries to find someone to confide in about his struggles with his identity and his feelings for his best friend Andy. After trying to talk to his estranged grandfather, he turns to a science teacher whose motivations are far from honourable. It is then that he finds solace in the mysterious writings that his father kept in a series of notebooks locked in his study. A story that will break your heart and build it back up again, this debut novel is devastatingly intense and shows how tragedy can shape a life.

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena (Release Date: February 27th)

Set in Saudi Arabia, this beautifully written debut novel from Tanaz Bhathena tackles the issues of race, identity, class and religion, experienced by young teens in a strict Islamic environment. Zarin Wadia is a sixteen-year-old studious orphan with a tendency to take risks.  Naturally, this makes parents wary of her, with them telling their children “You don’t want to get involved with a girl like that”. All of them listened to their parents except for Porus Dumasia, an eighteen-year-old who has only ever had eyes for her. The biggest question though, is how did they end up dead in a car together? Through the following investigation, Zarin’s story is pieced together and it becomes clear to everyone that she was more than just a troublemaker.

Out of these six titles will any be making their way onto your TBR lists? 

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The Widows of Malabar Hill - Sujata Massey

The year is 1921, the city is Bombay, and the crime is murder.

Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a prominent lawyer is the first female lawyer in 1920’s Bombay. Although she is not permitted to practice in a courtroom she acts as a solicitor in her fathers' law firm, handling contracts and estate work, and conferring with the few clients who can accept that she is a woman in a man's role.

When a wealthy mill owner passes away, leaving three widows behind, Mistry Law is tasked with handling the estate. However, it is not as straightforward as it seems. While working through the paperwork Perveen notices something amiss, all three of the widows have signed over their entire inheritance to a charitable foundation, with one of the widows having signed with an ‘X’ as opposed to her name. After finding out that the women live in a strict seclusion community she becomes suspicious that a guardian might be taking advantage of them and starts to investigate. Soon after her arrival on the mill owners estate, her suspicions are confirmed when a body is found.

One the most intriguing aspects of this book is Massey’s masterful use of the dual timeline. While we adventure further into the mystery of the Malabar Hill widows we are also invited into the parts of Perveen’s past that have made her a strong advocate for women's rights. From her years in an all men class at university to a marriage that was far from perfect, we get to know her better as a character, learning about her motivations and the skeletons in her closet. Not only did this dual timeline offer up more of the characters background, but it was tactfully used to create dramatic pauses at important moments, spurring the reader on.

Sujata Massey’s straightforward writing style also made it easy to read, and her ability to convey emotion through tone rather than description enabled the reader to remain immersed in the story from start to finish. Although some might consider the ending to be a little rushed, it did not detract from the story as a whole and did not affect the amount of enjoyment that it provided.  

Inspired in parts by the first female lawyer in India, Cornelia Sorabji of Poona, Perveen Mistry is a promising new cosy-esque sleuth on the scene that we look forward to meeting again in the next book in the series.

4.6/5

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My favourite place to go for coffee in Dubai was, without a doubt Le Pain Quotidien in the Dubai Marina Mall, and in my three-week stay, I went there at least five times. If that doesn’t speak volumes I don’t know what will.

If you are like me, you greatly enjoy going to a café with a good book and sipping a cup of coffee or tea, soaking up the atmosphere around you and the words in front of you. Le Pain Quotidien in the Dubai Marina Mall is the perfect place to do this. In my three weeks in Dubai, I went to this café at least five times and visited two of their other locations twice with the Marina location being my consistent favourite.

Upon first entering the café I was struck by the beautiful collection of old leather bound books resting on a high shelf with a wooden ladder resting against the wall. As you move further into the café, the room opens up and you start to hear the soft classical music in the background, filling the void behind the hum of café conversations with warm notes of the violin. It is a café that doesn’t mind if you stay there to read or work, with plenty of tables they can easily accommodate this favourite past time.

Not only are the wait staff incredibly friendly and accommodating, things just get better when your coffee and food arrives. When I was delivered my coffee (the first real cappuccino I had found in Dubai) I was ecstatic to see that they served their coffees in small bowls making their coffee feel like a hug in a cup. Their food was equally delicious, their delightfully flaky turkey and cheese croissants came served with a little dish of olive tapenade and two different types of mustard, all of which were delicious both with the croissant and on their own. I will admit to you here and now that I did steal my partners dish of condiments…and I ate them with a spoon.

The olive tapenade was only rivalled by their desserts. Their strawberry tart for starters was so wonderfully creamy that the sweetness of it was perfectly balanced by the slightly tart strawberries. I honestly could not fault this place at any point during any of my visits.

If you want somewhere with a warm atmosphere, friendly staff and delicious food, you need to try this place, and if you want the best of the best, head to the Marina Mall location!

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With a new year comes a plethora of new books. To start off with, we wanted to introduce you to the eight books that we are most looking forward to this January. 

The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (Release date: January 9th)

An Indian mystery set in 1921 that follows the story of Bombay’s first female lawyer Perveen Mistry. While looking over the will of a wealthy Muslim mill owner, she notices that all three of his widows have signed over their inheritance to a charity. Suspicious that they are being taken advantage of by a guardian, she investigates, when suddenly the case takes a turn toward the murderous.

Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates (Release date: January 9th)

In 1982 a senseless crime shook a small hamlet outside of New York City. At its centre were three children, Matthew, the perpetrator, Hannah, the victim and Patch, the rescuer. 26 years later, all three are living in New York City, with Hannah and Patch now married. When the innocent two meet Matthew by chance, all of their repressed emotions about the incident are thrust to the surface. 

The Job of the Wasp by Colin Winette (Release date: January 9th) 

A young boy is sent to an isolated school for orphans after losing his parents. Soon after his arrival, he starts to realise that there is something unsettling about his new environment, with violent classmates and a creepy headmaster. However, once the corpses start appearing, he realises that something even darker is at play.

Red Clocks by Leni Zuma (Release date: January 16th) 

Set in a dystopian future where the reproductive rights of women are once again not in their control, both abortion and single parenthood have been outlawed. This story takes the reader through the trials (literally in Gin’s case) and tribulations that four women face. Ro, a single woman who is desperate to have a child. Susan, a frustrated wife and mother of two trapped in her unhappy marriage. Mattie, a high achieving student who falls pregnant with nowhere to turn and Gin, the homoeopath, or ‘mender’ that is arrested and put on trial witch hunt style. 

The Largesse of the Sea Maiden: Stories by Dennis Johnson (Release date: January 16th)

Dennis Johnsons’ final collection of short stories was published posthumously and has been as well received as his previous works. The stories don’t focus solely on his usual subjects, but instead, include stories with characters being from all different classes. With stories revolving around a criminal, a recovering alcoholic and a retiring adman, his breadth in characters is definitely intriguing. This is one that we are both intrigued by and greatly looking forward to.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (Release date: January 23rd) 

Without reading very far into the blurb it is immediately apparent that this novel will likely bear a great resemblance to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, which is undoubtedly one of the best films of all time. It is for this reason that this book caught out eye. An agoraphobic woman, Anna Fox, hasn’t left her house in ten years, spending her days watching her neighbours through the window. One day, after a new family move in, a scream rocks the neighbourhood and Anna witnesses something that she wasn’t supposed to. She, of course, becomes determined to find out the truth of what happened. We are wondering if a flower bed will hold the all-important clue.

Eternal Life by Dara Horn (Release date: January 23rd) 

If your son was sick and about to die, would you trade your own death to save him? 

2,000 years ago in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, Rachel did exactly that, and now, she cannot die. In New York City, 2,000 years later, surrounded by her children and grandchildren she is constantly reminded of the hundreds of children that she has outlived. However, there is one other person on the planet that understand what he is going through. The father of her first son, Elazar, also sacrificed his death. Ever since then, Elazar has been stalking her, convinced that they are meant to be together. 

BRAVE by Rose McGowan (Release date: January 30th)

"My life, as you will read, has taken me from one cult to another. BRAVE is the story of how I fought my way out of these cults and reclaimed my life. I want to help you do the same." - Rose McGowan.

Rose McGowan, best known for her role in Charmed, was born into the Children of God, a cult that has been synonymous with child abuse and sexual abuse. At the age of 15, she emancipated herself and started working a number of odd jobs before making her film debut in 1992. After reaching Hollywood stardom, she was subjected, as most women in Hollywood are, to the misogynistic undercurrents that are rife within the film industry. Now in 2017, she has been speaking up, becoming a major force for women's’ rights and sparing no one in her quest for truth.

So, out of all the releases possible, these are the titles that are going on our wish list. What books are you looking forward to?

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Our 2017 has been a year of many books, lots of hard work and way too much coffee, so we thought we would share with you our three favourite books of the year.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles

First published in 1891, Hardy’s Victorian tragedy follows the life of Tess Durbeyfield, an innocent (and doomed) country girl from a seemingly secluded English village. After her father discovers that he is the last lineal descendant of the D’Urbervilles, one of the oldest families in England, he sends Tess to borrow money from them based on their distant family ties. Upon arriving at the D’Urbervilles, Alec, the D’Urbervilles son, becomes infatuated with Tess and unsuccessfully tries to seduce her. After this rejection, he persuades her to accept a ride from him back to the family house. They proceed to get ‘lost’ in the woods and, taking advantage of the solitude, he rapes her. As a result of this, Tess falls pregnant and gives birth, shortly after which her baby becomes ill and dies. This, however, was not the end of Tess’s troubles.  

Although it is admittedly one of the most heart-wrenching stories and depressing stories, Thomas Hardy’s prose, though elusive in parts, transports the reader to the dark and oppressive setting within which he writes. It is an immersive and emotive book that deserves a great deal of attention.

Shantaram

Although intimidating due to its large size, this is a book that all should attempt, largely because the depiction of Indian culture is so tangible that I promise you it will alter your outlook on life and culture in general. Gregory David Roberts, the author of this 936-page epic, has led an interesting life to say the least, and it is his life that is closely mirrored in his work. The protagonist, whose real name we never find out, is a heroin addict that has been imprisoned after committing a series of robberies. He promptly escapes over the front wall of the “escape proof” prison and flees to India. After being robbed (ironic, we know) he moves into one of the local slums where, due to his basic First Aid training, he finds himself acting as the resident doctor. After guiding the slum through cholera outbreaks and the monsoon season, he becomes entangled in the Indian mafia. This is where we meet Khaderbai, the profound mafia boss who you will definitely admire.

The thing about this book, other than the artful prose and the tangible characters is that all of these events are based on Roberts’ life. I can guarantee you, as you journey through it, you will never stop being shocked and amazed at how much this one man has experienced. 

“It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured.” - Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram.

The Island of Doctor Moreau 

Edward Prendick, an English gentleman, finds himself stranded on an island that is lorded over by Dr Moreau, a self-proclaimed man of science. While initially befriending this ‘Doctor’, Prendick gains his trust and begins to discover the dark secrets that the island houses, most notably, the truth behind Moreau’s experiments. Although initially this book was received with horror by the general public, it is now considered one of the classic novels of the English language, and it is easy to see why. Wells takes the reader to the island, thrusting the dark side of genetic engineering under their nose. As someone with a science background, it really does make you think about the moral implications of scientific pursuits.

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Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is easily one of the most celebrated of the Russian novels, and once you start flipping the pages it is easy to see why.

 Admittedly, I made a mistake packing four books for my 3 week holiday, as at 852 pages this novel is no mean feat. However, there has been nothing quite as enjoyable as sitting by the pool for hours in the sun with this epic. 

Currently, I am on page 264 and have met a wonderful number of tangible characters, my favourite of which, thus far, is Constantine Dmitrich Levin. I can’t quite explain my affection towards Levin, it could be that he, like most of us, has fallen victim to that hunt for meaning in life. Or, I could like him because, like most of us, he is entirely lost. At heart, he is a countryman, who likes nothing more than the satisfaction of going home after a hard day of manual labour. Yet, he has a soft side. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will be keeping a close eye on our good friend Levin as I move through the next 600 or so pages. And yes, I am bracing myself for the ending.