The nights are getting longer and the urge to hibernate in front of the television is getting stronger. This winter, why not resist that urge and instead keep your brain alive with some high quality, thought provoking literary fiction from your library.
Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore
Birdcage Walk is the last novel by the immensely talented Helen Dunmore, whose death early this year is a great loss to the literary world. The novel is set in 1792 against the back drop of a Europe in political turmoil, in particular the French Revolution, and the spectre of the guillotine looms large throughout. The book’s central character Lizzie Fawkes, has been brought up by a mother whose Radical writings supported their family and who has taught Lizzie to question the world and the society she lives in. However her recent marriage to a heavily indebted property developer means that she must no longer see herself as an independent woman, but rather as a wife whose husband demands not only her subservience but who also expects her to think the same way as he does. This is a novel with all the components of a psychological thriller, but its historical background and its compelling characters make it so much more than that. In a poignant note at the end of the novel, Dunmore writes that the question of what is left behind by a life haunts the novel and perhaps it is this that gives this memorable book its quiet power.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyass
Homegoing is the stunning debut novel by Yaa Gyasi. It begins with the stories of Effia and Esia, two sisters whose lives go in opposite directions, with Esi being sold into slavery and Effia ending up as a slave holder’s wife. The novel then proceeds to trace the fate of the children and grandchildren of these women, some who end up enslaved in America and some who remain in Africa, mired in war with other tribes and resisting the European colonization. This is an enriching read, Gyass brings the harrowing history of her characters to life, with writing that is both impressive and beautiful.
Beautiful Animals by Lawrence Osborne
Set on the Greek island of Hydra, this evocative literary thriller will linger in your memory long after you have finished it. None of the characters are particularly likeable and yet it’s impossible not to get caught up in their story. Naomi and Sam are two privileged young women holidaying with their parents, both lamenting facing into a summer of luxury and indolence. When they discover Faoud, a migrant from Syria, sleeping rough on the island, Naomi convinces Sam that they should help him. It’s difficult to be convinced of Naomi’s true motives in helping Faoud, it never truly comes across as altruism, in some ways Sam’s reluctance is more admirable for its honesty. Faoud, who should be a sympathetic character, is similarly ambivalently drawn, and when Naomi’s plan to assist him goes horribly and shocking wrong, Faoud is forced to flee. Despite the sun drenched setting, this is a dark and somewhat chilling novel and is well worth a read this winter.
(Maria Cunningham) Tuam Herald, 15 November 2017
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