1. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
I had seen a lot of hype surrounding this book, and it made a lot of people's most anticipated books of 2018 lists, so I thought I would check it out, knowing not much about it other than it was magical realism. Set in 18th Century London, it is the story of a Mr. Hancock, who is a merchant awaiting the return of his ship. One night the ship's Captain arrives at his door and tells him that he as sold the ship and bought a mermaid instead. When he decides to exhibit it, he is brought into contact with the glamorous courtesan Angelica Neal, and it changes the course of both their lives.
It is essentially an historical romance, which I enjoyed a great deal. I have read some reviews saying it was too slow; I agree, it was quite slow in places, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment. It is a beautifully written story. I can imagine it being announced as a contender for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction when the longlist is announced next month.
2. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
This was in the January Fairyloot box, and again, I had seen this book hyped all over the book community. I was excited to read it, especially after enjoying Holly Black's Tithe last month, but at the same time, I was worried that it wouldn't live up to the expectation.
I loved it. It is the story of Jude, whose parents were murdered when she was seven, and the man faerie who did it took her and her sisters to live in faerie land. All three girls react very differently to their new situation, and being outsiders in a world they do not belong to. Jude wants to be a warrior and to impress the faeries, who see her as a lesser being. She is drawn into a world of secrets, and for the first time feels that she belongs, but this is not without costs. The ending was both surprising and satisfying. The only change I would make would be to cut out most of Jude's romantic story line, but thankfully there wasn't much of that anyway. I am so looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
3. The Dumb House by John Burnside
This was one that a lot of people compared to The Collector. It came close for me, but didn't quite topple Fowles. I immediately identified with this book because the main character was fascinated by the stories his mother told him as a boy about 'The Dumb House', where a prince, convinced that modern language had evolved away from the holy language that god had intended us to speak, ordered an experiment where babies were brought up hearing no spoken language. In the story, when the prince visited the compound some years later, it was completely silent.
When I was a teenager, and I first heard of psychological experiments, I spent a long time wondering about what would happen if you took children and left them to fend for themselves, would they be like animals and just know automatically what it was to be human. I am not sure if there may have been something in the news at the time, because this book would have been written about the same time, and perhaps Burnside's imagination was sparked by the same source as my own.
Unlike me though, the narrator is so obsessed that he makes it his life's goal to repeat the experiment. It is a fascinating look onto the mind of the narrator, a natural loner who doesn't value other people's lives, not even those of his own flesh and blood. It is not an easy read, but extremely engrossing.
4. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
I remembered to read this month's Booker winner early in the month. I picked it because it won in the year I was born. However, unknowingly (although perhaps the title should have been a clue) I picked up a retelling of The Tempest which was everything I wished Hag-Seed had been.
Like Hag-Seed, The Sea,The Sea follows a famous theatre director, but this time he exiles himself to a small village by the sea, rather than being cast out by others. He wants to live his final years in isolation, but not only do the people he wants to leave behind keep turning up at his doorstep, but he finds that he is living in the same village as the only woman he ever loved. He decides to sabotage her marriage and convince her that they should finally be together and live the rest of their days together. This book is so many things, from tragic to farcical, and I loved every page.
5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The theme for Penguin Books UK #readtheyear challenge for February was obsessive love. What can be more obsessive than Lolita. I am going to assume that you know what this is about. I thought the first half was all consuming and beautiful despite the subject matter. However, the second half of the book lost me and I found it very underwhelming and difficult to read. I am glad to have it ticked off my TBR.
6. Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore
This was my Nan's favourite book, and ten years after she died I felt I should finally read it. Set on the border of Somerset (where my Nan lived her whole life) and Devon. This is an epic love story of John Ridd a farmer, and Lorna Doone a girl of noble birth who now belongs to the lawless clan who killed his father.
It is a bit on the long side, but for me that didn't matter so much because of the connection to my Grandmother. I loved it the more because of that, but I think this deserves to be included on more books of classics you must read.
7. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
When I was eleven my brother and I shared a small second television set. Some days it would be in his room and some days it would be in mine. We were not allowed to watch anything after lights out, but that didn't stop me from trying. It was through these illicit late night viewings that I became aware of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, the adaptation starring the amazing and sadly missed Charlotte Coleman. I was too young to understand my feelings at the time, but I knew that when I was older I wanted to come back to Oranges. Almost thirty years later and I wish I hadn't waited so long. I wish I had read this as a teenager and dealt with those feelings and come to terms with who I was much sooner.
It is the story of Jeanette, a semi autobiographical novelisation of the author's life. She was adopted into a very religious household, and her mother believes she has been given Jeanette in order to turn her into a missionary. Jeanette is happy to go along with this vision for her future, but this comes crashing about her when she falls in love with a woman.
It was poignant, funny and magical, interspersed with fairy tales. At 224 pages it packs a lot in, and I can see myself rereading it in the years to come. I am looking forward to reading her autobiography, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal.
8. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
I had heard good things about this book, not least that my favourite thriller writer, Harlan Coben, called it 'Masterful' on the front cover. A man is kidnapped and knocked out, waking to a life where his wife isn't his wife and his son was never born. It is a thriller with a sci-fi twist. It is a page turner and I finished it in almost one sitting. I did manage to guess the kidnapper on page 23, but I don't hold that against it. A great thriller, and I will definitely read more from Blake Crouch in the future.
9. Amongst Women by John McGahern
For a book under 100 pages long it packs in an epic of a family saga. I have to admit, at one point at the beginning I almost gave up, thinking it was perhaps the most boring thing I have ever read. I am so glad I persevered, because I ended up loving it. It was nominated for the Booker Prize in the same year as Possession, so it was interesting to compare the two, and I think I agree with the judges decision, but it is a close thing.
10. Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
I must admit. I did not finish this book. I persevered as long as I could, because I changed my mind with Amongst Women. However, I hated the narrator, she was shallow, narcissistic and bigoted. I just couldn't make myself care for her story, and I have loved some abhorrent narrators, so it is not that she was just unlikable. It was an important book when it was first published and it gave many women the courage to change their lives for the better. There were parts of the book that made me laugh out loud and the writing was enjoyable. I think had I read this 20 years ago, I would have devoured it.
11. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
I have a slightly conflicted feeling about this book. For the most part I adored this book. The first couple of chapters read as a modern day Bridget Jones, but then we are shown that there is something different about Eleanor, and that is where my conflict emerges. I loved this book, but whereas with Bridget Jones the humour comes from her clumsiness and awkwardness, much of the humour is played off of Eleanor's differences. A woman who has been thoroughly let down by the society in which we live. She had a tragic upbringing, is now an alcoholic, and an outcast of society.
Despite those misgivings, it is a heartwarming read, as she goes from lonely to finding herself surrounded by people who actually care about her. It won the Costa first novel award last year, but I am not convinced it will be revealed on the Women's Prize longlist next week. I look forward to reading whatever Gail Honeyman writes next.
12. The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
The novel's opening line must be one of the best opening lines of all time: “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” It is certainly something to bear in mind when reading books from another time. Things that are unacceptable now were social norms back then, and in the case of this book, things that were unacceptable are not a problem for our generation.
The Go-Between is told by Leo, a man in his sixties, looking back at the events of July 1900 when he was 12 years old, when he spends the first part of the summer holidays in Norfolk at the home of one of his school friends. When his friend falls ill, he is transported into a world of adults that he doesn't understand. Charmed by his friend's older sister, Marian, he agrees to act as the messenger between her and local farmer, Ted.
I loved this book, even the two chapters on a cricket match! I actually looked up when the next cricket match would be shown on telly. Luckily it seems that it will not be until 2020 when the cricket is back on the BBC, and by then I shall have forgotten all about it. The ending is not so shocking as it would have been back when the novel was published, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of it. I cannot wait to reread this later, I think it would be a fascinating text to study.
