The Slump and the books in between
Well it's been a slump, I have been reading but not with same intensity as I normally do. To try and kick things off, I have started reading Louise Penny's Still Life. Anyway here is my catch-up for the last couple of months. It is a rather diverse list.
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
Kindle Edition, 432 pages Published August 29th 2017 by Fourth Estate (first published April 29th 2017)
For 14-year-old Turtle/kibble/Julia she lives in a man’s world on a farm that is slowly decaying around her. Her father, Martin, believes that the world is ending and prepares his daughter to face doomsday by teaching her survival skills. Turtle knows how to handle guns, knives and survive off the land. The life with her father is not rosy and as the story progresses you become more aware of how dysfunctional the relationship is.
This a book that will divide readers as the subject matter is quite brutal. It is not the subject matter that is the problem but the handling.
Written in the third person you are remote from the protagonist and remote from her motivations. That creates a real disconnect as to why she behaves in certain ways.
I had no problems is appreciating that Turtle is comfortable in world where she readily accepts that being stripping a gun, skinning an animal and having incestuous sex with her father Is normal. That the life they lead is very, very normal to her. We meet Turtle at 14, she is a school, she is a loner, she is independent and she shielded from the outside world by her father. The author wants us to believe Turtle is emerging from her sheltered world for the first time. Yet, it does not quite work as Turtle is not naive or stupid and is quite sassy.
Then there is the relationship with her father Martin. Yeah, I struggled with that. Look, I know the idea is she knows no difference and accepts it as ‘normal’ behaviour but describing Turtle ‘holding her engorged pussy to catch the unspooling warmth.’ comes across more as someone writing up their sexual fantasy than describing a girl who has been coerced into an incestuous act. Tallent may be trying to capture Turtle’s confusion about willingly participating to being disgusted at having sex with her father but it does not completely work.
The violence in this book is brutal and I am not surprised. Domestic violence is just that brutal and that a young woman is the recipient makes it difficult to read. It is a reminder that it does happen and young people are on the end of brutal attacks from those, who are expected to protect them.
There is so much in this book that is unresolved and so many threads that are not tied off. What happened to Turtle’s mother? Why does her Father hate Turtle’s Grandfather? Her father never seems to work but they have an arsenal, plenty of food and never seem to go without alcohol. If Turtle has been attending school all this time, why has she never suspected that this life is it a bit abnormal? How does she even figure out that pregnancy kits are available if she is leading a secluded life? The realisation Turtle comes to that Martin is fallible, not as smart as he claims, needed to be teased out.
Tallent has a lovely flow with his writing style and you are drawn into the world readily. He certainly can write with pace and keeps you flicking the pages over. There are times when the descriptions go on and do not drive the narrative forward. Some of the scenes are repetitive as Tallent tries to drive home the point or the reason for a character’s behaviour. The medical operation on a ten year old girl, where the reason for and eventual operation, takes several pages is bogged down with incessant detail and clumsy dialogue. This is the same for the scenes with Brett, Jacob and Turtle.
I cannot call this book a masterpiece as other have, nor will I say it rubbish. Tallent has tried to grapple with some big themes and has big ambitions. The story is there, the reality is there and for me it needed a bit more polish. The book is well worth the read and will linger with you long after you finished the last page.
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Paperback, 464 pages Published June 18th 2018 by HarperCollins Publishers Australia
This book has been surrounded by an incredible amount of hype and the back cover screams in big letters ‘An Australian classic in the making.’ That is a big statement to make and naturally the question is does it live up to all those claims?
The book is about teenager Eli Bell and his older brother Augustus who has chosen to remain mute, as they navigate growing up in suburban Queensland. They have an ex-prisoner and probable murderer as a babysitter, a father in law and a mother who are both pedaling and using drugs. Life is complicated and Eli is trying to figure the best way to become a good man when you are surrounded by criminal behavior.
That is the best snapshot I can give you as this story spans Eli life from a young teenager until his late teens. The tale is linear but the jumps in time are not always clear and it can take a paragraph or two to realise what has happened.
Eli as narrator is as you expect unreliable, he is annoying and he waffles. He is a teenager, one moment sure of himself and the next full of doubt. The role models that Eli has are flawed and that impacts on his own ability to make rational decisions.
His brother Gus, is young man with an old man’s soul. His self-imposed silence allows him to hear and observe all that happens around him. Gus is almost like Eli’s conscience and steers him towards the right decisions.
There is a third unnamed character and that is the suburbs of Brisbane. Dalton weaves the various suburbs in and they are just important to what happens. The suburbs set out the environment that influences the characters and their position in society.
Dalton can write and has the ability to capture with clarity Queensland suburbs “The house is made of yellow brick with a large aluminium garage door and a staircase running up the front of the house…” Simple and to the point and there are many moments like that through the book. There are many references to subjects, people specific to Queensland that I was not really sure who or what they were for example some of the rugby league references I just did not get.
As the story moves along, I did wonder several times where we were heading. Was this a romance as in boy gets the girl or was get boys get revenge for one or two incidents that occur in the book, or boy is it wants a normal family or boy wants a job as a journalist? When you arrive at the ending, well it wraps everything up but I cannot say it was the driving factor behind Eli.
Dalton has a strong voice and has a created a unique Australian story. There is so much to like but I just did not find that it all clicked for me. I would read Dalton’s next work as he has a wonderful turn of phrase and creates characters lift off the page.
Is it an Australian classic in the making? For me, no. it is a really good read but not to that extent.
Lethal White (Cormoran Strike #4) by Robert Galbraith
Paperback, 649 pages Published September 18th 2018 by Sphere
Way back in 2015, Robert Galbraith left his readers with a cliff hanger in the relationship development between Cormoran Strike arriving late to the wedding of his assistant Robin Ellacott to the man (we all detest) Mathew. For three years Mr Galbraith has been off helping his longtime friend JK Rowling sort out her writing issues with the highly successful Harry Potter franchise. The wait is over as finally Galbraith finally managed to find the time to finish Lethal White the fourth book. It is a magnificent tome of over 600 pages and that had me saying all is forgotten for the lengthy delay.
Let me say reading those first pages was wonderful as you found yourself back at the wedding and knee deep in family dramas. It was like catching up with old friends after a long hiatus.
Things have changed in Cormoran’s world, being successful means doing undercover work is difficult, the business is in full bloom requiring more investigators and more time balancing the books. For both Cormoran and Robin juggling relationships is tricky and finding common ground is hard. Then a young man comes into the office, he is distressed and makes an extraordinary claim that Cormoran cannot let go of. From here Cormoran and Robin are swept into an investigation that has twists, turns and plenty of danger.
Galbraith has really pulled out all stops with this book. The central part of the book is the investigation and it is a ripper. It is about people, their behavior, their motivation and desires and there is little use of forensics. Cormoran and Robin reason what is going on and for the reader it means all the clues are there in plain sight.
The supporting characters that make up the investigation are really well crafted. They range from the ugly to pitiful but all lift off the page with believability.
What really strengthens the story is how Galbraith weaves in subtle descriptions of people and places.
Swirling around the investigation is the complexity of Cormoran and Robin’s lives and relationships. It is central, it is engaging, it is frustrating, it is hopeful and there will be a book five!
I am not going to tell you what happens as I really do not want to give away a thing. This is a great book and it was well worth the wait.
The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley
Hardcover, 368 pages Published August 27th 2015 by John Murray (first published September 29th 2014)
Every year a group of people travel to the Loney for a religious pilgramage and very little changes. This year a new priest accompanies them and everyone is out of sorts. There is something odd happening with the local villagers and people just keep appearing in places they should not be.
Okay it is not the best introduction to a book but this one had me stumped. I would pick it up, read, put it down, pick it up again, read and realise when I hit the halfway mark that not much had really happened. I was really not sure who were the major players in what is meant to be a torrid gothic tale.
Hurley can write, he has a wonderful turn of phrase, develops interesting characters and allows a mystery to slowly build. That is the problem as while there is always the threat of menace nothing eventuates. You find yourself taken down so many paths, so many veiled promises of the evil is coming but nothing.
This book was just not for me.
All Things Bright And Beautiful: Murder In The City Of Light by Susan Mitchell
Paperback, 272 pages Published August 1st 2004 by Pan Macmillan Australia
Between 1992 and 1999 a series of horrendous murders were committed around the suburbs of Adelaide. The discovery of bodies being stored in barrels in a bank in the town of Snowtown, earned the killings the nickname of the Snowtown Murders. The acts of the people involved defy belief and the killings were extremely brutal.
Susan Mitchell is from Adelaide and in this book she tries to reconcile how the 'city of light' can also be dubbed 'the serial killer capital of Australia.' Written during the trial and released shortly after Mitchell trawls through the history of South Australia, the influences, previous crimes and meets with people of influence. Trying to understand why this has happened.
I have to say the book has not aged well. Having read this recently, there is a great deal of assumption that you will know the detail and history of the crimes and people involved. As there are gaps, sometimes dates are missing and you have to go back and forth to remember who some of the minor characters are.
While Mitchell is happy to talk to the Adelaide elites in an attempt to understand why these crimes have happened, she never talks to people who are the closest. That being those who are in that cycle of poverty, unemployment and despair. It does seem to be an omission in trying to understand why there is two sides to the city of Adelaide.
If you are not from South Australia, you will find the book frustrating as it provides insight into the murders but does not provide a comprehensive study of what occurred.
End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter
Paperback, 96 pages Published May 8th 2012 by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama
End of the Rainbow is a musical drama that looks at the time when Judy Garland is performing in London with her new fiance Mickey Deans and pianist/friend Anthony. This is Garland nowhere near her best and you see the forces that are influencing her life.
As a play, you can read the characters with clarity and the humour and tension lift off the page. The character of Garland is well realised. Mickey is complex and his motives are dubious. Anthony, I found intriguing and provides a counterbalance to Mickey.
Everyone wants to save Garland, but it is never clear what Garland wants to do. Having lived her entire life in the spotlight, she knows nothing else.
This is a wonderful study of a complex woman and I would love to see the play realised on the stage.
Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine K. Albright
ebook, 304 pages Published April 10th 2018 by Harper
Madeleine Albright knows a thing or two about the politics on a global scale and the individuals who try to influence what is occurring. In her look at what is fascism, Albright undertakes a detailed study of fascism, from its origins, the major players and just what maybe a definition of fascism.
What I enjoyed about this book is the style, as Albright is having a conversation with you. She is telling you her reasons for defining fascism, her reasons for identifying trends and she invites you to converse with her. As you make your way through the book, you begin with a firsthand account. Albright tells you what fascism has to done to her and her family, the bad and the good (in that she find a warm welcome in the USA). Then you move into analysis of recent political events and the major players. There is plenty of insight and thing for the reader. The last part of the book looks at the current political situation and theories why USA politics may have arrived to this point and time.
In studying the individuals, it becomes apparent there is a pattern to claiming power. A legitimate election, a questioning of democratic processes (even though they elected you), allegations of corruption, reaching out using fear to appeal to people’s base claims for being neglected, and controlling what is considered the truth. What you also see is how they fail and the reasons why.
Albright brings to clarity how easy it is for fascism to rise in all its various guises. It is not all doom and gloom as Albright reveals how people can stop fascism by being active instead of being complacent.
A good read, no matter what side of the political fence you are on.
Get the Truth: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to
Persuade Anyone to Tell All
by Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, Susan Carnicero
Kindle Edition, 289 pages Published March 24th 2015 by St. Martin's Press (first published October 7th 2014)
If you want to know how to get people to tell you the truth, you need to understand some basic techniques. You need to develop a long monologue, that is empathetic, build trust with the person you are 'interrogating' and be extremely patient. That is how the basics seem to be provided to you. Yet that is a rather simplistic view. The real skill is know when to switch your technique because you identify that a shift in behaviour has occurred.
I have to say I found the hypothetical interview with OJ Simpson a wonderful piece of fiction but did not add any value. I mean they could have pretended to interview any historical figure and make them confess as well.
Interesting read, good overview but will not make you an expert in the field without a lot of practice.
Granny's Got a Gun (Secret Agent Granny #1) by Harper Lin
Kindle Edition, 165 pages Published May 9th 2017
Barbara Gold is a retired CIA Agent and is finding retirement a chore. Going from being in danger on a daily basis to attending a book club to discuss romance novels is not really working out. When one of the book club members is murdered, Barbara has a found a reason to get the gun out of the holster and have some action.
This is a short read, around about 175 pages and told in the first person. Being a thin book, the action is plenty and there is little padding in the writing. For the first time ever, I would have to say a bit more padding in a novel is warranted. It would have allowed the characters to be rounded a bit more and allow the reader to get to know them.
It's a fun read, a quick read and it's okay.
Kindle Edition, 432 pages Published August 29th 2017 by Fourth Estate (first published April 29th 2017)
For 14-year-old Turtle/kibble/Julia she lives in a man’s world on a farm that is slowly decaying around her. Her father, Martin, believes that the world is ending and prepares his daughter to face doomsday by teaching her survival skills. Turtle knows how to handle guns, knives and survive off the land. The life with her father is not rosy and as the story progresses you become more aware of how dysfunctional the relationship is.
This a book that will divide readers as the subject matter is quite brutal. It is not the subject matter that is the problem but the handling.
Written in the third person you are remote from the protagonist and remote from her motivations. That creates a real disconnect as to why she behaves in certain ways.
I had no problems is appreciating that Turtle is comfortable in world where she readily accepts that being stripping a gun, skinning an animal and having incestuous sex with her father Is normal. That the life they lead is very, very normal to her. We meet Turtle at 14, she is a school, she is a loner, she is independent and she shielded from the outside world by her father. The author wants us to believe Turtle is emerging from her sheltered world for the first time. Yet, it does not quite work as Turtle is not naive or stupid and is quite sassy.
Then there is the relationship with her father Martin. Yeah, I struggled with that. Look, I know the idea is she knows no difference and accepts it as ‘normal’ behaviour but describing Turtle ‘holding her engorged pussy to catch the unspooling warmth.’ comes across more as someone writing up their sexual fantasy than describing a girl who has been coerced into an incestuous act. Tallent may be trying to capture Turtle’s confusion about willingly participating to being disgusted at having sex with her father but it does not completely work.
The violence in this book is brutal and I am not surprised. Domestic violence is just that brutal and that a young woman is the recipient makes it difficult to read. It is a reminder that it does happen and young people are on the end of brutal attacks from those, who are expected to protect them.
There is so much in this book that is unresolved and so many threads that are not tied off. What happened to Turtle’s mother? Why does her Father hate Turtle’s Grandfather? Her father never seems to work but they have an arsenal, plenty of food and never seem to go without alcohol. If Turtle has been attending school all this time, why has she never suspected that this life is it a bit abnormal? How does she even figure out that pregnancy kits are available if she is leading a secluded life? The realisation Turtle comes to that Martin is fallible, not as smart as he claims, needed to be teased out.
Tallent has a lovely flow with his writing style and you are drawn into the world readily. He certainly can write with pace and keeps you flicking the pages over. There are times when the descriptions go on and do not drive the narrative forward. Some of the scenes are repetitive as Tallent tries to drive home the point or the reason for a character’s behaviour. The medical operation on a ten year old girl, where the reason for and eventual operation, takes several pages is bogged down with incessant detail and clumsy dialogue. This is the same for the scenes with Brett, Jacob and Turtle.
I cannot call this book a masterpiece as other have, nor will I say it rubbish. Tallent has tried to grapple with some big themes and has big ambitions. The story is there, the reality is there and for me it needed a bit more polish. The book is well worth the read and will linger with you long after you finished the last page.
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
Paperback, 464 pages Published June 18th 2018 by HarperCollins Publishers Australia
This book has been surrounded by an incredible amount of hype and the back cover screams in big letters ‘An Australian classic in the making.’ That is a big statement to make and naturally the question is does it live up to all those claims?
The book is about teenager Eli Bell and his older brother Augustus who has chosen to remain mute, as they navigate growing up in suburban Queensland. They have an ex-prisoner and probable murderer as a babysitter, a father in law and a mother who are both pedaling and using drugs. Life is complicated and Eli is trying to figure the best way to become a good man when you are surrounded by criminal behavior.
That is the best snapshot I can give you as this story spans Eli life from a young teenager until his late teens. The tale is linear but the jumps in time are not always clear and it can take a paragraph or two to realise what has happened.
Eli as narrator is as you expect unreliable, he is annoying and he waffles. He is a teenager, one moment sure of himself and the next full of doubt. The role models that Eli has are flawed and that impacts on his own ability to make rational decisions.
His brother Gus, is young man with an old man’s soul. His self-imposed silence allows him to hear and observe all that happens around him. Gus is almost like Eli’s conscience and steers him towards the right decisions.
There is a third unnamed character and that is the suburbs of Brisbane. Dalton weaves the various suburbs in and they are just important to what happens. The suburbs set out the environment that influences the characters and their position in society.
Dalton can write and has the ability to capture with clarity Queensland suburbs “The house is made of yellow brick with a large aluminium garage door and a staircase running up the front of the house…” Simple and to the point and there are many moments like that through the book. There are many references to subjects, people specific to Queensland that I was not really sure who or what they were for example some of the rugby league references I just did not get.
As the story moves along, I did wonder several times where we were heading. Was this a romance as in boy gets the girl or was get boys get revenge for one or two incidents that occur in the book, or boy is it wants a normal family or boy wants a job as a journalist? When you arrive at the ending, well it wraps everything up but I cannot say it was the driving factor behind Eli.
Dalton has a strong voice and has a created a unique Australian story. There is so much to like but I just did not find that it all clicked for me. I would read Dalton’s next work as he has a wonderful turn of phrase and creates characters lift off the page.
Is it an Australian classic in the making? For me, no. it is a really good read but not to that extent.
Paperback, 649 pages Published September 18th 2018 by Sphere
Way back in 2015, Robert Galbraith left his readers with a cliff hanger in the relationship development between Cormoran Strike arriving late to the wedding of his assistant Robin Ellacott to the man (we all detest) Mathew. For three years Mr Galbraith has been off helping his longtime friend JK Rowling sort out her writing issues with the highly successful Harry Potter franchise. The wait is over as finally Galbraith finally managed to find the time to finish Lethal White the fourth book. It is a magnificent tome of over 600 pages and that had me saying all is forgotten for the lengthy delay.
Let me say reading those first pages was wonderful as you found yourself back at the wedding and knee deep in family dramas. It was like catching up with old friends after a long hiatus.
Things have changed in Cormoran’s world, being successful means doing undercover work is difficult, the business is in full bloom requiring more investigators and more time balancing the books. For both Cormoran and Robin juggling relationships is tricky and finding common ground is hard. Then a young man comes into the office, he is distressed and makes an extraordinary claim that Cormoran cannot let go of. From here Cormoran and Robin are swept into an investigation that has twists, turns and plenty of danger.
Galbraith has really pulled out all stops with this book. The central part of the book is the investigation and it is a ripper. It is about people, their behavior, their motivation and desires and there is little use of forensics. Cormoran and Robin reason what is going on and for the reader it means all the clues are there in plain sight.
The supporting characters that make up the investigation are really well crafted. They range from the ugly to pitiful but all lift off the page with believability.
What really strengthens the story is how Galbraith weaves in subtle descriptions of people and places.
Swirling around the investigation is the complexity of Cormoran and Robin’s lives and relationships. It is central, it is engaging, it is frustrating, it is hopeful and there will be a book five!
I am not going to tell you what happens as I really do not want to give away a thing. This is a great book and it was well worth the wait.
The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley
Hardcover, 368 pages Published August 27th 2015 by John Murray (first published September 29th 2014)
Every year a group of people travel to the Loney for a religious pilgramage and very little changes. This year a new priest accompanies them and everyone is out of sorts. There is something odd happening with the local villagers and people just keep appearing in places they should not be.
Okay it is not the best introduction to a book but this one had me stumped. I would pick it up, read, put it down, pick it up again, read and realise when I hit the halfway mark that not much had really happened. I was really not sure who were the major players in what is meant to be a torrid gothic tale.
Hurley can write, he has a wonderful turn of phrase, develops interesting characters and allows a mystery to slowly build. That is the problem as while there is always the threat of menace nothing eventuates. You find yourself taken down so many paths, so many veiled promises of the evil is coming but nothing.
This book was just not for me.
All Things Bright And Beautiful: Murder In The City Of Light by Susan Mitchell
Paperback, 272 pages Published August 1st 2004 by Pan Macmillan Australia
Susan Mitchell is from Adelaide and in this book she tries to reconcile how the 'city of light' can also be dubbed 'the serial killer capital of Australia.' Written during the trial and released shortly after Mitchell trawls through the history of South Australia, the influences, previous crimes and meets with people of influence. Trying to understand why this has happened.
I have to say the book has not aged well. Having read this recently, there is a great deal of assumption that you will know the detail and history of the crimes and people involved. As there are gaps, sometimes dates are missing and you have to go back and forth to remember who some of the minor characters are.
While Mitchell is happy to talk to the Adelaide elites in an attempt to understand why these crimes have happened, she never talks to people who are the closest. That being those who are in that cycle of poverty, unemployment and despair. It does seem to be an omission in trying to understand why there is two sides to the city of Adelaide.
If you are not from South Australia, you will find the book frustrating as it provides insight into the murders but does not provide a comprehensive study of what occurred.
Paperback, 96 pages Published May 8th 2012 by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama
End of the Rainbow is a musical drama that looks at the time when Judy Garland is performing in London with her new fiance Mickey Deans and pianist/friend Anthony. This is Garland nowhere near her best and you see the forces that are influencing her life.
As a play, you can read the characters with clarity and the humour and tension lift off the page. The character of Garland is well realised. Mickey is complex and his motives are dubious. Anthony, I found intriguing and provides a counterbalance to Mickey.
Everyone wants to save Garland, but it is never clear what Garland wants to do. Having lived her entire life in the spotlight, she knows nothing else.
This is a wonderful study of a complex woman and I would love to see the play realised on the stage.
ebook, 304 pages Published April 10th 2018 by Harper
Madeleine Albright knows a thing or two about the politics on a global scale and the individuals who try to influence what is occurring. In her look at what is fascism, Albright undertakes a detailed study of fascism, from its origins, the major players and just what maybe a definition of fascism.
What I enjoyed about this book is the style, as Albright is having a conversation with you. She is telling you her reasons for defining fascism, her reasons for identifying trends and she invites you to converse with her. As you make your way through the book, you begin with a firsthand account. Albright tells you what fascism has to done to her and her family, the bad and the good (in that she find a warm welcome in the USA). Then you move into analysis of recent political events and the major players. There is plenty of insight and thing for the reader. The last part of the book looks at the current political situation and theories why USA politics may have arrived to this point and time.
In studying the individuals, it becomes apparent there is a pattern to claiming power. A legitimate election, a questioning of democratic processes (even though they elected you), allegations of corruption, reaching out using fear to appeal to people’s base claims for being neglected, and controlling what is considered the truth. What you also see is how they fail and the reasons why.
Albright brings to clarity how easy it is for fascism to rise in all its various guises. It is not all doom and gloom as Albright reveals how people can stop fascism by being active instead of being complacent.
A good read, no matter what side of the political fence you are on.
Get the Truth: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to
by Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, Susan Carnicero
Kindle Edition, 289 pages Published March 24th 2015 by St. Martin's Press (first published October 7th 2014)
If you want to know how to get people to tell you the truth, you need to understand some basic techniques. You need to develop a long monologue, that is empathetic, build trust with the person you are 'interrogating' and be extremely patient. That is how the basics seem to be provided to you. Yet that is a rather simplistic view. The real skill is know when to switch your technique because you identify that a shift in behaviour has occurred.
I have to say I found the hypothetical interview with OJ Simpson a wonderful piece of fiction but did not add any value. I mean they could have pretended to interview any historical figure and make them confess as well.
Interesting read, good overview but will not make you an expert in the field without a lot of practice.
Kindle Edition, 165 pages Published May 9th 2017
Barbara Gold is a retired CIA Agent and is finding retirement a chore. Going from being in danger on a daily basis to attending a book club to discuss romance novels is not really working out. When one of the book club members is murdered, Barbara has a found a reason to get the gun out of the holster and have some action.
This is a short read, around about 175 pages and told in the first person. Being a thin book, the action is plenty and there is little padding in the writing. For the first time ever, I would have to say a bit more padding in a novel is warranted. It would have allowed the characters to be rounded a bit more and allow the reader to get to know them.
It's a fun read, a quick read and it's okay.
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