At the Grand Glacier Hotel by Laurence Fearnley
Recovering from a sarcoma in her leg, Libby and her husband Curtis treat themselves to an escape a the Grand Glacier Hotel on the West Coast, a place they once admired, but could not afford, as young parents. A series of unfortunate events, and some epic Coast weather sees Libby stranded alone at the hotel where she strikes up a friendship with a young man hunting for the long lost South Island kōkako. This is a book rich in atmosphere and lush visual scenery, but it also feels ephemeral, vague and hard to pin down and I struggled to find entry points into the meandering storyline.
Fearnley has been shortlisted for Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction for this, her 15th book.
Fire by John Boyne
Boyne continues his elements quartet with the third installment Fire. Freya, whom we briefly meet as a juror in Earth is a seemingly successful burns doctor, but has a dark personal life shaped by trauma, tragedy and neglect. With his series, Boyne seeks to challenge what we think of as a predator - a trusted sports coach, a beloved football star, a female doctor, and questions how we place guilt and trust. Very dark but absolutely revelatory.
Gliff by Ali Smith
Two young people, separated from their mother by red tape, politics and xenophobia find themselves alone in a house in middle England. A horse destined for the knacker's yard, a future all too possible. Ali Smith's newest work continues on themes from her Seasons Quartet - immigration and person hood, othering, climate change and totalitarianism. But also hope and love and promise. Brilliant.
Milkman by Anna Burns
Burns' 2018 Booker Prize winning novel follows the unnamed narrator 'middle sister', an 18 year old living in an unnamed country (presumably Northern Ireland) in the 1970s. Under constant threat of violence, divided by religion and class, middle sister avoids real life by running, and 'walking while reading', an activity that attracts the attention of Milkman, a high ranking paramilitary. As he stalks her through the city her radius begins to shrink, her running and walking while reading stops, even her legs stop working, her brain stops thinking. Burns deftly illustrates how one women's life can be constrained by a powerful man, by secrets, lies, gossip and violence.
The Imagination Chamber by Philip Pullman
Pullman returns to the world of His Dark Materials, to Lyra's Oxford, to the Arctic of Lee Scoresby, to the polar bears and the witches. While he captures some of the magic of these stories, they're too short to be totally satisfying and leave the dedicated fan hungry for more.
England's Villages by Ben Robinson
An extremely in-depth look at the history of how the villages of England came to be, from pre-historic times, through the Romans, the Norman conquest into the middle ages, contemporary times and the future. If you've ever wondered exactly how bricks have evolved over time, this is the book for you.
Listen to England's Villages as an audio book on the Borrowbox app.
