The White Tiger - dark and a little bleak

The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. It's a book of twists and turns with a somewhat unreliable narrator in Balram Halwai, son of a rickshaw-puller, who "makes it big". Balram comes from very humble origins in a tiny village on the River Ganges, and dreams of escape. His opportunity comes when he becomes the chauffeur for a rich village landlord and ends up in Delhi. Despite working for a well-heeled couple, his living conditions are appalling, as is his treatment on most days. However, he slowly climbs the ladder at the expense of other servants, and he sees his pay increase. But instead of sending money home to help his family, he spends it on booze and prostitutes. As he observes the wealth, the corruption, and what appears to be an insurmountable division between the haves and the have nots, he becomes more and more determined to better himself, which leads him down the dark road to murder. Personally, I found this a hard read at times. The main character of Balram is not easy to like or admire as the book goes on, and the darkness of life for many in India is in no way sugar coated. There are some lighter moments, but not many. However, the detailed and atmospheric writing, as well as the fearless nature of the narrative, is something to be admired.  

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 328 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.

Waterland - sad and atmospheric

Waterland by Graham Swift was shortlisted for Man Booker Prize in 1983. It is a book that seeps into you, a bit like the mists across the East Anglian fens where this story is set. It's the summer of 1943 and Henry Crick, the lock-keeper, finds the drowned body of a sixteen-year-old boy. A tragic result of over indulging on the local beer, or murder? It's a mystery that festers for forty years until history teacher Tom Crick, son of that self-same lock-keeper, experiences a marital crisis which, together with the provocation of one of his pupils who slates History as being irrelevant, results in Tom breaking from his syllabus and starts telling stories. Slowly, but surely, we find out about the Crick family, the watery environment of the fens and what really happened during that fateful summer. Sometimes disturbing, but often dreamlike, this is a story worth reading with engaging characters, most predominant of which is the landscape itself. A lesson in combining history, geography and human nature, it's definitely one that stays with you.

My STAR rating: FOUR stars.

Length: 512 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; MP3 CD; ebook.

The Ladder of Years - understated drama

In The Ladder of Years, by Anne Tyler, Cordelia Grinstead is on holiday with her family at the beach. Almost out of nowhere, she gets up and begins walking ... and doesn't come back. Instead, she hitches a lift to a new town and reinvents herself. It's not that she becomes a daredevil or does anything particularly exciting. Instead, she gets a nothing much job, stays in a nothing much place and is very, very ordinary. And yet, she is happy. She is more herself, unconstricted by the demands her family placed on her ... where they never appreciated, or even seemed to notice her existence. When real life catches up with her some time later, the reader doesn't know whether to root for her to stick with this new life or go back to the people she'd left behind. Some may say that nothing much happens in this book, and they wouldn't be too far from the truth. Yet, this is a study of the ordinary, everyday lives of many, many women who lose themselves within a family environment and might think ... what if? If you are looking for crashes and bangs, this isn't for you. But if you want to read a beautifully written book with a quiet, yet determined woman at the centre, then there are much worse choices you could make. I borrowed this from my lovely Mum who was a big fan of Ann Tyler ... and now I am too. Thanks Mum.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 448 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my Mum.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; MP3 CD; ebook.

The Humans - Odd but oh so good!

If you think you don't like science fiction as a genre, I challenge you to read The Humans, by Matt Haig is! Yes, its main protagonist is an alien, but what this book is really about what it is like to be a human. Professor Andrew Martin has just solved a mathematical problem that has the potential to change everything for humanity ... but an alien race fear what the consequences will be for themselves and the  galaxy if such a primitive species gets hold of this knowledge, so they send one of their own to eliminate the perceived threat. The "alien" takes the place of the Professor in bodily form, and, in his pursuit to track down and destroy anyone who has any knowledge of the solution, he starts to learn what it is to be human ... and where better to start than forming a relationship with the Martin family dog, named, appropriately enough, Newton. Torn between his mission and his first experience of "feelings", the would-be assassin turns protector of his "wife" and "son", who much prefer the changed Professor. This is such a funny, yet poignant book. The main character is wildly entertaining and it is a true fish-out-of-water story, with some great set pieces and witty dialogue. I cannot recommend this book highly enough if you want to learn about humanity and have some giggles along the way.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 302 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my my husband.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.

A Most Wanted Man - though not by me!

Set in Hamburg, A Most Wanted Man, by John Le Carre features a Chechen Muslim immigrant called Issa, who finds refuge with a Turkish family. But all is not what it seems. He is wanted both in Sweden and in Russia and keeps protesting that he just wants to be left alone to live a simple life. But that is not possible when it seems he is set to inherit a large amount of cash from an illegal bank account. Tommy Bruce, the banker, and a human rights lawyer called Annabel Richter do all they can to come to his aid despite the machinations of British Intelligence, The Americans and washed up German Intelligence office, Gunther Bachman, who all want to use or get to Issa for their own purposes. I found this an irritating read and a little dull. Too much chat, not enough action and it was often unclear as to to what was going on. I think there were so many non-empathetic characters, each with a finger in the pie, that sometimes it was hard to follow. Definitely not one of his best and I was left a little disappointed. 

My STAR rating: THREE stars.

Length: 384 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Anatomy of Ghosts - more of a mystery than a ghost story

The Anatomy of Ghosts, by Andrew Taylor is a historic mystery set in the late 18th Century. At Jerusalem College in Cambridge, Frank Oldershaw is deeply disturbed one evening when he encounters the ghost of Sylvia Whichcote. Wanting to save her son's reputation, his mother, Lady Oldershaw, employs ghost sceptic and author, John Holdsworth, to investigate. But his arrival brings to light a deeply disturbing culture of abuse among the privileged elite where not everyone is who they appear to be. As his investigations continue, Holdsworth fears he is being haunted by the ghost of his own dead wife, as well as by Elinor, the very-much-alive wife of the Master. Full of dreamlike sequences and introspection, this is a well told murder mystery, rather than a ghost story, although a note of warning - there are some unsettling passages alluding to the terrible treatment of children and young women at the hands of people who believe they are above the law. I enjoyed the interplay between characters and I especially liked seeing Holdsworth being forced to rethink his beliefs and struggle with his past in order to see if he could, perhaps, deserve a better future. Very enjoyable, and the audio edition was well narrated by John Telfer.

My STAR rating: FOUR stars.

Length: 480 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.84.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.

The Dutch House - Touchingly brilliant!

I am soooo far behind with updating this blog that I'm going to do a series of very short entries starting with The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett. Nominated for The Women's Prize 2022, this is the story of two siblings (Danny and Maeve) who grow up in the Dutch House - an amazing building that their father bought on a whim. They were a happy family until their mother, who had always hated the house, left them. Their father remarries a much younger woman who brings two daughters from her previous relationship into the mix. This is where things start to go wrong and when their father subsequently dies, the two siblings are pretty much forced out of their home with their money all tied up in trusts to pay for their education. Maeve (the older sibling) looks after Danny and the two become very close, visiting each other regularly and with Maeve doing the accounts of Danny's business. They swing by the Dutch House every few weeks and sit outside it, chatting, but never go in. Over the course of many years, relationships, illness and the unexpected return of their mother, the bond between the siblings never waivers, and their lives are always drawn back to the Dutch House. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, maybe partly because of the fine story telling of Tom Hanks who narrated the audio edition. The characters are ones I wanted to spend time with and the emotions were raw and believable. The writing was simply beautiful and it totally immerses the reader in the world of the book. This is my first introduction to Ann Patchett and I will certainly seek more from her.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 352 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.50.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.