The Book Club

Instead of a boring single book review post, I thought I'd provide quick and snappy reviews of a few of the books I've read in 2014 and why in particular they have resonated with me, hopefully providing you with some inspiration for reads in the New Year. Every book worm loves recommendations after all...

1. The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy

I read this novel for the second time this year and it was just as beautiful the second time round. Roy tells a poignant tale of one family's bond, which is torn apart by one tragic accident. The novel is set in Aymanam, India following small people with the largest of hearts. 

The prose maintain a dream like, ethereal quality, wistfully gliding you from one moment in time to another. The temporal setting shifts back and forth from 1969, when fraternal twins Rahel and Esthappen are seven years old, to 1993, when the twins are reunited at age of 31. Along the way readers are exposed to their everyday experiences and what it's like to grow up in a world of communism and the caste system. Don't let the political undertones deter you, Roy manages to evoke a plethora of emotions from sheer joy to genuine upset.

The tragic accident that drives the majority of the narrative is nothing less than shocking, however what I find so beautiful about this novel is the exploration of familial relationships and the ability to resonate so deeply with someone so far removed from Indian culture. 

"Anything can happen to anyone. It's best to be prepared."

Read if you:

Enjoy beautifully written prose

Are a sucker for a sentimental tale 

Liked To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee

2. Rebecca Daphne Du Maurier

An absolute Gothic classic by Maurier, not usually my thing I hasten to add but a surprisingly easy read in comparison to other similar classics and the only novel I've read this year where my jaw has genuinely dropped with shock.

The novel follows the story of a naive young woman (readers never learn her name) who becomes acquainted with a wealthy Englishmen, Maximillian de Winter, a widower far older. The novel is a flashback in its entirety to the narrator's marriage to Maxim and the experiences that take place at Manderley Hall, namely involving the ominous house keeper Mrs. Danvers and the ghost of Maxim's late wife, Rebecca. 

For at first a novel that seems extremely conventional the plot twist hit me in the face at maximum speed. I lost myself entirely in this novel, and read every page in detail to the last full stop.

Read if you:

Enjoy classic novels, think Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte, Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte

Like a shocking twist  

3. The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath

I wrote my Undergraduate Degree Dissertation on Plath's debut and only novel, focusing primarily on female insanity. I think it's safe to say that as humans, we are generally interested in that which disturbs and unsettles us and what makes the novel even more interesting though be it in a very twisted and perverse way, is that it is reminiscent of Plath's own troubled life.

The novel explores the interiority of a young woman's mind ridden with mental illness and alienation from the self. Even the structure and language of the novel mirrors the narrator's descent to insanity. Though a challenging read at times due its bleak and disturbing tones, the protagonist, Esther, is so relatable She is an everyday woman, experiencing the usual college woes and stresses of maturing into adult working life. What makes the novel so intriguing and raw is the very unemotional description of depression, and the fact that Plath herself committed suicide in the same year the novel was published.

Read if you:

Enjoy books which disturb

Are interested in feminism and female identity

Liked The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins-Gilman

4. Sharp Objects Gillian Flynn

So I've already written a little on this book and Gillian Flynn in general which you can read here. Though it by far isn't one of my favourite novels of all time, I thought it best to include in this 'Book Club' as it's a cracker for a quick and easy read - unlike all novels recommended above.

The novel is straight forward from the beginning and lacks any clever twists and turns, unlike it's classic predecessor, Rebecca. However, it is royally disturbing, but in a far less subtle way than The Bell Jar. The novel follows Camille Preaker, upon return to her hometown to report on a series of brutal child murders. Though the characters are far from relatable, they make excellent literary experiments for Flynn to play with, and manage to take the term 'psycho bitch' to a whole new level.

Read if you:

Are after a quick and easy read 

Enjoy disturbing murder mystery novels

Liked Gone Girl Gillian Flynn



Happy reading!

A whole lot of Gillian Flynn.

I decided to read Gone Girl on a whim whilst on holiday in 2013 before the Gillian Flynn hype began. Since then, I obviously jumped at seeing Fincher's recent screen version of the novel and have likewise hastily gobbled up Gone Girl's predeccesor, Sharp Objects.

Flynn's haunting and accessible writing makes for an easy read that doesn't fail to unsettle. Both novels left me feeling uneasy, the chilling plot of the texts gripping me from the beginning. However, I do have an easy favourite; Gone Girl. If you haven't read it, you probably should. 

Unlike Sharp Objects, the novel has various twists and turns that made me gasp on multiple occassions. You just don't see it coming. (Note - the next sentence could be seen as a spoiler). And though some found the ending somewhat disappointing, in my opinion the recuperation of the 'nuclear' family is far more chilling than anything more dramatic. Fincher's version of the film left me feeling a bit numb, but this is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, and this is what I find most interesting. There's no doubt it is extremely accurate to the novel, however, I left the cinema with a feeling that can only be described by the word 'oh'. What left me feeling like this, I haven't quite put my finger on. Maybe the fact I didn't leave having loads to say about it, actually mirrors the way the original novel left me feeling: unsettled. For a novel that isnt a particularly cinematically accessible one, Fincher's adaptation of it and more importantly, my reaction to it (or lack thereof), is actually kind of genius. Leaving you feel uncomfortable and not being able to understand why, is very very clever indeed.

Sharp Objects is obvious from the start and I'd say even contrived. Flynn tries to create suspense but the direction of the novel is a very straight and unsurprising one. What makes it an enjoyable novel in my opinion, is the characters, as opposed to the actual plot itself. Flynn is genius at creating the most haunting, and frankly fucked up, people.

Interestingly, these fucked up people within both novels have one very obvious thing in common: they are pragmatically evil women. Upon initial review, it might seem then that Flynn is mysoginistic. However, is it not a feminist move in itself to create women that arent just romantic heroines, that have a bit more 'oomph' to them. Because really, these women aren't just pscyho bitches, they are really bloody clever. In an extremely twisted way, they create their own power and dominance. The fact literature and pop culture in general lacks female villains surely says something powerful.

Essentially, Flynn's novels might be easy to read, however as this post suggests, it is only when you dig beneath the surface of the text, just as the character's must do within, that the truly chilling tone of the novels is fully revealed. That is, the psychological mind space of feeling uncomfortable in your own skin and not even knowing why.