If you're expecting 'weird' right off the bat because "The Porpoise" is written by Mark Haddon (the legacy, perhaps, of "The Curious Incident...") then the beginning lulls you into something of a false sense of security. Okay, the subject matter is undeniably dark, but the beginning feels like a straightforward narrative. But when the story … Continue reading “The Porpoise”
Category: Reading
“The Beekeeper of Aleppo”
Very good. Quite simply, Christy Lefteri's "The Beekeeper of Aleppo" is one of those books you should read; not just because it is well-written, but because of the subject matter. As an ex-NGO in a Greek refugee camp in Athens, filled with asylum seekers from various nations, Lefteri knows what she's talking about - and … Continue reading “The Beekeeper of Aleppo”
“Split”
If you asked me to find a single phrase to describe Juana Adcock's "Split" I confess I would struggle. 'It depends' seems such a lame response... But it does. It depends, for example, on whether I've just read "The Task of the Translator" or "The Overburden": one I liked, the second I did not. And … Continue reading “Split”
“Machines Like Me”
I confess to being slightly confused and ambivalent about Ian McEwan's "Machines Like Me". It seemed to vary between being good, and not so; between generating empathy for its characters, and then nothing at all. The only constant perhaps was my distaste for the android / synthetic human, Adam. But perhaps that was the point. … Continue reading “Machines Like Me”
“Dreams”
Okay, it's my own fault. I should have read it at University nearly forty years ago when I was supposed to. But I thought "Hey, more chance of understanding it now". "Dreams" is from the Vintage 'mini' series and contains two of Freud's most famous essays: "On Dreams" (1901) and "Typical Dreams" (from The Interpretation … Continue reading “Dreams”
“Amsterdam”
Normally I would argue that a Booker Prize winning novel (or even finalist) would be a pretty decent yardstick for the oeuvre of an author, a good place to start. But having read "On Chesil Beach" and "Black Dogs", I have to say Ian McEwan's "Amsterdam" is far from that. Indeed, had I read "Amsterdam" … Continue reading “Amsterdam”
“Black Dogs”
Whether some elements of the central post-war event re-told at the end of Ian McEwan's "Black Dogs" have any basis in reality is potentially irrelevant - and if you've read the book, you'll probably have a good idea of the specific element I'm talking about! True or false, it doesn't diminish the power of the … Continue reading “Black Dogs”
“Here We Are”
Ever since I read Graham Swift's wonderful "Waterland" I've been completely hooked; his writing is something I can always reliably turn to. There are a few authors in that bracket for me - Murakami certainly, Julian Barnes, Donna Tartt, Swift himself - with a few others 'coming up on the rails': Ishiguro, Ali Smith, McEwan. … Continue reading “Here We Are”
Free e-book this week – last chance!
This week - Monday 30th March to Friday 3rd April - Amazon are giving away free Kindle copies of my collection of short stories, "Secrets & Wisdom". So today's the last day! Recently I read one of the stories from this volume, "Welshman" (see the link below). Now you have the chance to get the … Continue reading Free e-book this week – last chance!
“Tangling with the Epic”
Kwame Dawes and John Kinsella's "Tangling with the Epic" is probably, above all, 'clever'. It is a dialogue between the two comprised entirely of Spenserian stanzas, batted backwards and forwards across a literary net. It is clever in the sense of its formulaic execution, of sticking to the brief. But for me it is also … Continue reading “Tangling with the Epic”
Ian Gouge - Writer 