unfetteredfiction's reviews
60 reviews

Brock by Anthony McGowan

adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A beautiful story which brings you face to face with those difficult emotions, decisions and relationships surrounding growing up. Heart-warming and effective. No word is wasted and albeit a quick read, a truly memorable one.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

adventurous challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“And I feel that I am a man. And I feel that a man is a very important thing - maybe more important than a star. This is not theology. I have no bent towards gods. But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed because ‘Thou mayest.’“

• John Steinbeck, East of Eden

This novel is full of treasure. It is full of humanity! Precious sentiment and reflection swaddled in the most compelling story I may have ever read. A masterpiece in the purest sense of the word. I’m somewhat devastated that it’s over. 

Salinas Valley is home to the Trasks and the Hamiltons. These families endure so much, and do so much. Their working and family lives are surrounded by those age old questions about choice, fate, good and evil. What makes a man truly good? Do we have any choice but to be bad? Can we be redeemed? The biblical tale of Cain and Abel is captured and reshaped by Steinbeck with Caleb and Adam and a host of other characters we come to know and love. Totally bowled over. 

I am not surprised that this story remains one of America’s most enduring novels. 

Somewhere This Way by Rob Redman

inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.25

"There are not many ways to draw suspicion upon yourself any more. You can do almost anything you like, be any kind of person you want, as long as you don't do it unwatched. Everything is permitted, nothing is private."

• Matt Harris, Broken Pixel from Somewhere this Way: New Short Stories from the Fiction Desk

Somewhere This Way is a wonderfully rich and insightful collection of short stories from the Fiction Desk. The stories were short, of course, but impactful, and entirely engaging.

Many of the stories delve into human feelings, odd happenings, and both ordinary and extraordinary challenges. My favourites of the collection were Our Gaff by Poppy Toland, Broken Pixel by Matt Harris and The Haunted Bookshop by Guy Russel. Each presented a world which claimed my attention and demanded after thought. I'm hoping to lend this out, as I'd love to chat about these stories with someone. I'll be reading more from the Fiction Desk.

Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

"Even if it's a lie, it's a place of my own. That's why I'm going to keep it."

• Emi Yagi, Diary of a Void, translated by David Boyd and Lucy North 

Tired of her sexist co-workers expecting her to take on more and more of the menial tasks at work, Shibata tells them that she is pregnant. This is a lie.

Her lie lives and breathes in ways I wasn't expecting, and her story details her journey to both protect that lie and use it. We see Shibata experience loneliness, judgement, isolation, connection, anxiety and often a numbness which makes her seem slightly out of reach. Her story is an engaging one. I felt like a fly on the wall, watching the small comings and goings of her life, which is told a matter-of-fact way. 

The book's title is a quirky play on 母子手帳, the Maternal and Child Health Handbook which is issued to all pregnant mothers in Japan. In the book's title the 母子 (mother and child) is replaced by 空芯 - empty core, encouraging us to make our own assumptions about Shibata.

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales by Bessie Head

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“And so the woman Dikeledi began phase three of a life that has been ashen in its loneliness and unhappiness. And yet she has always found golf amidst the ash, deep loves that had joined her heart to the heart of others. She smiled tenderly at Kebonye because she knew already that she had found another such love. She was the collector of such treasures.” 

- Bessie Head, The Collector of Treasures

Bessie Head paints a rich and compelling picture of complex life in Botswana, the country of her exile. 

Within these pages we meet characters navigating happiness tainted by colonialism, struggle bound up with custom and heritage. Moments of conflict amidst broken families and strength in actions, both loud and quiet. 

This collection is one I’ll surely visit again. It’s contents were bold and extraordinary. The vision is broad. 

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“The whole land ahead of him was as darkness itself; there was nothing to come, nothing to wait for.” 

• Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge 

My first read of 2023 and one that will stay with my forever, perhaps even a new favourite Hardy novel. 

For me, Hardy provides so much comfort and insight in his words. He has a gift for capturing human feeling, especially those ones which come to us when experiencing hard times, or when we feel particularly sorry for ourselves. I adore Hardy’s pessimism, which at times is almost funny, and at others incredibly sincere. 

The Mayor of Casterbridge is the story of a man who brings a lot of hardship on himself, and essentially blames the world for it. Despite this, Micheal Henchard, and the people around him, are still people who I’m totally invested in. His wrongdoings are ones he attempts to own, sometimes, yet he has an unexpected and inextinguishable desire to live by his own assertions. 

His confidence suffers and dwindles throughout the novel, and his thoughts do occasionally give rise to self-awareness of his weaknesses and the potential of change. But he can’t change, not really. Henchard is too permanently altered by rivalry, in business, family and love, which seems to cut straight to his heart and being out his unkind qualities. He spends so much time feeling threatened that he inevitably trips himself up, and each fall lands him a little worse off.

Maybe if things had been different, he would have changed. Maybe if he had taken better stock of those around him who cared and served him dutifully, he could have held onto his quality of life. Who knows. 

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

5.0

To say I loved this book would be an understatement. I am so blown away and just left with such a pleasant and satisfying feeling after reading this, which is lovely.

This story combines such a unique and wonderful set of themes. Detection, environmentalism, ecology, relationships, loneliness, ageing, astrology, predestination, animal rights, translation, poetry, murder... which appears like a bit of a cocktail, but it all flows so effortlessly.

This text seems full of everyday wisdom which was kind and not imposing, if that makes sense. The story is so much fun too, it takes care of the little things, and each detail adds more depth to the picture. The rural backdrop and nuances of each character make the story so well illuminated.

The protagonist was such a joy of a voice, a breath of fresh air who I honestly wish was a relative of mine. Even if the philosophical moments didn’t hit the mark, although they really did, just listening to the authentic voice of the main character was enough fun the carry the story the whole way. I appreciated her anger, her conscience, and her outlook.

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

4.0

“We learn that it is not the rays which bodies absorb, but those which they reject, that give them the colours they are known by; and in the same way people are specialised by their dislikes and antagonisms, whilst their goodwill is looked upon as no attribute at all.”
- Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd

I loved reading this book. Hardy’s vision of country life and country folk, although sometimes drama-filled, provides so much comfort to a reader.

Even though the characters and their way of living is far removed from modern life, there is something about Hardy’s portrayal which feels familiar. As always, Hardy’s characters suffer in various ways, but the suffering doesn’t feel overwhelming and in this case it is almost exclusively tied to romance.

Three men fall for and attempt to peruse Bathsheba Everdene, who inherits a farm in the small village of Weatherby. There were plenty of things I liked about Bathsheba, she’s independent and intelligent, but she did also have some irritating traits, as humans often do. Each of the three suitors were much different, although there is one who you will undoubtedly root for beyond the others (don’t worry, this wasn’t a Mamma Mia-type scenario).

Despite the long length of the novel, the story had a good pace. I appreciated that the scenes weren’t all action packed as it helped me feel immersed in the environment. For me, feeling within the story was the main achievement of this novel, it was pure escapism in the best way. Hardy paid attention to detail and I just as much enjoyed the quirks of the minor characters as the downfall of the major ones.

After reading Tess, Jude and now this, I’m not sure which Hardy I will read next, but whichever it is I’m looking forward to it.

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

4.0

“It is because nature is ruthless, hideous, and cruel beyond belief that it was necessary to invent civilisation.”

John Wyndham, The Midwich Cuckoos

*mild spoilers ahead*

Cuckoos are brood parasites. They lay their eggs in the nest of another bird so as to avoid raising their own offspring. This was something I didn’t know until I read this book, and quite an interesting albeit quirky natural fact. I don’t think this is necessarily good or bad, it just is. In the same way that nature just is. But by human societal standards, perhaps this little trick could be construed as cruel? I’m not sure…

Anyway, The Midwich Cuckoos was such a memorable read, one which is now solidified in my top sci-fi favourites. I loved the style in which is was written, quite like a fable, centring on the odd occurrences of a village no one thought would really be remembered for anything. The setting has a slight Hot Fuzz vibe.

It all starts with the Dayout. An invisible “something” that makes those in Midwich fall into a silent, frozen sleep. From here, things get tricky. Why are all the women of the village pregnant? Why do all their children have golden eyes? Why do they age at such a rapid pace? Why can’t anyone drive out of Midwich?

This is a short read and honestly super good. The only slight disappointment was that I was able to predict the ending, which is something I can never usually do, meaning it must have been a pretty obvious one. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good ending, because it was, and the one that I think fits. I’ll certainly be reading more of Wyndham…