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whatsallyreadnext's reviews
617 reviews
River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi
dark
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.0
Jaded by Ela Lee
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.0
In Defence Of The Act by Effie Black
emotional
funny
sad
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
4.0
Longlisted for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction, this is another one that I think could be a contender and is on my dream shortlist! It's a fairly short book at less than 200 pages, but it certainly packs a punch and covers a lot of themes, including family, grief, queer love, and trauma.
Jessica works as a scientist who is researching the reasons why people choose to end their lives to support her controversial view that committing such an act can be morally right. However, one single event makes her question whether this is still true.
Although it took a little time to get used to initially, I enjoyed how Black had structured the book into various flashback periods of Jessica's life, interspersed by a funeral set in the present day. Whose funeral this is for is gradually and cleverly revealed in the book. Despite the seriousness of the topics, I think that Black successfully interweaves humour and a sense of lightheartedness amongst the trauma and sadness that occurs in the book.
Jessica works as a scientist who is researching the reasons why people choose to end their lives to support her controversial view that committing such an act can be morally right. However, one single event makes her question whether this is still true.
Although it took a little time to get used to initially, I enjoyed how Black had structured the book into various flashback periods of Jessica's life, interspersed by a funeral set in the present day. Whose funeral this is for is gradually and cleverly revealed in the book. Despite the seriousness of the topics, I think that Black successfully interweaves humour and a sense of lightheartedness amongst the trauma and sadness that occurs in the book.
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this recently ahead of next week's Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist announcement and I think it could be a good contender! I'd heard great things about this book beforehand and overall, I liked it and how honest it was about the challenges of motherhood - in fact, it was so honest that it almost put me off motherhood at times!
Written as an inner monologue
to her son from a young mother, who is struggling with early motherhood, feeling isolated and facing the strain of her marriage, this novel was raw, darkly funny and brutally honest that paints quite a bleak picture of her experiences. When an old friend appears in her life again, he could be the lifeline to remind her of the woman she used to be before motherhood.
Her tough experiences of motherhood felt relentless in the novel and I almost felt exhausted from it all as the reader, but it was certainly a powerful book. I was conscious that at times, she wasn't always the most reliable narrator, and that part of how she'd describe things which happened would be related to her exhaustion as a mother.
Written as an inner monologue
to her son from a young mother, who is struggling with early motherhood, feeling isolated and facing the strain of her marriage, this novel was raw, darkly funny and brutally honest that paints quite a bleak picture of her experiences. When an old friend appears in her life again, he could be the lifeline to remind her of the woman she used to be before motherhood.
Her tough experiences of motherhood felt relentless in the novel and I almost felt exhausted from it all as the reader, but it was certainly a powerful book. I was conscious that at times, she wasn't always the most reliable narrator, and that part of how she'd describe things which happened would be related to her exhaustion as a mother.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I had been eyeing up this book for a little while (partly drawn in by the octopus on the cover!), so I was pleased when my work's book club picked this for one of our reads recently.
The story centres around Tova Sullivan, who takes up a job being a night-shift aquarium cleaner after her husband passes away. The disappearance of their eighteen-year-old son, Erik, on a boat over thirty years ago, still mystifies her and keeping busy has been her coping mechanism.
Tova forms a special bond with a giant Pacific octopus called Marcellus, who lives at the aquarium and is extremely clever. This is proven when he is able to deduce exactly what happened to Erik all those years ago, and now needs to figure out how to help Tova discover this herself before time runs out.
This debut novel was nothing like I'd ever read before - it is part magical realism, part mystery, with a bit of fun and quirkiness thrown in too. I particularly enjoyed reading the chapters written from the perspective of an octopus, Marcellus was a joyful character! Although the book dragged a bit during the initial setup of the characters and around the middle, the pace picked up a bit once there were a few reveals to the reader and I felt more invested in the story by then too. I think the ending improved the book for me as well as the inclusion of the octopus!
The story centres around Tova Sullivan, who takes up a job being a night-shift aquarium cleaner after her husband passes away. The disappearance of their eighteen-year-old son, Erik, on a boat over thirty years ago, still mystifies her and keeping busy has been her coping mechanism.
Tova forms a special bond with a giant Pacific octopus called Marcellus, who lives at the aquarium and is extremely clever. This is proven when he is able to deduce exactly what happened to Erik all those years ago, and now needs to figure out how to help Tova discover this herself before time runs out.
This debut novel was nothing like I'd ever read before - it is part magical realism, part mystery, with a bit of fun and quirkiness thrown in too. I particularly enjoyed reading the chapters written from the perspective of an octopus, Marcellus was a joyful character! Although the book dragged a bit during the initial setup of the characters and around the middle, the pace picked up a bit once there were a few reveals to the reader and I felt more invested in the story by then too. I think the ending improved the book for me as well as the inclusion of the octopus!
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
emotional
sad
tense
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? No
5.0