Ally Bijl-Brown
Optimist
There's something about the end of summer that makes me want to read books in which the characters feel so much worse than I do. It's not so much about perspective taking as wallowing. Luckily for my annual 'goodbye summer' binge of sad books, there have been well and truly enough to satisfy, and if I'm honest, exceed the craving.
The first of the bunch was Heading Out to Wonderful, by Robert Goolrick. The cover makes it look like a bit of a cheap chick flick, but it turns out to be a soulful, beautifully written novel of heartache, friendship and finding a place to belong and somehow was resonant of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. I highly recommend this for anyone needing a good cathartic cry.
I am a great fan of Khaled Hosseini, like the rest of the world I think, and his newest book 'And the Mountains Echoed', though a little different from his others, did not disappoint. Told in cleverly interlaced short stories, his prose was as luscious as ever, painting pictures of countries all over the world, and of their flawed, yet forgivable people. Though Hosseini tells of some harsh, usually unspoken, realities, his novel was overall uplifting and thought provoking.
The Virgins by Pamela Evans – don't read this if your sex life isn't what you want it to be/you or your partner is having erectile dysfunction. Do read this if your relationship is mediocre. You will feel like Will and Kate afterwards. Though The Virgins is heartbreaking, it is also beautiful and an unnervingly accurate portrayal of young adult life and relationships and the often incorrect perceptions we have of others.
The Lowland tells of two brothers, clearly their own people from childhood, but so close they don't feel whole without the other. As time goes by, and the political landscape begins to change, their very different personalities and aspirations force them apart, politically and physically, and they both have to learn to cope in new worlds of different kinds. The experiences of those living in political turmoil and migrants relearning their entire social world are portrayed by Jhumpa Lahiri with skill and feeling.
I picked up this book wanting a bit of a thriller, pretty basic plot line, some goodies and some baddies. Don't choose this book if that's what you're into. Death row prisoners seem like they could be your best friends, you pity them, empathise, almost love their twisted characters. Those behind bars, and those guarding them seem as evil as the other. Any faith in the justice system I had has evaporated. The main character makes up his own story as he suffers in the prison of his mind and body, which tells of hope and redemption, making this book truly magical. (truly enchanted would have been too punny.) - The Enchanted, by Rene Denfield.
Don't worry, this is the last sad book. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena not only wins book-with-the-best-name prize, but was my favourite of the year. Set in the not so distant past, Anthony Marra tells of the atrocities committed in the Czechnian Wars, and the struggles that one family goes through to survive, redefining the meaning of family, commitment and altruism, indeed defining life itself.
Happy Reading! (Not.)
