Month: February 2021

Nomad

Those who know me will realise that this book was never going to get a bad review. But I challenge anyone to read this and not laugh out loud. It is billed on the cover as ‘the funniest book ever written’ and that is no exaggeration, perhaps rivalled only by the previous book I Partridge. 

It’s essentially like reading a feature length episode of classic Partridge except all of that unique Partridge-ness gets to showcase itself even further through the extra machinery of the written word (and through pictures, diagrams, tables etc..). 

I needed this book right now. 

White Teeth

This was a great read. Not the sort of book I would usually pick out but it was bought for me and I am glad. First novel apparently which makes you feel a bit sick. The writing is immense. My favourite bit amongst many – commenting on a character who is high on morphine… “his head opened up like a deck chair.” Great stuff. 

This is a long read, perhaps a bit too long being my only criticism, but it is one of great wisdom and it is well thought out enough that it is all leading towards something which is not something I necessarily anticipated. I was fully prepared for it to peter out a bit but the ending was surprisingly satisfying. A thorough exploration of race and the intertwined attitudes of all parties. 

The Road

This was a bleak book. It’s not long by any means and has no chapters – relentless then. Just one continuous ream of bleakness. That does not make it a bad read though. Quite the contrary, it is almost poetic in its literary credentials. The prose is descriptive and wraps you up in this post apocalyptic world, engrossing you in the father son relationship at its core and making you think on the merits of survival itself and of the impacts we have on the world and each other. I’ve not seen the film. I don’t really want to. But the book is great. If not a bit depressing for the current times!

Dubliners

I’ve been dabbling in short story writing recently so this was a perfect book to have a shufty at. A bit like a concept album, these short stories are all set in turn of the Century Dublin and there is a thread running throughout making the order important. These aren’t necessarily just stand alone but either way, they provide a masterclass in the short story field. Considered to be one of the best collections, I really enjoyed reading this. My favourite was probably ‘A Little Cloud’.