Sun Damage, by Sabine Durrant

 Nine guests arrive at a remote villa in the South of France.

They know each other well. Or think they do.

At least one of them has plenty to hide and nowhere to run...

Sun Damage is quite a difficult book to explain without revealing any spoilers. What I can say is that we meet a couple of con artists at the beginning, who thrive on travelling the world and tricking people out of their money. Whilst on a job in France, a scam goes wrong and one of them flees, assuming the identity of another person. But they know the old partner will undoubtedly come after them one day.

The person who flees finds honest work as a live-in chef for a family staying at a remote villa in the south of France. But with family and friends coming to stay, can their identity be kept hidden? Especially when one of the guests seems to know them. 

The south of France is a great location to set a novel, the beauty, sights, sounds, and scents, all became part of the narrative.

The build-up of this story was very slow; the beginning was, in my opinion, far too long - I even questioned if the synopsis was right! But the tension was ever-present. I felt the torment of our main protagonist, longing for their old life, under the guise of their new identity; a supposed perfect escape.

I didn’t find Sun Damage to be one of Sabine Durrant’s best books. I loved all her previous novels! It is one that no doubt many people will enjoy. It’s a story that keeps you guessing, full of suspense and twists. Definitely an ideal summer holiday read, in a fabulous setting.

- Milly

Milly read the proof edition of "Sun Damage."

It's OUT NOW in Hardback, £16.99. Click to order!

"The Three Books that Kept Me Going through Lockdown" - Olivia Lawton

Escaping into a good book has perhaps never been quite as needed as during the past two years. The Evening Standard reported that sales of fiction grew by 16% in 2020 due to the Covid lockdowns. And sales of physical books are continuing to rise. 

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have read more than ever since the pandemic hit. 

For many of us, the habit of reading is one that falls by the wayside once we enter the world of work, and in recent years people have found themselves more and more drawn to smartphones and screens instead of reading books. Social media has replaced the go-to distraction of a book when standing in line for coffee, taking a journey, or waiting for your train to pull into the station.   

But then we entered lockdown. We suddenly had spare time to turn to books – the perfect form of indoor entertainment. We stayed at home to be safe. And living in such uncertain times had many of us feeling a little anxious or discombobulated. 

As an avid reader already, my suggestion to friends and family during this unpredictable time was to turn to books. Especially fiction. Many of us love to read fiction but find it difficult to put time into this valuable and relaxing activity. Reading can deepen your emotional intelligence and empathy and allow your mind to rest. It can also be a wonderful form of escapism. 

As you can imagine, I read my way through lots of great titles during the lockdowns, but there were several books that really stood out to me during this time:

The Giver of Stars, by JoJo Moyes (Historical Fiction)

Inspired by a true story, The Giver of Stars is an incredibly moving historical fiction novel. Did you know Eleanor Roosevelt started a traveling library program, and many women answered the call to become traveling librarians? These women travelled on horseback to bring books to those living in rural areas, which was especially important for women and children unable to get to a library or without access to books otherwise. 

The story centres mainly around Alice and Margery. Alice is an English woman who is quite restless and not understood by her family, so she impulsively jumps at the chance of marrying an American man, hoping this will give her the opportunity for new adventures. Sadly, Alice’s marriage is not what she hoped it to be, and she soon finds herself feeling very unhappy. When Alice begins volunteering to help with the travelling library, run by Margery, she relishes in the freedom it brings her. I particularly enjoyed how the author explored Alice’s love of nature, as she and the other women deliver books packed in saddle bags, in all kinds of weather, winding their way through dark forests and along remote mountain trails. 

Despite their various backgrounds and issues at home, the women become a family providing encouragement and support, not only to one another but also to every household they visit to share books and they share the joy of reading with so many different people.  

I knew very little of the WPA library but love that I learned more about it from reading this novel. The strength and fortitude these ladies showed is incredible, and the main characters in the book reflect this with their hard work, strength of character, and loyalty to one another.

Humankind: A Hopeful History, by Rutger Bregman (Non-Fiction)

It’s a belief that unites the left and right, psychologists and philosophers, writers and historians. It drives the headlines that surround us and the laws that touch our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Dawkins, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we’re taught, are by nature selfish, and governed by self-interest.

Humankind makes a new argument: that it is realistic, as well as revolutionary, to assume that people are good. The instinct to cooperate rather than compete, trust rather than distrust, has an evolutionary basis that goes right back to the beginning of our species. Thinking the worst of others not only affects how we regard other people, but our politics and economics too.

Bergman challenges our often-cynical view of humanity. To back up his theory, he re-examines some very well-known events in history and suggests that the key facts may have been altered to fit a narrative which shows humans in a very negative light. 

This was such a timely read for me during the first lockdown, in times when we so importantly needed to unite and work together. It is an extraordinary, uplifting history of human capacity for kindness. 

Humankind really is a wonderful read - accessible and full of great stories. In a world of cynicism, a little positivity goes a long way!

The Priory of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (Fantasy)

The Priory of The Orange Tree is a stand-alone high fantasy epic, led by an impressive cast of memorable female characters. I was truly blown away with how the author so effortlessly built a fantasy world that has a vast history of politics and religious clashes. The book is an engrossing fantasy set in a world that is both like and unlike our own. 

With a length of over 800 pages, this novel might seem a little daunting to many readers, but the story pacing is fantastic and there’s never a dull moment. From the very start I was gripped by the writing and desperate to see where the next chapter would lead. It was a joy to escape into this fantasy world and leave all thoughts of the pandemic behind for a while. 

The sheer scope of the story is out of this world - brimming with detail and ideas, and bursting with various characters types, languages, and perspectives. Although this is a single novel, it really feels like several books stitched together. It’s an addictive read, and I loved all the elements of feminism featured throughout the book. 

The Priory of The Orange Tree absolutely works on its own, but I was sad to reach the end. Fortunately, there is more to come! Samantha Shannon has now revealed there is a new sequel on the way.  A Day of Fallen Night will return readers to the world of The Priory of the Orange Tree in January 2023. I can’t wait!

It’s been wonderful to see so many people rediscovering their love of reading – a sentiment which I know is shared by the lovely booksellers at Westbourne. The family-owned independent bookshop is a must-visit anytime I find myself in the area, whether it’s to buy, browse, or simply just to pop in for a chat. I’ll often get some really wonderful recommendations or share thoughts on a current read with whoever is behind the till!

I have chosen to feature only these select few titles from my Quarantine reading because the complete list would be far too long to include here! Perhaps you can have a think about what your reading highlights of the pandemic have been…maybe you’ll share my difficulty in trying to narrow down to just one or two? In times of difficulty and lockdown boredom, I’m so pleased I was able to find solace from reality in the pages of fiction. I hope many of you feel the same. 

 

Just a quick note about me - My name is Olivia, and I am a self-confessed book addict. Through social media, I share my love of literature and enjoy reviewing, promoting, and of course reading as many books as possible! If you use Instagram, I’d love you to drop in and say hello on my account @BookramblingsbyOlivia, or alternatively you can find me at www.bookramblingsbyolivia.com. I’m excited to be teaming up with Westbourne bookshop who have kindly invited me to contribute this article for their website. Thanks so much for reading.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin

I just about had a HEART ATTACK when I saw this book under "New for July" with our wholesaler. Gabrielle Zevin has written two other notable (for me) books. The first, "Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac:" my first YA, and a total overhaul of my ideas of what love meant, and the importance of personal identity. The second, "Elsewhere:" a story of a sixteen-year-old girl in the afterlife. She completely re-established what kind of stories I wanted to read, and later, write.

Well, she just went and snuck up on me with this new title, "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow." Frankly, I wouldn't have given a damn what this book was about: I simply had to read it!

Sam and Sadie meet as children in a hospital ward: Sam is there after a near-fatal accident, and Sadie is visiting her sister, who is going through cancer treatment. They immediately bond over the videogames in the rec room, and they are each other's first friend. They lose touch, and later meet again by chance in Boston, and set out on a real-life quest: to design and produce a videogame of their own.

With Sam's roommate, Marx as their producer, things escalate quickly. It's the late 90s, and they have talent beyond what the technology of their time can offer. When their first game goes live, their lives change forever. Including the relationships between these three creatives.

Frankly, I wish I'd written this book. Its style is incredible, with techniques and forms that I've never even considered before! It's exciting, it's lyrical, it's playful, and it's daring. At times, you, the reader are the protagonist. At times, we are in a video game ourselves. At times, the timeline is a stunning mess! Somehow, the book reads like you're playing a game. There are resets, and there's tactics, and there's tragedy that leads to greater quests down the line. It's so moving, and it makes me wonder how Gabrielle Zevin wrote something so akin to a videogame narrative, without actually being a game designer herself?!

This story spans at least two decades, and the protagonists grow a lot during that time. We face grief, heartbreak, rejection, failure, declining health, and a whole lot more. It's a brutal life for these characters. There is that frightening - and inevitable - sense of time running away from you, not knowing how or when things changed. There is the frustration of habits rather than choices making those changes happen. For something so completely plot-driven, the characters' development is a joy and a nostalgic pain to watch. 

Essentially, this is a fantastic book. One of my favourites for quite some time. It's pacey and exciting, but relaxing and simply, human. An outstanding addition to Gabrielle's list of works, and another to be added to my list of reasons to adore this author. Her mind is nothing short of shocking and brilliant. I highly recommend.

- Sian

Hardback, £16.99. Find it in the YA section!

Or order online.

Nightcrawling, by Leila Mottley

Nightcrawling is Leila Mottley’s debut novel and it’s an eye-opening read. She took inspiration from a high-profile case that took place in Oakland, California, which involved the sexual exploitation of many young girls by various members of the police department.

It tells the story of 17-year-old Kiara, who lives with her brother Marcus. Her brother Marcus is unemployed, trying and failing at making it big in the music industry. But with the risk of eviction from the ironically named Regal-Hi looming over their heads, Kiara is forced to take it upon herself to find work. From there, she stumbles into sex work. We learn about the hardships and abuse that she and her family go through in the impoverished part of Oakland.

This is an extremely difficult read due to the details of sexual abuse throughout. Leila’s extremely descriptive and almost poetic writing style imprints these images of abuse on your mind. However, the prose also helps to soften the extremely dark story. I didn’t personally enjoy the writing style but understand that it comes from Leila’s roots of writing poetry.

Leila does a great job developing the complex relationships that Kiara has with her best friend, brother, parents, and even her neighbours’ ten-year-old son, which is particularly heart-warming. She takes him in when he’s abandoned by his mother and cares for him so deeply - it’s very touching. But these relationships are strained as we see how Kiara is forced to take difficult decisions that ultimately lead to her abuse. It’s very bittersweet at times.

This novel helped me learn more about the struggles that many people in sex work go through, both in Oakland and in other communities, and I appreciate the way Leila tells the story without sugar-coating it. It was an extremely raw but refreshing approach.

In summary, this was a very difficult read but also gave an incredible insight into the daily battles that people in poverty and in sex work face. I would avoid reading it if you do have triggers with regards to sexual abuse and exploitation. It was well written, especially considering that Leila started writing the novel when she was only seventeen years old! Leila is an amazing young talent, and I can’t wait to read more of her work in the future.

Rating: 3/5

-Maisie

Hardback, £16.99.

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The Half Life of Valery K, by Natasha Pulley

Written by the bestselling author of ‘The Watchmaker of Filigree Street’, Natasha Pulley’s ‘The Half Life of Valery K’ is a fascinating book inspired by a real Russian closed city, Ozersk. Located in Chelyabinsk Oblast, it was the birthplace of the Soviet nuclear weapons program, created in 1948 during the Cold War. Codenamed ‘City 40’ until 1994, it is now said to be one of the most contaminated places on the planet, referred to by some as the “graveyard of the Earth”. That is not to say that no-one lives there; in fact, the last recorded 2010 consensus estimates that the population is 82,164 people. Despite the Russian government giving the city’s inhabitants many privileges, it comes at an inevitable cost. Researchers suggest that half a million people in Ozersk and its surrounding area have been exposed to five times as much radiation as those living in the areas of Ukraine affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.

Pulley centres the story around biochemist Valery Kolkhanov who is initially kept prisoner in a Siberian Gulag, a forced labour camp. There is a real sense of repression from the Russian government as the conditions of the camp are akin to the atrocious Nazi concentration camps and yet many of the inmates are innocent. We then follow Valery’s journey being transferred to a secret facility called ‘City 40’ (bearing resemblance to the real ‘City 40’ explained above) to finish his prison sentence. Valery is tasked with conducting further research studying the long-term effects of radiation on the surrounding area from the city’s nuclear plant, but it is unclear the true extent of the radiation as Valery is very much kept in the dark by his fellow scientists and the officials from Moscow.

Pulley expertly interweaves a spider web of misinformation and lies, to create a scene of mystery upon which the gradual discovery of truth is found by Valery. It is exciting to read as we, the reader, find out what is really going on alongside the characters which creates a unique feeling of attachment to the book and its protagonists, thus keeping the reader guessing.

Due to the mystery element of the storyline, it was immensely captivating, especially due to the veins of truth and real-event association this book possesses. It reminded me of aspects from the Chernobyl disaster as the reader is presented with a landscape of secrets, upon which it is unclear exactly what information people know and who holds the ultimate influence. Similar to the Chernobyl disaster, this book explores the way that people find it hard to believe something they cannot physically see. In this scenario, the danger of radiation is dismissed until it is too late and even then, the various resulting deaths are carried off as heart attacks. I think the concept of disbelief and misinformation is particularly interesting, as elements of this cognitive bias are inevitably part of human nature so the cumulative effects of this cognition can be recognised even in today’s society. Thus, Pulley manages to shed light on the intricacies of human behaviour from a general standpoint as well as homing in on the story of City 40. 

At times, this story is hard to read due to the harrowing effects of radiation sickness, as well as the resulting frustration from the protagonist and reader alike, of the KGB’s purposeful disbelief of the serious danger from radiation. Yet, Pulley achieves the right balance by sowing into the story more uplifting elements of determination and resilience, as the protagonists Shenkov and Valery continue the fight for survival, even when their situation is dire. This acts as a much-needed reminder of the power of the human spirit, especially poignant after the years of Covid we have all experienced.

Overall, I found ‘The Half Life of Valery K’ an immensely captivating book that I would recommend to anyone, as the historical reality behind the characters is ever-present at the back of the reader’s mind, thereby adding a unique dimension to the read. As Pulley herself says in the afterword of the book: “Shenkov and Valery are fictional, but almost everything that happens to them is real”.

- Scarlett

Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St John Mandel

After thoroughly enjoying Station Eleven recently I’d promised myself I’d read more from Emily St John Mandel, and then I read the blurb for this and couldn’t resist. 

To summarise the blurb: in 1912, Edwin is exiled to Canada from English society. In British Columbia, he walks into the virgin forest and for a split second all is darkness, the notes of a violin echoing unnaturally through the air. 200 years later, Olive, a famous writer, is visiting Earth from her home in the second moon colony, undertaking a global book tour as a pandemic begins its spread. In her most famous novel, a man plays a violin in an airship terminal as the trees of a forest momentarily appear around him. Another 200 years pass, and Gaspery, a detective in the moon’s Night City, is tasked with interviewing Edwin and Olive in order to help solve the mystery of an anomaly in time. 

This took me back to reading mid-century speculative fiction, and I mean that as a huge compliment. The what-ifs and anomalies, the expanding human universe, the possibilities of time travel, parallel worlds, reality shifts, the elements of dystopia, but also the optimism for the future in spite of everything. 

The plotting, the storytelling, every aspect of this book is note-perfect. As I was reading it, each reveal left me wishing I was reading alongside somebody else so that I could talk about it. In Station Eleven I thought there were elements of Vonnegut in the positioning of a work of fiction as a key driver of the story, and in this book, Mandel takes this another step further – though I won’t say any more as the moments of metafiction are so delightful that I don’t want to spoil them for anyone. My only advice would be to read Station Eleven first, if you haven’t already, then dive straight into this.

As ever, if you read this, please come in and talk to me about it, I’m bursting to discuss it with somebody! This is only the second of Emily St John Mandel’s novels that I’ve read but I’m determined to catch up on more.

- Paul

Hardback, £14.99. Find it in the fiction section!

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The Perfect Golden Circle, by Ben Myers

Back in March 2020, I found myself in a bookshop, buying ‘The Offing’ by Benjamin Myers. Little did I know then that this book would provide such solace to me as our world soon began to reel through a pandemic. Nature writing has offered me a new-found joy as I learn about landscape and how this can help to bring positive benefits to one’s wellbeing. I welcomed the opportunity to read Myer’s new book The Perfect Golden Circle, learning that it too was about rural living and friendship.

The story begins in the spring as the crops begin to grow and ends as the sun sets on the autumn harvest. We are introduced to Calvert, a Falklands war veteran and meticulous crop circles operation planner. His partner-in-crime Redbone lives in a VW camper van and is both mathematically and creatively highly skilled when it comes to designing said crop circles. 

Each chapter is named in honour of their next crop circle installation. Time is spent by Calvert and Redbone considering what each design should be called based on the location of the chosen Wiltshire field and the circle’s appearance from the sky. You too can imagine what ‘a cuckoo spittle thought bubble’ looks like. You will walk with them as they make the circles and feel the quiet and stillness of the pre-dawn hours as these comrades work together to produce their masterpieces. Be prepared for occasional interludes from night-time visitors, both animal and human. Each chapter ends with extracts from newspaper articles citing possible explanations for these overnight creations. Expect talk about paranormal activity. 

We learn that, executed correctly, crops are not damaged in this art process and that respect for the countryside is high on the list of the mutually agreed rules that Calvert and Redbone adhere to. I feel like this is important to a reader who dislikes the idea of vandalism to the countryside and who may not realise that crops soon recover, if not snapped. 

Whilst thoroughly enjoying the rich descriptions of nature and the landscape, I also liked reading about the developing relationship between Calvert and Redbone. Each recognises and respects the skills and attributes their friend brings to the job in hand. As the months progress and the project nears its conclusion, we get a sense of how they each benefit from this new-found friendship, albeit in a rather male, undemonstrative way. 

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like their reading to take them on a trip to the countryside. You will feel the dust and dirt of the wheat as the crop circle is made and you’ll pause with Calvert and Redbone when they hear the alarm call of the dawn chorus, reminding them that the hours of darkness are nearing an end. You, too, will marvel at how being at one with nature can be an unwritten code between friends, where few words are required, and silence is golden. 

Room for improvement?... Being a reader who loves to see a map at the beginning of a book and who has a weakness for beautiful illustrations, I would have liked to have seen the crop circle designs drawn underneath each chapter title. I’m sure my imagination doesn’t do them the justice they deserve.

- Bonnie 

Bonnie reviewed a proof edition of "The Perfect Goldent Circle."
Hardback, £16.99. Find it in the fiction section!
Or order now!