'one of the cities in the world where the least work gets done'

The Oxford brought to life in Javier Marias novel All Souls is beautifully rich and bursting with interesting characters drawn from personal experience of the author as a visiting lecturer from Spain. This version of Oxford is Pan’s Labyrinth with academic gowns!  

The theme of the story is an adulterous affair the narrator embarks on with young tutor Claire Bayes. The affair really serves as a metaphor for the way the narrator/Marias gets drawn deeper and deeper into collegiate life at All Souls college – a microcosm of intrigue and mystery occupied by larger than life intellectuals.     

Fast pace this isn’t but where the novel succeeds is in weaving together memories and recollections of events and people around some clear set pieces such as the meeting at Didcot train station and the High Table dinner. Marias’ black comedy touches are excellent and his understanding of British quirks and eccentricities carries the narrative.

Well written and a fascinating insight into a world behind the closed doors of the learned institutions you so easily walk past in Oxford.

The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer was recently, and deservedly, announced as the winner of The Costa Book of the Year 2013 and, since its release in paperback earlier this year, its been a bedside table staple.

This debut novel tells the story of a Matthew a young man growing up and learning to come to terms with his role in the death of his brother on a family holiday. This is an intimate family profile that's tiny in scope but epic in emotional drama.

Much has been written in the media about how cleverly this novel sheds light on life as a young person dealing with mental illness. Nathan Filer's own experience as a mental health nurse surely contributing to his compassionate and empathetic writing style that explores Matthews struggles with his tragic past. The warm and affectionate narrative grabs you from the first page and, even in its most despairing moments, the story remains heart-warming. 

The book is a true page-turner, some have literally read it cover to cover in one sitting! Driving this is the structure of the novel; Filer maintains the suspense by introducing ideas and plot points but then, teasingly, keeps you waiting for more. The use of different typographic styles also keeps the story moving as the narrative is told through typed memoirs and letters received.

Anyone who has enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time or Silver Linings Playbook will recognise, in this book, a similarly straight-forward character whose honesty is both touching and poignant. This book is likely to be celebrated in much the same way for years to come.  

A must read and must share
 

 

‘The Knife of Never Letting go’ by Patrick Ness is a fantastic achievement – an original work of fiction which delivers drama, suspense, alien landscapes and compelling characters, oh and it just so happens to have been written for the Young Adult market.

The novel is set in Prentisstown, a newly colonised planet that has fragmented into dystopian chaos with warring groups and ideologies. This setting is instantly recognisable to anyone who is living through, or has experienced adolescence, and yet remains uniquely fresh. Our hero Todd, bursting with boyhood naivety, is the perfect symbol of an age. Once we discover that we can hear the thoughts of his loyal canine companion, Manchee we’re hooked.

The action begins from the outset with a succinct writing style that packs a punch and keeps you turning the pages as quickly as the action unfolds. Ness’s stylistic approach appeals to both the young adult and time pressured adult looking to cram a chapter on a lunch-break or commute.

There are bucket loads of clever devices in this novel; the recurring mad preacher villain and the native alien Spackles are well crafted, but the winner is the concept of ‘noise’ – a germ contaminant which allows everyone’s inner thoughts to be audible.  A typographic device is used to convey this concept, see the image below, with some pages literally surrendered to an overload of sound.

Todd’s adventure is fast paced and could have dwelled for longer at times. Certain elements, for example the story of Todd’s adopted family, are rushed and unexplored. Perhaps these themes are revisited in books 2 and 3?

Searching for coming of age fiction, sci-fi action or self-affirming then look no further!!

The future for The Word's Shortlist?

We love this story about a man on a mission in rural Italy.

http://www.handmadecharlotte.com/tiny-mobile-library-travels-italian-countryside/

Let's just say that its got us thinking.......

In the meantime check out the February shortlist here:

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2057750027185009373#editor/target=post;postID=8825030428877688643;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=3;src=postname

Now lending! To borrow any book mentioned on these pages simply tweet @wordsshortlist

Radio 4s Book Club this month features a fascinating interview with the author of The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini.

The Word's Shortlist was lucky enough to be invited to the recording to listen to Khaled talk in depth about the origins of the novel, as a piece about the history of kite flying in Afghanistan, which went on to become a powerful and unforgettable story about family and betrayal.

Published shortly after 9/11 the book was the first Afghan novel to be published in English and brilliantly captures the troubled spirit of the country. 

Listen to the interview here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03srddf

Hosseini's most recent novel And the Mountains Echoed offers another epic family based story which transcends generations of a Afghanistani family.

Read and share

The February Shortlist

Three novels for the shortest month of the year....


The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
The first of the Chaos Walking blockbuster trilogy. Discover what you're missing by ignoring the Young Adult shelves. 

The Shock of the Fall - Nathan Filer
Winner of the Costa Book Awards 2013 from debut writer Nathan Filer

All Souls - Javier Marias
Published by Penguin Modern Classics this campus novel might just fill a 'Stoner' shaped hole.

The Slap and Barracuda present a contemporary view of Australia through the eyes of one of the most exciting writers today.

Christos Tsiolkas's novels present a striking portrayal of an Australia at odds with the myth borne out of soap operas and popular culture - Ramsey Street this ain't! Instead, Tsiolkas's Australia is visceral, contentious and uncertain but ultimately compelling for the reader.

In the blockbuster novel The Slap we meet a Melbourne suburban community at a family BBQ, so far so recognisable. The switch occurs in a divisive moment when one of the guests, Harry, slaps someone else's child. This highly charged moment sends ripples throughout the BBQ and the lives of the guests whose attitudes reflect deep and strongly held personal beliefs at conflict with each other.  

"Whose side will you take?" asks the book's cover - a key reference to the structure of the book in which each chapter offers a different insight into the key characters.

The most compelling relationship is that between the hosts of the BBQ, Hector and Aisha, but the chapter concerning Hector's father Manolis is perhaps the best written. Whilst empathy is in short supply, the pay off for the reader is to see the world through the individual frames of each character - this is where Tsiolkas's talent lies.

Yes, the novel is over-flowing with drug taking, sex and adultery. Some readers have felt that this goes too far but others have argued that, in the themes and language used, the novel is simply holding a mirror up to modern Australia.

Sympathy for the main characters is in short supply leaving the "Whose side are you on?" question possibly unanswered however, the reward for readers is to experience a well crafted story iconic of its time and place.

Flash forward to Tsiolkas's new novel Barracuda and we meet Danny, a talented athlete with a obsessive drive to fulfil his destiny as a world class swimmer. Danny is from a working class family but wins a scholarship, on the back of his prodigious talent as a swimmer, much to his father's antipathy.

The structure of the novel allows the reader to simultaneously witness both Danny's rise to national swimming star alongside his fall into drug taking, crime and prison.

Danny initially uses his unchartered sexuality to his advantage - his adoration of his fellow team mates drives a steely competitiveness that untimely leads to success. Later, in jail, his relations with other inmates turn darker as he spirals into self loathing and resentment. On leaving prison, Danny's skills as a carer, initially for a cousin and later at work, ultimately save him however, the bitter taste of unfulfilled dreams and wasted potential runs throughout the story.

Following a best seller like The Slap was never going to be easy. Having achieved world wide acclaim with the novel and TV adaptation Tsiolkas could have chosen to write a further novel with this same audience in mind. Instead Barracuda is a much tighter story based around one key character rather than the ensemble of The Slap which in itself will alienate some. However, Barracuda's themes of family crisis, class divide and broken dreams in modern Australia pick up right where The Slap finished.

Tsiolkas's work may be raw and dark in places but what is lacking in polish is made up for in truth. The multi-cultural Australia portrayed in these novels depicts a nation at a cross roads - wealthier and more cosmopolitan than ever yet still unable to reconcile a patch-work of ideology and faith.

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Inspiring teens to read can be tough. So many, especially boys, abandon fiction at secondary school for other forms of 'entertainment'. Words seem to loose their cool quickly and suddenly.

Whilst reading lists from enthusiastic school teachers might look like home work, there is something to be said for more personal recommendations.

With the help of this blog's facebook friends we're putting together the Word's Shortlist of teen reads. To add your recommendations tweet @wordsshortlist or comment to the post on FB. 

The Teen fiction shortlist:

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 1/4 - Sue Townsend
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
1984 - George Orwell
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

The best modern young adult fiction....

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
Grimm's Tales - Philip Pullman

"From July of his sophomore year at college to January next year, Tsukuru Tasaki was living while mostly thinking about dying."

Random House may not have yet announced the release of the English translation of Murakami's new work Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and his year's of pilgrimage but we do know that.... 

a) This novel reportedly sold over 1 million copies in its first week alone in Japan - typical native frenzy from this literary legend.

b) British fans of 1Q84 and Norwegian Wood will be queuing around the block on its release day - will bookstores run the same midnight events that occured around the launch of 1Q84?

The novel is already available in countries including Spain and The Netherlands (Dutch cover photographed below) but looks like we'll have to wait a little longer for the English translation. 

Internet chat suggests that we could see the novel released in August 2014. In the meantime, there's time to catch up on Murakami classics. 

The Word's Shortlist recommends:

Norwegian Wood

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

Kafka on the Shore

Murakami fans are loyal and committed which makes up for the lack of media publicity from Murakami himself. One of the best fan blogs includes a nifty map detailing all the places mentioned in novels. See the 1Q84 map of Tokyo here http://www.haruki-murakami.com/1q84map

Murakami bibliography here http://www.randomhouse.com/features/murakami/site.php?id=

The Luminaries is an epic read. At over 800 pages this tome requires commitment, application and stamina! Eleanor Catton’s 19th Century gold-rush tale is beautifully written and rich with sublime prose that’s deserving of the huge critical acclaim and Booker recognition.

The story unfolds in a New Zealand gold mining outpost, home to prospectors and financiers from Europe and China, and centres around twelve key townsmen dealing with a mysterious death. As an historic novel this era of extreme hope and optimism, alongside harsh toil and bitter hardship, is rendered exceptionally. The Wilderness of the setting creates a microcosm in which the central characters exist alongside blurred lines and fabricated personal histories. Impeccable research, along with the framing of the narrative around two strong females make this a compelling read for fans of historic drama.

Structurally the book is a marvel- but therein lies the rub. Concentration is seriously required to tie together the fragmented narrative which swings backwards and forwards in time as it focuses on each character. The risk for the occasional reader is that the plot will essentially be lost in a tangle of timelines and intricate relationships. The chapters become progressively shorter (a reference to the overarching lunar theme) which drives the pace forward brilliantly and each chapter begins with a 19th Century style resume which readers of classical fiction will recognise and appreciate.

The plot itself is well conceived and packs a punch in terms of twists and turns so long as you can follow them! The lunar calendar theme possibly plays a larger part then alluded to in this piece however, to the untrained this will be a secondary device to the character driven plot.
Identity is one of the main conceits in the narrative which has plenty of intriguing personalities and back stories. The characters are all believable; particularly the linch pin Anna whose fortunes wax and wane throughout the story. Another engaging character is Ah Sook the owner of an opium den in the nearby Chinese settlement.

In short, The Luminaries is an engaging experience and a reminder how good great writing can be. The key reward for readers here is to simply enjoy literature at its best. Eleanor Catton literally leads you into labyrinth world which you are unlikely to forget. Let the prose sweep you up!

Follow the Shortlist on twitter @wordsshortlist

Read about a potential TV mini series here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11196097

 

 

Beautifully crafted and skilfully structured - if a bit of a schlep at over 800 pages.

Anyone reading The Luminaries?