April in Books
The first book I read in April was Salt Lick by Lulu Allison, which has been nominated for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction.
Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I generally find this kind of near-future, dystopian fiction pretty overdone, and usually quite depressing, and Salt Lick was no exception. I felt like very little happened in this book, and the overly expressive writing style dragged the story out for far too long. By the time I reached the end, I just wanted it to be over.
⭐⭐
Up next was another Women's Prize for Fiction nominee, The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini.
I read The Bread the Devil Knead in one sitting, reading past my usual bedtime, and if that isn't the sign of a good book then I don't know what is. Lisa Allen-Agostini tells her protagonist's story of daily life and past trauma with candour and sensitivity, but this book takes the reader to some dark places so it won't be for everyone. I loved the way she evokes the book's Trinidad and Tobago setting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, which I read next, was shortlisted for this year's Rathbones Folio Prize, and had been on my TBR list for too long.
Small Things Like These is a very short read, although I like where the story ends. I liked the sense of time and place which Small Things Like These evokes, but not much happens in this story, a point which is emphasised by a rather heavy-handed writing style. Perhaps I would have liked this one more as part of a collection.
⭐⭐⭐
After this novella came a collection of poetry, A Blood Condition by Kayo Chingonyi, which has been longlisted for this year's Jhalak Prize.
A Blood Condition is the kind of poetry collection that makes you wonder why you don't read more poetry. This is such a wonderfully connected collection, in which you can admire the curation of the whole as well as the composition of individual poems. I loved the rhythm of Kayo Chingonyi's writing, which made reading A Blood Condition such an pleasurable experience. An impressive, moving, and highly readable collection.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Keeping the House by Tice Cin, which has made the Jhalak Prize shortlist.
Keeping the House offers the reader a visceral slice of life, but it’s a tough read which jumps between characters, places, and timelines. I enjoyed the snatches of poetry, and the way Tice Cin wrote about violence so as not to linger on unnecessary details. I just wish there had been a clearer message or arc, to bring a little more cohesion to this ambitious story.
⭐⭐⭐
The only thing better than a long train journey is a long book, so when I had a few days away in April, for a family wedding, I read The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn.
Since Zadie Smith's introduction, to this collection of all five novels in the Patrick Melrose series, is a far better review than I could ever hope to write, I will simply say that I have found a new favourite. The TV adaptation, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is also well worth a watch.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The final book I read in April was Good Intentions by Kasim Ali.
Good Intentions was such an easy read, based around a simple concept that grabbed my attention from the very start, and made me want to keep reading until the end. I really enjoyed the way Kasim Ali uses such a simple plot to explore so many interesting and complex ideas, in a judgement-free way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I generally find this kind of near-future, dystopian fiction pretty overdone, and usually quite depressing, and Salt Lick was no exception. I felt like very little happened in this book, and the overly expressive writing style dragged the story out for far too long. By the time I reached the end, I just wanted it to be over.
⭐⭐
Up next was another Women's Prize for Fiction nominee, The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini.
I read The Bread the Devil Knead in one sitting, reading past my usual bedtime, and if that isn't the sign of a good book then I don't know what is. Lisa Allen-Agostini tells her protagonist's story of daily life and past trauma with candour and sensitivity, but this book takes the reader to some dark places so it won't be for everyone. I loved the way she evokes the book's Trinidad and Tobago setting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, which I read next, was shortlisted for this year's Rathbones Folio Prize, and had been on my TBR list for too long.
Small Things Like These is a very short read, although I like where the story ends. I liked the sense of time and place which Small Things Like These evokes, but not much happens in this story, a point which is emphasised by a rather heavy-handed writing style. Perhaps I would have liked this one more as part of a collection.
⭐⭐⭐
After this novella came a collection of poetry, A Blood Condition by Kayo Chingonyi, which has been longlisted for this year's Jhalak Prize.
A Blood Condition is the kind of poetry collection that makes you wonder why you don't read more poetry. This is such a wonderfully connected collection, in which you can admire the curation of the whole as well as the composition of individual poems. I loved the rhythm of Kayo Chingonyi's writing, which made reading A Blood Condition such an pleasurable experience. An impressive, moving, and highly readable collection.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Keeping the House by Tice Cin, which has made the Jhalak Prize shortlist.
Keeping the House offers the reader a visceral slice of life, but it’s a tough read which jumps between characters, places, and timelines. I enjoyed the snatches of poetry, and the way Tice Cin wrote about violence so as not to linger on unnecessary details. I just wish there had been a clearer message or arc, to bring a little more cohesion to this ambitious story.
⭐⭐⭐
The only thing better than a long train journey is a long book, so when I had a few days away in April, for a family wedding, I read The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn.
Since Zadie Smith's introduction, to this collection of all five novels in the Patrick Melrose series, is a far better review than I could ever hope to write, I will simply say that I have found a new favourite. The TV adaptation, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is also well worth a watch.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The final book I read in April was Good Intentions by Kasim Ali.
Good Intentions was such an easy read, based around a simple concept that grabbed my attention from the very start, and made me want to keep reading until the end. I really enjoyed the way Kasim Ali uses such a simple plot to explore so many interesting and complex ideas, in a judgement-free way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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