One Grand Summer by Ewald Arenz - Translated by Rachel Ward - #bookreview #blogtour

 

If any of us four was going to make it to Rio de Janeiro, it would have been Johann. In a way, that was clear from the start. Johann had what it took, and besides, he was the musician...

***

Sixteen-year-old Frieder’s plans for the summer are shattered when he fails two subjects. To be able to move up to the next year in the Autumn, he needs to resit his exams. So, instead of going on holiday with his family, he now faces the daunting and boring prospect of staying at his grandparents’ house, studying with his strict and formal step-grandfather.

On the bright side, he’ll spend time with his grandmother Nana, his sister Alma and his best friend Johann. And he meets Beate, the girl in the beautiful green swimsuit...

The next few weeks will bring friendship, fear and first love – one grand summer that will change and shape his entire life.

***

This is a beautiful story which has been exquisitely written. 

It has a gentleness to the text, and is one of those books that I could imagine myself reading again. It has been set during the period of one summer, and we observe the main character, sixteen year old Frieder, sent to stay with his grandparents, as having failed a couple of his exams his strict step-grandfather takes on the task of bringing him up to speed for his re-sits. The rest of the family go on their family holiday as usual, leaving behind a very disappointed Frieder.

However, his sister Alma is with him, his best friend Johann nearby, and he also meets Beate, a girl who makes his heart sing and we observe Friedrich as he pursues her in his clumsy teenage way and falls in love.

We also watch him mature throughout the summer and the author does a brilliant job of conveying this on the page through sparse language and lack of sentimentality. I am sure we all remember the summers of our youth and the first time we fell in love. There were certainly points where I recognised myself as a teenager and could thus identify with Frieder. We observe the him mature and Mr Arenz portrays this perfectly.

The pacing of the novel is appropriate for it's genre, with just the right combination of dialogue and narrative. This book has left quite an impression on me and I enjoyed reading it very much. It is definitely one to slip into your summer reading.

ISBN:  978 1916788183

Publisher:  Orenda Books

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  300 (paperback)

About the Author:

Ewald Arenz was born in Nuremberg in 1965, studied English, American literature and history, and now works as a teacher at a grammar school. His novels and plays have received numerous awards. Tasting Sunlight was longlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, shortlisted for the German Booksellers Best Novel Award, and featured on the Spiegel bestseller lists in both hardback and paperback for months. One Grand Summer won the German Booksellers Prize in 2021, and was a number-one bestseller in Germany. Ewald lives with his family near Fürth.

(ARC and media courtesy of the tour organiser)

(all opinions are my own)

The Wolf Hunt by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen- #Translated by Sondra Silverston - #BookReview

 I look at the tiny fingers of a newborn baby and try to understand how they could possibly grow into the fingers of a killer. The dead boy is named Jamal Jones. In the newspaper photo, his eyes are as dark as velvet. My boy is named Adam Shuster. His eyes are the color of the sea in Tel Aviv. They say he killed Jamal. But that's not true...

***

Lilach seems to have it all: a beautiful home in the heart of Silicon Valley, a community of other Israeli immigrants, a happy marriage and a close relationship with her teenage son, Adam. But when aa local synagogue is brutally attacked, her shy, reclusive son is compelled to join a self-defense class taught by a former Israeli Special Forces officer. Then a Black teenager dies at a house party, and rumours begin to circulate that Adam and his new friends might have been involved.

As scrutiny begins to invade Lilach's peaceful home, and her family's stability is threatened, will are her own fears be the greatest danger of all?

***

When I read this author's book, Waking Lions, a few years ago I thought it was brilliant. So when the opportunity arose to read an advanced readers copy of The Wolf Hunt, I jumped at the opportunity. If you would like to read my review of Waking Lions you can do so by clicking here.

The Wolf Hunt was an equally wonderful novel from the pen of the Israeli author, Ms. Gundar-Goshen. I will be surprised if this does not make it into one of my favourite books of the year.

I was gripped from the very first page (above) and the author lays out the premise for the whole book in her opening words. She is a marvellous storyteller and pulls the reader straight into the heart of the book.

As a mother I could identify with the main character, Lilach. Her fears, concerns and worries were tangible and I think all readers, not just parents, will be able to empathise with her feelings. She is an excellently well portrayed character. It is clear that the author completely understands her character and fully inhabits her. The role of her husband and son are equally fully realised characters and she brings them fully to life.

The story is full of suspense, and it made this book a real page turner for me. It is also heart felt and compassionate, dealing with some difficult issues by considering the grey areas inbetween the black and white simplicity of a situation.

This is accomplished storytelling at its very best, and this was one of those rare books which I did not want to end. I highly recommend it.

ISBN:  978-1782279884

Publisher:  Pushkin Press

Formats:  Hardcover

No. of Pages:  288

Purchase Link*

About the Author:

AYELET GUNDAR-GOSHEN was born in Israel in 1982. She is a practising clinical psychologist, has been a news editor on Israel’s leading newspaper and has worked for the Israeli civil rights movement. One Night, Markovitch, her first novel, won the Sapir Prize for best debut. Her novel Waking Lions was a New York Times Book of the Year and won the Wingate Prize, and her novel Liar was Editor’s Choice in People magazine. All of her novels are available from Pushkin Press.

About the Translator:

SONDRA SILVERSTON is a native New Yorker who has lived in Israel since 1970. She has translated works by Amos Oz, Etgar Keret and Eshkol Nevo. Her translation of Amos Oz’s Between Friends won the 2013 National Jewish Book Award for fiction.

Purchase Link*

(ARC courtesy of NetGalley)

(author/translator photo and info courtesy of Pushkin Press)

(All opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Reading Roundup for August 2023

 

This month has not been such a great one for me, and I have not reviewed as many books as usual. I had to have a stay in hospital (nothing serious) and upon my discharge I caught covid. I was looked after brilliantly by the NHS but lying there recovering I found it really difficult to read. There was so much necessary hustle, bustle and noise going on around me and I found I couldn't settle to anything.

Most of all, I missed my dog. It goes without saying that I missed by lovely husband too, but I was at least able to see him each day during visiting hours. My husband tells me that the dog missed me equally and judging from the reception his waggy tail gave me when I returned home he was quite right. So, this month my gorgeous dog, Buddy, is my header photo for no other reason that I love him and missed him so much.

Anyway, enough dog talk and on to books. I am a little behind with my reviews this month but they will be coming. In the meantime, here are the books which I read this month.

Books I Have Read

The Wolf Hunt by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen - This was easily my favourite book this month. My review will be up very soon so watch this space.  Purchase Link*

In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes - This was an excellent book and my review will be up soon.  Purchase Link*

All Good Things by Amanda Prowse - I like this authors' books very much and this was no exception. My review will be up soon.   Purchase Link*

The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey - This was most enjoyable for anyone who enjoys Golden Age detective fiction.  Purchase Link*

How to Draw a Giraffe: The Alice May Way by Alice G. May - I spent a very enjoyable afternoon with this book. You can find my review by clicking here.

Norah's Ark by Victoria Williamson - My review of this smashing book will be up tomorrow in time for the blog tour.  Purchase Link*

Wartime with the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker - This is the first in the Cornish Girls series. I liked it very much and my review is coming.  Purchase Link*

Kings and Queens: Alfred the Great to King Charles III and Everyone In-Between! by Marcia Williams - This was a fantastic comic-strip presentation aimed at junior school/middle grade children. If you would like to read my review you can do so by clicking here.   Purchase Link*

The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce - This historical fiction title is one in a series and I cannot wait to read some of the others. My review for this book can be found here.  Purchase Link*

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan - Although this book is not what I expected I enjoyed reading it very much. You can find my review by clicking here.  Purchase LInk*

The Prosecco Pact by Kiltie Jackson - A story of three very different women who are friends. You can read my review by clicking here.

Don't Look Away by Rachel Abbott - This was a fabulous read and I highly recommend it. You can read my review by clicking here.  Purchase Link*

Books I Did Not Finish

Last of the Summer Moet by Wendy Holden - Not finishing this is no reflection on the book but I was trying to read this in hospital and could not get into it.

I, Julian by Claire Gilbert - I had really high hopes for this book but couldn't get into it. I may try it another time.

Books I am Partway Through

Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells

The Yorkshire Farm Girl by Diane Allen

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Through Three Rooms by Sven Elvestad - Translated by Lucy Moffatt - Intro by Nils Nordberg - #bookreview @LucyTranslator.

One winter evening some three years ago, Asbjorn Krag was sitting by the fireplace in his apartment, leafing through a huge folder of documents he had received from one of his clients. The lamp cast a sharp light on the papers, which were many and various - yellowed letters, diverse accounts, numerous telegrams. Suddenly the detective gave a start: a ring at the doorbell.

Krag put down the papers. A man's voice was audible in the hall.

Surmising that the new arrival was a client, the detective quickly stood up, dimmed and then doused the lamp...

***

When an old school friend whisks private detective, Asbjørn Krag away by train to an isolated snow-covered manor house, his curiosity is aroused.

John Aakerholm, a wealthy landowner with peculiar tastes, refuses to disclose why he is utterly terrified. Every evening at midnight he retires to bed, locking himself within three different chambers - and access is strictly forbidden. When a shocking murder takes place, Krag must use his sharp wit and skills to uncover the killer before he strikes again.

A brilliantly ingenious story, Through Three Rooms amply displays Elvestad's gift for storytelling and style. Available in English for the very first time, this book will delight fans of vintage crime fiction. This new translation features an introduction by Nils Nordberg, radio drama producer and Norwegian authority on crime fiction.

***

This novella is part of a series in the Asbjorn Krag mysteries. Originally published in Norway in 1915, this is the first time it has been translated into English.

It is a country house murder mystery whose main character, John Aakerholm, fears for his life. It is a clever story and the mystery surrounding Aakerholm's bedroom which can only be accessed via three different locked rooms kept me guessing until the end.

However, I did guess who the murderer was but not the reason behind it. It is very much dialogue led and I could easily envisage this as a play script. 

Being so short, it moved along at a brisk pace. This could easily be read in a single sitting and was both enjoyable and entertaining.

It has been expertly tranlated by Lucy Moffatt and includes an interesting and informative introduction by Nils Nordberg.

This will delight fans of the traditional crime story. The publisher, Kabaty Press, have several other of this series in their catalogue and I would love to read more of them.

ISBN:  978 8396616623

Publisher:  Kabaty Press

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  140 (paperback)

About the Author:

Sven Elvestad (1884-1934) was born Kristoffer Elvestad Svendsen and also wrote under the pseudonym Stein Riverton. During a golden age for Norwegian crime fiction, Elvestad reigned supreme as the King of Crime in northern Europe. He wrote close to 100 books, with several published in as many as 17 languages. His masterpiece The Iron Chariot, published in 1909, anticipated by 16 years a twist later used by Agatha Christie in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

​Elvestad became an international celebrity. With a tall and distinct appearance, as well as a passion for food, drink and tobacco, he was popular with painters and cartoonists. He changed his name after being caught embezzling from his employer as a young man and took up a second career as a journalist. He was the first foreign journalist to interview Adolf Hitler and often played a colourful part in his own stories, once spending a day in a circus lion’s cage.

Although reprints of his books have been few and far between in the years since, his pseudonym inspired the name of the Norwegian Crime Writers’ Association, Rivertonklubben, the Riverton Club, a society for the cultivation and improvement of crime writing. A special honorary Riverton prize is reserved for distinguished service for Norwegian crime fiction. There is also an honorary international Riverton prize which is given out occasionally, among its recipients are PD James, Maj Sjöwall and Henning Mankell.

About the Translator:

Lucy Moffatt is an award-winning translator (Norwegian and Spanish into English). She won a 2014 John Dryden Prize for her translation of an excerpt of a novella by Hans Herbjørnsrud and she was awarded the NORLA Translator’s Award in 2020.

 

(Book, photos and all author/translator bio info courtesy of the publicist)

Ada's Realm by Sharon Dodua Otoo - Translated by Jon Cho-Polizzi - #bookreview #socialblast

 

During the longest night of the year, blood clung to my forehead and my baby died. Finally. He had whimpered in his final moments, and Naa Lamiley had caressed his cheek. How lovely, I had thought, that this would be his final memory. She lay just beside him, the child between us, and her head resting next to mine. Naa Lamiley's eyes shimmered as she assured me it would not be much longer now, "God willling". She whispered because all of our mothers were sleeping on the other side of the room, but Naa Lamiley's voice would have given out at any moment anyway. Together, we had cried and prayed at my baby's side the last three nights. I could barely hear her, and I understood her even less. While she caressed him, she had stared at me, as if surprised by my confusion...

***

WHERE IS ADA?

In a small village in West Africa, in what will one day become Ghana, Ada gives birth again, and again the baby does not live. As she grieves the loss of her child, Portuguese traders become the first white men to arrive in the village, an event that will bear terrible repercussions for Ada and her kin.

WHEN IS ADA?

Centuries later, Ada will become the mathematical genius Ada Lovelace; Ada, a prisoner forced into prostitution in a Nazi concentration camp; and Ada, a young, pregnant Ghanaian woman with a new British passport who arrives in Berlin in 2019 for a fresh start.

WHO IS ADA?

Ada is not one woman, but many, and she is all women - she revolves in orbits, looping from one century and from one place to the next. She experiences the hardship but also the joy of womanhood: she is a victim, she offers resistance, and she fights for her independence.

This long-awaited debut from Sharon Dodua Otoo paints an astonishing picture of femininity, resilience and struggle with deep empathy and humour, with vivid language and infinite imagination.

***

The actor, Paterson Joseph has described this book as "a time-travelling wonder of a read…” and I have to agree. There were many things that I enjoyed about this debut novel from Sharon Dodua Otoo.

The writing is beautiful with a lyricism that is poetic. There were times I stopped and re-read passages simply because they were so perfectly constructed.

It has a unique narration in that much of the story is told from the perspective of a series of inanimate objects, each of which is connected to Ada in different time periods; a broom, a UK passport, a door knocker as well as a series of other things.

Ada is meant to represent all women and the trials and tribulations that we all suffer. She is a reincarnation of herself through the centuries, and are all linked through time by a bracelet which appears in an exhibition during the modern age.

The narrative was not linear and I found this a little confusing at times. The novel is complex in its construction, and although I liked it I was a little perplexed by it at times.

However, as a debut novel I was impressed. It is true I had to work at understanding this book, and I suspect that different readers will take away alternative views of what it was about. I would love for you to read this and let me know your thoughts.

ISBN: 978 1529419016

Publisher: MacLehose Press

Formats:  e-book, audio and hardback

No. of Pages: 320 (hardback)

About the Author:

Born in London in 1972 to Ghanaian parents, SHARON DODUA OTOO is a political activist and novelist living in Berlin. After having published several newspaper articles and two novellas in English, she wrote a short story in German which was later awarded the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize (2016), one of Germany's most renowned literary awards. She is politically active with several civil rights organisations, including the Initiative Black People in Germany (ISD), a Black queer feminist organisation called ADEFRA, and Phoenix. Ada’s Realm is her first novel.

 

About the Translator:

Jon Cho-Polizzi is a freelance literary translator and Assistant Professor of German at the University of Michigan, with Korean and Italian-Jewish roots. He received a PhD in German and Medieval Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was managing editor for the online academic journal TRANSIT. His translations have appeared in the Jewish Museum Berlin, the Maxim Gorki Theater, taz, Jewish Currents, renk Magazin, Versopolis Poetry, and Der Spiegel, as well as in numerous anthologies. He lives and works between Ann Arbor, Northern California, and Berlin.

(ARC, author photo and bio. info. courtesy of the publisher)

The Witches by Brenda Lozano - #BookReview

 

It was six at night when Guadalupe came to tell me they had killed Paloma. I don't remember times or dates, I don't know when I was born because I was born like the mountain was, go ask the mountain when it was born, but I know it was six at night when Guadalupe came to say they killed Paloma as she was getting ready to go out, it was six at night when I saw her there in her room, when I saw her body on the floor and the shine for her eyes on her fingers and I saw her hands they were two in the mirror and the shine was on both like she had just put it on her eyes, like she could get up to put some on mine.

***

This is the story of who Feliciana is, and of who Paloma was.

I had wanted to get to know them, but I realised right away that the people I needed to know better were my sister Leandra and my mother. Myself. I came to understand that you can't really know another woman until you know yourself...

Weaving together two parallel narratives, Witches tells the story of Feliciana, an indigenous curandera or healer, and Zoe, a journalist: two women who meet through the murder of Feliciana's cousin Paloma.

In the tiny village of San Felipe in Jalisco province, where traditional ways and traditional beliefs are a present reality, Feliciana tells the story of her life, her community's acceptance of her as a genuine curandera and the difficult choices faced by her joyful and spirited cousin Paloma who is both a healer and a Muxe - a trans woman.

Growing up in Mexico City, Zoe attempts to find her way in a society straitjacketed by its hostile macho culture. But it is Feliciana's and Paloma's stories that draw her own story out of her, taking her on a journey to understanding her place in the world and the power of her voice.

This captivating novel of two Mexicos envisions the writer as a healer and offers a generous and distinctly female way of understanding the complex world we all inhabit.

***

This is a very special book. It was a captivating novel to read, illustrating the complexity of the world in which women live.

It is a dual narrative, alternating between the voices of Feliciana and Zoe. The voices are distinct and the narrative moves seamlessly between the two characters.

Set in a small Mexican village, where being a healer is passed down through the male line, Feliciana learns her art from her cousin, Paloma, who was born a male but becomes a female. The author skilfully tackles the blurring of the genders, presenting the male character of Gasper, who later becomes the female Paloma.

It is not a spoiler to tell you that Paloma is murdered, and this is what brings Zoe, a journalist, to Feliciana's door, to investigate and report on the murder. However, meeting Feliciana leads Zoe to consider her own life and her relationship with her sister.

Overall, the book is about the relationships that women have with one another; Feliciana and Paloma, and also Zoe and her sister, Leandra.

Translated from Spanish by Heather Cleary, the book is original and like no other that I can recall reading. I adored the lyricism of the prose and recommend this unusual novel.

ISBN: 978 1529412277

Publisher: MacLehose Press

Format: Hardback and e-book

No. of pages: 272 (hardback)

About the Author:

Brenda Lozano is a fiction writer, essayist and editor. Born in Mexico City, she studied literature in Mexico and the United States. She has participated in literary residencies in the US, Europe and Latin America, and her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Mexico20 and Bogotá39. She edits the literary journal Make in Chicago and is part of Ugly Duckling Presse in New York. She is the author of two earlier novels, Todo nada (2009), which is currently being adapted for the screen, and Cuaderno Ideal (2015), recently published by Charco Press in an English translation by Annie McDermott as Loop, and a book of short stories, Cómo piensan las piedras (2017). In 2015, she was recognised by Conaculta, the Hay Festival and the British Council as one of the most important authors under forty years of age from Mexico, and in 2017 she was selected by the Hay Festival for Bogotá 39, a list of the most outstanding new authors from Latin America. She currently lives in Mexico City.

(author bio & photo courtesy of Hachette Publishing)

(ARC courtesy of the publisher)

Three Rival Sisters by Marie-Louise Gagneur & Translated by Anna Aitken and Polly Mackintosh #BookReview

 

The village of Domblans lay deep in a lovely verdant valley in the Jura. The houses were all tucked away discreetly behind layers of foliage, and from neighbouring hilltops one could just make out brown roof tiles and the angular spire of the church through the dense line of poplars that wound its way along the river.

***

Much acclaimed amongst her contemporaries and yet all but forgotten today, Marie-Louise Gagneur was a defining voice in French feminism. These stories, translated into English for the first time, critique the restrictions of late nineteenth-century society and explore the ways in which both men and women are hurt by rigid attitudes towards marriage.

In 'An Atonement', the Count de Montbarrey awakes one morning to find his wife dead, leaving him free to marry the woman he really loves. Could the Count have accidentally killed his wife? And how can he atone for his crime? 'Three Rival Sisters' tells the story of the rivalry between Henriette, Renée and Gabrielle as they compete for the affections of one man. But marriage does not necessarily guarantee happiness, as the sisters are about to find out.

Steeped in wit, empathy and biting social criticism, and with echoes of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Kate Chopin, the stories show Gagneur to be worthy of renewed attention.

***

This is very much a book of two parts as it consists of two unrelated short stories, Three Rival Sisters and Atonement.

Personally, I found the titular story to be the superior of the two. It was interesting to watch the behaviour of the three sisters, Henriette, Renee and Gabrielle as they vie for the attention of a single man.

It was entertaining and witty and not unlike Jane Austen in the authors portrayal of the situation. She has put everything into place in order that the reader can come to their own conclusion as to how this scenario will play out. The prose, which is beautifully composed, suggests that marriage and love do not necessarily go hand in hand.

Atonement paled in comparison to its predecessor. It reminded me a little of Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, in its theme. Again, it was nicely written, but the story did not have the same complexity and I was not engaged by the characters or how the story would resolve itself.

ISBN: 978 1910477953

Publisher: Gallic Books

No. of Pages: 224 (paperback)

About the Author:

Marie-Louise Gagneur was a French feminist, writer and activist, born in Domblans in 1832. She wrote essays, short stories and more than 20 novels, often focusing on anti-clericalism and issues surrounding the status of women in society. She later called for a reform on divorce laws and challenged the Académie Française to feminise French job titles. Gagneur was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur in 1901 and died in 1902.

(author photo courtesy of Wikipeadia)

(biographical info courtesy of Belgravia Books)

Tales From the Italian South by Angelina Brasacchio - Translated by Julia Rivers -#BookReview

 

Once upon a time, when little girls had cotton wool in their heads and clothes with juretti and the boys wore hob-nailed boots so that the soles didn't wear out, and both wore black smocks, and carried black-covered exercise books and a cardboard folder, there was a girl in a quite ordinary family who was called Mena la Penicillina.

These eight stories by Angelina Brasacchio are set amid the rugged scenery and white sand beaches of the Italian South. But this is Italy, not as seen by tourists, but of the inhabitants deeply rooted in the soil of Calabria. We are drawn into their everyday lives and particularly their relationships with 'outsiders' whether gypsies, American soldiers blown in by the winds of war, or refugees fleeing their homelands because of persecution or poverty. 

***

Tales of the Italian South is a slender volume of eight exquisite short stories, all of which are oozing with the atmosphere of its geographical landscape.

The stories are set against a backdrop which is simultaneously rugged and beautiful, and I found it intoxicating. I have been fortunate enough to have visited this part of Italy and so I could envision the places mentioned.

However, these stories are about the past, and the draw that they have on people to return. Many of these tales were about going back; about our need to return to the place where we began.

It was also about its influence on outsiders and the part that outsiders had to play on the region. From Romany gypsies to Syrian refugees, these stories illuminate the interconnectedness between all peoples.

For me, it was this that I particularly enjoyed about these stories. Some of the stories were generationally linked whereby, the reader can witness the happenings of a particular family.

It also explores what happens when an insider becomes an outsider and vice versa.

This is an excellent anthology of short stories, and I highly recommend reading them.

ISBN: 978 1916289550

Publisher: Aspall Prime

About the Author:

Angela Brasacchio is an established Italian author and has published six novels in Italy, including Tales from the Italian South. Some of her novels have been informed by her activities as a trade unionist and one of the earliest feminists in Southern Italy. Her book They Wanted to Change the World focussed on the 1968 protests in Europe and she demonstrated her non-conformist character by being the first

Calabrian woman to wear trousers in public. She participated in the student demonstrations of 1968 and was recognised at national level in trade union circles.

Come With Me by Nicola Viceconti - Translated by Laura Bennett - #BookReview

 

"Paris, 19th July 2015

They tricked us, Franco. They tricked us! They duped us with their ideology, their propaganda and their imaginary paradise of justice and liberty. They destroyed us. They wiped out our love, as if peoples' hearts were anything to do with them. You understood what they were like before I did. No soul and no conscience! That's what you said that time at the hospital. How could anyone be indifferent? The time to tell people has come. Please. You're someone who can, so do it for me too!"

Just a handful of words before Irina vanished into the darkness. She was thin, very thin, if it hadn't been for her unmistakable eyes, I wouldn't even have recognised her. It was very painful seeing her again. Her cheeks were dirty with earth and she had a large grey bruise across her forehead, which was more furrowed than I remembered.

The eighty-year-old Professor Franco Solfi, a disillusioned former communist, discovers a note in the pocket of an old coat from the love of his life, a Russian girl called Irina. He had believed that she was dead, but is now convinced that she is alive and crosses two continents in an attempt to find her.

***

This is such a wonderfully heart-warming novel. An elderly man who discovers that the love of his life is not dead, as he had believed and sets out to find her. I was immediately captivated by the premise.

It contains all the ingredients of a book that made me want to sit down quietly and read through from the first page to the last in one sitting. This was entirely possible as the book is only 170 pages long and it was a joyous way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

As the protagonist of the story crosses borders in his search for Irina, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the cast of idiosyncratic characters that he met along the way. They were well portrayed, and each brought something to the novel.

It made for fascinating reading as we learn of the disillusion of communism as experienced by the main character. It was disturbing to learn of the control that had been exerted over Franco and Irina and which ultimately resulted in their separation.

Appropriately paced, the novel proceeded in a gentle manner and every word was carefully placed. It may be a short novel but there is plenty in it to hold the readers interest.

However, for me, the main theme of the story centred around the potential of a reunion between them. As ever, there are no spoilers in this review, but suffice to say that I found the concluding chapters to be extremely moving.

If any further books written by Mr Viceconti are translated into English I will definitely be reading them. I highly recommend this book, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

ISBN: 978 1916289536 

Publisher: Aspal Prime

About the Author:

Nicola Viceconti is a prize-winning, Italian writer, poet and sociologist, with a passion for history and the culture of Latin America with particular reference to the subject of human rights. Some of his novels were published simultaneously in Italy and Argentina and also distributed in Cuba and Chile. The Chamber of Deputies of the Province of Buenos Aires bestowed upon him the prestigious title of Visitant Ilustre (Honoured Guest) for his work in keeping alive the history of the Argentinian people through his novels portraying significant historical moments in contemporary culture and politics. 

He is the winner of numerous Italian literary prizes for his novels and poetry including for this novel, Come With Me.

Diary of the Fall by Michel Laub - Translated by Margaret Jull Costa #BookReview

"My grandfather didn't like to talk about the past, which is not so very surprising given its nature; the fact that he was a Jew, had arrived in Brazil on one of those jam-packed ships, as one of the cattle for whom history appears to have ended when they were twenty, or thirty, or forty or whatever, and for whom all that's left is a kind of memory that comes and goes and that can turn out to be an even worse prison than the one they were in."

A schoolboy prank goes horribly wrong, and a thirteen-year-old boy is left injured. Years later, one of the classmates relives the episode, as he tries to come to terms with his demons.

Diary of the Fall is the story of three generations: a man examining the mistakes of his past, and his struggle for forgiveness; a father with Alzheimer's, for whom recording every memory has become an obsession; and a grandfather who survived Auschwitz, filling notebook after notebook with the false memories of someone desperate to forget.

Beautiful and brave, Michel Laub's novel asks the most basic - and yet most complex - questions about history and identity, exploring what stories we choose to tell about ourselves and how we become the people we are.

***

The writing in this book is beautiful. By that, I do not mean it is pretty and flowery, but that it is a collection of short, succinct, spare chapters that convey emotion and meaning. It was very moving and each word was meticulously placed and really mattered.

It was hugely thought provoking and engaged me from start to finish. If I had to sum up it's theme in one word I would say that it is about guilt and how a childhood prank can affect the life of both parties involved, well into adulthood.

However, it is about so much more than that. Each section is divided into the story of a grandfather, his son and his grandson and it tackles the generational impact of the Holocaust. However, it is not a book about the Holocaust per se. In fact, there are no descriptions of the grandfather's time in Auschwitz but it's shadow hangs over the theme of the book.

Written in the first person narrative of the grandson, the book has an immediacy despite it largely being about events of the past. It tells a relevant and purposeful story and is very well worth reading.

This book is a significant addition to the Jewish fiction canon and I highly recommend it. 

ISBN: 978 1846557323

Publisher: Harvill Secker

About the Author:

Michel Laub was born in Porto Alegre and currently lives in Sao Paulo. He is a writer and journalist, and was named one of Granta's twenty 'Best of Young Brazilian Novelists'. Diary of the Fall is his fifth novel, and is the first to be translated into English. It has received the Brasilia Award and the Bravo! Bradesco Prize.

About the Translator:

Margaret Jull Costa has been a literary translator for nearly thirty years and has translated novels and short stories by such writers as Eca de Queiroz, Fernando Pessoa, Jose Saramago, Javier Marias, Bernardo Atxaga, Diogo Mainardi and Albrto Barrera Tyszka.

She has won various prizes for her work, most recently the 2012 Calouste Gulbenkian Prize, with Teolinda Gersao's The Word Tree, for which she was also runner-up with her version of Antonio Lobo Antunes' The Land at the End of the World.