Giving the victims a voice
There is seemingly no way to review this book without spoilers, so I apologise and caution readers in advance, that if you do not want a spoiler, please stop reading the review now! The book is not a work of...
Books
“The tremendous stress of demanding their share”
Nancy Hopkins’ tape measure is enshrined in the MIT Museum, and for good reason. For those who are perplexed by the inclusion of such a standard household product in the museum, and actually for anyone interested in the history of...
Black and British and a teenager
Having been widely acclaimed on the Black British Writing scene for I Am Not Your Baby Mother and Sista Sister, which dealt with the challenges of being a young black woman in modern day urban Britain, I expected good things...
The Kenyan Independence Struggle, through British eyes
The blurb for Leopard at the Door reeks of The Far Pavilions. “A sweeping tale of self-discovery, betrayal and an impossible love.” “evocative portait of a woman — and a nation — on the cusp of profound change” Note how...
A feminist scientist in love
Since this is a bestseller with such a promising title, I was keen to read it in the hope of some ‘pseudosciency’ content. Alas, it turns out not to have much to do with science despite its protagonist being a...
The first South Asian American
In the early 1600s, America was vast and Europeans had a tenuous foothold in Jamestown, Virginia. To encourage immigration, every Englishman who brought a servant or bonded labourer to America was ‘given’ 50 acres of land. One of the Englishmen...
“Elegies and epitaphs, but also signs and wonders”
I just know I am not going to be able to do this book justice because I suspect I did not fully grasp the topic matter and all its implications, but I will review it anyway because I enjoyed it...
“It is simply mine. And that is what matters.”
When this collection came out in 2009, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was already well known from the excellent Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun, but had not yet published the wonderful Americanah. This collection, This Thing Around Your Neck,...
Excellent Penang fantasy
At first reading of the blurb, I was none too sold on this book; it came across as being in the fantasy genre with ghosts and hauntings – the supernatural is not really my scene. However, since it is set...
A Library of One’s Own
Imagine a weatherproofed box of books outside a house where anyone is free to stop by and pick up a book, drop off a book, or just browse. It is such a charming idea, and seems so community-minded and friendly....
A dedicated, thoughtful, doctor
Having thoroughly enjoyed Henry Marsh’s first book, Do No Harm, and also quite enjoyed his second, Admissions, I was pleased to hear of the publication of his third book, And Finally. Marsh is a neurosurgeon, and his first two books...
Growing up and growing old in 1990s Bangalore
A debut author with a collection of short stories set in Bangalore; definitely worth investigating. Most of the stories in Shubha Sunder’s collection, Boomtown Girl , focuses, as befits the title, on girls growing up in Bangalore in the 1990s....
Multiracial Britain
Adekoya is a Nigerian Polish man, married to a Nigerian woman, and who identifies strongly with his Christian faith too. These identity factors are important to him, he tells his readers. He sets out to investigate and tell the story...
Secrets and Lies
The early wave of South Asian immigrant writing focused on the immigrants themselves: their unfamiliarity with the new country, discrimination, yearning for a home that changed after their departure, and excitement about the opportunities now available to them. The next...
Dickensian Appalachia
The perennial problem with getting one’s hands on a new release by a favourite author, is the reining in of expectations, so as not to unfairly set up a novel for failure/disappointment. It is hard however, not to get excited...
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