books
the oath: I shall not spoil
Eradication: A Fable by Jonathan Miles
Why this book?
The writing is excellent. It’s different. It’s clever. There is a playfulness about it which is like a breath of fresh air.
What makes it excellent?
As a reader you are hooked from the first line. Yet Miles as an author isn’t going to spoon feed you background. You’re not going to get slapped in the face with specifics. He is going to let you gently form a connection to the main character before he trusts you with details. Words aren’t wasted. You are swept along on the journey and information is revealed to you bit by bit, cleverly making the story crystal clear and giving us the feeling that we have been invited to be there alongside the main character. After reading the book I go back in my mind and I can picture the moments so vividly that I’m emotionally tied to them as if I myself went through them. The end is literally breathtaking. This is a book that will stay with you.
This is an island adventure story like no other.
Let’s talk about the setting and premise …with no spoilers!
Open the book and the first thing you see is a map showing the Isla of Santa Clara. It is a remote island in the Pacific Ocean that the main character is sent to in order to save. To save it from what I’ll let you find out. What is revealed from the beginning though is that our main character is far from a typical Hollywood action hero. He’s not strong, physically or emotionally. What he does have is an innate sense of empathy and care for the consequences his actions. The further he trudges into his bizarre challenge the more you feel for him.
What else?
Look at the cover! What a cracker! It’s so different from all the other templates that are endlessly churned out. They say don’t judge a book by…but this cover clearly shows that this book is something unique.
One last thing…
Eradication inspired me. It goes through dark places but Jonathan Miles has such compassion that I felt safe in his hands to be guided through what he wants to show us with this story. This is the kind of author that makes the world a better place. But I’m not saying this in a sappy or cheeseball way. I’m saying it because it was frigging great!
This Is Not About Us - Allegra Goodman
The premise…sans spoilers.
Chapter one begins with 74 year old music teacher, Jeanne, on her deathbed at home. All of her family arrives to see her off. Jeanne is comically honest and family members are described as they flit in and out of her spotlight. Hints of their personalities are given yet in this chapter their volume is purposely turned down. That doesn’t stop the fact that they do all sound slightly off the wall.
Read further and each will get their music turned way up. I’d say that the essence of this novel is less about plot and more about discovering what on earth is going on with each character.
A humorous and touching family novel that you will want to savour.
Why this book?
First of all, it is funny.
Second of all, that cake that you see on the front cover is significant so hats off to Goodman for putting baked goods into the plot. – At the beginning you don’t realise that you are going to care about all the characters, yet the more you delve in, the more you can’t help yourself. Each chapter follows a different family member and each one of those chapters would hold up on its own as a short story. They’re not throw away. They’re unique. Had you walked past one of these characters on a busy street you wouldn’t have battered an eyelid but because Goodman cleverly lets each family member have a voice, one by one, your heart goes out to them.
One brilliant and creative technique she uses throughout the novel is to give an opinion through one character’s voice, only to have that opinion’s doors open to difference when a new voice comes into play.
It is also interesting that she can make each character’s voice so clearly their own whilst still using third person narration. They are truthful and believable, from a 12 year old to an 80 year old.
What else?
This novel allows the reader to connect with bravery. Bravery not on the scale of fighting dragons or fantasy epic, but on how we have to decide to be brave on a daily basis. The novel becomes beautifully whole because it shows courage from so many age ranges and situations in life.
One last thing…
The title is the key. This Is Not About Us. Sprinkle a little bit of that realisation to people around the world and it is bound to make a difference for the better. One of my absolute favourite words is humble.