www.list.co.uk/books FAMILY DRAMA ALISTAIR MORGAN Sleeper’s Wake (Granta) ●●●●●
This is a breathtaking debut novel from a young South African writer which asks deep questions about grief, pain, love and life, and does so in a story that is almost unbearably tense and fraught with unspoken, complicated emotions, yet is also wonderfully, bleakly comic in its execution. From the first line we enter the utterly compelling world of Cape Town resident John Wraith, a middle-aged man who regains consciousness after a car crash, which killed his wife and young daughter. His painkiller-fuelled confusion is exacerbated by the fact that there was no apparent cause for the crash, during which he was at the wheel.
When he goes to the unspoilt coast of Nature’s Valley to recuperate, he encounters a family recovering from their own horrors – devoutly religious father Roelf, 17-year-old daughter Jackie and younger brother Simon.
John’s relationship with Jackie is a deeply unsettling and confused mesh of fatherly protectiveness and sexual impulses, a relationship that drags the reader squirming and screaming towards a remarkably powerful climax, a morally ambiguous cauldron of seething hatred, bare violence and extreme passion.
All of which is achieved in a mere 179 pages of clear, precise prose, in which not a word or punctuation mark is wasted. The complex nature of John’s grief (for his family, his way of life, himself) is brilliantly evoked between the lines, as is the quicksand of his feelings for Jackie, in an evocative, brave, honest and simply stunning novel that stays with the reader long after the last page is turned. (Doug Johnstone)
WAR TALE ALEKSANDAR HEMON Love and Obstacles (Picador) ●●●●●
Too tightly weaved together for your average collection of short stories, but containing sections too complete to be mere chapters in a standard novel, Love and Obstacles is a staggering achievement for this Bosnian- American writer. His fourth literary work to date is a cleverly constructed cycle of linked narratives set in Africa, Slovenia and Chicago, all featuring bookish teens and messed-up types affected in some capacity by the 1992 Bosnian war. Each tale hits hard in a variety of different ways as the characters face issues with romance,
violence and drugs and although the themes are wide-ranging, youthful hope versus the harsh reality of life seems to be a constant throughout. It’s bleak in content, yes, but beautifully written as Hemon conjures up weighty sentences packed full of imagery and driven by action, experimenting with style and form from start to finish. A profound undertaking for any reader. (Camilla Pia) RELATIONSHIP DRAMA ANNE TYLER Noah’s Compass (Chatto & Windus) ●●●●●
Baltimore story-maker Anne Tyler delivers book number 18 here, about a retired teacher suffering from amnesia. Sixty-year-old Liam Pennywell likes keeping
things simple. Jam sandwiches for lunch, generic French bistro posters decorating his bland, boxy bachelor pad and avoidance of any stress or arguments if possible. He mostly avoids people too, until a head injury causes a blackout that brings his three daughters, sensible ex-wife and no- nonsense sister back in to his life. Tyler has the minutiae
of suburban America nailed, and describes Liam’s cloyingly worthy born-again Christian daughter, or frumpy but still magnetic love interest Eunice with humour and wise attention to detail. Sometimes that detail can bog the story down, making the pace dawdle, but when it picks back up, it’s a sweet if slightly pedestrian study of a stubborn, grumpy old man falling in love, and a pensioner portrait of someone you end up really rooting for. (Claire Sawers)
CRIME STORY CHRIS LONGMUIR Dead Wood (Polygon) ●●●●● This debut Scottish crime novel deals with some hard-hitting
subject matter – serial killing, prostitution, drugs, organised crime – which makes its lacklustre nature all the more frustrating. Set in Dundee, we follow single mum and part- time hooker Kara as she struggles to repay money to a local gangster, then gets embroiled in a multiple murder scene in nearby Templeton Woods. Dead Wood is written with pace, but there are several problems lacing through it. Dialogue is often stilted and awkward, characters are little more than thin crime genre clichés and, worst of all, the plot repeatedly relies heavily on unbelievable coincidence – a fatal flaw in this kind of story. The backdrop of Dundee isn’t utilised as it might be; in fact, street names aside, this
could be anywhere. Flat and clunky on the page from start to rather ridiculous finish, this is a poor addition to the Scottish crime genre. (Doug Johnstone) SUPERHERO COMIC DAN SLOTT, JOHN ROMITA JR & VARIOUS The Amazing Spider- Man 600 (Marvel) ●●●●●
The 600th issue of any title is cause for celebration, particularly as iconic a character as Marvel’s mascot Spider- Man. The lead story from Dan Slott, with art by John Romita Jr, re- introduces arch villain Doctor Octopus (plus another big return, but we won’t spoil that particular surprise) alongside Aunt May’s wedding day. It’s a solid story summing up Spider-Man and Peter Parker’s personalities with a decent shot of action to keep things ticking over. Number 600 is a
bumper issue running at a whopping 104 pages with a host of back-up stories and special features ranging from the fast, fun and frivolous (including joke covers, a short from Stan Lee himself and a knowing chuckle at the
Reviews Books ALSO PUBLISHED
Neil Cross Burial Two ordinary guys who get caught up in a tragic death have to cover for each other and then struggle to live with the guilt. None of which can possibly end well. Pocket. Dreda Say Mitchell Geezer Girls A quartet of 15- year-olds trapped into working for The Geezer manage to escape. When they are all grown up and preparing for a wedding day, said geezer turns up demanding they perform one last job. Hodder.
Lee Weeks Death Trip Not based on a true story, this tale features gap-year students who are kidnapped in Thailand. The detective half-brother of one of the hostages infiltrates the Mafia to launch a daring rescue bid. Avon.
Lawrence Block Hit and Run The fourth in the Hit series featuring John Keller, stamp collector, chronic worrier and mad assassin. Orion.
Bill Vidal The Clayton Account A debut tale about the contents of a Swiss bank account, spent by the son it was left to, but apparently the property of a crazed drug baron. Arrow.
‘Spider-Mobile’) to a couple of touching tales dealing with Ben Parker and Aunt May’s relationship through the years. A fitting tribute marking a milestone issue. (Henry Northmore) 13–20 Aug 2009 THE LIST 17