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BOOKS | Reviews
YOUNG ADULT PATRICK NESS Release (Walker Books) ●●●●●
Billed as his most personal novel yet, Patrick Ness’ new book for young adults will be warmly welcomed by his fans, though it’s probably not the one to start with if you’re a Ness newbie. In Release, Adam Thorn is a charismatic, witty
gay teen in Washington state, cursed with strongly religious parents who think he’s made the wrong ‘lifestyle choice’ – and he’s having one hell of a day. The love of his life is leaving town, his best friend Angela is hiding something, his devoutly Christian older brother drops a bombshell, his boss is a creep, and he’s not sure how he feels about his latest boyfriend. Plus, his town is still reeling from one of his peers being murdered up by the lake – which is coincidentally where the party he’s going to that night is being held. And alongside Adam’s own personal hell, a ghost is being raised from the dead.
Ness is best known for his superlative Chaos Walking trilogy, and bona fide weepie A Monster Calls. But Release is more reminiscent of his eerie afterlife adventure More Than This and 2015’s Buffy homage, The Rest of Us Just Live Here. It’s signature Ness in many ways, particularly in how it sensitively and maturely deals with the horrors – and the ecstasies – of teenage life. Yet the ghostly side plot is a little weak compared to the strength of Adam’s story. Based loosely on Ness’ own experiences growing up, it’s here that the novel really shines; Adam’s insecurities and struggle with his parents’ beliefs are heartbreaking. Ness’ fictional worlds are littered with fantastic characters: Adam is a wonderful addition. (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Out Thu 4 May.
COLLECTION SABRINA MAHFOUZ (ED.) The Things I Would Tell You (Saqi Books) ●●●●●
Written by British Muslim women, this new collection aims to offer an alternative to narrow definitions of British Muslim identity and the perpetuation of crude stereotypes, described by Samira Shackle in one story as ‘corner shops, jalfrezi, terrorism’. Within the mix of short stories,
poems and plays are pieces exploring the frustration at the limited casting of Middle Eastern female actors, honour killings in Pakistan and the women using Islamic Tinder.
Stand-outs include Kamila Shamsie’s ‘The Girl Next Door’, a tale of competition and camaraderie between two women working at Kyoon TV, and Aisha Mirza’s ‘Staying Alive Through Brexit’, a stinging criticism of white, middle-class liberal commentators.
The scope of the book, edited by poet and theatremaker Sabrina Mahfouz, is vast. It doesn’t just expose the extreme limitations of the depiction of British Muslims; it depicts and voices their multicultural, multifaceted identity. (Rowena McIntosh) ■ Out Mon 3 Apr.
66 THE LIST 1 Apr–31 May 2017
FICTION RON BUTLIN Billionaires’ Banquet (Salt) ●●●●● DYSTOPIAN DRAMA PHILIP MILLER All the Galaxies (Freight) ●●●●●
There’s a satirical edge laced into every word Ron Butlin writes, and in Billionaire’s Banquet, it’s well harnessed. The language is sharp, funny and considered, and lends credence to Butlin’s reputation as an author of tremendous talent. But this Thatcher- era meditation on the fluctuance of society is somewhat lacking.
The central characters (The Cat and Hume) indulge themselves as ever-so- liberal students: they have casual sex with each other; they give each other irritating nicknames; they go to a party, talk about philosophy, then have some more casual sex. The problem is, it doesn’t really progress from there. Butlin scratches the surface of niche societal commentary, exploring what it means to be a part of high society at the height of Thatcherism. And though Billionaire’s Banquet has some strong moments, they don’t weave together well enough for its big message to make a big enough impact.
Butlin – a former Edinburgh Makar – is an impressive writer, but there’s a bigger story here that he hasn’t managed to tell. (Rebecca Monks) ■ Out Sat 15 Apr.
Set in a period of great civil unrest, All the Galaxies foresees a dark future for Scotland, in which war, terror and anarchy are commonplace. Glasgow becomes a microcosm of the country in the aftermath of a second failed independence referendum, which is followed by a bloody and gruesome era of turmoil known as ‘The Horrors’. This novel charts the journeys of
several characters as they navigate the strange and sometimes supernatural world around them. Though the many jumps in time and complex interweaving of story is disorientating at points, this ultimately evolves into an effective plot device. The tales of Fallon and his son Roland are particularly moving, as both remain in search of something significant throughout the majority of their narratives. With such a messy backdrop being
the current norm for many places around the world, Philip Miller’s dystopian tale acts as a comment on the fragile nature of social order, forcing us to consider the careful but unpredictable balance at play in our societies. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Out Thu 6 Apr.
SEQUEL LISA MCINERNEY The Blood Miracles (John Murray) ●●●●●
Lisa McInerney exploded onto the scene with her 2015 debut, The Glorious Heresies. She amassed fans quickly, casually picking up the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Desmond Elliott Prize along the way. McInerney returns to the same stable of characters for her much-anticipated follow-up, The Blood Miracles. In the first tale, Ryan Cusack’s path
is not yet set; he’s a rough lad with bags of potential, but is being led in the wrong direction. In The Blood Miracles, he’s grown up fast, done some time and become the right-hand man of drug dealer, Dan Kane. When a new plan to ship pills to Cork goes south, Ryan’s allegiances are tested. The Blood Miracles ask the questions
‘can we ever escape from the path we’ve been set on?’ and ‘who decides what the “right” path looks like anyway?’. McInerney’s deft use of language and Hiberno-English turn of phrase help make this a rich experience. Without it, the book would be a simple drug heist gone wrong. With it, it’s well worth a second read. (Sasha de Buyl) ■ Out Thu 20 Apr.