Rokitansky By Alice Darwin

I was lucky to meet Alice at a writing workshop we were attending.  It is always nice to hear authors talk about their books.  She told me how she self-published Rokitansky and what it was about.  It sounded intriguing so I downloaded a copy onto my kindle.  Rokitansky Syndrome is a condition I knew nothing about until I read this book. 

The story opens with fifteen year-old Moira who is told that she’s got a medical condition, which the medical profession don’t know much about, but which means she will never be able to have a baby.  After their initial shock and grief her parents are embarrassed and Moira is expected to get on with her life and not mention her medical condition to anyone.  The next chapter is about Tori and Harry, a couple who are embarking on the journey of finding a surrogate mother.   Their journey will be long and emotionally challenging.  Then we see Mrs Brown.  A woman nearing the end of her life, but eager to look after the elderly residents of Godalming Lodge and to tackle the pile of paperwork that seems to always be with her.  It is clear that all isn’t as it appears to be with Mrs Brown.  The book continues with each chapter written in this order until its conclusion where all the strands are neatly pulled together.  I was a bit puzzled about how the three stories were linked, but then came the twist, which I wasn’t expecting.   Alice uses some beautiful and original language in her descriptions.  It is an emotional read, but hopeful too.

The Accident by C L Taylor

I always enjoy a psychological thriller and this was no exception.  Sue Jackson’s fifteen year old daughter, Charlotte, is in a coma.  She has been knocked down by a bus.  Everyone believes it was an accident, except Sue who has read an entry in her daughter’s diary that makes her think otherwise.  Sue’s husband Brian is increasingly worried about his wife’s paranoia and tries to convince Sue that what happened to Charlotte was an accident.  Sue grows increasingly suspicious of those around her, including Brian and Charlotte’s friends.  In trying to find out what really happened to Charlotte Sue is forced to confront the secrets of her own past and the abusive relationship she was involved in twenty years ago.  The chapters alternate between the present day and Sue’s past, which is written in diary form.  It was a gripping read and I can’t wait to read the author’s next novel due out in April.  

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Based on a real event this is the story of Agnes Magnusdottir who, in 1829, in Northern Iceland, was tried and sentence to death for her part in the savage murder of her lover, Natan Ketilsson.  Once convicted, the authorities decide that until a date is set for her execution, Agnes will be placed under the care of District Officer Jon Jonsson and his family and she will live and work on their farm.   The descriptions of the harsh Icelandic environment were atmospheric and the portrayal of the austere hardship of agricultural life was well done.  It took me a while to get used to the style – the chapters switch between first person point of view and third person point of view, but in the end I thought this worked.  Agnes’ account was told in first person and as such I felt more attuned to her emotions and fears.  I would have liked to know more about the other characters in the story especially the priest Toti, whose task it is to bring Agnes closer to God.  I wish I had read the author’s notes first as the background to how she came to write the story and the research she undertook was interesting and made me understand the story more.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The book explores the theme of Asperger’s Syndrome in a light-hearted way.  Don Tilman is thirty-nine and a professor of genetics at a university in Melbourne. He is aware that his brain is wired differently from most people.  He struggles in social situations and has to plan every minute of his day to a strict timetable.  If, on occasion, he has to deviate from his timetable it causes him lots of stress.  He has heard that men live longer if they are married so he compiles the wife project, a scientific test to find his perfect partner.  Then in walks Rosie and his structured life is thrown into chaos.  Rosie enlists Don’s help to find her real father and together they embark on the father project.  The story is told from the point of view of Don and, seeing the world through his eyes, made for an interesting read.    

Two Women by Laurie Lee

A short read – I finished it in an evening.  The book is composed of photographs and prose demonstrating a man’s love for his wife and daughter.  The book opens with this evocative sentence, which sets the scene for a haunting narrative: “The photographs in this book are of the two women who have occupied most of my late adult life, enclosing it in a double embrace, like bookends.”   I always enjoy Laurie Lee’s poetic way with words and this was no exception.

An Officer And A Spy by Robert Harris

A tantalizing historical thriller set in France in 1895.  It is about the trial of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, wrongly accused of passing secrets to the Germans. Dreyfus is found guilty and sent to Devil's Island for life.  It is narrated by Colonel Georges Picquart as he takes up his position to run the intelligence unit that identified Dreyfus and his crimes.   I found it interesting as it is not a period of French history I was familiar with.  The first half of the book sets the scene as Picquart slowly gets to grips with life in the intelligence unit and the politics involved.  He discovers that secrets are still being passed to the Germans and then other information comes to light that forces him to believe Dreyfus is innocent.  Now he just needs to convince his superiors, but the honour of the French army is at stake and the ranks close in against him.   For me the first half dragged a bit, but once I got past the halfway point I could not put the book down.  The amount of research that the author must have done is staggering, but at no point did it feel like a history lesson as the story is interwoven with vivid characters whose hopes and fears are believable. 

Us by David Nicholls

I enjoyed One Day by the same author, so I was looking forward to reading Us, which was long listed for The Man Booker Prize.  After two decades of marriage Douglas and Connie Petersen are about to become empty nesters.  Douglas is looking forward to this new chapter in their lives, but then Connie announces she’s thinking of leaving him.  His son, Albie, feels like a stranger.  In one last attempt to save his marriage and keep his family intact Douglas plans a once in a lifetime family holiday touring the cultural delights of Europe.  Douglas is a biochemist, Connie, is an artist.  No one is sure what Albie wants to be, but Connie is keen to encourage him in his artistic endeavours.  In the beginning I wasn’t convinced by the characters.  I felt that Albie and Connie were both self-centred and I wanted to shake Douglas.  As the story unfolded and I learnt more about the couple’s history, the highs and lows of their relationship, I started to believe in the characters and I was hooked.  It was interesting seeing the story through the eyes of Douglas.  I found the book laugh out loud funny at times and at others touchingly sad.  I thought it was pitched perfectly.