What I read : January

I was taking an intensive course between September and December so had a really busy few months with not much reading at all. There were a few great books I read during that time that have slipped through the cracks so I may add them to a future month's review but for now, here's everything I read during January...

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

This story begins with an explosion - a bomb planted in an art museum that steals 13 year old Theodore's mother away from him and reverberates through the rest of his life. It sets off a chain of events that take him from the desolate plains of Las Vegas, to an anxiety ridden room in Amsterdam, to the warm wood filled basement of a New York antique store. Ever present is The Goldfinch, a painting taken from the debris of the museum that Theodore clings to as the last reminder of his mother.

Tartt’s writing style pulled me in from the beginning, her characterisation and lulling prose are The Goldfinch's strengths as it tangles together love and art and loss. It's a weighty novel, coming in at nearly 800 pages and whilst I think there could have been some more editing, especially in the latter half, this is a really immersive, enjoyable read. I'm definitely going to add more of Tartt's work to my TBR.

Such A Fun Age - Kiley Reid

This is a recent release, and one that has been topping best book lists for months. Such A Fun Age focuses on two women; Alix and Emira. Emira is Alix's babysitter, still unsure of the path she wants to take in life, yet already plagued by the sense of being left behind. Alix has built a successful social media career founded on 'Girlboss feminism'. Struggling with her recent move to Philadelphia, she is unashamed to use her young daughter Briar as a marketing tool, yet desperate to avoid her inquisitive imagination.

In the aisles of a late night supermarket, Emira is confronted by the security guard, accused of kidnapping Briar, an act that draws emphasis to the differences and tensions between the two women. At the heart of the book is an exploration of privilege in its many forms - Emira is young, black and desperate for the security of a full time job, whilst the older Alix comes from money and has built a career out of an unaware form of entitlement.

I enjoyed the humour and bite of this novel, Reid is not afraid to make her readers uncomfortable, frequently mocking modern 'wokeness' with characters oblivious to their actions. I sped through it, the plot is excellently crafted - once you start reading you can't look away.

The Broken Earth Trilogy - N.K. Jemesin

Welcome to The Stillness, a sprawling dystopian continent where the Earth is a dangerous, volatile place to inhabit. Earthquakes and tsunamis frequently ravage the land and civilisations are built behind great walls, constantly in danger of being lost to the landscape. And then come Seasons, apocalyptic events sometimes lasting generations, where the ground breaks apart, ash covers the sky and few survive. Integral to this land are orogenes, those who can pull power from the Earth They are connected to this land yet shunned, hated and feared by the rest of its people. They are taken from their families, forced into brutal training and killed when no longer needed.

This is a sprawling, complex world that Jemesin has created, a trilogy that effortlessly blends fantasy and dystopia in a thrilling tale. I'm not usually a big fan of fantasy but this is an incredible series, one I would recommend to anyone.

This is an entirely unrecognisable world, yet Jemesin has crafted characters that are so deep and believable. The trilogy addresses oppression, power and control, how society thrives off of those it enslaves. It is immersive, exciting, yet tender, with characters and a story that grip onto you from the very start. You will be desperate to read all three books in one go - make sure you have the full trilogy ready before you start!

The Death of Vivek Oji - Akwaeke Emezi

I have been excited for Emezi's next novel since I read Freshwater a few summers ago - it was one of my favourite books of the year and I couldn't wait to experience more of their writing. I don't want to go into too much detail about the plot of TDOVO but as the title reveals, it begins with the body of Vivek, wrapped in cloth and left on the doorstep of their family home. The story twists through time, beginning with this stab of grief and as the characters become fleshed out, the weight of the inevitable reminds the reader of Vivek's transience. The novel explores questions of sexuality, identity, self acceptance and gender. It is heartbreaking story, and Emezi has created a character with so much vibrance and light instilled in them, who binds people together and carries them on their own journeys. Vivek seems to glow through the other characters of the novel, a beautiful testament to their love. I already can't wait for whatever Emezi writes next.

The Icarus Girl - Helen Oyeyemi

Oyeyemi is another author whose previous work I loved - White is for Witching was one of the texts on my Gothic course at uni and I was entranced by it. Similarly, The Icarus Girl also explores gothic themes such as the double, but also through the lens of Nigerian mythology. 8 year old Jessamy is plagued by her powerful imagination and increased sensitivity to the world - she enjoys spending hours shut in the dark of the laundry cupboard or reading books, crossing out the parts where bad things happen. She struggles to find her place, both at school and at home and Oyeyemi plays with the idea of duality and belonging, particularly when it comes to Jessamy's mixed race identity. Whilst visiting her maternal family in Nigeria, Jessamy meets TillyTilly, a strange girl who entraps Jessamy, powerful with dangerous intent. This is a book that really gets its claws into you and Oyeyemi renders her readers as powerless and helpless as Jessamy, unable to predict what will happen next. It's a really powerful story of isolation, with an unstable self and malevolent shapes lurking in the dark.

Such a great book, and Oyeyemi wrote it whilst doing her A levels (!).

Starve Acre - Andrew Michael Hurley

After the Willoughbys lose their young son they break apart in separate ways. Juliette haunts the isolated farmhouse, desperate to feel her son's presence again whilst Richard escapes outside, searching the field for the roots of an ancient tree. As both disappear into their own worlds, reality shifts and takes on a dark, corrupt shape as nature becomes subverted and the past tangles in the present. Starve Acre has the feel of a fever dream. Rooted in the trauma and grief of this couple, this short book is claustrophobic and unsettling, with unpredictable twists and uncomfortable imagery. A really interesting exploration of grief that aims to shock and catch you by surprise.

Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This book cemented my love for Adichie's writing - it is gripping and beautiful and atmospheric, threaded with sharp humour. Americanah begins in Nigeria, with the young Ifemelu and Obinze falling in love. When Ifemelu moves to America for university their relationship ends and years pass, yet the connection between the two doesn't seem to be over. The narrative spans three continents, exploring the African diaspora and differing immigrant experiences, both in America and England. The narrative primarily focuses on Ifemelu adjusting to a new way of life in the States, to a new way of thinking about race and all the specific and different ways it is engrained in the American experience. Adichie's characters are bold and complex. Ifemelu in particular felt so real, and I enjoyed watching her development and growth over the course of the novel.

Swimming Home - Deborah Levy

The Jacobs arrive to their holiday villa in France to find a girl floating face down in the pool. This is Kitty Finch, a strange fan of poet Joe Jacobs' work. Over the course of the novel she slips between the cracks in relationships, and the summer takes on a sour finality. This held the possibility to be a tense, tightly wound plot, but instead it seemed to slip past me and I felt nothing to latch me on to any of the characters. I really enjoyed Deborah Levy's autobiographical work so was excited for her fiction but slightly let down by Swimming Home.

Good Morning Destroyer of Men's Souls - Nina Renata Aron

I haven't seen many reviews, or much talk about this book at all, which really surprises me. I'm a big fan of memoirs and this is an almost perfect example of how to execute it. Addiction sinks its claws into Renata Aron's life from a young age, she watches her sister battle a heroin addiction and later leaves a stable marriage and family to pursue an affair with K, also an addict. She roots her personal experience of addiction within the history of co-dependency and Al-Anon. This works to provide context whilst also historicising women's frequent, yet often overlooked, role as caregivers for addicts. This side of addiction often remains in the dark and GMDOMS shines a light on how it feels to love someone whose habits are slowly destroying both themselves and you.

Renata Aron expertly balances the damage K and his addiction creates in her life with moments of searing, tender affection, the love for him that makes it so hard for her to walk away. There is a clear emphasis in the memoir on the responsibility often placed on women to shoulder male trauma and caregiving, as well as the complicated and connected nature of addiction, love and dependency.