October took me away from my usual diet of police procedurals and multiple murders. Instead, there was time travel, a tangled set of relationships, some dark humour and a literary classic I still can’t make my mind up about.
Five books, 1,417 pages and five different authors. One in particular turned out to be a real discovery.
Leave Them All Behind – Anthony Grace
A little of the story: This instalment of the Nearly Dearly Departed Club brings together an eccentric cast whose separate troubles become increasingly tangled. With characters including Rose, Tommy, Mercy and Charlie Goose, the story mixes suspicious situations and unlikely alliances with plenty of awkward, darkly comic moments.
306 pages
Anthony Grace brings a welcome dose of dark humour to the crime. I like a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and this was an entertaining way to start the month. Sometimes that’s exactly what I’m after.
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
A little of the story: Teenager Holden Caulfield recounts the days following his departure from boarding school, wandering through New York, meeting old acquaintances and finding fault with almost everyone he encounters. Beneath the complaints and sarcasm is a young man struggling with growing up, loneliness and change.
192 pages
Oh, Holden Caulfield. Here we go again. I’ve read this fifteen or sixteen times and still don’t know whether I actually like it. Holden must be one of the most irritating literary characters ever committed to paper. My original interest came from my teenage obsession with all things John Lennon, and the book’s notorious connection to his murderer, Mark David Chapman. With age I’ve become more aware of Lennon’s contradictions;the man who preached peace and love didn’t always live up to his own ideals. Perhaps there was something of the ‘phony’ about him too. But nothing about those contradictions could ever justify his murder. As for Holden, I’ll probably read him again in a few years. And still won’t know whether I like him.
Conversations with Friends – Sally Rooney
A little of the story: Frances and Bobbi, former girlfriends who still perform spoken-word poetry together, meet Melissa, an older writer and photographer, at a Dublin poetry event. Their growing connection with Melissa and her husband Nick draws them into a complicated tangle of friendship, attraction and loyalty.
336 pages
My introduction to Sally Rooney came about for reasons that had little to do with her writing. When the controversy surrounding Palestine and calls to ban or boycott her books made headlines, I decided to buy the lot. People, particularly politicians, do not get to tell me what I can and cannot read. I’ll make my own mind up, thank you very much. What I found instead was a story full of messy relationships and complicated people. A bit like real life, really.
Five – Ilona Bannister
A little of the story: At a suburban railway station, four deaths have taken place over more than a century. Now, as the 7:06 train to London Victoria approaches, a fifth is about to happen. The opening introduces several people whose lives converge around those few crucial minutes. That’s all I’m giving away.
283 pages | Book of the Month
Every so often I discover a writer and wonder how I’ve managed to miss them. Ilona Bannister is one of those. I found Five thoroughly absorbing;the sort of book where ‘just one more chapter’ turns into another hour. I enjoyed it so much that I went straight out and bought her other two books. That probably tells you all you need to know.
No Onward Chain – Keith A Pearson
A little of the story: In the third Echo Lane adventure, a journey through time leaves the characters trying to make sense of a future that is familiar in some ways and utterly baffling in others. Danny and his colleague Gavin find themselves navigating the world of 2020, where even everyday things;from coffee shops to old phone boxes;have changed beyond recognition. And, of course, there’s the small matter of the pandemic.
300 pages
I discovered Keith A Pearson during lockdown, when his books provided some welcome escapism. I’ve followed his work ever since, dipping into his time-travel adventures whenever I fancy a break from the murder investigations that usually fill my reading list. There’s a certain irony in returning to Echo Lane only to find COVID-19 woven into the story. I picked up Pearson to get away from the pandemic;and here it is, waiting for me in a book!
October’s verdict
Quite a varied month, then: some familiar favourites, a different sort of novel from Sally Rooney and another encounter with the infuriating Holden Caulfield. Ilona Bannister was the standout discovery.
Book of the Month: Five – Ilona Bannister. Another little dent in the ever-growing pile waiting to be read. On to November!
October’s books – cover gallery
