The Fifth Tweet by Roy M. BurgessMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Warm-hearted rags-to-riches and back again story set in a world where creative writing, coding and music on vinyl intersect. I loved the voice, the humour, gullible-but-talented Frankie. I even loved the insights into IT. Brilliant writing that deserved a closer proof-read, but that won't put me off diving into the follow-up.
Beyond the Bay by Rebecca BurnsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
English sisters find unexpected personal freedoms in New Zealand as parliament awards women the vote. I wondered if Esther might be somewhat ahead of her time in her attitudes, but nevertheless enjoyed the main characters' relationship and the differences between them.
HellSans by Ever DundasLoved the idea of a dystopian society where people's receptivity to a particular font determines their status, but I couldn't connect with the characters. After pages of telly dialogue I skim-read about 75% of its 450 pages, so it wouldn't be fair to assign a star rating.
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie DimalineMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lovely YA cli-fi dystopian novel about a group of indigenous North Americans on the run from government officials who would harvest their bones to steal their dreams.
You, Me & the Sea by Elizabeth HaynesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Two wounded people forced into each other's company throught their work on a windswept Scottish island: will they find the courage to open up their hearts?
The Day Chuck Berry Died by Ian InglisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Small incidents assume grand proportions when viewed from another angle, from a different point in life. Events and experiences that once seemed especially significant become less important as time moves on. Intense friendships fizzle away to nothing when gaps in ideology stretch too wide. These stories made me think of how we’re like matryoshka dolls with different versions of ourselves buried within. Some are novelistic in scope, reminiscent of a collection by Alice Munro, but I think my favourite was one of the tighter, simpler stories about a chance encounter in a Parisian cafe with a surprising twist.
A Circle of Five by Harris JoshuaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The stories of five separate women who immigrated to England from Jamaica in the 1950s and 60s. Their lives are interesting and author has done an amazing job in gathering and arranging their testimonies but, after 670 pages, they tend to blend into each other. Stricter editing, a sharper focus or a smaller sample of women would have made it more enjoyable for me. Also, published in 2020, it just missed the Windrush Scandal – I would have liked to know, given their general underplaying of British racism, what these women made of that.
A Keeper of Tales by Marilyn PembertonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Harriet Vee meet at Oxford university in 1885 where their frustrations at the restrictions on female students lead to a prank that gets them expelled. Their friendship deepens with a move to London where Vee paints and Harriet tries to publish a book of adult fairytales inspired by her grandmother. Fascinating slice of women's history.
Under Solomon Skies by Berni Sorga-MillwoodMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Framed by the drama of two young men lost at sea, this provides a fascinating insight into the economics, topography and cultures of the Solomon Islands and the changes wrought by globalisation and the climate emergency. Sadly let down by poorly edited prose.
The Peckham Experiment by Guy WareMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Fact-based novel about identical twins with conflicitng ideologies involved in post-war social housing from the 1950s drive to replace the slums to the 1990s Thatcher sell-out. I found the first-person rambling of the surviving twin alienating initially, but I'm glad I read on to learn about the politics and mechanics of the early tower blocks which, for different reasons (concrete then, cladding now) risk the lives of the poor.
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