Of Cattle and Men by Ana Paula Maia Ana translated by
Zoe Perry
Edgar Wilson is grateful for his job in a remote Brazilian slaughterhouse, although the work certainly takes its toll. He cares about the cows and so despises his younger colleague who doesn’t stun them sensitively before they’re killed. But it’s dirty work – a highlight is when a new colleague offers him a pair of goggles to stop the blood getting in his eyes. |
I found this a good read but would have welcomed a stronger narrative arc. I suspect it would have a greater impact on non-vegetarians and Brazilian citizens whose economy is so reliant on meat.
Daughters Beyond Command by Véronique Olmi, translated by Alison Anderson and published by Europa editions, is a coming-of-age story about the three daughters of a staunchly Catholic conservative family against the backdrop of societal changes in 1970s France.
Set in Rwanda, All Your Children Scattered by Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse, translated from the French by Alison Anderson and published by Europa editions, is about colonialism, civil war and intergenerational trauma.
The Fawn by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix and published by MacLehose Press, set in 1950s Hungary, is about an embittered actor wounded by her poverty-stricken past.
Ada’s Realm by Sharon Dodua Otoo, translated from the German by Jon Cho-Polizzi and published by Quercus Books, is a multilayered story spanning six centuries featuring four women called Ada in Ghana and Europe, linked by a bracelet of fertility beads.
History. A Mess by Sigrún Pálsdóttir, translated from the Icelandic by Lytton Smith and published by Peirene Press, is about a PhD student who discovers her ground-breaking thesis is built on false foundations.
Alone by Carlotta Gurt, translated from the Catalan by Adrian Nathan West and published by Europa editions, is a vivid novel about the human dilemma of balancing inside and outside, privacy and connection, civilisation and the wild, when a woman leaves the city to write a novel in her remote childhood home.
My absolutely favourite from this list has to be The Fire by Daniela Krien. Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch and published by MacLehose press, featuring a middle-aged couple whose marriage is at a crossroads is a beautiful and intelligent story of attachment and transgenerational trauma. From the same author, translator and publisher, Love in Five Acts addresses similar themes in the lives of five loosely connected women, focusing on the ups and downs of love for their partners and children, and the partners and children they haven’t had. While I enjoyed the writing, it was hard to maintain my interest in all so many point of view characters and I soon lost track of who was sleeping with whom. |
Violeta by Isabel Allende, translated from the Spanish by Frances Riddle and published by Bloomsbury, is the fictional memoir of a woman born in Chile (albeit unnamed) during the Spanish flu and dying a hundred years later during the covid pandemic against the backdrop of political turmoil in her native country. I felt it lacked focus.
The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul, translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken and published by Peirene Press, about the aftermath of a woman’s partner’s murder. I enjoyed the quirky style and randomness of the unexpected initially, but I needed at least some of it to make sense by the end.