Alif the Unseen – G. Willow Wilson

This is another review for keepcalmandreadabook from my lovely colleague, fellow book lover Jane.

“Welcome to the Empty Quarter, the domain of Djinn, ghouls, demons and the effrit who take the shapes of beasts. You used to walk among us, and we among you. Now things are different. Now we are Unseen. Alif is a half-Arab, half-Indian, 23-year-old hacker working in the Arab Emirates. His job is to provide security to enemies of the Arab states, ranging from pornographers to militant Islamists. Alif has fallen in love with the beguiling Intisar, an aristocratic woman he meets online. But their budding love affair is cruelly ended when her father arranges a marriage for her with a man of her class…”

Growing up, I enjoyed reading the children’s stories from One Thousand and One Nights. As a student I read the four-volume Madrus and Mather translation and loved it, and as an adult I adapted the Arabian Night stories for the stage – so when I read the synopsis of Alif the Unseen I knew it was a book I had to read!

Alif is a computer hacker (Alif is his ‘hacking’ name; his given name is never used). He wages an online war against censorship in the Persian Gulf State in which he lives. Half-Indian, half-Arab and the son of a second wife, in the Gulf State Alif is a second-class citizen who is in love with Intisar (a high-born Arab girl betrothed to another man) and neighbour to Dina, an Egyptian girl who has, against expectations, chosen to take the full veil.

When an ancient book, the Alf Yeom, falls in to Alif’s hands, his carefully constructed world implodes. The Alf Yeom (The Thousand and One Days) appears to be just another version of the Arabian Nights, but turns out to be a book narrated entirely by the Jinn – one that contains all the knowledge of Jinn kind preserved for future generations. The book opens a world between his modern Gulf State and an ancient world of mysticism – when true belief existed and the Jinn walked the world alongside mankind.

Alif belatedly realises that the book is of great interest to The Hand, the Gulf State cyber censor who is also hunting him online. Alif and Dina’s lives, and the lives of those they come into contact with, are now under threat as Alif must become a fugitive in both the real world and online world he usually inhabits. To reclaim a life for him and Dina back in the real world, Alif must use the hidden meanings in Alf Yeom to build a computer program tool to topple the infrastructure of a repressive State – which itself leads to a twist on the Arab Spring uprising.

From the modern city of a Persian Gulf State, to the Old Quarter medina and into the Empty Quarter of the Jinn, Alif the Unseen weaves Arabian mythology with modern life to create a truly unique book. It does, perhaps, get a tad metaphysical at times – G. Willow Wilson creates a parallel between the Qur’an and the possibilities of Quantum computing.

One of the highlights of Alif the Unseen is the fantastic cast of characters – from Vikram the Vampire, a droll, untrustworthy Jinn with a great stock of one-liners, to the charming Sheikh Bilal, whose no-nonsense approach to what life throws at him and his ability to retain his dignity whatever the situation, is a joy to read. Dina is another surprise; we are told she chose the veil, against expectations, and could be viewed as rooted in the old world, except that she’s ultimately far more forward-thinking than Alif. In a lovely scene, Dina reveals her veiled world to Alif – inside her robes she has sewn sequins, crystals and shimmering fabrics, bringing her universe to vibrant life.

There are many different levels to the book; a key one being is how we understand the world, through what is hidden or what we can see. At the start of the book, Alif is hidden by choice (by his hacker name and occupation) and through a decision to inhabit the world of the computer, ignoring the real life that surrounds him. In turn, Alif thinks Dina – in her veil – has chosen to hide, but instead her veil gives her a clearer insight into the modern world. Another word for Jinn is ‘unseen’ and they are also languishing in their parallel world, the Empty Quarter, as man loses his belief – and the Alf Yeom itself is also hiding the true meaning of the Jinn’s stories. All of this multi-layering helps to make Alif the Unseen into a fascinating read – part adventure story, part mythology and part comment on issues affecting modern Arab countries.

Many thanks to Jane for the review, and Atlantic Books for the review copy.

The Land of Decoration – Grace McCleen

“Judith and her father don’t have much, but Judith sees the world with the clear Eyes of Faith, and where others might see rubbish, Judith sees possibility. Bullied at school, she finds solace in making a model of the Promised Land — little people made from pipe cleaners, a sliver of moon, luminous stars and a mirror sea — a world of wonder that Judith calls The Land of Decoration. Perhaps, she thinks, if she makes it snow indoors (using shaving foam and cotton wool and cellophane) there will be no school on Monday…Sure enough, when Judith opens her curtains the next day, the world beyond her window has turned white. She has performed her first miracle. And that’s when her troubles begin. With its intensely taut storytelling and gorgeous prose, The Land of Decoration is a heartbreaking story of good and evil, belief and doubt. Its author, Grace McCleen, is a blazing new talent in contemporary literature.”

When I read the description for this book, it sounded right up my street. A relatable heroine and a little bit of magic, all wrapped up in a brilliantly original concept. Clara Farmer, the publishing director at Chatto & Windus, included a glowing recommendation letter at the beginning, which set the book up for me even more. I expected to love The Land of Decoration, so I was surprised and a little disappointed when I didn’t.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it, but I thought I would fall hard for this book. The problem lay in the subject matter. It’s easy to relate to a young girl’s problems, and Judith’s experiences of bullying, single parenting and awkward relationship with her father especially rang true with me. What overshadowed these messages was the religious theme running parallel to this. Judith and her father are both devout Christians. They spend evenings attending Church meetings and at weekends knocking on doors and preaching their religious messages. Though I don’t have a problem with religious novels, I don’t practise a religion myself, so it was difficult for me to relate to this.

Apart from that, it’s brilliant. Grace’s ability to realistically narrate the story from a little girl’s point of view is admirable, and as the Sunday Times promises, it is ‘skilfully and arrestingly written’. We start the story with Judith being bullied at school. Back at home, things aren’t much better – the relationship between her and her recently widowed father is painfully stilted, and the only refuge she has is in her Land of Decoration, a world of people made from pipe cleaners and bits of material. When she makes it snow, using cotton wool and shaving foam, in the hope that life will imitate art and allow her to stay home from school on Monday, she is flabbergasted that it actually happens. But this gift turns into a curse as she begins to manipulate her life further, accompanied by an unseen voice – what she perceives to be God – and gets a little more than she bargains for. Grace could have ended the novel in a desperately bleak manner, but instead leaves Judith with the promise that things are going to get better. The ending – a charming recipe for How To Make a Hot Air Balloon – is wonderfully whimsical and fits it with the story perfectly.

This tale is beautiful; it’s the pitch-perfect mix of melancholy and sweetness, and I admire both Grace McCleen’s imagination and writing skills. It just unfortunately wasn’t true love.

Many thanks to Random House for the review copy.

Just a little note to urge…

… You to read Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell. It has been all over the book news recently, but if there happens to be someone out there who hasn’t read or bought this delightful tome, then this is a strong recommendation to do so.

It’s a collection of the sometimes funny, sometimes stupid and sometimes downright ignorant comments that bookshop customers have come out with, all wrapped up in an wonderfully illustrated, hardback tome and available for the bargain price of £7.99.

Not only has Jen put together a cracking book, she’s been doing lots of good all over the place. In her 100 Poem Challenge, she raised £4,250 for EEC International, that will go to the research centres looking for a cure for the degenerative eye disease associated with EEC Syndrome. To top it all off, she’s a witty twitterer (@aeroplanegirl) and all-round book lover, which makes her a good egg in my books.

This should never leave your bookshelf.

http://www.constablerobinson.com/?section=books&book=weird_things_customers_say_in_bookshops_9781780334837_hardback

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making – Catherynne M. Valente

“September is a twelve-year-old girl, Somewhat Grown and Somewhat Heartless, and she longs for adventure. So when a Green Wind and a Leopard of Little Breezes invite her to Fairyland – well, of course, she accepts (mightn’t you?). When she gets there, she finds a land in crisis and confusion – crushed by the iron rule of a villainous Marquess – she soon discovers that she alone holds the key to restoring order. Having read enough books to know what a girl with a quest must do, September sets out to Fix Things. As September forges her way through Fairyland, with a book-loving dragon and a partly human boy named Saturday by her side, she makes many friends and mistakes; loses her shadow, her shoes and her way. But she finds adventure, courage, a rather special Spoon, and a lot more besides…”

A couple of sentences into this book, I knew it would quickly become a firm favourite of mine – and I wasn’t wrong. Beautiful and magical, the tale blends childlike innocence and vivid imagination with dark and sinister undercurrents, making for a gripping read.

Join September, Saturday and A-Through-L as they navigate Fairyland on a mission. The world has been torn asunder by The Marquess who has brought all of the worst bits of the human world – taxes, rules and regulations – into this delightful, enchanting land. All of the creatures are bound to this tiny tyrant, who ruins lives on a whim. She gives September a task to complete, sending around the weird and wonderful world of Fairyland to carefully navigate dangerous situations and difficult decisions.

Catherynne M. Valente uses evocative descriptions to set the scene of Fairyland, explaining enough of the characters and ways of the world to enlighten the reader – but not every little detail, which leaves the imagination to pleasantly run riot. Catherynne has an enviably delightful turn of phrase and I raced through the story, which is peppered with lovely illustrations (drawn in the same vein as the gorgeous cover).

This rich tapestry of a tale is complete with imaginative, ingenious characters that September encounters on her journey through Fairyland to find Goodbye’s spoon. It’s the kind of book I hope they never make into a film because I don’t think they could ever do it justice – even though the city of Pandemonium, weaved out of different types of material, does remind me slightly of Coraline. Catherynne M. Valente has set the book subtley and expertly up for a sequel, which I hope appears soon, as I can’t wait to read it and pass around my friends, as I have this one.

The only complaint I have about this book is the length of its title; I felt it could have been summed up much quicker and simpler. If that’s the worse thing that can be said about a book, then that says a lot about the content. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (and breathe) is an absolute gem of a read.

Many thanks to Constable & Robinson for the review copy.

The Light Between Oceans – M.L Stedman

This is another review for keepcalmandreadabook from my lovely colleague, fellow book lover Jane.

“A stunning debut novel about a lighthouse keeper and his wife. They break the rules and follow their hearts. What happens next will break yours.”

Every now and then a book comes along that I really look forward to reading – but that turns out not to be my cup of tea. This is how I feel about The Light Between Oceans. On paper I should (and wanted) to love this book, which is a well-crafted first novel with an unusual setting and moral dilemma at its heart. Ultimately, though, I just did not engage with the book or characters; they left me unmoved.

Set in Australia between 1920 and 1950, The Light Between Oceans is the story of Tom and Isabel Sherbourne, newlyweds beginning their married life on Janus Rock, a remote island 100 miles off the coast of Australia where Tom works as an offshore lighthouse keeper. Still suffering some psychological trauma from WW1, Tom meets and marries Isabel while on shore leave. Returning together to the lighthouse, Isabel must learn to adapt to a new way of life. They only have each other for company (the supply ships visits at 3 monthly intervals – their only opportunity for news from shore) and they are granted shore leave – and the chance of wider company – only once every 3 years.

At first Isabel relishes the freedom of Janus Rock, with dolphins and seabirds their only neighbours. But Tom warns her that the freedom of the island is a gift and a curse. To avoid going mad (like the previous lighthouse keeper) they must keep a regular routine, eat, sleep and follow society’s rules on Janus Rock as much as if they were living on the mainland. Tom and Isabel settle into a rhythm on the island, driven by the needs of the lighthouse itself, lighting the lamp at sunset, closing down the lamp at sunrise. The lamp needs the love and care usually bestowed on an infant and Tom’s skill as a lighthouse keeper is an essential part of keeping him tethered – it’s only when he breaks the rules that his life changes. In time Isabel conceives, only to suffer a miscarriage. Then another miscarriage, then another – until 3 small crosses line the top of the cliff. Isabel is no longer a young girl and the hope of a child has grown taunt, like over-tensed wire, between the couple.

Into this environment, one blustery day, as Isabel buries her last premature baby, drifts a rowing boat containing a dead man – and a healthy baby.

The miracle of a baby being alive in a boat that has drifted so far from shore, and arriving at a time when Isabel had finally given up hope for a child of her own, is prophetic and a catalyst for the rest of the story. Tom and Isabel now face a moral dilemma – do they record the shipwreck in the lighthouse logbook, as required by law, and have the baby collected and taken away – in all likelihood to an orphanage? Or do they take the child as theirs and give her a loving home on Janus Rock?

To reveal more of the story will spoil the book, but from the point of the baby’s arrival the book takes a new turn, one that examines the ethical choices, and the thin line between what is right and wrong at any given moment.

The book is beautifully written, and Janus Rock is wonderfully realised – I was on the island with the sea birds and gusting breeze in the cool sun of a spring morning, and I was there also as Tom set off to check the light in the evening, watching as the light sliced through the darkness, across the rocks and into the void of the ocean beyond.

The Light Between Oceans cleverly works on several levels sub-textually; Janus Rock is at the point of Australia where the Indian Ocean meets the Great Southern Ocean, two separate oceans linking separate continents – a good analogy for differences between the isolated life Isabel and Tom live on their island, and the wider society back on the mainland.

The setting of Janus Rock is also cleverly done; it sets a world and society apart, where the distance from shore and wider social contact creates it’s own pressures and justifications – that can’t always be sustained when back on the mainland. For me, the strongest, most vivid scenes were on Janus Rock. That was where I believed in – and could empathise with Tom, Isabel and baby Lucy the most.

The Light Between Oceans promised much, but (for me) did not deliver completely. It’s an undeniably beautifully written debut from an author I feel will only improve over time. The setting and placing of the novel are impeccable, but for me the moral dilmena it portrayed was tempered by my antipathy to the characters within.

Many thanks to Jane for the review, and Transworld for the review copy.

The Stag and Hen Weekend – Mike Gayle

“The Stag and Hen Weekend is the story of Phil and Helen, a couple in their thirties about to commit their lives to one another… that is of course if they can just manage to get through their respective stag and hen weekends (his: Amsterdam; hers: a country house and day spa in the Peak District) without falling apart. Told in the unique form of two separate stories that have common characters as well as themes and conclusion, The Stag and Hen Weekend can be read from front to back or from back to front putting the reader in the driver’s seat as to which story they wish to read first.

This book does what it says on the tin. It’s the story of a husband, Phil, and wife, Helen, to be. They are both embarking on their stag and hen weekends. They’ve had their troubles – what couple hasn’t? – but they’re both looking forward to married life. Despite the fact that Helen hasn’t even chosen her wedding dress yet…

While the boys head off for debauchery and drinking in Amsterdam, the girls escape to a hotel in the countryside for pampering, gossiping and lots of cocktails. All is going to plan – until Phil’s bitchy sister Caitlin arrives, having accepted the invitation that Helen has quite reluctantly extended to her. Phil, unaware of the tension between the girls, is also has no idea that Helen’s ex-boyfriend Aiden’s (the former love of her life, the former fiancé and the reason she’s never accepted his marriage proposal until now) has shown up. Having relinquished his phone to best man Simon for the entire trip, he doesn’t realise that his fiancee is struggling hundreds of miles away.

But things aren’t going swimmingly for Phil, either. His waster dad has been invited by Simon and Phil is less than pleased when he turns up (even less so when he’s arrested for drug possession). A chance encounter with Sanne, Aiden’s ex-wife, only complicates things further as she reveals that Aiden left her for Helen – and is now determined to get her back.

The Stag and Hen Weekend has exactly the right mix of intrigue, romance and complexity to hook a reader. Mike strikes the right note with the dialogue, which is punchy, comic and realistic (even if there are a few errors peppered through the text). The Hen part reads like a night in with the girls – and the Stag reads like a night out with the boys, exactly as it should. Mike Gayle’s original concept is pitch-perfect for this sort of novel, as the two sides fill in the gaps of the other perfectly without the neat, explanatory wrap-up that’s always offered (not always subtly) at the end of similar books. However, I would have liked a smoother, less abrupt ending – I’m fine with cliffhangers, but this one felt premature, and I would have liked to read on.
 
Mike Gayle brings a funky, original twist to the genre with this witty, more-bang-for-your-buck, 2-in-1 novel. Inventive and quirky with a good plot to boot, this is one I’ll be reading again in the future – even if I do look like I’m reading upside down to other members of the public…

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy.

Pandemonium – Lauren Oliver

“I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.”

This is the second book in the Delirium trilogy by the talented Lauren Oliver and another addictive, fast-paced read. Like the first book, we follow Lena’s life as she struggles to come to grips in the Wilds after her and Alex’s escape attempt is halted by the authorities. The last thing Lena sees is her beloved being shot down – then she crawls over the fence and into her new life.

Pandemonium is split into two time periods – Now and Then. The reader is shunted chronologically back and forth as we see Lena embark on her life in the Wilds, forgetting her old life completely, and helping the resistance as they struggle on with little food and supplies in an attempt to dodge and overthrow the authorities. Meanwhile, in Then, Lena and fellow Invalids Raven and Tack have invented a plan to infiltrate the system. Lena is posing as a student, but when she attends a pro-Cure event, she and DFA founder’s son Julian Fineman are kidnapped together. At first he is terrified of being contaminated – he can tell she’s been struck with Amor Deliria Nervosa – but soon he falls prey to the ‘disease’, too. He joins the resistance, and Lena, who has finally managed to push Alex to the back of her head, promises to stick with him forever – until a familiar figure interrupts them…

I loved Pandemonium, but I could feel myself racing to the end to find out if Alex would turn up. He and Lena made such a lovely fictional couple so I didn’t warm to Julian as much as I felt I should have. Also, there was barely any ‘resting’ time throughout the novel – it was so fast paced, both in Now and Then, Oliver barely pauses for literal breath. Not only that, but the first novels of trilogies are so original and fresh that I very rarely find the second books as interesting. Nonetheless, this is a masterful piece of work and carries on the momentum of Delirium well. I would have liked to have seen more of Lena’s mother – she turns up fleetingly, and I thought this novel would have focused on her much more predominantly – but it is a gripping read. I can’t wait for the third novel in the trilogy, to see how all of the loose ends are tied up. I’m also looking forward to meeting more people – Oliver is skilled at creating believable characters with depth and intricate personalities.

I don’t often quote books, but I have to pick out my favourite lines in the novel:
“Raven has lost deeply, again and again, and she, too, has buried herself. There are pieces of her scattered all over. Her heart is nestled next to a small set of bones buried beside a frozen river, which will emerge with the spring thaw, a skeleton ship rising out of the water”.

It sums Pandemonium and this strange dystopian world up well – the bleakness of their surroundings, the immense strength and versatility it takes to survive, as well as hope for the future; one without the cure, one without rules and regulations on feelings, one where you can fall in love and follow your heart. I can’t wait to read how it all ends.

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy.