Yellowcake - M's review

Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan

 

Yellowcake is very good and I’d highly recommend it to a variety of people of all ages. It’s a fantasy collection of ten short stories.  They’re all a bit weird, thought-provoking and rumbling. I’ve heard some readers say they enjoy fantasy because it provides a form of escapism. Yellowcake is quite the opposite and forces you to look at biological human life and social associations in a very non-sentimental, yet richly magical, consideration of mortality. As a whole, the collection seems to explore relationships through all of the seven senses and gets stuck right into the stickiness of our living, decaying and judged physicalities. Anyone interested in inclusion and diversities should take a look at this anthology.

If, like me, you’re neither a short story nor a fantasy fan but enjoy a good story and are curious, Yellowcake will probably appeal to you. The stories are short enough for quick dips. And now, I may return to reading Lanagan’s novels because her writing is gorgeous and her ideas are both playful and daring: I started reading her novel, The Brides of Rollrock Island, a while back, and while the writing was atmospheric and compelling it was a bit too discomforting for me. The short stories in Yellowcake are similar – atmospheric and compelling – and they push you: but because they’re short they let you go from the detail quicker than a novel and I really liked that. But of course, short stories leave so much unsaid leaving you to fill in lots and lots of gaps – if you dare.

 

My favourite stories included 'Ferryman' (living people who ferry the dead), 'Night of the Firstlings' (based on a biblical story) and 'The Point of Roses' (altogether unusual and if you can’t smell roses while readers it...!). My least favourite story was 'An Honest Day’s Work' (all about dissecting a creature).

Yellowcake has nothing to do with yellow, cake or nuclear production. Once you’ve finished reading, make of the title what you will – Lanagan has confirmed it has nothing to do with any of the stories but that each of her short story collections has a colour in the title.

 

Reviewed by M

 

Publication details: David Fickling Books, June 2013, Oxford, paperback (originally published in Australia, 2011)

This copy: received for review from the publisher

To Kill A Mockingbird - M's review

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I first read To Kill A Mockingbird at school when I was sixteen. Like The Beadle, I noted on my Reading list that it was ‘OK’. But, again like The Beadle, I’ve always recalled enjoying them. I could never remember all the details but something about them had played around in my head. Now, I’ve just reread To Kill A Mockingbird for my Classics Club challenge. It’s my second reread for leisure ever (The Beadle was my first!). And I loved it.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

For those readers who are not familiar with To Kill A Mockingbird, it’s a story about the events that led to a thirteen year old boy breaking his elbow. It’s set in a 1930s small town in Alabama, USA. The story is narrated by Scout (aka Jean Louise Finch), who is probably a grown woman when she recounts a story about a time when she was eight years old, living with her brother, Jem, and her father, Atticus, who is a lawyer about to defend a Negro who has been accused of a crime for which the punishment is death. Scout’s story is about growing up, perpetuating social prejudices and standing up to  them too.  She doesn’t hide anything in her story (as least I don’t think she does) but she realises that much was hidden from her.

Racial prejudice is an obvious and substantial theme in the novel and one that I remembered from my earlier reading. What I had forgotten (and possibly not even have understood that brilliantly!) were the other prejudices and social mores that the novel explores, criticises and humours. The children’s tormenting and embellishing stories about reclusive Boo Radley is an obvious one. Disabilities and social class are others. Gender and growing up as a girl in a society that expects you to turn into ‘a lady’ is another one, and as it is Scout who is narrating, this is probably more a central thread of this novel than racial prejudice (but, I also spot gender issues more - remember, this review is my narrative). All of these themes and sub-plots are woven together in a very charming yet slightly shivery way.

The majority of the characters in the novel are very likeable. Very. Apart from the few who are horrid (Atticus definitely loves more people than I do).  Jem is lovely. Scout is adorable and gives voice to frustrations that must plague many girls (and boys too) – like what you should wear, how you should behave, what you can and can’t do – just because you are a girl as opposed to a boy. Within this context, it’s hardly surprising then that rape features. While only lightly explored as an issue, this is not in a dismissive way. While all the characters are reluctant to speak about it, including Atticus, Atticus also makes it clear that it is a crime that concerns him and is bigger than what is being voiced. And Atticus of course, is the novel’s moral compass.

The novel is full of heroes. There’s Scout, in her many flawed guises. There’s the real, heartbreakingly tragic hero who we don’t learn too much about – but we learn enough. And of course, there’s Atticus Finch. Scout’s father embodies the real hero in this novel. He’s almost perfect (in my eyes, maybe he would be if he didn’t side with Aunt Alexandra a little too much: that’s the Scout in me lurching out!) but he’s not Superman. Throughout the novel, more than I’ve pointed out, there are lots of interesting bits that explore the concepts of cowardice and bravery.

While the lighthearted daily fun and games and mishaps that happen to adventurous eight and twelve year olds fill the pages to provide humour, the novel instils a sense of foreboding that traverses many of the sub or parallel plots in the story: what bad thing is going to happen at the Radley place, who’s going to get hurt or killed, will Tom get off, who is to blame? Once you’ve finished the novel, go back and read the first three paragraphs again. Scout and Jem are offering up different explanations and interpretations. Atticus of course, is the judge!

This sense of foreboding is partly heightened by the slow pace of the novel. The focus in this novel is definitely on the characters and themes. There is a lot of plot but it meanders lazily over a couple of summers. The novel is a bit like the hot, sleepy town that is its Maycomb setting.

To Kill A Mockingbird is one of those novels that some people would describe as a very quotable novel: Dill’s mixed up comment about joining the circus because people are laughable ; Scout’s view that there is only one type of people: everyone; Atticus on why we shouldn’t kill a mockingbird.

It is also a very sad novel. It passes commentary based on real events where sadness understates how terrible they were and it is also sad when you think about how we make judgements about people and things and act on these. Atticus would say that’s exactly what is wrong with circumstantial evidence.

I can see why it’s studied at school. There is so much packed into this shortish book that you could discuss it forever both as a literary work but especially for the themes that run through it. But, if you’re like me and find that reading a set text at school ruins the pleasure of reading a novel for you, then make sure you read this before it comes up at school – or reread it when you’re older, like I have. To Kill A Mockingbird has not only jumped from OK for me, it’s probably gone to one of my all time favourite novels. I’m a bit sad to have finished it. Harper Lee should have written a sequel.

For any teens who were interested in the death penalty debates raised in Annabel Pitcher’s Ketchup Clouds, To Kill A Mockingbird will be right up your street.

 

My Classics Club verdict: Not that anyone would believe me if I said otherwise but definitely it’s a classic. Wonderful in so many ways.

 

(Gosh; that was a bit long. It’s so I don’t forget why I liked it so much. Or what things it made play around in my head. For when I’m old and really grey – or just forgetful.)

Publication details: 2004, Vintage, London, paperback (first published 1960)

This copy: my own

M's review - Maggot Moon

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

Compared to a lot of the recent teen dystopian that is out there, Maggot Moon is an invigorating read in much the same way as fizzing colas on your tongue. Maggot Moon is a what if story. What if things had happened differently? Sally Gardner poses this question by setting the story in an alternate past. At the beginning of the story, Standish Treadwell asks himself this question. What if?

Standish Treadwell is an imperfect fifteen year old. He has two differently coloured eyes and cannot read, write or spell. He has dyslexia and lives in Zone 7 with his Gramps. This is not a good zone to live in and you have to do everything you can to ensure you don’t become maggot meat for the Motherland, an oppressively brutal and stratified regime. This is difficult when you stand out as different, the way that Standish stands out. 

The novel takes place on 19^th July 1956. More than anything, Standish wants to get on a rocket to the planet Juniper which he has discovered. What if he did? But the Motherland is much more interested in launching the first rocket to the moon- and nothing is going to stop them. But what if something did?

Other important parts in this what if story are a wall, a red football, Hector and Gramps.

Maggot Moon is stark both in its story and in Standish’s narrative. There’s no messing about with softening blows but there is a lot of messing with words and realities. There is also love. Not romantic love or lust. Just real plain love, loyalty and sacrifice.

Sally Gardner plays wonderfully with words, associations and meanings. I think she might have had a lot of fun with this novel and she (or was it the publishers?) describe it as a "bookful of Sallyisms". Don’t get me wrong. Maggot Moon is not a funny novel by any stretch of the imagination. And it might stretch your imagination. If you let it.

Maggot Moon. It really will mean something to you by the time you finish the book. And it won’t take you long because Maggot Moon is a fast read. It’s a real pageturner with perhaps the shortest chapters I’ve ever seen. This makes it difficult to put down (and it might make it difficult to quickly pick up from where you left off if you do put it down). 

If you liked Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, you should try this. If you liked Lois Lowry’s The Giver, you should try this. If you liked SD Crockett’s After the Snow, you should try this. If you like a good story that makes you think, you should try this.

This story DOES NOT contain girls. What if it did? Would it have been a different story…..?

This story DOES contain swearing and violence. It may upset some younger readers.

Publication details:

Hot Key Books, 30 August 2012, London, hardback, pp.288

This copy: uncorrected proof received for review from the publisher

M's Review - My Brother Simple

My Brother Simple by Marie-Aude Murail

The troublesome Mister Babbit on the cover of My Brother Simple

Think of the film Rainman and just make the characters years, years younger. Like seventeen and twenty-two. And put it into French. That’s almost My Brother Simple for you. Except of course, this is a new edition translated into English. The original French edition was published in 2004 and has won numerous awards across Europe.

My Brother Simple is a coming of age story from a boy’s perspective which is a refreshing difference for me. Kleber is seventeen, about to start at a sixth form college in Paris, desperate to get ‘to know’ girls, and he has a big heart. He’s totally committed to keeping his ‘I-di-ot’ brother Simple (real name Barnaby) out of institutions and this means having to find a flatshare that will accept them both.

Finding a flatshare is a bit difficult when twenty-two year old Simple insists on bringing out an army of Playmobil and revolvers, and threatens to brandish his ‘knife’ (something he keeps in his trousers and that girls don’t have). And that’s even before Mister Babbit makes an appearance – which is frequent (like always)! This obviously also provides plenty of comedy for the story.

There are some bits about this book that I’m not so sure I like. For example, I didn’t like the way the boys (or young men; Kleber is the youngest) thought about girls. They were a bit crude and a bit gross for me (I suppose that might be young lust for you but guys, you could be a bit nicer!). I’m not sure the novel challenges stereotypes as much as I thought it would.

But I also laughed reading this book. Actually, I smiled to myself and laughed quite a lot. It’s probably up there among the funniest books I’ve read.  And I kept on wanting to read on. It really is a very funny book. And, their grossness aside, some of the boys in it are actually lovely characters, like Kleber and Enzo.

I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it for older teen readers. The publishers recommend it for ages 14+ and they’re probably right if I think of the teens I know. I think many adults will enjoy this novel too.

Publication details:

Bloomsbury Childrens, London, 2 August 2012, 288pp., paperback

This copy: received for review from the publisher

M's Review - The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne

The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket is a delicious romp of a story suitable for the oldest of readers right down to reading out loud to the youngest of not-yet-readers. The more I think about it, the more I enjoyed it.

Barnaby Brocket is born into the most ordinary of families in Sydney, Australia (although they’re actually quite remarkable in their ordinariness). But the arrival of baby Barnaby gives them quite a shock because he just can’t keep his feet on the ground. Barnaby floats. 

Then a really, really terrible thing happens to him. It really is terrible but it also opens up a world of possibilities for him and he heads off into all sorts of wonderful adventures. Along the way, he meets a host of marvellous characters.

Readers of all ages and levels will grasp the not-so-hidden theme of how tough it is when people won’t accept you and allow you to be who you are – or who you want to be. But John Boyne’s simple and humorous narrative carries layers of light and dark in the depth of this message so that individual readers may follow a slightly different reading journey as the story progresses.

The story also says a lot about relationships between children and their parents, and particularly father-child relationships: Barnaby and Alastair, Alastair and his wannabe-actor dad, Palmira and Thiago, Joshua and Samuel. All of these characters have dads who’ve let them down or not let their children be ‘themselves’. Food for thought for some people, perhaps….. But there are also plenty of characters with big hearts and some who openly display their loving loyalty to Barnaby. I think my favourite characters have got to be Ethel and Marjorie, and Captain W. E. Johns!

This edition is enhanced with illustrations by Oliver Jeffers. I particularly adored the postcards.

While the terrible thing is really terrible and one way or another, I bet the ending will make you shed a small tear, this is also a very funny, very heartwarming and very enjoyable story. Barnaby Brocket, the dear boy, is an absolute delight.

Publication details:

Doubleday (Random House), 2 August 2012, London, hardback

This copy: received for review from the publisher

*****

This review is part of our world of stories series for August which celebrates children's classics and reading across generations. To find out more about this series and to win a book, hop over to this competition post.

Another John Boyne novel, the acclaimed The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas has been included in the new Vintage Children's Classics series.

The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Another contemporary classic that has been included in the Vintage Children's Classics list for teen readers is Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time. It has a new cover (thank goodness!!!) and you can read our earlier review of it here (I didn't like the cover then but highly recommend the story).



The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Our review of it is here.

Review - Wonder

Wonder by RJ Palacio

Wonder - RJ Palacio

My goodness, Wonder is RJ Palacio’s debut novel and it rocks!  But somehow this book has ended up on Little M’s bookshelf.  I wonder if she’ll miss it if I move it to a prominent position on my bookshelf??!!! Wonder is simply beautiful and it deserves a special spot on a bookshelf so that when someone comes into the house I can casually say, “Oh yeah, that’s a really good book for anyone to read”.

Auggie is 10 years old and suffers from a horrible face defect that makes him look beastly. People shy away when they see his face. It is a miracle that he survived birth, he has had numerous surgeries, and he has never attended a school. Contrary to the jacket image, he does have two eyes but he doesn’t really have ears, he has a snouty mouth like a tortoise, and eating and hearing are difficult for him. He has had a really, really rough start to life and it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier just yet. But now, his mother thinks it’s a good idea for him to start middle school. Just great.

The story begins with Auggie narrating and you heart just wants to break for him.You can probably imagine how awful it must be for him with everyone staring, whispering, avoiding him; and you think things couldn’t get worse. But then on page 77, about a quarter of the way through, they do.  I’m sure my heart stopped for a very long second.  It was as if time froze and all the life in me dropped right down to my toes and everything went cold. Oh Auggie….

And with your heart in your toes, the story continues…. but from the perspective of other characters – Via, Summer, Jack, Justin, Miranda. It occasionally returns to Auggie’s perspective and it ends with his voice, a voice that is so different from the moment you first met him at the beginning of the story. Interestingly, none of these narrators are adults so the whole book is from children’s points of view.

Wonder brings two other recent reads to mind. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon which has a much older central character. But he too has a disability which causes problems with social interactions. There are also echoes of Annabel Pitcher’s My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece which come through in the main characters' voices. For me, what stands out in Wonder particularly in comparison to these two novels is the portrayal of the adult characters.  None of these novels include an adult narrator but most of the adult characters in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and in My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece are portrayed as quite vile. In contrast, most of the adults in Wonder are kind, loving and supportive. And what is remarkable about this is how it affects the overall tone of the novel.  There are no magic fixes but Wonder is honest, it is humbling and incredibly uplifting. 

What is so special about Wonder too, is that it is a book for every reader.  Anyone who has the technical ability to read it could enjoy it immensely. Wonder is definitely on my list of best books ever.  It’s sitting there snugly next to Alice Walker’s The Color Purple (which I definitely would not recommend to younger readers!).

Wonder will make you do a double take about the way you look at the world and treat people.  Wonder is simply wonderful.

Publication details:

2012, Bodley Head, London, hardback

This copy: Bought by us

 

Review - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The hopeful view

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time baffled me before I read it. I’d seen it variously described as a children’s book and not. It’s spine in the bookshops suggested it could have gone either way but when I pulled it off, I literally stepped back with a sharp intake of breath. A red dog on its back impaled by a gardening fork? If ever there was a cover to put me off a book, this was one of them (See end of review for a newer cover!).

But the reviews on the whole were attractive. After all, it was an award winner and on all sorts of book prize lists. And the writing from page one was compelling.  Yes, this could work for adults and older children alike, I thought (quickly hiding the cover)…

…and then I read the whole book in a single sitting.

Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is narrated by fifteen year old Christopher Boone.  His behaviour probably falls somewhere on the autistic spectrum. After discovering a dead dog on a neighbour’s lawn, he starts to write a murder mystery novel.  Determined to find the murderer, Christopher lands in all sorts of awkward and difficult situations.  Seeing them through his eyes though, they make perfect sense and the rest of the characters’ behaviour towards him seems unfair and even unkind.

There were a few aspects of the novel that mesmerised me.  The poignant comedy (which I often find with first person narration) takes you along on Christopher’s journey.  And yes, his character develops but it is the increasing revelation of the adult characters’ darker sides that linger………

It is one of those reads that stays with you……uncomfortably.

Overall, I would recommend this as an excellent read – but not for children. There are words of hope - but they are just words. I did not really feel the hope. Yes, poor Christopher, will he ever feel safe again? But really, poor, poor Wellington. Dog lovers will want to call the RSPCA.

On second thoughts, the cover is appropriate. If it makes you gasp, your response as a reader may be similar to mine.

Publication details:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon, 2004, Vintage, London, paperback.

Our copy: purchased from an independent bookshop with the help of a £1 World Book Day token.

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Okay, okay....but my eyes are closed!

The front cover for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

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Note added 1 August 2012: Here is a new edition from the Vintage Children's Classics range. This front cover is a bit more pleasing to my eyes!