I don’t normally write more than one review at a time but, as the days pass busily by, I decided I needed to gather up my thoughts on four of my recent reads if they were ever to see the light of day. I have written a few short words (mini book reviews) on each, a mix of recent and older publications, which I hope express my feelings. The books in question are The Wilderness by Sarah Duguid, What I loved by Siri Hustvedt, The Daves Next Door by Will Carver and Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy.
I do hope you find something that appeals!
The Wilderness by Sarah Duguid
Once it was a family home. Now they are all at sea . .
When Anna and David receive a phone call late one evening, their lives are upturned. Within minutes, they are travelling to the west coast of Scotland, preparing to care for two young sisters, tragically and suddenly orphaned.
It’s a beautiful place, the heather is in bloom, the birds wheel above the waves, the deer graze peacefully in the distance. But the large granite house is no longer a home for the girls, and Anna knows she can never take the place of their mother. Then David invites his friend to stay, to ‘ease them through’ and Anna finds herself increasingly isolated, with everything she – and the girls – once knew of life discarded and overruled by a man of whom she is deeply suspicious
The Wilderness by Sarah Duguid was published on July 21st with Tinder Press and is one that I found simultaneously both heart-breaking and slightly odd. Anna and David are empty-nesters who have set routines and a relatively normal lifestyle. A devastating phone call changes their lives and they are faced with an unexpected journey to a secluded island off the west coast of Scotland. After a tragic accident, two young sisters are left orphans and need immediate love and attention, the type of comfort that only family can provide.
Anna knows she can never replace the love lost in the lives of these sisters but she is prepared to make sacrifices, just not quite the sacrifices that David eventually has in mind. They arrive to this desolate place, one of extraordinary beauty, but Anna just cannot settle. When David invites his old friend Brendan to stay to lend a hand, Anna is initially accepting but Brendan’s habits and opinions soon begin to exasperate and discombobulate Anna as her world shifts off centre yet again.
A sinister and claustrophobic read, The Wilderness left me feeling a little uncomfortable for reasons I just cannot explain. Brendan’s character was strange, very strange and his influence over David was quite peculiar. David and Anna are grief-stricken and Brendan just seems to swoop in and add a very menacing and uncomfortable vibe to the whole dynamic. All told a rather curious and unsettling read.
What I loved by Siri Hustvedt
In 1975 art historian Leo Hertzberg discovers an extraordinary painting by an unknown artist in a New York gallery. He buys the work, tracks down its creator, Bill Weschler, and the two men embark on a life-long friendship.
This is the story of their intense and troubled relationship, of the women in their lives and their work, of art and hysteria, love and seduction and their sons – born the same year but whose lives take very different paths.
What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt was published in 2003 by Sceptre and was a book that I had been meaning to read for quite some time. Possibly one of the most intense and profound books I have ever read, this is not a fast read but one to savour, stop and think while the words flow through you. Leo Hertzberg, now an elderly man, is remembering his relationship with the artist, and also his friend, Bill Weschler. He recalls with great clarity the ups and downs of their friendship, while also exploring their respective relationships with their partners and children. This is an extraordinary read from start to finish. At times it can seem quite heavy but there comes a point when it all just clicks into place and, as a reader, you just want so much for all the characters.
Art features very strongly throughout this book, examining our perceptions of what art is in all its complexity. Siri Hustvedt clearly has a vast knowledge and passion for the world of art as there is a great sense of authenticity in how everything is depicted and expressed.
Leo speaks very candidly about his own life with a searing honesty that cuts to the bone. At times there was such pain and anguish in every sentence that my heart stilled and tears flowed.
What I Loved has a remarkable emotional depth that leaves you wrung out on turning the final page. It really is an exquisite read, to be enjoyed like a fine wine or a vintage cheese (or with a big cup of tea in hand). I saw somewhere it being described as ‘elegiac’ which is a very apt word but I would also use the words refined, intelligent, meticulous and sensual, a stunning read.
The Daves Next Door by Will Carver
The lives of five strangers collide on a London train carriage, as they become involved in an incident that will change them all forever.
A disillusioned nurse suddenly learns how to care.
An injured young sportsman wakes up find that he can see only in black and white.
A desperate old widower takes too many pills and believes that two angels have arrived to usher him through purgatory.
Two agoraphobic men called Dave share the symptoms of a brain tumour, and frequently waken their neighbour with their ongoing rows.
Separate lives, running in parallel, destined to collide and then explode.
Like the suicide bomber, riding the Circle Line, day after day, waiting for the right time to detonate, waiting for answers to his questions: Am I God? Am I dead? Will I blow up this train?
The Daves Next Door by Will Carver was published July 21st with Orenda Books and is described as ‘shocking, intensely emotive and wildly original…an explosive existential thriller and a piercing examination of what it means to be human … or not.‘
I have read a few Will Carver books so I always prepare myself for a unique adventure and The Daves Next Door completely fulfilled my expectations. Originality is key to a Will Carver tale and this one just put me so far outside my comfort zone my head was spinning. Esoteric in its telling, The Daves Next Door is the story of five strangers whose lives are intertwined in the most extraordinary manner, culminating in a shocking and quite surreal event.
As the chapters unfold we are introduced to each of these five characters and their disappointing lives. They all have issues, they all have worries but Will Carver takes these struggles to a whole new level. Philosophical, metaphysical and bizarre are the words I would use to best describe this book. If you are looking for a real alternative reading experience, Will Carver should be your go-to author. This is unconventional. This is original. This is Will Carver.
Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy
When Dervla Murphy was ten, she was given a bicycle and an atlas, and within days she was secretly planning a trip to India. At the age of thirty-one, in 1963, she finally set off and this book is based on the daily diary she kept while riding through Persia, Afghanistan and over the Himalayas to Pakistan and India.
A lone woman on a bicycle (with a revolver in her trouser pocket) was an almost unknown occurrence and a focus of enormous interest wherever she went. Undaunted by snow in alarming quantities, and using her .25 pistol on starving wolves in Bulgaria and to scare lecherous Kurds in Persia, her resourcefulness and the blind eye she turned to personal danger and extreme discomfort were remarkable
In May of this year (2022) the renowned travel writer Dervla Murphy passed away. Dervla Murphy won worldwide acclaim for her writing, often being described as a ‘travel legend’ and ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’. Dervla Murphy’s first book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, was published in 1965 and is quite an exhilarating reading experience. Although the travel information contained within is, no-doubt, much outdated for today’s traveller, Dervla Murphy’s ability to just get on with it in such drastic situations would put most of us to shame.
Dervla Murphy was an extremely modest individual who never considered herself brave. Her adventures across Persia, Afghanistan and on to Pakistan and India via the Himalayas was considered by many at the time as an absolutely bonkers and dangerous expedition. Travelling with her bike, whom she affectionately calls Roz, and carrying only the very minimum of essentials, Dervla Murphy handled exposure to many frightening events with a calmness of mind and character.
Reading Full Tilt is a truly humbling experience. Written in a journal style it is mainly unchanged from when Dervla wrote her original diary entries, providing the reader with a daily account of hair-raising adventures that would leave many of us shaking in our boots.
I have A Place Apart: Northern Ireland in the 1970s lined up as my next Dervla Murphy choice and you can read my review of her autobiographical book Wheels Within Wheels: The Making of a Traveller HERE
“I arrived in Delhi on 18 July 1963, almost six months after leaving Ireland. People with mathematical brains are always anxious to know exactly how many miles I had cycled by then and what my daily average was. Unfortunately gadgets for measuring mileage do not function on Asian roads, so I can only estimate vaguely that Roz and I covered about three thousand miles, including our detours to Murree and Gilgit. From this the mathematically inclined can easily calculate our average daily mileage, but their findings would be slightly misleading, because there were so many days when we did not cover even a mile together. Our shortest run was, I think, nineteen miles, and our longest 118 miles, but I reckon that our average on a normal cycling day was between seventy and eighty miles.“- Dervla Murphy
All of these books sound like ones that will make the reader think and ponder. Great reviews, Mairéad, even if they are short, they really shared the essence of these books.
Carla that is such a relief to hear. Thanks so much and thank you for all your kind words. I do really appreciate it!
What I Loved is one of my favourite novels, a benchmark book. I’m so glad you loved it!
Susan I was slow getting into it but then it just blind-sided me. A truly exceptional read!
I love the sound of Full Tilt! xx
Nicki Dervla Murphy is just extraordinary. Her journey in Full Tilt is mind-blowing. An amazing individual. Highly recommend!
A very interesting list! I will give What I Loved another try. I read only half of it and found it ok, I think my opinion may change. Somehow I prefer Hustvedt’s The Blazing World over it.
Diana tbh I nearly gave up myself but was delighted I persisted. Well worth it. It’s the first time I’ve read Hustvedt but I’ll definitely be looking out for more in the future. Thank you!