The Polish Officer by Alan Furst / A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride / Fade To Black by Tim McBain and L T Vargus

The Polish Officer by Alan Furst
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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The Polish Officer by Alan Furst was recommended and a copy given to us by our friend Dave Dyke. Set across Second World War Europe, the novel follows the activities of a Polish former-cartographer, Alexander de Milja, who has been recruited into their intelligence services.

I appreciated Furst's detailed descriptions of the towns and cities to which de Milja is sent. The atmosphere often almost crackled with tension and I was interested to read of the beginnings of the war from a non-British viewpoint. I have always been encouraged to believe that Britain leapt into the fray as soon as Poland fell, and it was only the Americans who dithered. It would seem that we weren't exactly quick off the mark ourselves. Furst cleverly includes fascinating minutiae without slowing the pace of his tale - how to locate a wireless operator, why peasant women might be paid to collect rags - which adds to the convincing authenticity and from a historical point of view, I very much enjoyed this book.

My problem with it was our protagonist, de Milja. Most of the other characters are static, while de Milja travels constantly, so we only meet them briefly and I found it difficult to gain much sense of them as real people. De Milja often doesn't know much of their backstory so neither do we. Unfortunately, de Milja doesn't give away much about himself either. In order to succeed in his new career and identities, he needs to be aloof which makes him difficult to empathise with. And the deeper he gets, the more detached he becomes. By the time we get to Russia, I wasn't actually bothered about him at all and had no emotional involvement remaining in the story. As it turned out, this was a good thing because the story just stops, presumably to be continued in a sequel, which is one of my real pet hates! Authors: please write proper endings!

A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Buy the audiobook from Waterstones.

The Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction 2015 has recently been announced which seemed like the perfect time for me to get around to the 2014 winner, A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride. I have read that it took ages and plenty of refused submissions before McBride found herself a publisher and I can understand that in a way. This is not an easy novel, not in its language or in its subject matter. I think that it is brilliant though!

I downloaded A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing from Audible as an audiobook and believe that this is the perfect way to experience this book. As I already mentioned, the language is not easy. It is written from the point of view of an unnamed young woman who speaks directly to the reader as though she was actually speaking - confessing or recounting - so there are stops and starts, part sentences, abrupt exclamations - at times it could even be poetry. This all makes perfect sense when actually narrated, especially as my audiobook was narrated by McBride herself, but I think it could be extremely hard work to follow as prose. If my review tempts you to try this book yourself, get spoken word!

McBride sweeps many themes into her work. This is an angry scream of a novel encompassing child abuse, rape, the insanity and hypocrisy of religious fanaticism and the intense pain of losing the person we love most. The central family is fractured and violently dysfunctional, yet keep returning to each other despite the pain and guilt this incurs. McBride has written perhaps the most realistic literary portrayal of a rape I have ever encountered and completely understands the self-destruction of her protagonist. Practically every character is shocking, believably real, and I am sure that A Girl will be a novel I will think back to repeatedly over the coming weeks. It requires effort and emotional strength from its readers (and listeners), but is well worth the time put in. An outrageously powerful book.


Fade to Black by Tim McBain and L T Vargus
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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I have already read one McBain and Vargus novel, Casting Shadows Everywhere, and thought it good enough that, when I saw a box set of their new Awake In The Dark trilogy on sale at 99p as a newsletter promotion, I would give it a try. The first in the trilogy is Fade To Black.

I enjoyed the beginning with its graphic and detailed description of what might be real or might be a bizarre dream as our hero, the implausibly named Jeff Grobnagger, finds himself hanging by his ankle and needing to escape from a hooded murderer. Again. Unfortunately, this is as good as it gets and I struggled to get more from the book. Jeff's backstory is tragic, but only stated and not really explored in his character. He repeatedly tells us he is a loner, yet clings to a new-found friend, Glenn, who doesn't really have a character but seems to exist to explain philosophical ideas to the reader. He makes lots of long speeches!

For a short novella length book, a fair bit of the prose is repetitive, but it's nicely written for an easy read with no indie-curse typos (although chapter 17 is repeated). However, I didn't like the frequent plot holes and several scenes stop rather than end - at one point gunshots are fired through Jeff's windows. Then he arrives at Glenn's house. How did Jeff escape? Weren't the villains waiting for him to exit? Was it just a random drive-by? More attention I think needs to be paid to flow as the pace varies from chapter to chapter and the story often jumps forward with minimal, if any, explanation. Then the whole thing stops, abruptly, and that's the end of Fade To Black.

I am sure that pertinent details are set to be revealed in the rest of the trilogy and beyond into at least a fourth book so far. This is probably why Fade To Black is effectively just a prologue and not a story in its own right. However, I am irritated enough by the assumption that, having started a series, readers will obediently shell out for several books in order to get one complete story, that I probably won't bother reading even the rest of what I already have. Disappointing.


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The Boys From Brazil by Ira Levin / A World Of InTemperance by Ichabod Temperance / In A Vertigo Of Silence by Miriam Polli

The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I saw a great TalkingScarlet production of Ira Levin's play Deathtrap back in my Eastbourne days, but I'm pretty sure that The Boys From Brazil is the first of his novels I've read. The book is an easy read and is certainly a page-turner. I couldn't wait to discover how this intricate plot was going to unravel itself.

Using veiled and not-so-veiled representations of genuine people, Levin's tale invents a chilling scenario in which vile Auschwitz doctor, Mengele, believes he can bring about a Fourth Reich through the misuse of science. I read some reviews dating from the book's original 1970s publication which were critical of the science fiction at the heart of the tale. (I can't be more precise without giving away a key plot line.) Reading it now, when the science fiction has become actual science fact, adds an extra scary aspect.

The main characters are pretty much all either good or evil and don't have a tremendous amount of depth to their portrayals. However, Levin's scene setting is nicely done and I found it easy to imagine each location. I thought the plot was perfectly paced, enough obfuscation to keep me guessing, but not so much as to drag, and I loved the final chapter. I know there has been at least one major film of this book and it would translate well to the big screen. Perhaps it's time for a remake?

Buy the paperback from Waterstones.


A World of InTemperance by Ichabod Temperance
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bought as part of the Indie Steampunk Book Extravaganza 2.

A World Of InTemperance is the second novel in the steampunk series chronicling the adventures of Ichabod Temperance and his paramour Miss Persephone Plumtartt. In this exciting installment, the duo and their equally bizarrely named friends must race through Alaskan wilderness in order to save humanity from annihilation by global warfare.

Temperance's inventive character naming is one of the delights of his stories. My favourite this time must be the Insufferable Bleiuman Iddiaught - US Secretary of War. I did sometimes struggle to understand the phonetic dialogue spellings, particularly of the Australian speech although I suspect much of that wasn't intended to be understandable anyway. The nationally stereotyped characters are fun with each country's quirks being equally insulted and entertaining cameo appearances including an astute Belgian detective!

A World Of Intemperance is all about the action. Scenes are swiftly set up then raced through, blown up or fought over at great speed so, towards the end of the book, I had trouble keeping up with everyone's fantastic escapades. Temperance's energy and enthusiasm for his tale is always very much in evidence and I could picture our heroes leaping straight from his thoughts to his pen. Indeed, there are enough ideas in this one book to fill two or three! I would have liked some ideas to have been explored in more detail but accept that might have been at the expense of the thrilling ride.

Ichabod Temperance is due to start a blog tour on Monday (16th March), publicising his first novel, A Matter Of Temperance. (I read and reviewed A Matter back in October last year.) You can discover all the participating tour blogs by visiting Brook Cottage Books.


In a Vertigo of Silence by Miriam Polli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was attracted to In A Vertigo Of Silence by both its atmospheric cover art and its title. I do love an enigmatic book title! I received a copy from its publishers, Serving House Books, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. This is my seventh review for Sophie and Suze's NetGalley Challenge.

In A Vertigo Of Silence takes within the lives of the women in three generations of a Polish family who emigrated to America in the 1920s. Initially only able to find poor housing and the most dangerous of jobs, the Grandmother, affectionately known as Babcia, loses her husband when he dies in a coal mining accident. Left pregnant and with two young daughters, this amazing woman not only keeps her remaining family together, but gives the next generation chances to prosper. There is, however, a price.

I loved the characters that Polli creates. To a degree, they are so real that I wondered if they are indeed fiction. I found it wonderfully easy to be drawn into this family. The main focus is on the fractured relationships between Babcia's daughters, how their actions disrupt each other's lives and the secrets and lies that become told as family truths. I think every family hides the worst of themselves from the outside world and Polli beautifully illustrates the phenomenon here. In A Vertigo Of Silence is very much a book celebrating women and sisterhood. The struggles of immigration are a part of the novel, but I felt this was more a story of family than of integration. Babcia's initial determination to speak English and become American goes a long way to shield her descendants although we do see racist schoolyard bullying of granddaughter Emily.

Chapters jump about in time across several decades allowing events to be viewed not only as they happen, but also from memories which is a perfect device for this story. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of historical details such as the Bicycle Thieves film screening which helped to cement the various time periods in my mind as I read. It is important to read each chapter heading carefully. I did get lost a couple of times early on.

I would love to read more of Polli's writing. Her poet's sensibilities influence her rich prose and she has a great eye for physical detail and for human behaviour.


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Canvey Island by James Runcie / Innocence by Penelope Fitzgerald / Swans Are Fat Too by Michelle Granas

Canvey Island by James Runcie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Our copy of Canvey Island, discovered on a campsite book exchange, was ex-library and had been mislabeled on the spine as biography. I didn't realise this until I was about to start reading it so my thoughts over the first few chapters were probably affected by expecting a true memoir rather than a fictional tale.

Canvey Island begins during the real-life flooding in 1953 which caused considerable damage and loss of life all along that part of the British coast. I remembered having previously watched a TV documentary about it. Our young 'hero' Martin describes finding himself alone, swimming through the flood waters to safety, but having been forced to leave his mother trapped en route. Each chapter is told from a different point of view with the various family members taking turns to advance his story through the following decades. While I have read other books where this device works well - The Spinning Heart springs to mind - I wasn't so convinced here because the characters aren't all strongly defined. I thought Aunt Vi, Claire and George had distinctive voices, but the others morphed together. I was particularly disappointed that Martin seemed bland. His life seemed more to happen around him than because of him.

I liked reading the well-researched periods of the flood and its aftermath, and also about the Greenham Common Encampments. Runcie has obviously taken time over the small details in order to make this historical side of the novel accurate. Perhaps it is a bit heavy on the nostalgia and the racist incidents, while undoubtedly realistic, make for uncomfortable reading. As a tale of family deceptions and intrigue, Canvey Island is pleasant enough and I would recommend it for a cosy winter read!


Innocence by Penelope Fitzgerald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've still not ultimately decided whether to award Innocence a three-star Good rating or a four-star Great rating. On the plus side, I did enjoy the writing style and there are many instances of dry witty humour that got me smiling. Fitzgerald's characters are unusually direct with each other, often to the point of downright rudeness, and they behave in unexpected ways. I particularly liked Barney, Cousin Cesare and Aunt Mad who both have strongly drawn mannerisms, but I was less appreciative of the two leads, Chiara and Dr Rossi, who were vague by comparison. I think I got a good sense of the Florentine residences and Valsassina from Fitzgerald's inspired descriptions.

However, I definitely did not like that the novel simply stops instead of having an ending. It is almost as though the publisher has missed off the final chapter! Several of the story directions are almost as frustrating. The writing does not dwell at all on its characters' emotions so I often found it difficult to understand why they followed certain paths. Their lack of social convention explains some instances but others remain baffling and I still have no idea what Chiara and Rossi actually saw in each other.

Innocence was recommended to me by a friend who lent me her copy of the book. I am looking forward to discussing the work with her now that we have both finished reading it. Hmmm!


Swans Are Fat Too by Michelle Granas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of my Top Ten Books for IndiePrideDay 2016.

I was unexpectedly delighted with Swans Are Fat Too as it is a lovely story of a frumpy, overweight maiden aunt being effectively dumped upon from a great height by her family, yet ending up gaining the confidence to go for her dreams. I think I first found the novel via twitter and had it on my Amazon wishlist for ages before buying. To be honest, I wasn't expecting such a good book. I'm not sure why!

Hania is a world class pianist but has failed to make a career of this in America because her obesity alienates shallow audiences. When her grandmother dies, Hania is persuaded to return to her native Poland for the funeral. Upon arrival, she discovers that the relatives with whom she thought she would stay have actually absconded leaving her with the sole care of their emotionally damaged children, Kalina and Maks. The situation is bleak but Granas manages to inject a lot of gentle humour into her tale. She walks a careful line around Hania's obesity, laughing with her rather than at her so, as the reader, I was always rooting for Hania to succeed. She is a wonderfully resourceful woman and I enjoyed seeing her confidence grow through the story. The will-they-won't-they burgeoning romance with Konstanty upstairs is a great counterpoint to the escapades of the children and I was often cringing with embarrassment for Hania too. The lake!

A large part of Swans Are Fat Too is taken up with Hania's work translating and editing a history of Poland for Konstanty. We get to read a lot of this work too which could have been overly dry, but it is clipped into short sections and interspersed with Hania's comments querying Poland's historical reliance on their more bloodthirsty leaders when deciding upon heroes and erecting their statues. I thought that the same is so true of Britain! I wouldn't say I learned much history from Swans Are Fat Too because there's a lot of information and I wasn't in studying mode. However, the concise presentation gave an interesting overview and, of course, great insights into both Hania's and Konstanty's characters.

I don't often read women's fiction and romance stories so Swans Are Fat Too was a departure from the norm for me. However I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would happily buy more of Michelle Granas' writing.


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