Lily's Blog

I have decided that each month I will try to do a post of books I have just read and really liked.

‘Notes from an Exhibition’ by Patrick Gale is described by Stephen Fry as ‘… complete perfection’. The story chronicles the life of Rachel Kelly an artist of some renown. Rachel is a whirlwind of creative highs and anguished, crippling lows. All her life she has battled manic depression. She is something of an enigma to her long-suffering stoic husband and four children. Rachel is found dead in her studio, leaving behind some extraordinary new paintings. The book pursues the relationship between mental illness and creativity and decribes in chronological disorder, Rachel’s life and the lives of all those close to her. I loved this book.

If I was to decribe the books I like, it would be those about the human condition. Sometimes the extremes shed more light.

Anyone who teachers or has children is secondary school should read ‘Testimony’ by Anita Shreve. Testimony tells the story of a sex scandal at a private school, Avery Academy in Vermont. The book opens with the headmaster watching a video given to him by one of his staff. While the headmaster is shocked and repulsed, he is also desperate to contain the outfall so that it does not tarnish the school’s excellent reputation. But we, the readers, are told at the outset that the explicit video produces ‘… something very like radiation sickness throughout the school, reducing the value of an Avery education, destroying at least two marriages [...], ruining the futures of three students, and, most horrifying of all, resulting in a death.’

The story is told from the viewpoint of some 24 different characters. It sounds crazy to have so many voices, but the method works.

I have just counted Anita Shreve has written thirteen books and I have read all of them. What I like about her is that the books are easily read in a day or two. She has a great ability to write an entertaining story out of an often simple premise. While her books share similar themes, usually love, loss and family relationships in a New England setting, no two books are alike.

I previously mentioned ‘The Secret Scripture’ by Sebastian Barry. I finished it and it was really excellent. The ending is very unexpected and I don’t want to comment any further for fear of spoiling it for anyone. (I was in the denist’s chair when this book was being discussed on the Ryan Tubridy book club on radio and I had to make a big effort not to hear the ending. Didn’t want to spoil it for myself.)

I am currently reading ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro as recommended by Patrick and will cover it next month.

Because time is precious I hate wasting time on a ‘bad’ book. I give a book 100 pages and if I’m not enjoying by that stage, then I feel I am ‘allowed’ to give up on it. Life’s too short and all that. That’s why I like recommendations. When I run out of reading material, I often ring two friends (sometimes from the book shop) to get recommendations. They both read voraciously. Another good source is other books written by authors I have previously enjoyed. Recommendations from readers of this blog are also very welcome.

I hate the fact that I often forget about books I have enjoyed. I think writing about them here in the blog will serve me as a good record.