Very difficult to review without giving too much away. This is an extraordinary story of two war damaged women who end up in a relationship in a house that has special meaning for both of them. The writing is sharp and the very clever story unfolds in a haunting, troubled way. Highly recommended
This is the memoir of a vet who had some amazing experiences working with unusual animals on the islands in the South Atlantic. It was especially interesting to me as I have spent some time on St Helena and it was great to be reminded of the life and places there. But I felt he needed a better editor or even ghost writer. The language is quite plodding which detracts from the excitement of his travels.
I really enjoyed learning about eels which it turns out are mysterious and unexplained creatures. After the first chapter I had fallen in love with them. The second chapter then hit me like a ton of bricks with the author's reminiscences of his times fishing for eels with his father. Suddenly these -to me- newly discovered mysteries were being killed and skinned. So the rest of the book was a bit up and down. I tended to skim or skip the fishing with father memories, but was fascinated by the chapters detailing the research into eels. Jane posted a link to an eel breeding place in Stillbaai where you can go and visit them (see the Links on this book). I am planning a day trip as soon as I can drive there - any takers?
This thriller is set on an island with only 1 inhabitant. Grace been left the house by the eccentric artist Vanessa with whom she lived for years on the island. Vanessa's philandering husband had disappeared in mysterious circumstances. Grace is visited by a representative of the institute managing Vanessa's artistic legacy as irregularities in some of the works have been discovered. There is a sinister sense of foreboding and the island becomes a scary place. Not my cup of tea but a gripping read.
In this novel the young protagonist is an immigrant in the USA and is pretending to his mum that he is flourishing at medical school as that is her dream for him. But in fact he is lonely and homeless and suicidal until he moves in with Grazina, a semi-senile old Eastern European immigrant who is also battling on the margins of American society. Their unusual friendship is tenderly developed, and Hai gets a job at a fast food place to support the two of them. Here he finds a family, kindness and a support structure in his poor working-class colleagues. This is a beautifully sensitive account of life on the fringe written with a gentle humour and acceptance. It is a complex book and I found it helpful to watch some interviews with the author introducing his novel that I have put in the Links for this book.