The Echo Chamber, John Boyne

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Meet the Cleverleys, a privileged family with George being a popular presenter on the BBC, Beverly a bestselling author (with a ghost writer), and their three children Nelson, Elizabeth, and Achilles, figuring out how to be in the world. We are introduced to the two parents in learning about the affairs they have been engaged in, while convincing themselves they are loyal to their spouse. This doesn’t give us a great first impression of them. When we meet Nelson he is dressed in scrubs but unwilling to help a man in need of medical attention on the tube. Elizabeth and her boyfriend Wilkes are addicted to growing their social media following, doing charitable works but documenting everything online. Achilles has found a lucrative side hustle (he is still in school) of blackmailing potential sugar daddies, most of whom have far less money than his family. When George trips up in a tweet about a transgender receptionist his decades of carefully curating a liberal persona look to be at risk. 

All of the characters in this book are fairly terrible, perhaps with the exception of Nelson, who craves love and lacks confidence. Even the side characters are caricaturish and constantly make bad decisions. I’m not against an unlikeable character but when the entire novel is populated exclusively by unsympathetic, selfish, morally dubious characters it does become difficult to really enjoy what you’re reading. Boyne counters this somewhat with humour, and although this is obviously meant as satire it is so overblown that it loses its power. I was expecting to be challenged by the ills of social media, a topic I’m very open to, but I didn’t leave the book with any insights or really a feeling that the focus was actually on social media. Yes, there are some characters who have a deeply unhealthy relationship with their phones, and cancel culture is examined, but in such a belittling way, where every player is demeaned you’re not left with a strong feeling on where your sympathy is meant to lie. George is the ‘victim’ of cancel culture but he suffers no real consequences. The main message of the book seems to be that if you’re wealthy and powerful you can do what you want. Boyne’s own troubles with social media criticism may be fuelling some of his disdain for keyboard warriors. Elizabeth has two Twitter accounts, her personal one, and a secret one in which she attacks everyone and anyone without distinction. Indeed, she also sends vile messages to her friends and family, and it is her response that makes George’s tweet go viral. I don’t think many of us really believe pile-ons are a good thing, but Boyne’s disdain for ‘woke’ and anyone who questions the old order feels very dismissive. This is especially reinforced because we repeatedly see those pretending to be wounded that their liberalism is being questioned espousing offensive views outside of the public eye. His attacks on incidental characters also feel unnecessarily mean.

Boyne attempts to link in social media further by using flashbacks to happier times for the Cleverleys, ending with a note on which social media platform was being launched at the time, as though this is linked to the paths their lives take, except he doesn’t demonstrate this. Indeed, it is only really Twitter and some Instagram that is used to any great effect throughout the novel, so the creation of Facebook or TikTok etc is even more irrelevant. Of course it’s all tied, but there is no demonstration that the root cause of the family’s shortcomings is social media or smart phones. It seems more to be their sense of self-importance and the knowledge that their positions give them free reign to do as they please. Even the epilogue which is presumably meant to show how much happier life is away from phones doesn’t really show anything more than that there are no real consequences for them for their bad behaviour.

The characters are all seemingly interlinked, often through Pylyp, former Strictly Come Dancing partner to Beverly, the man she’s having an affair with, as has most of her family. The fact some of them would have been underage at the time is completely swept aside, as is Elizabeth’s passing comment about the unhealthy sexual relationships she’s been in in the past. Every time a new character is introduced you wonder how they will fit into this broader story. Initially this was quite interesting, it did become a little tiresome after a while, and then toward the end there is one final link in the chain that you don’t see coming. Pylyp also brings in a character which for many may be their favourite - the tortoise Ustym Karmaliuk. When he goes back to Ukraine to visit family he leaves the tortoise with Beverly, with strict instructions on how to care for him. Considering her lack of care for her children and work, you can imagine how well this goes. 

At times I did enjoy this book and raced through it. The characters and the way they act can feel so outrageous at times that it is funny, and I was interested to find out what would happen next. Some of the connections between characters were intriguing and it was interesting to see how they played out. It lost me a bit toward the end and I think it was probably because literally every character that was introduced, whether for a scene or for the duration were just not nice people, and often for seemingly no reason. We can see that the Cleverley children have been somewhat neglected by their parents and have had to find their own way through the challenges of the teenage years and young adulthood. It is not touched on often but in passing we are told that Nelson has never felt safe and loved, that Elizabeth has experienced difficulties in relationships, and has turned to social media for validation and a sense of being. George and Beverly are openly rude about people they don’t like, and make no secret of which of their children they like best and what they think their shortcomings are. They want their children to move out but don’t stop to consider that perhaps they haven’t prepared them with the skills they need to succeed in the world. There are a lot of potentially interesting avenues this book could have gone down but Boyne chooses not to. The satire is too widely spread to have much of an impact and the characters feel like shallow stereotypes so you’re not really invested. Again, for me, Nelson was the exception. If you’re new to Boyne I would recommend trying one of his other books.

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Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

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Austen’s most famous novel introduces us to the Bennets, a family of daughters all in need of a husband. Mrs Bennet uses all her energy trying to engineer good matches for them while Mr Bennet subtly undermines her. The girls (aside from Mary, who gets very little page time) are excited at the prospect of balls and the soldiers who are staying nearby. When Mr Bingley rents a local estate there are high hopes that one of the Bennets will catch his eye, but with his unfriendly companion Mr Darcy by his side there may be unexpected complications. Will Mrs Bennet succeed in securing good matchers for all five girls, and will they marry the men they want or be stuck with a man merely for his position?

Austen builds the world humorously, focusing in on the relatively small lives of her characters. Ignoring the world of politics and war that was raging around them, she allows us to be sucked into the world of the Bennets, where an invitation to a ball is much sought after, not receiving a letter from your beloved is a tragedy, and the wealth of your family has a huge impact on your prospects. Coming in to this book I had expected it to be mainly about Elizabeth and Mr Darcy so was surprised to discover that although they do get a little more time than others, it is really about the whole family. There are many love stories, and I actually found theirs one of the least convincing. Darcy is rude and unfriendly to begin with, and although we do see from quite an early stage that he is developing feelings for Elizabeth, against his better judgment, there is little affection from her for the majority of the book. Indeed, most of the characters think poorly of him throughout, and although she does learn information that begins to move her to a more sympathetic attitude, knowing that someone isn’t entirely a terrible person isn’t the same as falling in love. Toward the end of the novel when news of their relationship is revealed to her family she is questioned on her affection for him, it coming as a great surprise. Her quip that she saw Pemberley, and that was enough, doesn’t seem all that far from reality. Her thoughts when she first sees the gardens there are that she wouldn’t mind being mistress of such a place. Her anxiety in getting approval from her father feels genuine and well drawn but otherwise her feelings aren’t well developed. Perhaps because it’s such a famous story, even if you know none of the details you know that theirs is the central love story, it shifts how you approach it, but without that foreknowledge I think I would have been quite surprised by her sudden desire to marry Darcy. Coming to the book with the perception that is it a love story and with the modern idea of romance colours your expectations. Elizabeth slowly grows in affection for Darcy as she comes to know his true character and in doing so realises that he could make a suitable life partner, and one whose wealth will keep her comfortable. 

Jane’s love story feels more heartfelt. We see her pining for Bingley, and suffering from his absence. You hope that things will work out for her. Lydia’s elopement is one of the more exciting sections of the novel with the family galvanising to get her back safely. We see the suffering of those left behind waiting for news, and the concern for what sad outcomes might result. Austen’s final say on each of the marriages also adds a sense of reality to it all, this isn’t a happily ever after book, marriages work but the first flushes of affection don’t remain the same. These girls are very young, teens and early 20s, and have no experience of romantic relationships before they’re married. 

The characters are largely quite memorable. There is humour and flaws in them all. Mrs Bennet from the off is depicted as being overly concerned with marrying her daughters off, with her husband being somewhat exasperated and bored by the whole thing. Much as she may go too far, it is completely understandable that she would want her daughters to be in a financially secure position when their father dies. This was not a time when women were generally able to support themselves, especially those who had grown up in genteel surroundings. Readers will laugh in slight horror at her willingness to send Jane off deliberately into the rain, without a carriage, so that she will be forced to stay with Bingley. Her mother is little concerned that she falls ill as a result, and once assured that it is not a serious ailment her priority is to keep her at Bingley’s for as long as possible, against the wishes of both Jane and Elizabeth, who has gone to tend to her. Darcy comments later in the novel in a moment of unguarded honesty, that her mother’s behaviour is off-putting to potential suitors. Mr Bennet manages to be a likeable character despite his not always being kind to his wife, a fact that is remarked upon later in the novel. He doesn’t do anything outrageous and he is interested in his daughters making decisions based on what they want, rather than what is deemed a good match. Nonetheless, he should probably be more concerned with ensuring their wellbeing when he is no longer around. We are constantly told what a good-hearted woman Jane is, and although she doesn’t do anything wrong I’m not sure that we are shown her demonstrating this all that much. Elizabeth is strong-willed and opinionated, but also kind and concerned for the wellbeing of her sisters. She feels quite modern.

I have read some Jane Austen previously and admit I was never much of a fan, but am glad to have given her another go. Pride and Prejudice is an enjoyable read which made me chuckle multiple times throughout. Although written over two hundred years ago, and set in family life and society that is different to that most modern readers will relate to, the characters and their hopes, dreams and flaws, all feel very relatable and timeless. The writing is easy to get in to and although the story is quite gentle there is plenty to keep your interest.

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Antwerp: The Glory Years, Michael Pye

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Pye takes us on a tour of sixteenth century Antwerp, its glory years. In this fascinating book you will learn much about the importance of the city for trade and the spread of intellectual ideas, and the way everything became an industry with funeral monuments being sent out as kits to be assembled and painters creating advanced forms of paint by numbers for others in their workshops to work up. He talks also of how difficult it is to piece together Antwerp’s history with huge gaps in the records available in the city itself. Instead, researchers are forced to visit cities in other countries to find snippets of information in order to cobble together a picture of this remarkable city. You are left with the sense of its success having been transitory, riotous, and important far beyond its walls.

Antwerp was a hub of trade but also of intellectual exchange, with their printing presses putting out books for countries across Europe. Indeed, they printed the controversial edition of the Bible in English, but Pye assures us this doesn’t mean the printers were taking sides. The same books could very well have been burned the following week. There were also newsletters printed and made readily available at booksellers which encouraged the exchange of ideas in the city in a very accessible form. Antwerp was a city that was looked to as a source of knowledge. It had impressive botanic gardens when they were quite rare elsewhere and knowledge was sought from them, even from enquirers from countries where the plant in question was native.

It was a market for luxury but also mass production. There was a notable shift away from the commissioning of artists directly to going through a dealer, buying paintings that the artist was going to paint anyway. Some worked hard at ensuring their style matched the national style of the purchaser. As things progressed a process more akin to a production line emerged. Drawings for paintings would be reused and instructions given so that assistants could paint them, with the artist checking the final piece with the customer and making any final adjustments. By 1515 there were more than 100 workshops in full production in the city.

As with many growing cities, day to day life wasn’t always pleasant. Crime was rife and the growing population encouraged the spread of disease. Locals didn’t fully take advantage of the boom, investing in property with the expectation that it would remain desirable. Once traders moved on to Amsterdam they were left with investments that were worth very little. Water quality was poor which meant the beer was not good, but the Emperor was determined that local beer should still be the main ones consumed, bringing in punishments for anyone found to be drinking foreign beer within a three and a half mile radius of the city walls. 

As someone who knew very little of the city’s history before reading this book, I found it fascinating. When visiting Antwerp I spent a happy few hours in the Plantin-Moretus Museum, and so I was interested to see what an important role Plantin played in Antwerp’s status. As with any history of a European city, other countries on the continent play a role and so we see famous figures from abroad, such as William Tyndale, make an appearance. Having recently read Wolf Hall I noted the frequency with which Antwerp is mentioned, and it was good to fill in the gaps about why it was such a notable city. A great read if you’re planning a trip to Antwerp or have an interest in the history of arts, culture, and trade.

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Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall

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Tim Marshall’s bestselling book on geopolitics was completely updated in 2025, bringing it as up to date as possible, although events in early 2026 have moved the story on significantly in some parts of the world. The main thesis of the book is that geography plays a huge role in the way countries develop, interact, and compete with each other. Geography essentially forces leaders’ hands into actions. Even with advancing technology mitigating the effects of geography somewhat, Marshall argues people ignore geography at their peril.

In his introduction he acknowledges that there are major countries missing from the book, that they could fill a whole book on their own. This is not a comprehensive examination of the whole world, but a dive into specific regions and the ways geography has impacted their development. It was interesting to think about the way the geography of Europe makes exchange of ideas and goods much easier than in South America, for example. Other continents have attempted to bring together countries in a union similar to that of the EU but mountain ranges, rivers with frequent waterfalls, and deep rainforest make it a much more difficult project. Africa too has suffered from the way the geography splits up the land and resources, and we see how major powers take advantage of this. It also makes you appreciate what an impossible task it is to lead a country such as the United States of America or Russia, where the landscapes are so varied and the way people live their lives differs hugely from one area to the other. 

There is a large section on Russia and it makes you think about the natural resources available to the country. Marshall highlights the absence of a warm water port and the resulting obsession with having control of Crimea. It doesn’t excuse Putin’s behaviour but it does make you understand a bit more of the logic of his ambitions. As someone who doesn’t have any great knowledge of geopolitics, it was fascinating to gain a greater understanding of why the world looks the way it does now. Of course, it was also quite emotional reading sections relating to areas which are currently in conflict. For leaders it may be a case of thinking about resources and securing their future, but it must never be forgotten that these are individual lives being torn apart in the process. Reading it, you can’t help but think if the world’s leaders could work together to share resources the world would be a much more peaceful place. The borders of countries, are after all, fairly arbitrary lines drawn on a map.

We see again and again how true this is in areas impacted by colonialism in the past few centuries. Leaders from far away countries would look at a map and carve up countries without any thought to either the geography of the nations nor the communities who live there. Most famously this has caused decades of unrest between India and Pakistan, but we see that this is not an isolated incident. Marshall considers how one might resolve these difficulties and explores the complexity of redrawing borders. It’s not as simple as putting it back to how it was before - everywhere has had so many iterations of borders that choosing what point in history to return to is almost impossible, and inevitably causes yet more strife.

This is a very readable overview of the geopolitics of nations across the globe (although Oceania is largely ignored) which will make you think more deeply about the factors that position your home country where it is. It also makes you consider what the future will look like as technology develops further, humans seek to colonise space, and discussions over who has claims to the Antarctic continue. One thing that feels certain is that conflicts will always be present somewhere in the world, and that we have a tiny fragment of world events reported to us through major news outlets. 

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The Enchanted April, Elizabeth Von Arnim

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When Mrs Wilkins sees an advert for a castle to rent in Italy for ‘those who appreciate wistaria and sunshine’ she is overtaken by an unexpected desire to take up the property and escape from her dreary life for a month. She sees another woman, Mrs Arbuthnot, notice the advert and senses in her the same longing. Completely out of character for them both they decide to enquire, and on finding the rent rather steep, seek two more women to share the cost. Before they know it they are arriving in Italy and acquainting themselves with the castle which is to be their home for the month of April. Mrs Fisher and Lady Caroline arrive separately to Wilkins and Arbuthnot and there is an ongoing silent battle over who should be in the role of host. Lady Caroline wants to be left alone, worn out by London society and the attention her good looks bring. Mrs Fisher doesn’t appear to have any great aspirations for the holiday but puts herself in the role of ensuring decorum is maintained. She finds Mrs Wilkins entirely too excitable and informal.

There is not much in the way of plot in this novel, it is merely a gentle meditation on the lives of women in the 1920s, on marriage and expectation, on finding your own desires. As the novel progresses we see each woman come to realisations about themselves. Mrs Wilkins is the most immediately and obviously changed, feeling the weight and drudgery of life float away. She spends her days on long walks, picnicking by herself in the landscape around the castle. Her heart is so lightened by the experience that she invites her husband to stay with them. Lady Caroline fears that the other women will want to be her friend and ruin her peace, but she soon finds that actually she wishes Mrs Wilkins would bother her more. She spends her days thinking and realises that she has been mean and shallow. Throughout she is frustrated by the fact that when she tries to be unpleasant to others they don’t realise - her voice is so sweet and her looks so pretty that they are merely enchanted. We come to see in Mrs Arbuthnot a longing to be important to another person. Before she left London we saw that her marriage was not a happy one. Her husband makes money in ways she doesn’t approve of and marriage has made her pious and judgmental. When her husband arrives he is reminded of who she was before they were married, a similar experience to that of Mr and Mrs Wilkins, and you feel sad for them that they have spent so long being unhappy in their marriages.

Our first impressions of Mrs Arbuthnot and Wilkins are positive. Mrs Wilkins seems fairly innocent in her enthusiasm and looks forward to preparing the castle for the other two women, wanting to see their pleasure when they arrive. Lady Caroline and Mrs Fisher show no such signs of conviviality, taking the best rooms for themselves and moving unwanted furniture into the rooms Mrs Wilkins and Arbuthnot will inhabit. Certainly I felt great affection for Mrs Wilkins, and Mrs Fisher’s dislike of her, ignoring her as much as possible, feels unkind. The castle does eventually work its magic on them all however, and they see the good in each other that perhaps they couldn’t at the beginning. Mrs Fisher generally approves of Mrs Arbuthnot, but unaware that she sees herself as the host, is confused by her constant response to being offered tea or food being to offer it back. This is the kind of gentle humour littered throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were characters that you related to from the start, others that were harder around the edges. There was a real innocence to Mrs Wilkins and Arbuthnot planning the trip, the descriptions likening their feelings to that of having been with a lover. These are women who have become trapped by their domestic lives, and whose courage to do something different frees them from those invisible shackles, allowing them to discover themselves once more.

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None Of This Is True, Lisa Jewell

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When Josie Fair and Alix Summers both decide to celebrate their birthdays in the same pub, their chance encounter will change both their lives forever. Alix is a successful podcaster, interviewing inspiring women. Josie works quite happily in a sewing repair shop. She begins listening to Alix’s podcast after their meeting and decides that she should be the next guest, not as an already successful woman, but as someone on the brink of changing their life. As their interviews develop we learn more about Josie’s life - the husband she met in her teens (when he was in his forties), the troubles with her children when they were young, and the ongoing struggles with them. One of her daughters appears to be estranged, the other doesn’t leave her bedroom and will only eat baby food. Josie seems to want to be Alix, jealous of her beautiful home and success. Alix and her husband Nathan become increasingly uncomfortable with her presence in their home but she makes it difficult for them to be free of her. How far will she go to hold on to the illusion of closeness between them?

From the first time they meet the contrast between Josie and Alix is stark. Josie is celebrating her birthday with her husband, with whom she seems to have little to say. Alix is surrounded by friends and family and enjoys a livelier celebration. When we see Josie and her husband Walter at home they seem unhappy together. Silently occupying the same house but not really living their lives together. She expresses a desire to change her life, a feeling that life has just kind of happened to her but now it’s time for her to take control. Alix lives a life of comfort, with a husband who allows her to spend his money without question. It’s not perfect, however, Nathan has recently begun going on all night benders, returning late the next day, and she questions whether she should stay with him. Josie enjoys having a shared hardship, but also feels let down that Alix, a woman she admires so much, puts up with being treated badly. 

The story that emerges from their podcast interviews is a dark one. We learn of how Walter effectively groomed Josie, of how he goes into their daughter’s bedroom each night. Josie suspects he is abusing her but does nothing about it. Repeatedly we see her in situations where she opts to be an observer rather than actively participating or protecting those in her care. The things she admit to Alix make her look bad as well as many members of her family, but when Alix meets Josie’s mother and others who have known Josie in the past she begins to get a sense that perhaps Josie isn’t entirely telling the truth. Throughout the novel are short interludes of interviews from a Netflix documentary made about Alix and Josie in which others confirm that Josie is not all that she seems and that although she may paint herself as the victim she isn’t perceived as such by others. Of course, the title of the book suggests we should be wary of believing everything we’re being told, but some of her claims are hard to believe someone would make up.

This is an interesting read which kept me up reading just another chapter. It’s dark and twisty and somewhat uncomfortable to read at times as a result. The way we are drip fed information and then given different perspectives by characters that Josie has conditioned us not to believe is an interesting technique. We don’t see much of Walter’s perspective, just through Josie’s eyes, and Nathan too we mostly see through a veil of other people’s opinions. Toward the end we begin to understand a little more of the truth, although at the book club discussion I learnt that some editions have a bonus chapter which makes you reassess how you think about the characters by the end. A book in which nothing is ever quite as it seems and everyone seems to have an agenda. A gripping read but not one that left a lasting impression.

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Bruges-La-Morte, Georges Rodenbach

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Hugues Viane lost his wife five years ago and moved to Bruges, a city he considered decaying and melancholy, in order to fully indulge his grief, seeing his deceased wife reflected around the city. He lives alone with only the company of his servant Barbe. One evening, having been to Church to reflect on his loss, he encounters a woman who he believes resembles his wife almost exactly. What follows is an unsettling affair in which he tries to turn her into the woman he loved while increasingly realising that it is an illusion. He never speaks to Jane, his new beau, about his former love and she is unaware that his obsession with her is based on her resemblance. Putting her up in a home separate from his, keeping their relationship a secret, this is not a healthy situation. When they fall out he has to consider whether he has fallen for Jane for herself or if it is merely the illusion of his former wife that sustains them. Her eventual demand to come to his home leads to the climax of the book. 

Jane as a character is not particularly developed. We see her through Hugues’ eyes, and it is only approaching the climax of the novel that we begin to see more of her mindset. Tired of his strange behaviour she has begun to consider whether it is worth continuing the relationship merely to benefit financially - he is older than her and she suspects it would not be too long before she could inherit. For the most part you feel quite sorry for her but her behaviour in his home becomes quite uncomfortable, although we are left once more feeling that she is a victim of Hugues’ obsession.

Hugues begins by being quite a sympathetic character. Yes, he seem to indulge in his grief, but his emotions are painful and you feel for him. However, his behaviour toward Jane is frequently unacceptable and unhealthy. The power balance between them is uneven, although she does possess power in the chance resemblance to his wife - he would not want to lose her. This is not a love story however, it is one of dangerous obsession and the fetishisation of the dead. A sense of melancholy hangs over the whole book and Rodenbach works hard to bring the city itself into the mood of the book. In the original he published photographs alongside the text, and this has been replicated with more recent photographs in the current edition. These depict empty streets and canals, offering a somewhat haunting sensation very different to the experience of a modern visitor to the city. Locals are said to have been unhappy with the novel when it was originally published, depicting their city as a place of death and decay when they were attempting to revive it as a place of industry. 

An interesting book that modern readers may find somewhat overwritten. The introductory essay by Alan Hollinghurst and essay ‘The Death Throes of Towns’ give us an insight in Rodenbach’s fascination with Bruges and his perspective on it as a city of faded glory. A strange, disturbing novel which evokes a very particular time and mindset. 

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The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop, Takuya Asakura (translated by Yuka Maeno)

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The Cherry Blossom Bookshop only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season, and to access it you have to be reading the exact same passage in the same book as the owner, Sakura, at the exact same time. You might think this would make it near impossible for anyone to ever get through, but throughout the book we meet four characters whose time at the shop gives them a chance to gain new insight and move on from past hurt. In the final visitor’s story we also learn a bit more about the origin of the shop and its inhabitants. 

Sakura and her calico cat Kobako tend the shop and offer a safe space for their visitors. Many of the stories we see unfold involve grief and regrets. In the first, we meet a woman whose mother has recently died, whose career seems to be on the brink of crumbling, and whose brother hasn’t been around to share the burden. The shop allows her a chance to re-evaluate the actions of her mother and reflect on what it meant for her. Next, we meet Shingo, an older man who is suffering from dementia. He misses his departed wife terribly - can the shop allow him a chance to see her once more, and to reconnect with the family he has? Twins Shiho and Kaho find themselves needing to revisit a significant moment from their young adult lives, a moment which has haunted them both and which they wish they could have spoken about freely. Finally, we meet Kozue, whose mother has disappeared and whose father has become stuck, not wanting to admit that she is gone. 

This book gives the impression of being a cosy read, but do not be fooled into thinking it will be all feel-good. As mentioned above, each character is going through a difficult time in one way or another, and the sadness does come out. Ultimately, they find comfort or release in the bookshop so it does not feel like a melancholy book, but it is certainly not cheerful escapism. The final sections become quite philosophical and meta which I quite enjoyed. I also enjoyed the translator’s note at the end which explained a bit about the Japanese language and its intricacies that the average English-language reader wouldn’t know, allowing us to better understand some of the specifics of the book.

This was my first foray into the cosy Japanese magical realism novels that have been proliferating in bookshops over recent years. It was a thoughtful read and quite enjoyable, but the books in it felt incidental more than integral - they are vehicles for the story. For some of the characters they feel more embedded in their stories, but this wasn’t a love letter to books in the way some bookshop based books are. Enjoyable, interesting, and with a beautiful cover, this makes a nice read for Spring.

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How To Kill A Witch, Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi

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This post is part of a blog tour. Thank you to Random Things Tours and Monoray for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Mitchell, a human rights lawyer and Venditozza, writer, came together to form the Witches of Scotland campaign in 2020, seeking justice for the nearly 4000 individuals who were accused of witchcraft in Scotland between 1563 and 1736. This book is the next step in the project, bringing together their research into an accessible book which takes you step by step through the process of having a person accused and condemned as a witch. It delves into particular instances as well as discussing the broader activities of the likes of witch prickers. Most of the cases are Scotland based but they do commit a chapter to the infamous Salem witch trials, and dispel a few misconceptions along the way. The final section of the book looks at accusations of witchcraft that are still occurring around the world now, and the ways in which women continue to be the victim of misogyny - the label might have changed (in some cases) but the prejudices haven’t changed that much.

The subject of the book is dark but the writing is conversational and easy to read. They include many asides in footnotes, which do sometimes distract from the main text (there’s rarely a page without at least one footnote) but they are often informative or amusing. We learn about the horrendous treatment of those accused of witchcraft. They were tortured, forcibly kept awake for days at a time, and sometimes had their loved ones tortured in front of them to try and gain a confession. One thing that became crystal clear while reading the book is how utterly pointless forcing confessions from people with torture is. The confession is meaningless, and their contemporaries seem to have been aware of this as it was often claimed confessions were made without any coercion. Often it seems confessions were redacted as they were going to their death. There is also suspicion that some recorded confessions were entirely made up by the authorities in order to justify their horrific actions. The records of Scottish witch trials are fairly sparse, sometimes the names of the accused are not even recorded, merely that a group of witches were executed. This was not the case in the Salem witch trials in America, meaning that more research has been possible into the victims, and that it has been easier to identify those who need pardoning posthumously.

Mitchell and Venditozzi make it clear throughout that although there were a small number of men accused of witchcraft, it is largely a feminist issue. The odds were stacked against women - it was believed that God would intervene against injustice therefore if He allowed a witch to be executed surely this was a sign of guilt. There was also a belief that if a witch had a witch's mark that was undiscovered she would never confess. Belief systems made it impossible for the accused to prove their innocence, being accused in itself was practically a death sentence. Contradictions make themselves clear in approaches to investigation and proving wrongdoing, but also in the mindset which believes women are weaker creatures and therefore more likely to be tempted by the Devil while also being responsible for luring men into wrongful behaviour. Ideas that will be familiar to many a twenty-first century reader.

The book details the awful experiences of those who were accused. Being examined by witch prickers which involved being stripped and shaved and having needles or knives stuck into various parts of the body until they found any mark that could be seen as a sign of the Devil or which didn’t bleed. There was undoubtedly a sexual nature to this examination, carried out by men on women with nobody on their side. The grisly deaths that met many of the victims of this time are also described, and although they do not shy away from the horrors nor do they dwell unnecessarily on details. We are informed but it never feels gratuitous. It is clear that this period in history was an awful time of persecution. They lay out the factors that often lead to such actions, including difficult global times, insecurity, and the spread of harmful ideas. Parallels are made with the modern world. 

A fascinating, well researched book that reveals the true horror behind the witch trials in Scotland, a period of history which isn’t widely taught. They give voice to the victims by naming them and highlighting their innocence. There are also short fictional sections throughout which help put you in the head of the participants, bringing to life the world they were living in. 

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The Brontës In Brussels, Helen MacEwan

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Many Brontë fans will know of Charlotte’s unrequited love for her teacher in Brussels, M. Heger, and the impact it had on her writing. MacEwan’s book delves deeper into her and Emily’s time in Belgium and the remnants of the city they knew that are still visible today. Throughout, both the modern city and the nineteenth century one are brought to life. Accompanied by modern photographs and historic illustrations, whether or not you have been to the Belgian capital, you feel transported through the pages of this book. 

In 1842 the two sisters embarked on a trip to Brussels hoping to improve their French and German and learn skills that would help them run their own school. We see them struggle to assimilate and finding socialising difficult even with generous and willing hosts. They are judgmental of many of the people they meet and largely keep to themselves. Emily is unhappy and does not return after a visit back to Haworth. Charlotte does return, ignoring a feeling that it is a bad idea. She finds it hard to be separated from Heger but he becomes increasingly distant and she falls into a depression. As difficult as the sisters come across at times you can’t help but feel for Charlotte in her first taste of romantic love and the agony of not hearing from someone who means so much to you. The focus of the book is really Charlotte, whose experience in Brussels had a much greater impact on her life than Emily. 

Emily and Charlotte spent only a fairly short amount of time abroad and there is not much left of the city they knew, which can make it feel as though there’s not much to say in this book. It is padded out with summaries of Villette and The Professor. There are extracts included throughout which relate to the particular time or place MacEwan is discussing at the time. Perhaps more interesting to readers are translations of some of their devoirs, less readily available. We learn also of how the record of their time in Belgium has spread. Heger is said to have handed out some of their work to pilgrims to the pensionnat wanting a glimpse of Lucy Snowe’s school.

This is an interesting book, with a detailed walking guide if you want to go and explore the city yourself. I read it just before a visit and it really gave me a sense of the place. I didn’t go on a Brontë pilgrimage, but did stop off at the cathedral, which felt more meaningful having read the book. I’ve read all the published Brontë novels but not for a while so the excerpts and details of how each book is thought to have been inspired by their experiences and particular places were useful. The story doesn’t stop when Charlotte leaves, taking us through to her premature death. A nice addition to the bookshelves of Brontë fans who want to deep dive on this particular period in their history, or who want to explore the city through the lens of their experiences. 

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Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

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Mantel’s epic leads us through a turbulent period in British history, taking Thomas Cromwell as the central figure. We begin by learning about his difficult childhood before he heads to the continent and comes back well respected. There will be times when other characters try to shame him for his humble origins but he is confident in his abilities and the good standing that his work and efficiency places him in. He’s not wrong - he moves in the very highest of circles, easing the way for Henry VIII to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. This is undoubtedly a complex time - there’s a five page character list at the beginning of the book, which I completely forgot about after the first hundred or so pages so was relying entirely on the text of the novel to keep myself oriented. Thankfully, I wasn’t coming to the period fresh, if you’re new to the story you’ll probably find yourself flicking back and forth a lot.

Cromwell doesn’t have the best reputation in history but Mantel attempts to humanise him here. His difficult family life as a child and the death of his wife and daughters early in the novel allow us a glimpse of a softer side. Here we see Cromwell grieving, and are reminded just how much the threat of death weighed on everyone at the time. If you were lucky enough to survive or avoid contagious diseases, the constant changing of religious preferences of the monarchy meant that you were at risk of execution, and for women of course, death through childbirth. We see throughout that those unwilling to shift their beliefs in line with the current preference from above are punished. Some of the most harrowing and evocative passages are the descriptions of executions. 

We see the fallout of the King’s desire to divorce and remarry and the struggle of those in positions of power to shift their mindset to protect their lives. We hear much about Anne and Henry’s relationship and the rumours around the fading love and lust between them when her first child is not a boy. Knowing how their story ends, you feel for Anne. We see how love and politics intertwine and the negotiations that created this infamous story. We witness also how family are discarded when not seen as useful, and the jealousy of the new queen of anyone connected to her predecessor. It’s a difficult world for their unfortunate offspring to grow up in.

An aspect that I also found interesting was the brief but moving examinations of how some of the characters responded to their impending deaths. We see one choose to accept his fate when offered the opportunity to escape, others going to their end relatively oblivious. What is clear throughout is that your fortunes can change on a whim, and those who feel comfortable in their positions can very easily fall from grace. 

Despite the often serious nature of the content of the book it is littered with little humorous moments, as well as very human ones. Cromwell’s reaction to Holbein’s portrait of him, in which he is described as looking like a murderer, sets him on a short self-reflection, in which he realises he is more vain than previously thought. An interesting read, it’s quite dense and yet reads smoothly. Tackling such famous figures in fiction is no mean feat, and although not everyone will agree with Mantel’s interpretation of some of the characters, it is clearly well researched yet avoids feeling heavy.

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