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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