Tag: Fiction

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I am sure you will have seen ‘The Safekeep’ around. It won the 2025’s Women’s prize, and I can totally see why. Any book where the title can have multiple meanings in relation to the text is a winner to me – and there are really a number of ways you can interpret the title of this book, as well as the original meaning of the title. Which I am not sure I can tell you, as I think that could well be a little bit of a spoiler for the final part of the book.

This is a beautifully written, well-constructed story. We meet Isa, who is living like a recluse in her childhood home that her family moved into during the war. She has very little contact with the outside world, other than with her two brothers and her regular maid; she is suspicious of the outside world, and feels she needs to keep the home safe. Until the arrival of her brother Louis’ latest girlfriend, who moves in with Isa and turns her life upside down.

Their relationship is explored in detail, as Isa learns more about herself than she has for most of her life. And it also forces her to reflect on her past. But once her houseguest, Eva, leaves, Isa finds out the truth about her famly home – and this forces her to reflect on her family and country’s history.

The safekeep means so much in this book, or as I read it, it does. And I am not sure I should explore them in this blog post, as I fear it may take away from the reading experience for anyone who would like to read it, but it definitely forced me to reflect a little more about this book and not just take it at face value.

This is a good book, and I can see why it is a prize winner. And the final part of the story that brings it all together is excellent, but it is a complex book, and I am not sure how you would categorise it, as it seems to cross a number of genres. I have seen it described as a thriller, but I am not sure I would say that; it has also been seen as historical fiction (with its 1960s setting), but I am not sure I would even call it that. I think it is an excellent piece of literary fiction that needs to be read for anyone to be able to form any kind of judgement about it, because I suspect it is a very different reading experience for each reader.

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Although the good old British public transport system conspired against me and prevented me from being able to attend a recent Holly Jackson event, it did not prevent me from getting my copy of her new book, ‘Not Quite Dead Yet’. Holly Jackson is an autobuy author for me, and as we all know, I do not read blurb, so I had all I knew about this story from the title (very apt) and the cover, but that was enough for me.

I absolutely devoured this book from the moment I picked it up. Holly Jackson writes some really incredible crime/thriller books, and this one did not disappoint. For a first adult fiction book, it was brilliant and did not lose any of the great storytelling that Holly Jackson has given us in YA fiction. It is not a spoiler that this book is about Jet Mason having seven days to solve her own murder (which adds a whole other level of peril to the usual peril you find in these books), and that is exactly what she aims to do.

Jet is a great strong female lead character, who does not let anyone else try to decide her destiny for her, as all she wants is to ensure that the person responsible for her murder is brought to justice. As she does this, it opens a Pandora’s Box of secret and lies about her family and the town she has grown up in. That is about as much as I can give you, as this is a spoiler-free blog. But you will want to read it to find out exactly what it is Jet uncovers as she searches for her murderer.

What I will say about this book is that I am not sure all the secrets were a complete surprise. I was suspicious of one character fairly early on, however, not quite for the right reason. And I love that about a whodunnit: you can make your predictions, you can follow the clues, and you can make your decisions, which may not always be right, but it does all make you reflect on how you got there.

In my humble opinion, Holly Jackson has made the transition from YA to adult fiction successfully, and hopefully this has brought her books to a whole new audience. Although, to be honest, I think many of us adults had read the YA too, but there may be some of you out there who haven’t, so can I suggest you read ‘Not Quite Dead Yet’, because it is definitely worth it.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

‘The Wedding People’ was recommended by Clare Pooley at the last Book Taster Live event – so I knew it was a book I had to read. And when a book buddy suggested that we give it a go for a buddy read, I knew I could not turn down the chance. A book about a woman who ends up as an unexpected guest at quite an ‘extra’ wedding does sound like quite an incredible idea for a book.

I have to be honest, as I started the book, I thought I was not going to like it, and that it was at risk of being a DNF. However, there is a moment after the first few pages where the book just clicks and I struggled to put it down, as I wanted to know what was going to happen next to our cast of characters, or what secret was about to let out into the world next. In fact, as I read this book, I could clearly visualise it as being a film. Some of the humourous scenes are so well written, that I could just see it on the big screen (a moment with a boat and a funeral for a virtual pet was one such moment).

This is a very character-led book, so it was not one that could be read in small speedy chunks. You need to dedicate some reading time to this book and as you read it the time will fly. Alison Espach manages to have every character you could imagine at this wedding, and I am pretty sure you will see people you know in this book. However, it also really successfully tackles topics such as loneliness, even when you are surrounded by people and family relationships of all kinds. It makes it quite a touching read at points, and you really see the characters develop and change as you progress through the book. It is especially fantastic to see Phoebe become who she is at the end of the book, despite the difficult start that she has.

I am not sure that this book was anything that I thought it would be and, although one plot point is fairly obvious, it is still a book that may surprise. This is a piece of contemporary fiction that deserves to be read and I hope many more readers pick it up and enjoy, because it is good fun as a read.

Into the Fire by G. D. Wright

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I spotted ‘Into the Fire’ by G. D. Wright on Bookstagram a number of times and it has a rather attractive cover, so I felt I had to give it a go.

This book starts rather dramatically with our hero (or so we think), Steve, rescuing a baby boy from a house fire. Creating a media frenzy, as you would expect, Steve, the quiet, unassuming family man, is thrown into the spotlight and is the centre of a media circus. This leads to the secrets of Steve’s past coming to light – and the question soon becomes: is Steve a hero or a villain?

Told from multiple perspectives, we see the story unfold, and how it impacts a number of different characters, including the detective (always great to have a strong female detective), who has a connection to the current case and a cold case. This is not so much a whodunnit but a whydunnit: why is Steve both a hero and villain? Why have things about his past stayed hidden for so long? Why does anyone do some of the things that they do – especially the most extreme?

There is also a clear study of multiple relationships – family, friend, perpetrator and victim; professional, police and public. And the idea of trust is considered throughout the book: who do we trust and why do we trust them?

A moment at the very end of the book is a twist I was not expecting, although the author resvisits the clues for you and, actually, other readers may have picked it up, but I did not. I was not sure this twist was needed as it happened but, as I finished the book, I could understand this decision and why it was as it was, and actually what it brought to the story. Even if in the moment it was a little bit of a shock, and felt as though it might be there just for shock factor.

It always seems strange to say that I enjoyed a book with some dark subjects and events, but this was a good read; I would advise that maybe you should check the trigger warnings before you read this, as, for some people, it may be a slightly more difficult read.

I would certainly read more G. D. Wright books, and have already looked up what else has been written – because, as we know, you can never have enough books.

The Psychopath Next Door by Mark Edwards

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I kicked off my Summer Holiday Reading by picking up ‘The Psychopath Next Door’ by Mark Edwards. I was lucky enough to hear Mark speak and interview Jo Callaghan at a bookish event and it was at this same event that I picked up his book. I am ashamed to say that before then he had not come up on my bookish radar, but I am glad he did that day, because this book was an absolutely brillliant thriller.

I consumed this book in three days, I could not put it down. It sucked you in from page one. Thrillers are always a tough one to write reviews about, as you know I do everything to keep it as spoiler-free as possible. I mean, that title makes it fairly clear what the book is probably about, so that is not a real spoiler, but how that situation came about and how it impacts the Dove family is quite the ride.

It is a rather dark tale as we find how Fiona Smith has found herself living nextdoor to the Dove family and how she becomes part of their lives. But there are some wonderful twists along the way and I could not move until I finished the final few chapters of the book, as I had to know what was going to happen and how this book would be drawn to a close. It is a brilliantly constructed tale from start to finish – full of drama, suspense and thrills. The dark characters are really rather complex, and add the the chills as you read the book. And it is interesting how ordinary the other characters seem to be, and make you realise how much in a family and friendship group we probably accept so much at face value, and sometimes wisdom does not come with age and we should sometimes have more faith in the young.

I am not sure why I am always drawn to thrillers at this time of year – but what this has done has secured Mark Edwards as another author (and the list keeps growing) that I am keen to read the backlist of. And I am excited that he has a new book out this very summer, which, of course, is on the wishlist.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

When a book buddy suggested they were going to start this book, I jumped on and asked if we could have an informal buddy read. I had been intimidated by ‘Demon Copperhead’ for quite some time; I have it as a hardback (which is quite the chunky-looking book), but it has also had so much love. It is a prize-winner (which often makes me nervous that I am just not on that level as a reader), and I have heard it recommended on BBC Radio 4’s ‘A Good Read’, and it has been a selection on BBC2’s ‘Between the Covers’. This level of hype makes me nervous, but now was the time to pick this book up with the support of a bookish buddy.

I think it is fairly common knowledge that Demon Copperhead is a modern reimagining of David Copperfield, and oh my word, this is an inspirational idea because it has its similarities but is also a completely original story.

Barbara Kingsolver has built an absorbing story, which, very much like Dickens, is a social commentary of modern America, and the broken social system and opiate crisis (ironic that there would have been one of these in Victorian London too, questioning if the world has really ever moved on?). It is a painful read at points, and it may make you angry, but it will keep you reading as the characters are created so clearly that you have to stay with them and find out what will happen to each of them – and if Demon can ever get his happy ending.

Demon is one of the best characters that I have read in a book. You want to be able to jump into the pages and save him. He is a young man who just needs to be loved, and understand the love of a family. He has missed this all of his formative years, and it leads to some poor decisions and combined with some bad luck, leads him down a path he knows is wrong but he can’t seem to help himself. It is almost as though he has resigned himself to the fact that this is all society expects from him, so that is what is going to happen. You see some wonderful glimmers of when he has chances, and there are hope of change but life is cruel and it just does not seem on the cards for Demon Copperhead to have any real chance in life.

There are so many other fascinating characters I could comment on, both those that are kind and complicated are created so clearly for the reader, with the clever play on names (and nicknames) that seem to totally encapsulate who they are and what they may mean to Demon. It is all just so clever, and a clear indication that Barbara Kingsolver is an incredibly skilled author.

I do not think I will be able to forget Demon Copperhead for quite some time, and it means I will certainly have to read ‘David Copperfield’, as I have seen films and TV adaptations but have never actually read the book. But I will say that ‘Demon Copperhead’ is not a retelling, it is a story in its own right, that has done exactly what Dickens did, highlighted a terrible social situation to the world, and for us modern readers, it has really shown how there are exactly the same social issues as there were nearly 200 years ago – and should we not be a in a world that should know so much better?

On the Edge by Sarah Turner

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

In preparation for The Book Taster Book Club this month, I made sure I read ‘On the Edge’ in plenty of time. It had, no surprise, been sitting on the tbr pile for a little while, so it was about time I picked it up, especially as I have been following Sarah Turner on social media for quite some time.

I will be completely honest, this book was a complete surprise. I was pretty sure I would enjoy it before I started, I was not aware quite how much I would enjoy it. I have read books that have made me laugh and cry before, but not ones that have made me literally laugh and cry simultaneously. I binged the entire second half of the novel, not moving until I had finished it one Saturday morning.

I really do not want to give this story away too much because I really want people to read it and enjoy it, because I think it will offer something different to everyone. However, this is a story about family, in pretty much every sense of the word. And a wonderful study of relationships and character. However, it will be no surprise that ‘on the edge’ has so many different meanings in this book – especially for our main character Joni who returns to her home town after the death of her Nana, who has set a number of challenges for the family if they wish to receive their inheritance (and have her ashes to spread). There are, of course, mishaps and revelations along the way, which make for a truly entertaining read.

A few of the characters are a little infuriating, but I am pretty sure we would all have encountered someone that had traits of all of these characters. And, for me, it was all perfectly fitting for the story, because I think a lot of what happens in this book when it comes to self-reflection and relationships have all been things that many of us have faced, and sometimes seeing them on the pages helps us all.

This has secured Sarah Turner as an author I am keen to read more from – surprise: I have ‘Stepping Up’ on the tbr too, so it may have to be bumped up the list now – although I may have to emotionally prepare myself for the experience after this book.

Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

As I have mentioned before, I love the fact that I have a backlist from Liz Nugent to enjoy. My latest choice was ‘Our Little Cruelties’ – which has another stunning cover.

‘Our Little Cruelties’ tells us about three brothers, William, Brian and Luke Drumm. Each is a very different character, despite the same shared experiences as children, or so they think. But, as we read the story, we see how their experiences were not as similar as they may have seemed. Each brother had a very different relationship with their mother, especially Luke – and does that shape the man that he becomes? In fact, as the story is told, we realise how toxic the relationship between the brothers is, and maybe how similar they are and the ‘little cruelties’ they demonstrate towards each other. How will their relationship end?

Something that Liz Nugent is amazing at is writing male relationships and characters. And, often, they are not very pleasant people, and expose the worst characteristics in human beings – but this makes the books thought-provoking and very readable.

I have to be honest: this is not my favourite of her books so far. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it and had to know where the story is going, as anything that opens with a funeral leaves you needing to know how we got to that point. However, as this story was told in different parts, from the viewpoint of each brother as we move to the moment that got us to the funeral, it made it slightly repetitive at moments. Of course, this is so we can see how they interpreted events, or how various events played out for them, but for me it just felt at times that we were not finding out anything new (especially as William was such a wonderfully dislikeable character).

Yet, please do not take this as you should not pick this book up, as each of us has a different reading experience, and ultimately if, like me, you are a fan of the books of Liz Nugent, then you will want to have read this book.

Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This month’s pick for ‘The Book Taster’ was ‘Moon Road’ by Sarah Leipciger. This is a book which I would not have picked up without book club, I suspect, simply because there are so many books and yet so little time. However, this is a book that deserves to be on more tbr piles and wishlists, because it really is a good read.

This is a slow burn of a road trip novel, and yet it is also a mystery and a very compelling story. We journey ‘Moon Road’, which has multiple meanings as you read this book, with Yannick and Kathleen as they are on a journey to find their daughter, Una. As they take this journey together, after nineteen years since their relationship ended, their past is slowly revealed to us, one memory and conversation at a time.

We are let into their relationship, in a way they have not even been let in for quite some time. They are complex characters and, maybe, not always likeable characters, but you feel you are on the journey with them and you are really drawn into their story and build a bond with them as they follow Moon Road. I think you take on all their emotions and find yourself needing to pick up the book to find out what is going to happen next, and make sure they are okay on their adventure or journey (depending on how you look at it).

I can’t say much more about the story other than that, as it may lead to spoilers, but I can say it is a beautifully constructed story, which has one of the most haunting endings I have ever read in a novel. In fact, that ending is with me still now as I write this post, and I think it will be with me for a long time to come. And you are just going to have to read it to understand why that is.

What also made this book beautiful for me, is that it is set in Canada. I have been lucky enough to be to some of the places mentioned in the book, and this allowed me to visualise, maybe not perfectly, the surroundings they may have been travelling through, and how, with all that time isolated together, the level of reflection, and sharing of thoughts and experiences between Yannick and Kathleen would come about.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

My IRL Book Club this month was ‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah, a book (as you will no doubt have guessed) that has been languishing on the TBR pile for a little while now. I think the size put me off a little – but when you have to read it for Book Club, you have to see past the size (and remind yourself that long books in hardback always look worse – haha).

‘The Women’ tells the story of Frankie, a young woman who makes the decision that she is going to go to ‘Nam as a nurse. Something that she hopes might get her on the hero wall her father adores in his study, but that will also bring her acceptance of the death of her brother in the same conflict. We follow her time there, and the consequences it has on her future and that of her family.

As I have come to expect with Kristin Hannah novels, we have strong female characters placed into extreme circumstances. Women who have had to learn to become survivors, but also women who learn to fight for what they believe in. And this is exactly what happens here.

The first half of the book in Vietnam is rather intense. As you are thrown into the conflict with Frankie, experiencing with her the violence, tragedy and emotional rollercoaster of war, you are with her as she forms friendships and is entangled in the trials and tribulations of love in the time of war. And you really feel all her heartbreak along the way – her heartbreak for the victims of war (on both sides) and the heartbreak she suffers as she believes she is in love.

The second half of the book, we are with Frankie as she attempts to adjust to life as a civilian back in America. This really considers the impact of war on an individual and on those that they love. Frankie is returning to a nation that has not just had many of its young men ravaged by their experiences at war, but one that is facing its own internal struggle over civil rights. The second half of the book is where you really realise why Hannah settled on the title of the book, ‘The Women’, because they really were forgotten for their time in the Vietnam War, and the support was even less for them than it was for the men who returned.

I am certain that this book is going to spark a lot of discussion at Book Club, because there is just so much amongst its pages to digest.

I have to admit that, despite the fascinating idea behind this book, it was not my favourite. It does everything I love in a Kristin Hannah book. But the ‘twist’ was no surprise and it was slightly lengthy, which made some of it a bit of a struggle to read. Please do not get me wrong: I would still suggest that fans of Kristin Hannah should pick this book up, and I am still glad that I read it, especially as it is going to encourage me to not just learn more about the events of Vietnam, but also pick up more of Kristin Hannah’s books soon, as that is all of them on my TBR pile completed (and I can’t say that very often).