I am an avid reader and the prospect of taking a gap year excited me for many reasons. One of these being that it gave me a whole year to read more and to have the freedom of reading whatever I liked. This was a change in the routine of previously reading either set texts or anything related to them. While I mostly loved my set texts (notably Brideshead Revisited and the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins), I had certainly missed that feeling of being able to pick anything of the shelf. Here I will give a brief reflection of the books that I have enjoyed in the Big Apple, so far.
Expectation by Anna Hope This book has been on my to-read list for the last few months and I finally got round to buying it and reading it during my long weekend in Virginia. This book is a must read for any woman as it explores subjects of fertility, fidelity and sisterhood in a poignant and delicate way. Despite me having not experienced several of the discussed matters in the novel, I certainly felt included while reading it and it is certainly a book that will stick with me.
The Only Story by Julian Barnes Since reading Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending, I have been keen to explore his wide collection of novels. I noticed The Only Story while browsing around Christmas time and made a mental note to read it – it did not disappoint. This novel is written from the point of view of the novel’s protagonist, Paul, but the exact way in which Barnes’ follows his view develops and changes as the novel continues. This was done cleverly and subtly, something that Barnes also masters in The Sense of an Ending. This novel was heartbreaking and follows the growth of a somewhat unlikeable character that I still found myself feeling sympathy for. Being able to do this is surely a sign of a great author.
The Idiot by Elif Batuman I can’t remember the first time I heard about this book but it has since stuck in my mind. On a Sunday evening while wandering Barnes and Noble, I saw a copy of it and decided it was time to see what the fuss was all about. This novel follows the character Selin, a newly arrived undergraduate at Harvard. It is loosely structured into two halves, one being set in Massachusetts, and the other in Hungary. While this book somewhat did not reach expectations – I think my expectations were fairly unrealistic to begin with. However, I did find myself laughing at the wit of Batuman’s writing as she traces the follies of human nature and human interactions while beautifully following the life of a student who feels like an outsider, a feeling that many can relate to.
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Strictly speaking, I started this book in London but I finished it on my flight to New York. The front cover of this book has been haunting me as it has turned up on the tube and in every book shop. I am so glad that I read it. This novel is written in the first person of a sister to a serial killer of boyfriends. Naturally, it follows the many contradictory feelings that the sister feels as she struggles to find any sympathy due to the guilt that seems to grip her. The book is formatted through short chapters, something that I think was crucial to the novel’s progression. With these chapters, short and blunt sentences are used that are left imprinted on your mind as the plot unravels. I am not normally a fan of thrillers, but I will be sure to recommend this to anyone I come across.
Altered States by Anita Brookner A few years back I read the infamous Hotel du Lac by Brookner and when browsing for something to read last month, I thought about trying another of her books. This novel is centered around the first person narrator, a quiet solicitor called Alan as he falls head over heels for a woman who fails to respond with the same feelings. As a result of this, he locks himself into a somewhat loveless marriage and sees the tragedies of motherhood happen before him. This is beautifully and subtly done as Brookner adopts a male narrator but inserts her own womanly wisdom and sympathies. Enjoyed perhaps is the wrong word to describe my feelings while reading this, but I certainly respected how courageously Brookner writes about society, love and motherhood.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones I did not read this book in the orthodox way but used my Audible monthly credit on it and instead listened to it. Not every book works well as an audiobook but this was not one of them. This novel follows a love triangle between a married couple and a childhood friend of the wife as the husband is sent to jail after being accused of rape. The story is told through the perspectives of the three central characters and Jones masters different voices for each person. While the plot is somewhat predictable, I continued to be entranced by Jones’ writing and the story has still stuck with me since finishing it.
A Weekend in New York by Benjamin Markovits This book was a random find that I was keen to read within the city that it was set. Sadly, I found this book to be a disappointment as it appeared to be overcrowded with undeveloped characters leaving me uninvested in the plot’s progression. However, it was certainly enjoyable to read a book while understanding the specific geographical locations that are mentioned throughout. It does therefore do justice as a book set in New York that pays attention to the wonders of the Upper West Side and the drive from the airport. Nevertheless, this novel has quickly drifted from my memory as it failed to make much of an impression.
Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov I love taking reading recommendations from a wide variety of people as they normally make me read something out of my comfort zone. Death and the Penguin is a good example of this and when I was glad that I did. The novel is set during a post-Soviet society and follows the story of Viktor and his beloved pet penguin, Misha. Viktor is given the job of writing obituaries for a paper but this slowly unravels into something much more sinister and puts his life and his penguin’s life at risk. This novel is mainly written in small chapters, which I found to be extremely effective as it traced the monotony of the life of Viktor while adding to the blunt language that Kurkov uses (bare in mind the book was originally written and published in Russian). I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and it has prompted me to read more about Ukraine and the post-soviet society that haunted many people’s lives.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark Over Christmas I read A Far Cry from Kensington by Spark and had thoroughly enjoyed it. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is often cited as her best work yet to me it failed to reach expectations. This novel is about ‘The Brodie Set’, a group of young girls at a school in which Miss Brodie is a teacher and she reflects on her prime of life. The novel mainly focuses on the idea of fleeting youth and inevitable ageing which at times was done well but apart from this, I found the book to lack any substance that stuck with me. The plot passed by me and I was left feeling none the wiser and not running back to read more Spark.
Enigma Variations by Andre Aciman I was one of the many people who loved both the film and book of Call Me By Your Name therefore I was keen to explore the rest of Aciman’s work. This novel is set in New York which made it a fitting read while I live out here. It is written from the perspective of Paul who talks of his great loves and wishfully shadows a man at his local tennis club. It is framed into three pieces, each exploring a different type of love story. At times the book made me cringe as Aciman describes a “love” that to my eye sounded borderline stalking yet perhaps it is this bravery that makes this book so raw and impressive. It failed to have the same impression on me as Call Me By Your Name but it was an enjoyable read, especially considering its setting.
Cressie’s adventures 