A mistreated doll haunts an old house in this new reissue of the Susan Hill classic. In the English Fens, a marshy region in Eastern England, lies the hamlet of Iyot Lock. Two children, cousins Leonora and Edward, are visiting their Aunt Kestrel, who has a large, dilapidated house there. Edward is a timid child, sensitive and withdrawn, while his cousin Leonora is dark, brooding and possibly evil. She complains that she would like a beautiful doll, the type of which she describes to Edward, who in turn makes a painting of the imagined toy. She wants an Indian bride doll, with elaborate clothes and jewels and braiding in its hair. When Aunt Kestrel visits London, she buys Leonora a doll, thinking this will satisfy the child. But it turns out it's not the sort of doll she wants at all. Instead she receives a baby doll, made of china, with blue eyes and a rosebud mouth. In her fury Leonora throws the doll at the marble fireplace, violently cracking its head open. The broken doll spooks Edward. He hears it crying out in the night. Finally, after several days of the haunting cries, he decides to bury the doll in the church's graveyard, with chilling consequences. Every page of Susan Hill's Dolly drips with dread and menace. She brings to life the creepy English Fens with her pared back but evocative prose. A sense of suspense and looming horror keep the reader fully immersed in the story. The characters are believable and well-drawn. The foul tempered Leonora is truly frightening. Because the author creates such an authentic atmosphere, one that causes the heart to tremble, the supernatural aspects of the story also pay off. It feels like a nightmare from which the sleeper struggles to wake. Classic horror for fans of Angela Carter and Shirley Jackson. Dolly, by Susan Hill. Published by Vintage Arrow. $22.99 Review by Chris Saliba Nine new stories from Jhumpa Lahiri Acclaimed British-American writer Jhumpa Lahiri moved to Italy some ten years ago, and now writes in Italian. Her new collection, Roman Stories, comprises nine stories, with Rome featuring as both place and state of mind. They are translated from the Italian by Lahiri and Todd Portnowitz. Anyone familiar with the author's writings will know she concentrates on the minutiae of daily life: the particular slant of light during a summer afternoon, the memories a favourite restaurant conjures, warm and inviting houses. Lahiri interweaves these descriptions with various narratives about middle-class life, relationships between husband and wife, parent and child, and the ups and downs of close friendships. A particular theme that recurs is the feeling of being an outsider, of locals suspicious, even hostile, to foreigners (Lahiri is the daughter of Indian immigrants). The stories have a ruminating, Proustian feel, of memory in search of lost time, of raking over old personal events and trying to glean meaning from them. Lahiri's fiction is deceptively simple and easy to read, yet her writing, while subtle, is psychologically rich. An intimate and highly enjoyable collection, for readers of Rachel Cusk and Deborah Levy. Roman Stories, by Jumpa Lahiri. Published by Picador. $34.99 Review by Chris Saliba A posthumous collection of nine stories from Georgia Blain Australian writer Georgia Blain died in 2016 at the relatively young age of fifty-one. She already had a critically acclaimed body of work behind her, and surely there would have been more to come. We All Lived in Bondi Then is a collection of short stories that Blain wrote between 2012 and 2015, which she intended to publish after what was to become her final novel, Between a Wolf and a Dog. The nine stories that comprise the volume appear now for the first time. Blain sticks to close and intimate subjects – elderly and sick parents, the difficulties of romantic relationships, childhood traumas, complicated friendships. The stories are written in a simple and immediate prose, detailing emotions and states of mind with an elegant clarity. The main appeal of this collection is Blain's ability to map the human heart – our failures, fears, anxieties and occasional triumphs – creating a compelling work of great authenticity. A highly readable, absorbing collection that lingers in the memory. We All Lived in Bondi Then, by Georgia Blain. Published by Scribe. $29.99 Review by Chris Saliba When the Mayor of Marlow suddenly drops dead after a seemingly innocuous cup of coffee, amateur crime sleuths Suzie Harris, Judith Potts and Becks Starling set out to solve the mystery. In the idyllic English town of Marlow, local Suzie Harris decides to look in on a council meeting. Her intentions aren’t particularly civic. She intends to find out who the weakest council members are, the ones who can possibly be influenced, or bent to Suzie’s will. The reason? Suzie always has a side project going, and she wants to install a Japanese pod-style hotel in her backyard. She needs council approval. While watching the meeting get ready to take place, she notices Mayor Geoffrey Lushington make himself a coffee. Minutes later he keels over, dead. The first thing Suzie does is to call her good friend, Judith Potts. It’s clear they have another murder to solve. There are three women - Suzie, Judith, and their friend Becks Starling, wife of the local Vicar - who form the crime solving trio. Judith is the most forthright of the group. In her early seventies, her style is crash or crash-through. Middle-aged Suzie is always a step behind Judith and shares her gung-ho approach. Becks is the more diplomatic of the trio, offering apologies for toes trodden on and clarifying to suspects and persons of interest that they are indeed not the police, despite their air of brash confidence. The trio are early on the scene of Geoffrey Lushington’s murder, and soon start trespassing on detective sergeant Tanika Malik’s investigative turf. She knows the women well from previous murder cases, and realising that they are an unstoppable force, decides to give them civilian advisory roles, including official looking lanyards. The women are soon making inroads into the case, especially the unstoppable Judith Potts, working their way through the town’s suspects until the unlikely killer is caught. The Queen of Poisons (the title refers to aconite, the poison used to kill Geoffrey Lushington) is the third in Robert Thorogood’s Marlow Murder Club series. While the novel does read like something made for television (Thorogood is a successful TV writer), there is much to enjoy in its pages.The pacing is juicy and the humour is terrific, with the characters of all three women astutely drawn. They are all like people you’ve met in real life - the insufferably pushy Judith Potts, the blowsy Suzie Harris and Becks Starling, forever saying sorry and doing much of the trio’s emotional labour. The plot is well worked out and ticks like a finely tuned watch, with all the various parts falling nicely into place. The final ending has a bit of the pantomime about it, with the characters, situations and motivations all slightly nutty and overwrought. But nonetheless, this reader couldn’t pick the killer and was indeed surprised at the real culprit. A brilliant entertainment with a cast of characters you will immediately love. The Queen of Poisons, by Robert Thorogood. Published by HQ Fiction. $32.99 Review by Chris Saliba A fictionalised 20-year-old Jane Austen must use all her wits to solve a murder. It's 1796, Hampshire, England. Jane Austen is just about to turn twenty. While attending a ball at Deane House, with some thirty families in attendance, a woman is found dead in a closet. She's been violently bashed over the head. It is Jane who recognises the woman – Madame Renault, a French milliner who had recently set up shop at a local market. Jane had bought some items from her. The investigation of the murdered woman officially falls to the magistrate for the country, Richard Craven, who is also Jane's uncle. When the dead woman's necklace is found in the possession of Jane's brother, Georgy, he is accused of grand larceny. It is thought he at best stole the necklace, for which he is charged, but at worst could be guilty of murder. Grand larceny carries the death sentence. Georgy is mute, unable to speak due to some type of learning difficulty. He communicates via a rudimentary sign language. Jane and her family know in their heart of hearts that Georgy is incapable of murder or theft, but magistrate Craven is a by the book man. He refuses to listen to Jane's pleas. It quickly becomes clear that it is up to Jane to clear her brother's name, but a woman's place in 18th century England is to be seen and not heard. Nonetheless, Jane begins a haphazard yet impassioned investigation, often making mistakes and accusing the wrong people. Hers is a small community where everyone knows everyone, and Jane's persistent inquiries rub many up the wrong way. With a two week deadline before Georgy's case goes to court, can Jane unravel the mystery and find the killer in time? Of all novelists, Jane Austen is the most astute judge of character. So it makes sense to imagine her as a crime sleuth. To some it might seem like a cheesy premise. Yes, there is a bit of the clearly ridiculous here (the novel's timeline predates the beginning of crime fiction by about 50 years). But for readers who are happy to go along with Miss Austen Investigates as a pleasant bit of entertainment, there is much to enjoy. Jessica Bull does a terrific job of creating a believable 18th century England – its people, fashions, customs and laws. In this way, the novel works as a nuanced explainer of the Regency Era. This is done in a way which works seamlessly with the plot, anchoring the book in time and place. Even the descriptions of furniture and kitchenware give some nice little surprise touches. The whodunnit aspect works well, with the story well paced over four hundred pages and the final reveal a genuine surprise. The murderer's motivation is neatly explained in terms of social and economic expectations, making the book both instructive and entertaining. If you're an Austen fan looking for a frolic, then this is the perfect outing. Miss Austen Investigates, by Jessica Bull. Published by Michael Joseph. $34.99 Book review by Chris Saliba Three young men who can't return to their home in Libya find comfort in friendship. It's 1984. Khaled has left his politically troubled home in Libya to study in England. At his friend Mustafa's suggestion, they attend a protest against the Libyan regime in London. They wear balaclavas to conceal their identity. To be discovered attending would make returning home next to impossible. They are elated to be doing their bit, trying to liberate their country from dictatorship under Gaddafi. But things take a bad turn when armed men – no doubt regime sympathisers or direct plants – start shooting into the crowd. Khaled is hurt – shot in the chest – and requires hospitalisation. He survives without major injuries or complications, but lives in fear of returning home. He must also keep his attendance at the protest a secret from his family. Another plot involves Khaled's deep admiration for the writer Hosam Zowa, who he later befriends, and who becomes entwined in his circle. Covering the period between 1984 and 2011, the year of Gaddafi's downfall and murder, My Friends speaks in the voice of a middle-aged man looking back on a life separated from home and family. It's a story of dislocation, fear and yearning, written in an elegiac prose that is intimate and personable. Hisham Matar has won many accolades for his writing, and fans will not be disappointed with this heartfelt exploration of loss and exile, one that is also filled with warmth and compassion. My Friends, by Hisham Matar. Published by Viking. $34.99 Review by Chris Saliba Three new employees struggle to find meaning in their roles in this quirky mix of dystopia and comedy by acclaimed Japanese novelist Hiroko Oyamada. Three new hirees join “the factory”, a bland yet mysterious workplace. No one seems to know – or is interested, really – in what the factory produces. It exists almost as a world unto itself, with shops, restaurants and residences within its grounds to service employees. There is an idyllic aspect to the factory, too: it is surrounded by trees and vegetation, almost a little forest. There is also a river. A considerable amount of time is spent discussing in almost surreal fashion the wildlife that lives in the forest. Yoshiko Ushiyama takes on a job shredding documents all day. This is pretty soul destroying work, even though the section she works for is given the snazzy title of “shredder squad”. But basically her days are spent with lacklustre colleagues, pursuing pointless gossip. Yoshiko's brother, whose name we don't learn, gets a job as a proofreader. He reads what appear to be workplace documents, but is utterly bamboozled as to what they all mean, and has a memorable outburst where he declares he has no idea what the factory actually makes. "If these are all factory documents, what the hell is the factory? What's it making?" The most interesting job is that of the moss expert, who is charged with creating a green roof for the factory. This role goes to Yoshio Furufue, an academic. It's another non-job. He basically runs school parties – moss hunts. The real work of the green roofing has already been organised, so he works more as a figurehead, or pointless expert. All of the above characters have stumbled onto their jobs – through the suggestion of employment agencies, former work colleagues or relatives. Hence there's a sense of being adrift and without purpose. Life is comfortable, easy going, with no pressure. Days are spent looking for something useful to do. Actual work appears to be optional. Despite the easygoing atmosphere, all three of the new employees appear on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The Factory is hard to categorise. It's kind of dystopian, with touches of science fiction, but also humorous in a farcical way. It's amusing to watch Hiroko Oyamada's characters, like mice in a maze, trying to figure out what they should be doing. Wrapped around this narrative of workplace dissatisfaction is the beautiful forest, river and its creatures – shags, lizards and coypuses (a semi aquatic rodent) – that at least work efficiently and with purpose. An original, entertaining and out-of-the box take on the drudgery of the modern workplace. The Factory, by Hiroko Oyamada. Published by Granta. $27.99 Review by Chris Saliba L.M. Montgomery, best known for Anne of Green Gables, wrote this uplifting story of a woman who turns her back on polite society in order to find her true self. Valancy Stirling is twenty-nine years old and already considered an old maid by her patronising family. She's teased and infantalised. Unremarkable in the looks department, no one holds out much hope for her. Life is accordingly miserable, for the most part because she's forever trying to fit in and keep everyone around her happy, fulfilling their expectations, rather than her own. When Valancy gets a serious medical diagnosis, she decides she's had enough of living for other people. In an about face that shocks her family she starts giving candid opinions, takes up a housekeeping job with Roaring Abe, the town drunk, and elopes with Barney Snaith, a man with a reputation as a possible jail bird. Everyone is horrified by Valancy's behaviour, and they quickly move to disown her. The only consolation is that she's gone mad. But the truth is, Valancy has never been happier. In the end, through several twists and turns in the plot, the family makes peace with Valancy's decision to marry Barney Snaith, but for quite selfish reasons. The Blue Castle (1926) was published as a novel for adults, but it hardly veers off L.M. Montgomery's formula for children's fiction. Like a lot of the Anne series, the novel hovers somewhere between the two genres. It's an easy-to-read and emotionally satisfying story of liberation from society's shackles. Or more to the point, the shackles we put on ourselves. Montgomery does an excellent job of creating a cast of insipid and self-satisfied family members who hold Valancy back, and the reader will find themselves barracking for the story's heroine. The scenes where Valancy lives with Barney Snaith on his idyllic island display Montgomery's skill for inspiring nature writing. One tastes her freedom in living wild, enjoying life's simple pleasures. A highly entertaining story with a serious message about personal liberation. The Blue Castle, by L.M. Montgomery. Published by Union Square & Co. $19.99 Review by Chris Saliba A recently bereaved woman decides on a sea change. Zoe and her husband Nick have recently seen their investment portfolio tank, due to stock market volatility. Re-assessing their lives, they decide to sell up their lovingly restored inner city Federation villa and move to the country. Their plan is to vaguely become part of a regional community and shrug off their middle-class entitlement, “tut-tutting at the television and taking expensive holidays.” They start looking online for a country property and come across an old church, cheap as chips and with a view of the vineyards. Zoe's not so keen. The idea of converting the church is more than a little daunting. But Nick is gung-ho. Their plans remain under consideration when Nick is killed in an accident. Suddenly bereaved, Zoe takes the plunge and decides to take on the church herself. It's a way of dealing with her grief, but in many ways she doesn't really know what she's doing. Nevertheless, she starts to make connections with people in the town, especially with an extroverted teacher named Melanie who wants to turn the church into a temporary theatre space. Zoe's new friendships, and the eerie experience of living in the church, help her exorcise some personal demons. The Conversion is an accessible and straight forward story of grief and isolation, of how dramatic changes in life, of location and people and atmosphere, have the power to heal and transform us. Many readers will see themselves in Amanda Lohrey's descriptions of contemporary Australia, its people and customs and attitudes. The dialogue and the narrator's observations are often wryly humourous, leavening the story's gravity with some delightfully lighter moments. A gentle journey into the dark night of the soul, performed with a light but sure touch. The Conversion, by Amanda Lohrey. Published by Text. $32.99 Review by Chris Saliba Young love turns into a healthy obsession in Rose Tremain's autobiographical novel. It's 1950s England, and fifteen-year-old Marianne Clifford has fallen in love with the beautiful Simon Hurst, a few years older than her. Their love blooms like a fresh spring flower, young and vulnerable to precarious conditions. When Simon flunks his exams, his parents send him to Paris. The two young lovers stay in contact, each letter from Simon fuelling an impossible hope that the two will spend their lives together. Then comes the fatal blow: Simon is getting married to a woman he met in Paris. Marianne tries to carry on, but is drowning in an ocean of grief. She marries, but the union is ultimately unsatisfying. Her parents, the brash Colonel and his emotionally absent wife, are no help. When Simon makes a surprise return to England, Marianne knows in her heart she will see him again. But what will be the outcome? Award winning English novelist Rose Tremain has written an authentic story of young heartbreak and its aftermath. Despite the painful subject, the novel is largely entertaining, with comic portraits of the blunt Colonel and Marianne's tell-it-like-it-is Scottish friend Petronella. A perfectly realised, cathartic story about how early love has the power to haunt us through life. Absolutely and Forever, by Rose Tremain. Published by Chatto & Windus. $39.99 Review by Chris Saliba |
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