Silverview, by John Le Carré.

 

 

                

             Former high-flying City man Julian Lawndsley has recently renounced his ‘heavy metal’ job (moving other people’s money around) and, in a concerted attempt to lead a completely different life, has started a boutique bookshop in an East Anglian tourist town.  It doesn’t take him long to realise that there is much more involved in running such a shop than he first envisaged, and practical advice – any advice is welcome, even from an elderly, charming Polish gentleman who mysteriously appears at closing time on several different occasions ‘just for a chat’ about books in general, but with some surprisingly sound suggestions about opening up his basement as a ‘Republic of Literature’, complete with wi-fi access to the world’s great publications – along with hard copies, of course.  Yes, Edward Avon is fast becoming his first friend in his new environment, and when Julian receives an unexpected dinner invitation from Edward’s terminally ill wife to join the family at Silverview, the nearest thing the town has to a mansion, he feels that socially at least, he has arrived!

            But the opposite is true:  the dinner is inexpertly served by Lily, the couple’s daughter, herself more a force of nature than an observer of social etiquette, and the conversation between husband and wife is fraught with barely-concealed animosity, causing Julian to make his excuses at the first decent opportunity – only to be joined on the way home by Lily, who needs a friend.  And only a friend, for now.  Whilst not wanting to be involved in anyone’s family dramas it doesn’t take long to discover that Edward is many things to many people, that his dying wife belonged to MI5, and that she suspects Edward of passing along British Intelligence to Britain’s enemies.

            Indeed, Julian was asked by Edward to be the conveyor of a letter to a ‘dear friend’ when he travelled to London on business for the day – no problem, Edward.  Happy to help.  Until he receives a visit from MI5’s Mr Proctor, detailing the treasonous nature of his assistance, and the various ways in which he could redeem himself in the eyes of his country.

            In his last posthumously published novel, John Le Carré demonstrates yet again why he has always been the peerless master of Spy fiction, not least for his matchless characterisations, wonderful dialogue – and dialects, but the cleverness and intricacy of his plotting.  He knows definitely whereof he speaks, but sadly will speak to us no more.  I am sad.  FIVE STARS.     

 

 

The Man Who Died Twice, by Richard Osman.

   

         ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ was TV presenter Richard Osman’s first and (he said) ‘finest novel’.  Fair enough.  The story of various elderly residents of a Retirement Village solving not only a cold case murder, but two very recent ones was a smash hit, and endeared its characters to millions.

            Could he do it again?  And with the same flair and riotous humour that left readers sorry they had reached the last page?

            Of course he could, and it’s the perfect antidote for doom and gloom in these Covid times.

  The Thursday Murder Club is still meeting, having become very fond of each other whilst solving crime.  Elizabeth, Ron, Ibrahim and Joyce are now firm friends and it isn’t long before the next mystery  demands to be solved:  Elizabeth has been sent a letter from a man thought to be long and most definitely dead, and when she makes reluctant contact, discovers to her horror that the ‘deceased’ is her ex-husband Douglas,  a marriage she ended for all the right reasons – his infidelity; utter unreliability;  irresponsibility – and fatal charm.  He was also, like Elizabeth, an excellent MI5 Operative.  Now, he wants to stay for a short time (unspecified) at the retirement village:  it's the perfect safe house.  Who would think of looking for him in an Old Folk’s Home?

Meantime, retired Psychiatrist Ibrahim has been attacked by street toughs in front of – of all places – the police station, and has to spend several days in hospital.  When he returns home he is a frightened old man and decides never to leave his apartment again, which incenses his best friend Ron, ex union-organiser (among other things until old age caught up) who always has his ear to the ground:  it doesn’t take him long to find out who the attacker was and plan a fitting revenge.

Once again, Richard Osman delivers a complex plot with well-drawn lesser characters, several different corpses, and everyone getting their just desserts at the story’s conclusion.  All I’s and T’s are dotted and crossed.  And again, he explores the vulnerability and loss of confidence that old age brings, and the fear that should never be felt when walking past teenage boys.

And the fear that the three friends feel when they hear that ex-nurse Joyce is contemplating getting a rescue dog!  There’s one at the local shelter called Alan, and his online credentials look sound. We’ll find out if that’s true in Book # three.  Scary stuff!  FIVE STARS.

 

   

 

Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys.                      Young Adults.

 

            On January 30^th 1945, German passenger liner the ’Wilhelm Gustloff’, was attacked by torpedoes from a Russian submarine as she sailed for Kiel in Northern Germany.  The ship was carrying thousands of evacuees from the Baltic and East Prussia, mainly women and children, plus hundreds of wounded German troops, on the run from the approaching Russian Army.

            The ship sank within an hour, with an estimated loss of 9000 people, 5000 of whom were children.  It is the worst maritime disaster in history, dwarfing the Titanic and Lusitania disasters – but the least known.  Until  Author Ruta Sepetys (of Lithuanian ancestry) decided to write a novelised version of this dreadful event:  the characters she has chosen to tell the story are heartbreakingly, appallingly real enough for us to care deeply for them and their goal, which is to eventually board a converted ocean liner at the Polish port of Gotenhafen, thence to Kiel, and safety in Der Fuehrer’s Germany.

            Emilia:  Polish, but trying to hide the fact, for everyone knows what Germans think of Poles:  they are subhuman.  Well, this subhuman has already met the advancing Russians, was brutally raped and is now pregnant.

            The Wandering Boy:  he comes out of the trees to walk with their growing numbers.  He is 6 years old and ‘his Oma didn’t wake up’.  His name and a Berlin address is pinned to his coat.

            Florian:  a young restorer of fine art, (with a clever, hidden talent for forgery) who has also committed the theft of one of the most precious pieces of art from the art thieves he worked for.  He rightly trusts no-one.

            Joana:  a compassionate Lithuanian nursing assistant, who feels perpetual guilt for leaving her family behind – as they all do:  uppermost on everyone’s mind is the fate of their loved ones caught up in this cruel, inhuman maelstrom:  will they ever see each other again?

            More people join them, wounded, suffering, but buoyed by the hope of eventually being evacuated to Germany – even though the news they hear on the road is ominous:  the Fatherland is obviously losing the war, but the main objective is to keep ahead of the Russians.  Terrible tales have been told of their brutality.  And they’re all true.  Still, the evacuees are in front,   There will be no-one left to slaughter;  they’ll all be gone by the time those beasts arrive.

            This novel reads like a thriller.  Ms Sepetys ratchets up the tension with every chapter, but her characters never lose their authenticity or humanity.  It was a privilege to read this book, and it should be read by everyone, not only Young Adults, as a testament to the goodness of people, as well as to their worst excesses.  SIX STARS.

 

Love after Love, by Ingrid Persaud.

 

            ‘What is Love?’  A question that has been baffling famous figures of history – and mere mortals such as we – for millennia.  I think the question should be not what it is, but why does it change (especially to its opposite) as time passes.

            Ingrid Persaud’s debut novel explores the nature and degrees of loving each other, commencing with Betty and Sunil Ramdin, Trinidadian descendants of the Indian canecutters imported five generations ago.  They have one little boy, Solo, whose birthday it is when Sunil takes a tumble down the back stairs and doesn’t survive the trip:  Betty now has to raise Solo herself – fortunately, she has a good admin job at a high school and they manage to make the best of their new life, which becomes even better with the advent of Mr. Chetan, the maths teacher, who asks to rent a room from her.  He is with them for several years, becomes a much-loved father figure to Solo, and a better-than-best-friend to Betty, to the point that one night, they share secrets.  Betty reveals that Sunil didn’t fall down the stairs:  he was pushed.  By her.  For Sunil was a drinker, and became a different, monstrous person when he was drunk – as her numerous hospital visits and injuries showed.  She didn’t expect him to die;  she just wanted him to experience broken bones, cuts and bruises, the same he had inflicted on her, but the worst happened.

            Mr Chetan’s secret is his homosexuality, worse than a crime in Trinidad  - it can get you killed!  His own family had banished him from their lives after he and his schoolfriend Mani were discovered in an embrace;  Mani’s family eventually saw sense and accept and love him as he is, but Chetan’s family have not:  he is dead to them.  And Trinidadian attitudes to LGBTQ people are biblical in their condemnation:  all ‘Bullers’ are fair game!

            Sadly, teenage Solo overhears some of these revelations and his love for his Mammy turns to hatred.  He leaves for New York to seek out his father’s family in the hope that he will find a better kind of familial love than that from which he flees – and finds a very different life from what he expected.

            Ms Persaud has filled her story with exuberant, wonderfully engaging characters, all the while demonstrating with almost careless ease the many and various necessary connections we need to have a life of some meaning:  maternal love, familial love, romantic and sexual love, and the love of friends:  have I covered all the bases?  FIVE STARS.  

 

Billy Summers, by Stephen King.

 

 

           Prolific and acclaimed author Stephen King introduces us in his latest novel to a singular new protagonist, former Marine sniper turned hit-man Billy Summers.  Billy is used as often as needed by the Mob – he has an ‘agent’, Bucky Hanson, through which his work is vetted and his one proviso is that the target be a truly bad man.  Which must surely be an oxymoron of sorts, but Billy has a moral code made up of Marine honour, good and evil and a past life that explains everything.

            Of late he has felt like retiring;  it’s time to hang up the weaponry and live normally if such a thing could be possible, but Bucky has offered him one last job that pays so much, he’d never have to work again at anything.  The target is an Asshole Extraordinaire who doesn’t deserve to live another  minute, much less all the time his crooked lawyer has managed to buy him.

            Billy takes the job, which involves living in the community as a writer, an alias that turns out to be a very good way for Billy to blend in as an aspiring author attempting his first novel, all the while scoping out from his ‘office’ the Courthouse where the shooting will occur:  piece of cake!  Except for the Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Men etc etc:  Billy does the job and expects payment, only to find that his contractors aren’t going to pay, and they aren’t going to let him live, either.  He’s been stiffed.

            It takes King a while to get to this point in the story;  in fact (dare I say it!) I was starting to wish he’d ratchet up the action, get things moving, when that’s exactly what happens:  Billy’s on the run;  he’s been forced to don another identity, including wearing a ridiculous disguise – but it works, and it buys him time in his new little hidey-hole to plan his next move.

            Which is to pursue those who betrayed him, and find out who employed them, for whoever did so, is the most evil one of all, and must be removed from this earth like the disease that he is.  This world has no place for such bad men, and Billy intends to eliminate them all.  Needless to say, Billy has morphed into a hero of Biblical proportions, with the reader cheering him on every bloodstained step of the way and, as an added bonus, we are privy to Billy’s writing attempts in his guise of ‘author-to-be’.  It is no easy task to write a novel-within-a-novel but Stephen King’s storytelling skills are superlative:  unforgettable characters, great dialogue, superb action - when it gets going.  Piece of cake!  FIVE STARS.   

 

Wanderers, by Chuck Wendig.

         

  

          An apocalyptic novel forecasting the end – and possible rebirth – of a different  civilisation is not inappropriate for times such as these, when the world is fighting wars against disease, bigotry and fanaticism;  in fact, there is the inescapable ring of truth in Wendig’s huge (800 pages!), densely plotted novel which teems with characters and has subplots galore.  And I have to tell you that nothing becomes really clear until the very end, which means that you have to stick with it, so there!

But it’s worth it.

            In early June a new comet, named Comet Sakamoto after its discoverer, passes over the United States, and a phenomenon coincidentally occurs:  certain people start walking, beginning with Nessie Stewart, a 15 year old girl who literally drops everything one morning at her home in Pennsylvania and starts walking – where?  Her elder sister Shana tries to stop her and is horrified that her attempts provoke a terrible physical response:  it is clear that her sister will literally die rather than stop walking.  In a very short time, Nessie is joined by other ‘walkers’, all silent, zombie-like and seemingly impervious to outside influences – they don’t need food, water or toilet-breaks:  they are in stasis till further notice.  The walkers are trailed by a band of loving, concerned relatives, and a team of scientists from the Centre for Disease Control, for surely this phenomenon must be an outbreak of a previously unknown pathogen? 

            In the meantime, a new disease has reared its ugly head in San Antonio, Texas:  a bat population disturbed by an explosion bites every human they find, and the resulting symptoms develop into a 100% contagious, fatal disease called White Mask, after the ghastly white mucus that runs from ears, eyes and noses.  It doesn’t take long before Southern Evangelicals start chanting about the End Times, and white supremacists begin blaming niggers, spics and slit-eyes for the breakdown of society – which, of course, was doing just that, well before comets and disease.  And it doesn’t take long before the Far Right start blaming the Walkers as well, for all of society’s ills:  it’s time for them to go, to be rubbed out!  After they’ve gone, Amurrica will be great again! 

            There are some great characters in this story – too many to list, but controlling everything is an Artificial Intelligence presence developed by one of the scientists called Black Swan:  he/she/it literally has the last word. 

            ‘Wanderers’ is similar in theme and content to Stephen King’s ‘The Stand’ and Justin Cronin’s ‘The Passage’, but retains its originality and frightening message to the end:  start walking, world!  FIVE STARS     

           

   

 

Falling into Rarohenga, by Steph Matuku.    Young Adults.

           

            Tui and Kae are twins, and contrary to all the stories we hear about the close bonds of twins, that happy state doesn’t apply in this case:  Tui is a school prefect at the small-town high school they attend;  she’s a swot and gets consistently high marks in everything, the object of which is to get away from this little nothing place, get to the big city and eventually cover herself with academic glory.  Kae is just the opposite – who cares about good results, as long as he has his mates – and his ukulele, the source of his biggest pleasure, for if there’s one thing Kae worships, it’s music, and composing his own songs:  music is the most important thing in his life, certainly not his snobby sister, who is Nigel No-Friends because she’s too smart.

            Until they arrive home from school (fighting all the way) one day, to discover that their beloved Mum, their mainstay through the divorce of their  jailed fraudster Dad and the death from cancer of their darling aunt Huia, has disappeared without a trace – but what follows next is so unbelievable it can’t be happening:  what they at first thought was one of the frequent earthquakes that plague Aotearoa New Zealand turns out to be a summons from Aunty Huia in Rarohenga, the Maori Underworld:  they have to fall through the portal to look for their mother, who has been abducted by their father, of all people!  Only the intervention of the twins will save her from dying before her time and staying in Rarohenga.  Neither of their parents are meant to be there, but their father learnt some pretty dreadful magic from one of his cellmates;  now, he has his prize, their mother, and who cares about the twins?  They were only distractions to divert their mother’s attention from him. 

            There begins a series of hair-raising adventures for the twins, including meeting Hinekoruru, Goddess of Shadows;  a fearsome taniwha with paua-shell eyes and many sad memories;  and an unbelievably handsome fairy called a túrehu.  They all provide assistance for the twins’ quest, but all demand payment – in the túrehu’s case, it’s Tui’s hand in marriage.  To which she agrees, fervently hoping that she will be able to get back to the real world before she has to honour her promise – which, perhaps, would not be that bad:  he’s pretty damned hot!

            Once again, the author of ‘Flight of the Fantail’ delivers the goods:  an exciting, topical meld of today’s New Zealand with Maoritanga and its ancient myths and legends - and she does it so well. Twins Tui and Kae are heroes for the ages! SIX STARS.