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| BiP staff review by Sue |
by Nathan Penlington
June 2014 | Hachette | $29.99pb
Nathan Penlington is a performance artist whose show (based on this book) won a Fringe First award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013. Being aware of this before starting the book, I pictured myself as an audience member rather than a reader and this influenced my reading of the story. It is infused with a raw honesty that reflects the intimacy of a one-man show. I found the story compelling for several reasons. Penlington is an engaging storyteller, as he takes us back to his illness-plagued childhood and the joy of escape provided by the Choose Your Own Adventure stories. His passion for the books prompts his adult self to buy a collection from eBay in the hope of recapturing their simple pleasures. Instead, he is drawn into a quest to find the previous owner of the books, who has left tantalising clues to a similarly fraught childhood. There ensues a thought-provoking examination of how childhood shapes our adult selves. There are many awkward moments, but this is also a light-hearted and often amusing trip down memory lane.
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| BiP staff review by Sue |
by Fredrik Backman
July 2014 | Hachette | $29.99pb
Fredrick Backman is a Swedish blogger whose online writings about Ove elicited a call for more from his fans – hence this debut novel. To me it reads like a blog, in that it is episodic and consists of very short, easy-to-read chapters. Each one has a heading which reminds us that this is Ove’s story and gives the reader a clue about what is to follow. Ove holds strong opinions about most aspects of life, including a belief that every grown man should be capable of reversing a trailer. His views have earned him a reputation for being a bit of a grouch. The charm of the story lies in the gradual erosion of Ove’s defences by a hapless bunch of characters masquerading as his neighbours. A Man Called Ove is an entertaining read and I am sure life has presented all of us with a litany of experiences to expand Backman’s blog or even create a down-under version – A Man called Alf?
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| BiP staff review by Sue |
We Are Called to Rise
by Laura McBride
June 2014 | Simon & Schuster | $29.99pb
This is the debut novel for Laura McBride, who lives and works in Las Vegas. Given that her story is set in Tinseltown, you could be forgiven for jumping to the conclusion that it involves casinos, gambling and fast money. In fact, it is anything but, and the only chips that are worth counting are the ones that are down! Her story runs parallel to ‘The Strip’ and interweaves the lives of four main characters: an Albanian boy, a US soldier, a middle-aged housewife and a social worker. All these characters are tied to the tragic death of the boy’s mother – an actual event that sparked the novel. The fact that each character has such a strong voice is a testament to her ability as a writer to engage us in the drama. We are Called to Rise is well worth reading and a good option for book clubs.
