I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell

 

Maggie O’Farrell has chronicled seventeen near-death experiences in this most unusual memoir. The most traumatic and the one which brought her closest to actually dying was a bout of encephalitis which left her unable to walk for a year at the age of eight. She has quite remarkably clear memories from this time although, of course, it was such a shattering event that it has probably been discussed by her family over the years, keeping the details of it alive to her.  I broke my leg at age seven and I can remember how the accident happened, looking up at the grown-ups standing around me, being in hospital and the smell of the plaster as it was put on my leg, and mostly howling for my mother when she and my dad left me at the hospital. I don’t, however, have any greatly detailed recollections from such an early age but then again it was a broken leg, not a life-threatening illness, and Maggie O’Farrell also has an author’s gifts of recall and imagination as well as a legacy of problems which emanated from the illness.

There are sixteen more brushes with death following this one. This is a fascinating life story filled with adventure, romance, pain and heartbreak, and happiness. Maggie O’Farrell has written some very good books, the first of which, After You’d Gone, was beautiful, haunting and has stayed with me for many years. She has been very brave here and shown great generosity in allowing her readers to see into her personal life and to get a true sense of the writer behind the words. I have never read a memoir like this one and it was brilliant of her to approach her story in this way.

I intend to read Maggie O’Farrell’s latest book, Hamnet, soon and I wonder how I will interpret her fiction  now, having been given these insights into the author’s personal history. 5 out of 5 from me.

Published by Headline Publishing Group.

Just My Luck by Adele Parks

Just My Luck is a clever story. I don’t want to elaborate on just how clever it is and spoil it in case someone should read this review and decide to buy the book!

Adele Parks writes interesting, thoughtful and very readable books. I got to the end of this one and then went back to the start for a quick re-read to find the hidden clues I had missed.  Lexi and Jake had been friends with the Pearsons and the Heathcotes for fifteen years. They had shared holidays and spent every Saturday night in each other’s company and had made a tradition of buying a weekly lotto ticket together. Then came one weekend when the realisation hit Lexi that the other two couples had lost interest in the lotto and maybe even the shared friendship.

The following week the lotto numbers which the group had always used came up. The prize was £17.8 million and Lexi had bought the winning ticket. The money was to change everybody’s lives in quite dramatic ways and to reveal hitherto hidden personalities.

Some chapters featuring Lexi and her daughter, Emily, and one on Lexi’s friend, Toma, are written in the first person and the rest of the book is in the third person giving an objective oversight to the story. Adele Parks is a terrific writer and this book did not disappoint.

A great read but even if only for the tips on how to act when I eventually win the lottery, I give it 5 out of 5.

Published by Harper Collins H Q

 

The Searcher by Tana French

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This is Tana French’s best book so far. Cal Hooper, 48 years old, ex Chicago police detective, is searching for a new start. His wife, with whom he had been since they were19, has left him, his daughter is in a stable relationship and is living and working in New York and he has come to the west of Ireland to try living in ‘a small town in a small country. It seemed like that would be easier to make sense of’. He is putting to use the carpentry skills he learned from his grandfather years ago to repair a delapidated old farm house on the outskirts of the village of Ardnakelty, 15 miles away from the nearest town. He intends to hunt and fish for his food and live simply and quietly. Of course in no time the entire village becomes aware that they have a man from Chicago PD living among them.

Although  Cal has no intention of looking for any kind of detective work he is soon approached by Trey, a young child whose brother, Brendan, has been missing for six months. It appears that no one is interested in finding Brendan; the locals regard the children’s family as ‘wasters’ and not really worth the bother. If Cal is to find Brendan he is going to be working without any of the tools he was used to in  Chicago; no computerised data bases, no tracking devises, no experienced evidence gatherers. He is a kind man and treats Trey with patience and sensitivity, eventually deciding to involve himself in the mystery surrounding 19 year old Brendan’s disappearance.

Tana French’s fine writing brings all her characters to life and evokes the Irish landscape vividly.  Cal’s interactions with people are real and drawn beautifully. To read the book is to become immersed in the misty Irish hills and valleys and to know the people who live there.

An utterly superb read! 5 out of 5.

Published by Penguin Australia