Recent Release Reviews
What's new to read?
The Book Pug has reviewed a range of recent releases from Booker Prize & Pulitzer winners to great summer reads. Take a look and find one that suits you. There is a link to where you can find it online or at a real bookstore. Happy reading!
The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright
What's it about?
The focus of the story is the individual lives and relationship between a mother, Carmel, and her adult daughter Nell. The origins of their fractious interactions are explored in depth, and ultimately traced back to Carmel’s father, Phil, a celebrated and deeply narcissistic poet.
What's to like?
These characters could not feel more real. Their complexity feels unique and eccentric, yet also hints to our universally shared condition as flawed beings. The seeming casualness in the writing style belies the author’s great skill, and the limited poetry in the novel is integrated perfectly.
What's a pain?
Timelines hop about, as does the voice of who is telling their story, which will either please readers for its rhythm or irritate others for its disjointedness. There are no conclusions, but when we get to know these messy characters, one wouldn’t expect it.
Is this book for me?
If you enjoy literary fiction that takes you deep inside the complex, flawed minds of characters who are as real as any one of us, you’ll enjoy this book. If you like a story with a tidy plot and characters to admire and inspire, you will want to fly far from this little bird.
Book Pug rating? 8 paws/10
August Blue by Deborah Levy
What's it about?
Eccentric virtuoso pianist, Elsa, comes to terms with herself and the demise of her mentor, Arthur. Staged in glamorous European settings that belie the often perturbing human drama that unfolds, we progressively gain glimpses into Elsa’s past which begin to explain the present.
What's to like?
Deborah Levy writes beautifully, with a candid descriptiveness and unaffected introspection that’s equally moving, and amusing The characters and their stories are palpably human, flawed, and unsettling. But despite the moments of heaviness, there’s plenty of quirkiness and light to balance it.
What's a pain?
The story is a moment in time and we don’t ever learn all about what came before the current key events. Some of the intrigue that’s set up, doesn’t give a pay-off. Elsa, the angst ridden protagonist leaps off the page, but may not be every reader’s cup of tea.
Is this book for me?
If you’re looking for a relatively short novel that’s original, enigmatic, and often simultaneously humorous and moving, this is a great read. If you’re looking for a straightforward, carefree piece of escapism with characters you’ll grow to love, reading this will give you the blues.
Book Pug rating? 7 paws/10
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
What's it about?
This grim dystopian tale tells of the transformation of modern-day, democratic Ireland into a brutal police state. The story centres around Eilish Stack whose trade union husband disappears without a trace, leaving her to fight for the survival of her young family, in increasingly desperate circumstances.
What's to like?
The narrative unfolds in this Booker Prize winner with unrelenting tension, making this impossible to put down. Lynch masterfully paints a frighteningly real picture of just how fragile freedom is, and how rapidly society can collapse. We feel the desperation and hopelessness Eilish faces as if we’re there in her shoes.
What's a pain?
The novel isn’t paragraphed and although this skilfully builds a sense of escalating dread, it may tire some readers. Further, while the crescendo of the story in the last chapter is excellent, the final message is delivered in a very poetic manner that some will adore and others will find heavy handed.
Is this book for me?
If you’re concerned about the political instability the world faces today and the precariousness of freedom and democracy, this novel will captivate you from start to end. If you read for the joy of escapism or triumph of the good in humans, this foreboding, cautionary tale won’t be to your taste.
Book Pug rating? 8 paws/10
30 Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen
What's it about?
Hannah, a Danish literary writer, publicly derides a mainstream author, claiming she can write a better crime novel than any of his, in just 30 days. Her arrogant challenge ends up being more than she bargained for, finding herself embroiled in a real-life murder, and facing her own equally frightening inner demons.
What's to like?
This book is great fun. Hannah has more flaws than imaginable and confidently blunders her way into trouble every step of the way in this suspenseful tale. There are plenty of surprises that keep the reader guessing and somehow the book effectively delivers a fast paced thriller, while also taking a poke at crime novel cliches.
What's a pain?
There are one or two twists and turns in the story that seem a little too convenient and not so plausible. But this is a novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and with Hannah in the driver’s seat we become willing to believe that anything could happen with this chaotic anti-heroine in the driver’s seat.
Is this book for me?
If you want to read a crime novel with an original main character that’s a breath of fresh air, in a story with bucket loads of action and laughs, this will delight you. If you like your crime to be dark and serious, and the lead character a razor-sharp master of investigation, you won’t be into hapless Hannah.
Book Pug rating? 7 paws/10
Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein
What's it about?
A seemingly well-meaning sister goes to care for her brother whose wife has recently left him, in a small, unnamed rural community, where she doesn’t speak the language. She’s frustrated by the local’s lack of welcome and hospitality. But we soon discover there is more to this story than meets the eye.
What's to like?
The core of this story is discovering why this seemingly selfless sister becomes such a persecuted victim, despite her good deeds. This makes for a compelling and highly unexpected tale. The central character is fascinating and this is very well-written, with an atmospheric, and unembellished style.
What's a pain?
The tale frequently meanders and the reader can be left wondering where the story is going, as it reaches yet another dead-end. The author intentionally doesn’t give us complete clarity in terms of what the central character is thinking or doing, which while confounding, is also mesmerising.
Is this book for me?
If you’re fascinated by the complexity of the human spirit and the double-sided nature of victimhood, you’ll enjoy this enigmatic tale. If you like characters that are clear cut, and a story that has a definable plot with an ending that delivers straight answers, this book will annoy the hell out of you.
Book Pug rating? 7 paws/10
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
What's it about?
Based on real-life events, this story recounts a visit of acclaimed writer W. Somerset Maugham to Penang, Malaysia, in the early 1920’s. Maugham meets the initially aloof expat. Lesley Hamlyn, who unexpectedly reveals what she knows of a notorious murder, but also intriguing secrets of her own.
What's to like?
The author cleverly weaves in factual aspects of the life of Somerset Maugham, the revolutionary Sun Yat-sen, and murder of expat William Steward, with an enthralling fictional story. This makes for a real page-turner. The writing conveys a vivid sense of the times and the intoxicating setting of Penang.
What's a pain?
This is an ambitious novel. Twan Eng takes a lot on by melding together fact and fiction with a sizeable cast of characters. The result is that at times the reader’s attention is divided across multiple characters and plots, which can impede gaining a deeper understanding of the story and key players.
Is this book for me?
If you are fine for your historical fiction to liberally mix fact and fiction to deliver a captivating read with intrigue, romance, and drama, you’ll enjoy this. If you prefer your historical fiction to stick tightly to the facts without too much embellishment, you won’t want to enter The House of Doors.
Book Pug rating? 7 paws/10
All The Little Bird Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
What's it about?
Sunday lives in the Lakes District in England and employs eccentric, often amusing methods to manage her anxiety. A ray of light seems to arrive with sophisticated new neighbour, Vita, who adopts Sunday as her new best friend. But before long it’s clear that Vita isn’t all she seems and has issues of her own.
What's to like?
As the story unfolds, the reader discovers and sympathises with the tragic origins of Sunday’s ever-present anxiety. This pathos is perfectly balanced by the quirkiness of the cast of characters in the story, who bring plenty of laughs. The writing style is well-crafted, and makes for enjoyable, easy reading.
What's a pain?
There really isn’t anything that is likely to annoy the reader unless quirkiness is a trigger. It would have been illuminating to understand more about Vita’s back-story, as she is so central to everything. That said, this support character is intentionally enigmatic and she remains as such.
Is this book for me?
If you’re interested in the debilitating impact of anxiety, or are simply looking for a fresh, easy read with a few laughs along the way, you’ll love this. If you find self-destructive characters irritating, or need a lot of action in a story, this tale will test your patience.
Book Pug rating? 7 paws/10
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
What's it about?
A new mother, wittily given the pseudonym ‘Soldier’, narrates this account of her first experience of motherhood. She recounts the unexpected, joyful, and frequently overwhelming experiences that the arrival of her newborn, ‘Sailor’, brings into her world, her relationships, and state of mind.
What's to like?
This is an ‘unplugged’ portrayal of first time motherhood that pulls no punches. No matter who you are, whether you sympathise or empathise, it will be hard not to be swept away in this emotional rollercoaster. The writing is penetrating, emotive, and raw, with a healthy does of dark humour.
What's a pain?
This isn’t easy reading because of just how intense the central character’s experience as a new mother is. It’s made all the more compelling by her astute flashes of self-awareness of her own failings. As a result, this novel is often an exhausting read, which may not be to every reader’s taste.
Is this book for me?
If you enjoy immersive, emotive writing that masterfully brings to life universal human experiences, this will be a page-turner for you. If you prefer plot driven novels and like to relax into your reading like a warm bath with a glass of wine, soldier on looking for your next read. This isn’t for you.
Book Pug rating? 8 paws/10
