The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances - Glenn Dixon

54%

01.09.26

If this story is anything to go by, cosy dystopia is as problematic a genre as it sounds. Or, detached from its setting, it's just a typical 'underdog heroes fight the villain' story. It was fine but I've read better 'what makes us human' novels.

I Hope This Finds You Well - Natalie Sue

58%
04.08.26

While the narrator was unrelentingly self-pitying and mostly unsympathetic, I was still drawn into her dark little office world. The romance aspect in particular was done well, playing out without overwhelming the rest of the story. I may have shed a tear or two.

Really Good, Actually - Monica Heisey

 51%

04.02.24

The quality of the writing was indeed really good. But not the awful, self-obsessed narrator, who did female characters as much of a disservice as those written by the male authors I've read recently. There was no conflict or plot or anything relatable to anyone who's not a white middle-class 20-something living in Toronto. It just went on and on. And on. And on a bit more.

A Town Called Solace - Mary Lawson

 55%

31.10.21

This was Booker longlisted but I'm not sure why. It's like a slightly more complex (and rather more Canadian) Anne Tyler novel without as much charm and humour. Why 1972? Why certain characters? Why those particular narrative choices? It's fine but ultimately unmemorable.

Sweetland - Michael Crummey

65%
25.04.16

A strange, evocative book that begins as a story of a community and becomes a fable of individualism. The unusual writing style was well judged and appropriate, laying itself out slowly and able to support the increasing weirdness of the protagonist's experiences until the inevitable ambiguous ending.

[I liked this cover best despite the misspelling of the author's name!]