Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 51%

06.08.23

I've struggled with Moreno-Garcia's style before - it feels awkwardly translated even though it was originally written in English. This story was also awkward - "walk through rooms, hallucinate, argue, repeat" with a final few chapters that didn't make sense. Not at all creepy, anyway, and, the colonial point was lost as the baddies could have been any nationality, as long as they were outsiders.

Babel - RF Kuang

 

Didn't finish

I really wanted to read this but it was too much of a workout - both in terms of the library hardback weighing about as much as a small dog, and also in terms of it being really boring. 

Golden Hill - Francis Spufford

72%
13.02.17

I wait ages for a decent novel and then two come along together, although I imagine this tour de force provokes strong reactions either way. Personally, I enjoyed the nods to 17th-century picaresque farce, the Henry Fielding references and the unusual, intriguing setting. The air of mystery around the central character was well sustained, and there is probably much to consider if you fancy writing an essay about it. But I don't.