I rarely read crime or mystery novels, but I’m a huge fan of Japanese literature and have enjoyed the few crime novels I’ve read by Japanese authors. The Aosawa Murders is about the mass poisoning of an entire household, told several decades later by those connected in some way. It is intelligently written and well translated, and the slight distance created by the observant tone suits the novel well. The story is a slow-burner, but nevertheless compelling, revealed through the narrative strands of several different characters. These different accounts are often written as though they are interviews, however we never hear the questioning voice, only the responses. An unusual and clever novel from Bitter Lemon Press.
The other book I was sent to review by Bitter Lemon Press was Grab a Snake by the Tail, a detective novella by Cuban's leading crime author, Leonardo Padura. I'm not familiar with Padura's work, but I am familiar with (and love reading about) Havana, and this is a spin-off from his popular Havana Quartet. His die-hard fans seem to be in unanimous agreement that this novella is not a patch on his other work – and I have to say I'm relieved! I enjoyed it for what it was – for the gritty noir portrayal of dimly-lit Havana evenings, for the black humour and the smoky, sensual atmosphere. But I found the story a little far-fetched and patchily executed. As others have commented, this is clearly a short story-turned-novella, but I'm not sure it had the legs to go the distance. Still an enjoyable romp through Havana's underbelly.
Here's a taster of Juliette van der Molen's generous review of my latest short story collection, Scratched Enamel Heart. You can read the full review here
Book Review: Scratched Enamel Heart by Amanda Huggins
Scratched Enamel Heart,
by Amanda Huggins, is a collection of short stories that takes the
reader on a physical and unforgettable emotional journey. This second
collection is full of twists and turns and each story gives us the
opportunity to reflect on our own travels and how they have shape human
existence.
Flight Mode: The Possibility of Escape
“Mollie
watched it change colour from blush to the darkest ink, and wondered if
Daddy and Angel were watching the same piece of sky five states east.”
-Red, Amanda Huggins, Scratched Enamel Heart
Throughout
this collection of stories we are treated to the slow build of
carefully crafted characters who jump off the page and into our hearts.
Mollie was one of these characters for me. In the story “Red”, Mollie
and her mother are living with an abusive stepfather and surviving life
on a dusty red farm called “Oakridge”.
Huggins describes the red
dust as transforming into a thick paste in the rain, the kind that
‘stained your skin like henna.’ This foreshadows the trauma held deep in
the centre of this story. Because abuse is often like that dust that
clings to everything and stains the deepest parts of the human psyche.
Still,
there is so much hope. Though the author does not get deeply into the
details of abuse (this isn’t necessary and perhaps is the best way to
handle it), we are told enough to read with an urgency that hopes for
Mollie’s escape. What I found to be so poignant from the quote above, is
that even in the midst of an ugly life, Mollie is able to look at the
sky and notice the beauty in it. As someone that has experienced long
term abuse, I know it was moments like these that padded the resilience
of my heart and reminded me that there are better things out there. Her
longing for her brother and father is especially felt in this moment and
it points to her understanding of the wider world and the possibilities
it could contain.
I'm over on Paula Readman's blog today, chatting about my writing. Here's a taster:
FROM PAULA'S BLOG:
Welcome to my guest page. Here, every few
days, I’ll be sharing a conversation, over tea and cakes, or maybe a
glass of something stronger, if they are not driving, with a friend
about their work in progress, or latest book release. I’ll be talking to
all sort of writers and authors at different levels of their writing
careers.
It’s lovely to have you here for a chat
today, Amanda. It looks as though we timed it just right as the
Clubhouse Tearoom is quiet.
Thank you for inviting me over for coffee,
Paula! It’s great to see you again, and it’s always lovely to get the
chance to have a chat about writing.
Let’s get started I know you’re a busy lady, so tell us a little about your latest writing project. Is it a new idea, or one you have been mulling over for some time?
I’ve just started writing my third
novella, An Unfamiliar Landscape. I’ve been mulling it over for some
time, as it’s based on a previous short story of mine. It follows the
life of a young woman called Sophia after she moves to Tokyo. Sophia and
her husband have recently lost their child and their relationship is
suffering. In an attempt to move on they relocate to Japan when her
husband is offered a post there. This new location serves as a vehicle
to reveal the true extent of Sophia’s grief and isolation. Left to her
own devices, knowing no one in Tokyo, her sense of disconnection and
loneliness is reinforced, amplified by the noise of the city and the
legacy of her complicated past. Her life is examined in the context of
this alien and transformative environment, where everything is slightly
off-centre, unsettling, not quite as it seems. The city eventually pulls
her under its skin and in the new noise she finds her silence.
When you first began your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?
Travel writing was the first genre I
chose, as I love exploring the world and learning about other cultures. I
soon started writing short stories as well, and a strong sense of place
has always been as important as character and plot in my fiction. My
work is set all over the world in the cities and landscapes I have lived
in and traveled around – settings as diverse as Cuba and India,
mid-west America and the North Yorkshire coast, Japan and Russia, Paris
and New York.
Although it's still a few months to the launch of my debut novella, All Our Squandered Beauty, I have just received the hard copies of the uncorrected proof from my publisher, Victorina Press. It's looking great - I love the cover!
I gave the designer, Triona Walsh, a couple of completely different ideas and she came up with a fabulous cover that encapsulated both of them. The sky in the final cover is actually taken from an original painting of my own, Inside the Sea, and the linocut elements are Triona's own work. Triona is lovely to work with - I first got to know her when she designed the cover for Retreat West for my short story collection, Scratched Enamel Heart, and so I suggested using her when Victorina Press's usual designer was mowed out with work.
Inside the Beautiful Inside is based on the astonishing true story of James Norris, an American marine who ended up chained to a metal stake in Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam) for fourteen years at the turn of the nineteenth century.
The conditions of Norris’s diminished life are grim and harrowing, yet although Bedlam steals his liberty, nobody can purloin his thoughts, dreams and memories. We are taken on a journey inside the wave of his madness, travelling on the high seas, experiencing his joys as well as his tragedies. We hear the stories of his family and friends, of the commission he didn’t take, of the one true love of his life, a shy prostitute named Ruth who betrayed him with Fletcher Christian. I found myself caring deeply for Norris, rooting for him from the very start, reading with my heart in my mouth, desperately hoping for his release even though I already knew how many years he would be chained up.
Inside the Beautiful Inside explores themes of sanity and rebellion, freedom and love, captivity and compassion in gorgeous lyrical prose. Emily Bullock is a wonderful writer, and in this superbly crafted novel she doesn’t waste a single word as she hurls us headlong through a swirling maze of madness that leads us to the very heart of James Norris.
Published 24h September by Everything With Words Read more here
