First Advance Review For Each of Us a Petal

 

 

 REVIEW BY SUZANNE KAMATA

Most of the stories in Amanda Huggins’s Each of Us A Petal take place in distinctly Japanese settings, such as the traditional country house in ‘At the Minka’; Haradani-en, the garden north of the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in 'Sparrow Footprints’; and, in ‘Straight in the Eye’, the Japanese Alps, where bears are known to roam and sometimes menace. Like the Japanese masters, Huggins exerts considerable restraint in telling these stories of shapeshifters, troubled marriages, erotic encounters, and other interactions. They often end with more of a suggestion than a neat and tidy conclusion, while still making an impact, and lingering in the mind. Some borrow from traditional Japanese folklore, or ghost stories, however the mix of Japanese and international characters gives the collection a contemporary tone. Even if one cannot consume this book on an engawa, with a cup of green tea, the stories will transport the reader to Japan.
 
In these brief, understated tales, which are as delicate and beautiful as the gossamer wing of a dragonfly, Huggins pays loving homage to Japan. Ethereal, evocative, and exquisite. – Suzanne Kamata, author of The Beautiful One Has Come and Cinnamon Beach

 

(OUT MAY 2024)

REVIEW: Ghost Mountain by Rónán Hession

 

ABOUT GHOST MOUNTAIN:

"Shimmering and haunting in equal measure, this profound fable from the author of Leonard and Hungry Paul and Panenka centres on a mysterious mountain which appears at crucial moments in the protagonists' lives.

Ghost Mountain is a simple fable-like novel about a mountain that appears suddenly and the way in which its manifestation ripples through the lives of characters in the surrounding community.

It looks at the uncertain fragile sense of self we hold inside ourselves, and our human compulsion to project it into the uncertain word around us, whether we’re ready or not. It is also about the presence of absence, and how it shadows us in our lives. Mountains are at once unmistakably present yet never truly fathomable."
 

MY REVIEW:

I’m a huge fan of Rónán Hession’s work, and was thrilled to receive an advance copy of Ghost Mountain from Bluemoose Books.

Like all of Hession’s writing, this isn’t a novel to race through, it’s one to savour. Ghost Mountain feels as though it is set in a cinematic dreamscape; it sweeps you up into a magical world and holds you under its spell. There is so much to mull over. It is haunting, elusive, moving, funny, and totally unique; the characters embed themselves in your heart as well as your head.

Hession is brilliant at observing and examining the vagaries of the human condition, and it is the way he encapsulates all the mess and beauty of his characters' lives which compels you to read on. Sharp and poignant, deeply memorable, and beautifully written.

 

(OUT MAY 2024 FROM BLUEMOOSE BOOKS)