I very rarely give 5 star ratings. For me 4 stars is a fantastic book but this time I couldn’t resist. This absolutely deserves it. It’s over 600 pages long but doesn’t feel like that as you’re reading it. It goes by in a flash. I never got restless, I just wanted to know what happened next. The whole story just flows effortlessly. It has lots of twists and turns that will keep you turning the page. It’s a really compelling family drama. Morton’s characters are so vivid & complicated. They are flawed but you also root for them. There are a lot of characters included in this novel but some how Morton manages to make them all feel fully fleshed out and completely human. There are so many strands but somehow she ties them all together.
I’m a little nervous of giving too much detail because I don’t want to ruin anything or give any spoilers but basically Jess is an Australian journalist living in London. She gets a phone call one day that her beloved grandmother Nora, suffered a fall and is in hospital. Now Jess must return to Sydney after many years away. Once home she discovers a true crime investigation into a long-buried tragedy and the connection it has to her own family. I was so impressed by now many different characters and stories Morton wove into this story yet none of them fell flat or felt unexplored. When Jess returns home she discovers a book written years ago that tells the story of unsolved murders and so begins the unravelling of a gripping mystery. The discovery of this book means that Morton writes a book within a book and it is truly impressive storytelling. She made a very intricate story feel effortless. The pacing was very well done. It kept my attention the whole way despite its considerable length.
It’s an ideal read for this time of year. Perfect for a holiday because once you start you just won’t want to put it down. This was my first Kate Morton book but it defiantly won’t be my last. I want to read them all now. This book has everything, a sweeping family drama, crime, mystery, intrigue and so on. A truly fantastic read!
I read this book a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Bits of it keep coming back to me. The Cassandra Complex, (t’s called Cassandra in Reverse in the U.S.) tells the story of Cassandra Dankworth. A young woman who is living and working in London. She works for an advertising company and has had a series of flat mates. She just can’t find the right fit. Cassie it seems, has never really fitted in anywhere. She doesn’t fully understands why but people are constantly telling her that she is not a people person and that she is a bit odd. She is consistently saying the wrong thing both in her work and personal life. So when she gets dumped, fired and her local café runs out of banana muffins – all in one day it feels like the end of the world. But then Cassie discovers she has the power to go back in time and change things. Now that she has endless chances to get it right she thinks that she can finally fix everything.
This book was chosen as the Reese Book pick for June and I can see why because it’s a great summer read. The author Holly Smale is originally a YA writer and this is her first adult novel. Smale was diagnosed with autism as an adult. So she has written a character who is having a similar experience to her and is living with autism. It was really fascinating getting to know this character.. Smale was able to write a first hand account of what it’s like to be autistic and to receive a late diagnosis. Although not everyone living with autism has the exact same experience this novel made me really see the need for stories written by people living with various conditions, illnesses or disabilities. We need to tell our own stories and share our own experiences instead of letting others tell them for us. As a person living with a physical disability I really related to the way in which Cassie has to constantly shape shift herself in certain environments in order to try and fit in with other people. As I was reading I thought a lot about why being ourselves is so complicated and why others can find it so jarring.
The time travel element was a fantastic devise because it showed that no matter how many times Cassie had the opportunity for a do-over it was never enough and it never pleased everyone. She could never get it “right”. This did frustrate me after a while but it only made me mad at the other characters for making Cassie feel like she was the one with the problem. They made her feel like she was the problem. I began to wonder if many people who are autistic or neurodivergent are constantly being made to feel this way. It seemed like these “endless chances” were actually endless opportunities to make Cassie feel as though she was failing, failing to be “normal”. I was also grateful to this story for challenging some of my own preconceived ideas about autism. I found it very informative and insightful. A line towards the end of the novel that really stayed with me was “I do not have to weave my story over and over again and it is not and never should be told by other people.” Originally I was going to give this novel 4 stars but in the end I changed my mind. It reminded me how important representation really is and made me question some of my own internal biases as well as making clear my constant need to people please. It also showed me that everyones story matters and that some social conventions are utterly ridiculous, especially for women. I wondered wether if Cassie were male would others care as much about what she wore or her blunt responses. For all these reasons I thought it deserved 5 stars.
Outside of the representation factor it is also just a great fantasy novel. It is very funny and the characters are well developed and entertaining. One or two of them absolutely stole my heart. I loved the fact that Smale didn’t go out of her way to try and make Cassie more likeable, she just let her be herself. That’s what in the end, makes her loveable in my opinion. I couldn’t believe that this was Smale’s first novel for adults. It is very well constructed and a really enjoyable read. I know some people weren’t sure about the ending and I did have some misgivings about it at first but after sitting with it for a bit I actually understood Smale’s reasoning for it. I realised that it was a nod to being yourself and not trying to change or be what others want you to be. I liked it because it made me feel like we’re all enough as we are and overall I found that message kind of hopeful. I look forward to reading whatever Smale writes next.
This book is an unusual little gem. I discovered it while listening to the author Katherine May on The Shift with Sam Baker podcast. I love Katherine’s writing and so I take her recommendations very seriously. I must admit I was not previously aware of Jenny Diski and so I went in to this completely blind. It is part travelogue, part memoir. I adore travelogues so I was hooked from the beginning. It is not however your typical travelogue, if there is such a thing. It follows Diski’s trip to Antarctica as well as delving into her past and traumatic childhood. Some of the details of her life are harrowing yet the author still manages to remain funny and witty while discussing complex and difficult topics. It’s as if she takes you to the edge of the trauma but never too far in. Her skill as a writer is that she knows exactly the point at which the reader needs a break and she can shift almost instantly without it seeming clunky or too abrupt. Her keen observations are always enthralling and insightful to read.
Diski really drew me into the landscape of Antarctica, making it feel magical and other worldly. Her descriptions of the environment around her and the animals that occupy it are truly engrossing. It made me want to read more about this wondrous place and it’s inhabitants. Her descriptions of her fellow travellers are not always as kind but often hilarious. This book was written back in 1997 and the absence of social media or smart phones is really striking. Ironically Diski is already commenting on how removed from real life experience passengers are just from taking pictures with their cameras. I kept thinking as I was reading, if you only knew what’s to come. With the exception of this observation the story feels very fresh and as relevant today as it was over twenty years ago.
In some ways this book is the work of a detective. Her daughter, who is trying to find out the whereabouts of her estranged grandmother, Diski’s mother and then Diski herself are all seeking something throughout the book. Diski instructs the help of her former neighbours to learn more about her parents relationship and the parts of her childhood that she has forgotten or were not known to her. Although handled with precision, this investigation uncovers intimate and upsetting details that will make the reader re-think the idea of family and memory. I found her thoughts on depression and mental health very insightful and down right stunning at times. She has a very direct, unsentimental approach to her writing.
“No one can sit through a depression for you and no one can write a book for you. Why not? yells the child. Because then you wouldn’t have done it. So what? screams the child, stamping her foot.”
The transitions between her Antarctic adventure and look back at her childhood are seamless. Diski’s style of writing is absolutely beautiful. Her command of the English language is at times breathtaking. I found myself underlining certain words, turning them over and savouring them as I read. I also loved her approach to what some of us would call the heroes journey. She does not need to accomplish or complete anything on her trip in order for it to be worthwhile. She doesn’t even need to leave her cabin on the ship on some occasions. It’s as if making the trip is enough in itself. Her cabin is her sanctuary and that is good enough. Author Katherine May describes it as an anti-accomplishment book that is quite subversive and challenges the more traditionally masculine idea of completing the journey in a triumphant way. That is one of my favourite aspects of the book, the notion that she travelled all the way to Antarctica and was completely unapologetic about her lack of interest in exploring her surroundings. She did what she had come to do and had nothing more to prove. She has no desire to deliver a neatly packaged ending that would perhaps satisfy the reader more. Her contained cabin, floating along on the water had everything she needed. This refers back to the beginning of the book where Diski discusses her search for white space. “What I really wanted: a place of safety, a white oblivion.” This search for blankness is a theme throughout the book and she describes it with dazzling beauty. I couldn’t possibly do it justice here but it is really stunning.
At the start the reader might think they are about to accompany Diski on an exciting adventure to Antarctica and they are but actually we are her companion on an even more compelling inward exploration of her past and difficult childhood. The location and external surroundings of Antarctica merely serve as a metaphor of her own isolation and descent into depression and mental illness at a young age. This was my first Jenny Diski book but it won’t be my last. I have my eye on “Stranger On A Train” next. This is another travelogue that follows the authors trip across America. I am already packing my suitcase for the next adventure.
Word of the Day 