April Wrap Up

The books I read in April

April was another weird and not so wonderful month, but I did get a lot of reading done, so there’s that! I finished 12 books in all, bringing my total for the year so far up to 41. Here are some brief thoughts on each of them, with links to my full reviews if you’d like to know more.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

[ ⭐ ⭐ ] Objectively, I could appreciate that this was very well written and hugely evocative of its historical setting. It was simply too slow and bloated by extraneous details for my taste.

How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] A powerful look at family, trauma, guilt, and the complex road to recovery, set largely throughout the Japanese occupation of Singapore during WWII. Lee weaves multiple timelines and perspectives together with skill, and pays due respect to the sensitive subject matter of sexual slavery.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This slight novel captures the air of a sweeping family saga, and manages to touch on a range of big themes (including family, class, race, love, and sexuality), all in just shy of 200 pages. I found this a very pleasant read with some lovely prose, but an emotionally manipulative twist felt entirely out of place, and it has proven to be ultimately forgettable.

Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] Though this failed to capitalise on a lot of its thematic potential, I found it surprisingly compelling on a character and narrative front. Goldie creates a microcosm of modern society, and looks at the many difficulties and contradictions inherent to the human experience.

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] I thought the quality of the pacing, prose, and characterization improved in this sequel to Wolf Hall, even if it was still never going to fully win me round. Anne Boleyn was a particular highlight.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

[ ⭐ ⭐ ] Though easy enough to read, I found this novel flat and directionless. It incorporates fairy tale-esque stereotypes, but fails to challenge or dissect them in any meaningful way. The handling of its female characters was particularly poor.

Actress by Anne Enright

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] In gorgeous prose, Enright paints a fascinating portrait of a unique mother-daughter relationship. Nuanced and heartfelt, it weaves in commentary on the fickleness of fame, the pressures put on women, political divides, and the performance of wellness. The use of an unnecessary framing device and a few narrative tangents aside, I thought this was a very strong offering.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] Queenie is easy to read and hard to complain about, but never quite as bold or subversive as it could have been. It’s essentially a coming-of-age story, documenting one young woman’s journey towards self-acceptance, touching on the Black Lives Matter movement, the long-term impact of suppressed trauma, and the fetishization of black female bodies, carried by an endearing heroine.

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] I felt satisfied by the way Mantel brought everything together in this final volume of the Thomas Cromwell trilogy. Her prose is arguably at its strongest here, but my presiding feeling is still one of respect more than enjoyment.

Tropic of Violence by Natacha Appanah

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] Full review to come for BookBrowse.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This look at institutionalized misogyny in South Korea is very readable, and unabashed in its dissection of the prejudices big and small that must be endured by the nation’s everywoman. Though I found myself feeling suitably sympathetic and angry on the protagonist’s behalf, an emotional disconnect, and a tendency for the author to be too on the nose were a little jarring.

The Easy Part of Impossible by Sarah Tomp

[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] Full review to come for BookBrowse.

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There we have it! It was satisfying to complete my readthrough of the Women’s Prize longlist in April, but I must say, I’m looking forward to the freedom of reading by whim more in May. Here’s hoping we all discover some great new books!

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