Let’s Recommend | Character Studies

Let’s recommend some character studies.

A character study is a book that puts the focus firmly on the protagonist and their innermost workings, giving them precedence over pulse-pounding action. It’s a fascinating way to examine different aspects of human nature, and one of my favourite ‘genres’, if you could call it that. Here are a few recommendations that have particularly stayed with or intrigued me.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a quietly sinister story of madness, sisterhood, isolation and a fear of ‘otherness’, with one of the most delightfully odd and disturbed narrators I’ve encountered for a long time. We follow two sisters and their uncle, the only survivors of a mysterious poisoning incident that left the rest of their family dead. Shutting themselves away from the wider world, the reciprocal fear they and outsiders feel for each other simmers and builds towards an unexpected climax. Jackson herself was suffering from agoraphobia at the time of its writing, and the way she explores this notion through her characters adds a whole other dynamic to the story.

The Dumb House by John Burnside

The main character in The Dumb House is surely one of the most sinister and twisted individuals you will encounter in fiction; a man who takes drastic steps to satisfy his need to understand the nature of language and the presence of the human soul. Burnside chooses to open the book in the aftermath of the climax and then revert to the beginning, meaning we always know the depths he will ultimately sink to, and instead are taken along with fascinated horror as we see how he ends up reaching that point. To me, it was a warning about the danger of the human desire to understand everything about the world when there are in fact many things beyond our comprehension.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Set in the early 1800s, Burial Rites is a fictionalised account of the last execution to take place in Iceland. Agnes, our heroine, is sent to live with a family in an isolated farm house as she awaits her death, having been accused of the murder of her former master. As well as exploring the way the members of the family forced to keep an eye on her react to her presence, the book asks us to consider Agnes’s potential guilt and what may drive a young woman to kill someone. It’s worth note that as well as Agnes herself, the severity and drama of the Icelandic landscape mean it becomes a crucial character of the book in its own right.

Little Deaths by Emma Flint

Little Deaths would probably be better described as a character assassination rather than a character study, as we watch the police and media orchestrate the demonization of Ruth, a woman suspected of killing her own two children, by manipulating the way the world perceives her due to a dislike of the way she lived her life, cleverly mirroring the fact that she has lost control of her own fate. Plot-wise, things lost me a little towards the end by trying to have the shocking ‘reveal’ moment of a thriller, when in reality its strength was always its exploration of Ruth and the slut-shaming mentality and patriarchal influence that lead to the incarceration we know awaits her from the off-set; but it was still an engrossing read.

The Collector by John Fowles

The Collector is unique amongst these suggestions in that it’s an equal study of two characters; Frederik, a butterfly collector who decides to ‘collect’ the object of his romantic obsessions, and Miranda, the art student who becomes Frederik’s captive. We first follow Frederik’s perspective as he abducts Miranda, believing that she will fall for him if only he can keep her for long enough, before we see the same events retold from Miranda’s perspective via the diary she keeps during her ordeal. A fascinatingly warped play for power ensues between the two, with their narrative voices and unique motivations well defined and realised.

The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark

The Driver’s Seat is a short and absorbing tale that chronicles the bizarre downfall of a woman hellbent on self-destruction. Spark, like Burnside and Flint, reveals the fate of her flawed protagonist in the opening chapters of the book, meaning it’s the reader’s task to try and understand the ‘why’ rather than the ‘what’ of her actions. This notion also cleverly ties in with the title, as we consider the extent to which she still has control over her own life by the end of the book, and to what extent she’s spiralled beyond any sense of reason or restraint. It’s a book to make you think, with Spark not indulging us with all the answers, leaving us to experience the whirlwind of Lise’s life and consider the depth of her arguable madness.

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As always, I encourage you to share your own recommendations in return. So, what are some of your favourite character studies? Let’s chat about them.

Let’s Recommend | Grimm Fairy Tales

Let’s recommend some classic fairy tales

In this latest addition to my recommendation series, I’m going to talk about some of my favourite classic fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm. As always, I encourage you to share your own recommendations in return. In terms of my picks, you may notice that the common thread that links them is a reversal of the ‘damsel in distress’ trope in favour of stronger, better developed female characters; something that whilst admittedly rare in classic tales, can indeed be found and is worth celebrating in my opinion.

Hansel and Gretel

There are several reasons why Hansel and Gretel is my very favourite fairy tale of all time; from the striking imagery of the house made of sweets to the eeriness of a forest setting, and from the sinister notion of a cannibalistic witch to the protagonists’ gritty revenge. Not least amongst these however are the facts that Gretel is the one who outsmarts the villain and saves the day, and that the relationship at the heart of the tale is one of family, with the heroes’ happily ever after coming in the form of a reunion with their father, not handsome princes and dainty princesses.

The Nixie of the Mill-Pond

There’s lots of great imagery in this tale as well, and it’s fairly unique in that we follow a couple who are already married and in love by the time we join them, rather than being the typical damsel and hero who conveniently stumble together at the end of the story. Really, it’s a tale of everlasting love and unyielding commitment, once again led by a proactive and resourceful woman, as she goes to extreme lengths to save her husband after he is ensnared by a malevolent water spirit. This reversal of who is saving whom is really refreshing.

Fitcher’s Bird

Fitcher’s Bird is another story with sibling love at its heart; this time a trio of sisters. It also features some very striking and creepy moments (including a torture chamber and a basin filled with blood and dismembered body parts) that make it very memorable. Our heroine saves both herself and her sisters, and her family bands together to seek characteristically dark vengeance against the evil sorcerer who wronged them. It’s deliciously dark and another real favourite of mine.

The Robber Bridegroom

In this tale, a bride-to-be learns of her would-be husband’s murderous ways and (with the help of an elderly woman) escapes, exposes him for the monster he is and frees herself from their doomed betrothal. Again, I love it for its darkness, but also for its banding together of women to outsmart the wicked men, and I feel it’s particularly worth note for its depiction of an elderly woman who is both empathetic and heroic, breaking away from the evil-old-crone stereotype.

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What are some of your favourite Grimm fairy tales? Let’s chat about them.

Let’s Recommend | Graphic Novels

Let’s recommend some graphic novels.

It’s been a long time since I did a post recommending graphic novels and I’ve read some really great ones since then, so let’s just jump right in. As always, I invite you all to swap your own recommendations in the comments.

The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg

Greenberg masters the stories-within-stories structure to create a glorious tapestry. Inspired by mythology and fairy tales, it brings fantastically well-handled feminist and LGBT themes into the mix as well. I love the way each story weaves into the next, and the ways they all link back to those that came before to tell one larger tale of sisterhood, betrayal and love.

Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn

This short series centres around the notion of artificial intelligence, exploring classic themes like love and what it means to be human in a story that is equal parts action-packed as it is character focussed. It’s great if you’re looking for a new series, but don’t want one that will be a huge commitment of time and money, the arc of its story having been completed in just three volumes.

Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon

This hard-hitting tale is based on true events in which a pride of lions escaped from a zoo following a bombing raid. It’s about the brutality of war and the cruelty that humans are capable of, even issues like racial distrust if you want to take the allegory really seriously. At its heart though, beyond a little creative liberty, this is a poignant tale about a search for freedom, beautifully brought to life through the stunningly vibrant artwork. It hurtles towards an ending that feels inevitable but which devastates nonetheless.

Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

This is one of my very favourite graphic novels, being quiet yet effecting. The Tamaki cousins manage to perfectly capture all the unease of teenage life and the daunting first experiences of love, grief, friendship, sexuality and self-discovery, without ever falling into the traps of melodrama. It’s quietly heart-breaking, funny and relatable, with big themes brought together with understated flair and simple yet expressive artwork.

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

This was one of the first graphic novels I ever read, and I remember it very fondly to this day. This is a fun, quirky story with dark undertones. I think the purple colour palette and stylised art style worked really well, and I also really appreciated that protagonist Anya isn’t your typical ‘perfect’ girl. She’s a Russian immigrant who struggles to fit in and worries about normal teenage issues like weight problems, looking cool and making friends. She made the story a lot more real (despite its supernatural charm) and thoroughly enjoyable.

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What graphic novels would you recommend? Let’s chat about them.

Let’s Recommend | Art & Photography Books

Let’s recommend some books about art and photography.

This time I’ve decided to recommend books that centre around art and photography. I’m certainly not claiming to be either an artist or a photographer, but I do enjoy both mediums and appreciate a beautiful book that celebrates them, so let’s get started.

The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan

Tan is one of my favourite artists in general and in this book, he combines his beautiful work with another of my loves: fairy tales. Each double spread has an excerpt from one of the classic Grimm tales on one side and a sculpture inspired by it on the other. His pieces are visually striking and wonderfully successful in capturing the eerie mood of the original stories that we know and love.

Some examples of Tan’s fairy tale inspired sculptures.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Collections by Barbara Buhler Lynes

O’Keeffe is another of my favourite artists and this hefty hardback was produced to mark the 10^th anniversary of The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in New Mexico, the largest collection of her work in the world. It includes many high-quality reproductions of her pieces and helps to show how broad her style was.

Some examples of O’Keeffe’s work.

Some more examples of O’Keeffe’s work.

Wonderland by Kirsty Mitchell

This might be an odd one for me to recommend in that I don’t actually own it myself. Retailing for about £100, I haven’t been able to justify buying it (though it is huge and incredibly high-quality). Mitchell’s stunning photographs are like the aesthetic of my dreams, however, so if like me you want to aspire towards owning it one day, or if unlike me you happen to be very wealthy, I thought it was worth a shout-out.

Some examples of Mitchell’s Wonderland series.

Some more examples of Mitchell’s Wonderland series.

Photos That Changed the World by Peter Stepan

This is one for those who maybe aren’t looking for ‘beautiful’ photographs as much as they are looking for influential ones, or those that show the effectiveness and importance of the form in documenting history.

Art Made from Books by Laura Heyenga

This one’s a bit meta, as it’s a collection of work by various artists who all use actual books as the medium with which they create their pieces, from sculptures made with paper to book spines lined up to form a canvas, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. There’s a big variety of different styles and ideas in here, and it’s definitely one for those who appreciate the beauty to be found in books as a physical object.

A sample of the kind of work to be found in Art Made from Books.

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What are some of your favourite books about art and photography?

Let’s Recommend | Historical Fiction

Let’s recommend some historical fiction books.

This time I’ve decided to recommend some of my favourite historical fiction books. For those unfamiliar with the genre, it simply refers to books written in the modern day but set in the past. Without further ado, I’ll just start talking about the books, but as always, I invite you to share your own recommendations in the comments below.

Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

With Church of Marvels, Parry has created a gorgeous tapestry of storytelling that follows a diverse group of characters that seem at first to be entirely unrelated, but whose paths move towards each other in stunning revelations and heart-breaking twists. The immersive settings include the gritty streets of 19^th century New York, a brutal women’s asylum and an enchanting sideshow.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

In Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites, we follow a fictionalised account of the last execution to take place in Iceland, during which a young woman accused of murder is sent to live with a family as she awaits trial and seemingly inevitable death. This is not an action packed read, but one full of quiet beauty where the power of the dramatic Icelandic setting becomes a character in its own right, adding rich atmosphere to this melancholy tale.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

This is in essence a placeholder for both the Sepetys books I’ve read thus far, the other being Salt to the Sea, as both handle lesser known aspects of wartime history with expert care and a heavy dose of emotional impact. Though approachable for a YA audience, I felt they both successfully avoided the distracting angst that often overpowers such books. Between Shades of Gray itself follows a Lithuanian girl and her family as they are seized by Soviets and sent on a perilous journey to an even more deadly work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See follows the dual perspectives of a blind French girl who is forced to flee her home with her father, and a boy recruited to the Nazi regime, and the haunting story that sees their lives gradually converge. Above all, I found it to be a wonderful portrayal of the inherent goodness that lies within us, and the human desire to show it, even in our darkest moments.

Black Sheep by Susan Hill

Very ‘Hardyesque’ in feel, Susan Hill perfectly captures the struggles of rural working life, as a family of mine workers each long for freedom in their own ways – or flat-out reject it even as a possibility. Their attempts to escape the vice-like grip of poverty and uphold a societally acceptable image have devastating consequences in a bleak yet powerful tale of hardship and social order.

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What are some of your favourite historical fiction books?

Let’s Recommend | Halloween Reads

Let’s recommend some books for Halloween!

With Halloween right around the corner, this time I’ve decided to recommend some books with varying degrees of creep factor to help get you into the spooky spirit. As always, I encourage you to share your own recommendations in the comments.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

I can’t stop thinking about – or recommending – Bird Box. This creepy dystopian-esque story really plays on our senses and is a masterclass in the power of the unknown. We follow a young woman and her two children in a world where something is lurking outside; something that can drive people to insanity with a single glance. Having lived in the shadows for years, our heroine must blindfold her children and set out in search of safety. The climax of this book in particular is truly haunting.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

If it’s a classic you’re in search of, The Turn of the Screw would be a fine choice. This creepy novella follows a young woman who begins a new job as a governess, but when she becomes convinced the children she has been charged with protecting are under threat from ghosts inhabiting the manor, her very sanity is called into question. This is perhaps one of the earliest and best examples of an effective unreliable narrator.

Misery by Stephen King

If you prefer your monsters to be of the human persuasion and your horror all the more unsettling for the fact that it could actually happen, Stephen King’s Misery is a great pick. Tense and at times deeply disturbing, we follow a writer as he is kidnapped by his ‘number one fan’, Annie Wilkes, who is not happy at all about the way he ended his last book…

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

If you opt for the Penguin Little Black Classics edition of this celebrated short story, you get another two brief tales by Perkins Gilman as well, both equally as atmospheric and worthy of a read. The title story follows a woman’s slow descent into madness after she is confined to a single room by her husband, whilst the others follow two men who become infatuated with the ghostly figure of a woman they glimpse through a window, and a young woman who becomes the target of a lecherous man, respectively. The author cleverly flips gender perceptions common at the time and packs a punch with few words.

Monsters in the Movies by John Landis

If non-fiction is more your kind of thing, Monsters in the Movies is a great coffee table read that you can dip in and out of, getting interesting insights – as well as gorgeous, high quality visuals – from horror films throughout the years, so you can learn about how they brought our favourite monsters, be they vampires, werewolves, devils, demons, zombies, witches or such like, to life. It is therefore a great place to find movie recommendations to also help you get in the Halloween mood.

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What creepy reads do you recommend for Halloween? Let’s chat about them.

Let’s Recommend | Poetry

Let’s recommend some poetry.

This time round I’ve decided to recommend some poetry collections, and as always, you’re all invited to share your own recommendations in return. Since some people can feel a bit intimidated by poetry, I decided to pick collections that I think are approachable no matter how experienced or otherwise you may be with the form.

Undying by Michel Faber

This is actually the most recent poetry collection that I have read, though for its stark honesty and raw emotion, I had to include it here. Through these poems, Faber chronicles the loss of his beloved wife to cancer and certainly doesn’t dress the situation up to look pretty. So whilst this may not feature the most intricate of word play and so forth, it will hit home for anyone who has experienced loss.

Rapture by Carol Ann Duffy

Duffy is the UK’s current Poet Laureate, and as such, she tends to write for the masses. As such, her poetry is very easy to approach, tackling universal themes, though is in no way lacking when it comes to beautiful language and imagery.

Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire

Shire’s work in this short collection has an incredibly sensual feel, exploring topics such as gender, sex and religion, wrapped up in beautiful language. Speaking for itself, my favourite poem from here is called In Love and In War and simply reads: To my daughter I will say, / when the men come, set yourself on fire.

milk and honey by Rupi Kaur

I think this one is a particularly great choice for anyone new to poetry who worries they won’t ‘get it’, as the tiny poems found in this collection read more like journal entries, daydreams or fleeting thoughts and ideas captured in words. It makes them very readable, but charming in their simplicity.

Why God Is a Woman by Nin Andrews

Perhaps another good offering for those normally a lot more comfortable with fiction – though I recommend it to pretty much everyone – Nin Andrews’ collection of connected prose poems tells the ongoing story of an island where men are descendants of angels and women come from the sea. Their gender roles are the polar opposite of our own world, with the women browbeating their husbands to prepare them for a life of domesticity and sexualising young boys when their wings begin to sprout. A fiercely intelligent and beautifully written satire; it has a lot to say, all of it relevant.

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Which poetry collections would you like to recommend?