As Autumn rolls in at full strength and everything gets colder, it’s nice to curl up with a book.
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
The second book in the MaddAddam trilogy is a brilliant book that explores a corrupt and violent world within the limits of our own. The science and captailist corps are close enough to our reality that it makes you uncomfortable. With Ren and Toby as the narrators, we gain a view of the world from the dance clubs, Secretburgers and Gods Garderners; all levels of this broken society. The gene slicing, animal and human experimentation and mass extinction help pull the reader into a world that is not quite science fiction. The book almost seems like a warning, as the book engages the reader in a world we wish no connection to.
The Dead by James Joyce
The commentary on Irish politics through Joyce’s prediction of what his life would have been like if he had stayed in Ireland is a short story that reveals more and more layers with each reading. On first impression the reader might just take the events of the party and those between Gabriel and Gretta to be simple, but Joyce cleverly explores through subtly a range of themes. As the weather starts turning The Dead is a great short story to read on a chilly afternoon.
The Piers Falls by Mark Haddon
After attending an event that involved Mark Haddon in conversation, I brought the book and tore through the short stories that in turn tore through me. Each story is brutal in itself and even he pointed out that there is a death in all but the last. Opening with a story about the collapse of Brighton Pier and aftermath of tragedy, the reader is pulled into the book and is forced to watch tragedy and chaos throughout the stories. It feels like watching a car crash and probably isn’t the best thing to read before bed if you’re wanting to go to sleep easily.
Dubliners by James Joyce
After reading The Dead on its own, I brought the whole collection. The collection captures life in Dublin wonderfully and the bare bones of humanity in it’s characters. The stories may lack climax but all being a revelation to the characters in Joyce’s classic style. It’s a good collection to read that covers a range of stories and themes. The stories are the perfect length to read inbetween tasks to make the day more interesting.