The Louder I Will Sing- Lee Lawrence

One of the most important yet least-known events in modern British history. Akala’s words about the murder of Cherry Groce.

In 1985 Groce’s house in Brixton was raided by the Metropolitan police. Groce was shot by DS Lovelock, even though she survived the attack she was left paralysed for the rest of her life and the bullet later resulted in her death.

A family of six Lee, Cherry, his dad and sister Sharon all shared a room downstairs while the other two sisters Lisa and Juliet had their rooms upstairs. Juliet at the time was pregnant, and Cherry was looking after her friend’s two children who were sleeping in the living room. There was a pregnant woman and five children the night their house got raided.

After Groce was left paralysed there was an internal police investigation, however like many cases against the metropolitan police, the police officer who shot her had not been found guilty. It wasn’t until Groce passed and Doctor Chapman asked for an inquest that her case was looked into again. An inquest is the legal process performed when death is believed to be unnatural or caused by violence. If the death is caused by the actions of a police officer then a jury is required.

The book is structured in chapters which outline events that happen before and after the house gets raided. As the reader, this style of writing made a lot of sense to me as Lee was able to portray black British history, racist attacks on the black community and how what happened to Cherry was not a one-off “mistake” made by the police force.

One important historical event is the first Brixton uprising. In April 1981, thirteen people, mainly teenagers were killed while they were at a house party. Witnesses who say they saw a white man throw something through the window are quickly dismissed, and on top of this, the survivors of the attack are interrogated. As a result of the police’s refusal to investigate and willingness to demonise the black community thousands of people go to march and protest.

“Day the blacks ran riot in London” is the headline in The Sun newspaper. Most of us, especially those who care to read a blog or a book on racism will know how disgusting The Sun has always been. We know it, we see it, however, to be reminded of how relentlessly this paper (and many others) have attacked the black community on a national level is important. It’s important because once we start to forget they get stronger. It’s important because its part of the make-up and history of this country. It’s important because it allows us to hold them accountable.

In the chapters before Cherry was shot, Lee recounts his childhood memories as sweet melodies. His mother bought new records from Brixton market, all four children waiting excitedly to see which record it would be. Cheery mostly brought reggae music, she would come home and start playing her new records. One by one they would get up and start to dance.

From the day Cherry was shot to the day the inquest was finalised takes over twenty years. This is an over twenty-year fight against the police force with daily reminders and intimidations of how the case is so much bigger than them. That one black family can’t fight the Met, they can’t find justice in a disgustingly racist society that once was, and in a lot of ways still is. However, in the end, it is a fight fought with determination, strength, tears and the love felt for a mother that forces justice to come home.

There is a memorial in Windrush Square in Brixton for Cherry Groce today. Lee set up the Cherry Groce foundation, the foundation puts together educational material to tell their story and to encourage students to think about history and injustice. There is also an award in Cherry’s name, it’s within the Met police and is awarded to officers who do outstanding work in their community.

24 April 2011, Easter Sunday is the day Cherry passed. The family would celebrate nine nights for Easter. Family and friends would visit for nine nights, they would eat, drink, dance and sing to remember and celebrate the life of someone who passed. After reading about Cherry through Lee’s words, this sounds like the most appropriate way to celebrate a woman like her.

Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes.

I’m only a few pages into Karolina Dalca Dark Eyes by M. R Noble and I already know I’m not the target audience for this book. I am however someone who hates leaving books unread so I will continue reading and hope for the best! Who knows, I might re-live my Edward and Jacob fantasy… 

The story follows a half-vampire called Karolina Dalca. From the start of the book, Karolina’s life is fast-paced with all sorts going on. The first incident is losing her mother in a house fire, closely followed by fighting two vampires, then sleeping with her long term friend who is a werewolf to being captured by another vampire. 

I like reading fast-paced books. Books that are filled with events, but these events need to naturally flow into one another. Here, there is a sense of something tragic or unexpected happening but before the reader can digest this, something new happens. It feels like the reader is all over the place and the reading feels rushed. 

The concept of the book is interesting. What drew me to the book was the vampire vs werewolf storyline. Even though this isn’t a new take in this genre I like how the author added a cultural touch. From the start, we know that Karolina has a Romanian heritage from her mothers’ side and Russian from her fathers. It’s clear that Noble wants the readers to feel the presence of the two heritages as they are referenced often.

Like many storylines this too has a werewolf and vampire lover dilemma. Our girl Karolina has a love affair with both Ramon and Andre. Just like my Twilight days though I have sided with the vampire. There is just something hot and cold about vampires that keeps me engaged, whereas werewolves are hot and always available. Can you tell I have attachment issues with unavailable guys?! 

For all of her life Karolina’s mother kept her father’s side a secret. We learn that this was for good reason as when Karolina meets her uncle, Loukin, he sets her up with their life-long enemy Kazimir. Spoiler alert: in the end it is Karolina who defeats Kazimir. 

As you can tell I didn’t really enjoy this book. This is the first time I’ve written a negative review and I won’t lie it feels kind of weird. I once saw that authors like constructive criticism but I’ve checked Noble out online and she does not need my criticism ahah! The book has 4.28 stars on Goodreads so it’s my word against 3120 ratings :)))))

Against The Loveless World- Susan Abulhawa

Political fiction is one of my favourite genres, the books that make me feel most passionate about writing a review, but I never know if I’m doing the book, or author any justice. However, like many self-doubt obstacles, this doesn’t stop me from doing it. If anything it forces me to concentrate on every single word written so I understand it fully, or as much as I can. 

Nahr is a Palestinian refugee whose family immigrated to Kuwait from Palestine. Nahr marries young however a few months later her husband abandons her. She is forced to return to her family home and bear the struggles of a young divorced woman. 

Long after her divorce, Nahr attends a wedding celebration, this is where she meets Um Buraq. Um Buraq is a complex character, there are many times in the book where she empowers Nahr, despite being the very person who tricked her into prostitution. I can’t make my mind up on whether I hate her for taking Nahr down the dark path, or if I see her as a stronger, older female who takes care of Nahr. 

Against a Loveless World is a novel full of traumas. Nahr’s trauma of her husband leaving her, making her believe she’s unloveable, her encounters of prostitution, being belittled by disgusting men who accuse women like her for tempting them and following the devil.

These are two very powerful examples of how women suffer in a patriarchal society. Paying the consequences of an unloved ex-husband and being humiliated, treated like dirt by men who pray to God, follow their religion yet dismiss women for “tempting them”. 

Shortly into the novel, we witness Sadam’s invasion of Kuwait. Despite the general response of Kuwait’s reaction to the invasion, Nahr is in favour as she believes this will stop the West from invading. 

As a Kurd, I am inclined to bear hatred towards Sadam Hussein and his murderous regime. The Halabja chemical attack took place in 1988, the massacre killed between 3000-5000 people living 10 000 people injured. This was an act of murder committed by Sadam towards the Kurdish people living in Iraqi Kurdistan. 

The invasion of Sadam is unsuccessful in Kuwait as the US get involved and take control of the country. This forces Nahr and her family to flee to Jordan as the treatment of Palestinians in Kuwait worsens, despite the Palestinians embracing Kuwait as their own. 

After a while in Jordan Nahr goes to Palestine to divorce her husband. While in Palestine she stays with her ex-husband’s mother and brother. The brother Bilal, is a revolutionary in Palestine. He is the one who involves Nahr in the revolutionary movement in Palestine against the Israeli army. This is the reason Nahr endes up in The Cube. 

I want to end my summary of the book here to go on to talk about the truth that lies behind this book, as best as I can. This book is a glimpse of the terror the Israeli government causes in Palestine. From the month on end curfews to attacks on the people of Palestine, even it’s children- in attempts to assimilate the Palestinian culture and identity.

Living in the comfort of London, it’s authors like Abdulhawa who remind me of the reality people are living. The reality of foreigners coming into your country and your house, forcing you to relocate and live under constant surveillance and fear.  For us, it’s simple to go out to the shops, we don’t think about rationing food or if a solider will stop and interrogate us. 

Books like Against The Loveless World are a reminder to readers that we can raise awareness and support people who have suffered injustices. We can create a movement that starts with the author and continues with us. Readers spread the word to friends and family, talk about it online and more and more people hear about the matter. There is so much power in literature, Susan Abdulhawa is proof of this, readers like you and I are proof of this.

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

I think the most gripping thing about Ghosts is how relatable it is. I felt like I was listening to a podcast rather than a book. One episode was about dating apps, the other about mother and daughter relationships and the irritation that comes with it.

The book is real in the most non-dramatic way. Nina isn’t a well-known lawyer whose marriage is falling apart, or she’s not in a scandal which will ruin her life. She’s an ex English teacher and a writer who goes through her day to day life, experiencing day to day things. 

Nina starts dating a guy called Max. The “relationship” doesn’t last very long as Max is a commitment-phobe and not very honest about the extent of it. After their break-up, Nina gets stuck on Max for a while, re-reading text messages or playing games of “if I do this he will text back”. 

We’ve all been there. We spend countless hours/days re-living the little encounters and waiting for that person to text you. It’s the hopeful picking up of the phone after a few minutes of not being on it, or rushing out of the shower to check if you have a text message but your phone turns out to be completely empty. 

What really got me out of all the waiting Nina did was the cheek of Max. I recently saw a comment on Instagram which said: “All men have is the audacity”, this is what I thought of when Max went back to Nina. His excuse for ghosting her being the lousy “it got all too intense” when all along it was him who pushed things forward! 

It’s the individuals in our life who make things way more complicated than they need to be. It’s even worse when we are that individual, we overthink and get into muddled up situations. 

Another part of the book I could relate to (how much I related to this actually shocked me) was when Nina and Lola went to Lucy’s hen do. Hen do’s are such a weird environment, everyone invited is good friends with the bride, however, the other guests don’t know much about each other. 

Listening to Ghosts on Audible made me realise that finding a character annoying when you’re reading is very different to when you listen to a book. 

Franny, you are an unbearable woman, the kind that takes “kill them with kindness” to a whole new level. Listening to Nina’s encounters with Franny forced me to think about how uncomfortable these people are, and I’m confident that we’ve all met at least one Franny in life. 

Ghosts is a great listen/read if you’re looking for something light but incredibly relatable. Think of it as a podcast about an ordinary girl’s life. 

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Books and coffee

Right from the beginning of the book we see that Avery has a “can do” attitude. She’s smart about the way she responds to problems because “she has to be” so when Mr Yates (her headteacher) accuses her of cheating she doesn’t get angry, instead, she agrees to sit the test again. 

When she has to live out of her car because her sister Libby decides to forgive her boyfriend she doesn’t sit and cry, she tells Maxine “you know me Maxine, I always land on my feet”. This really sets the tone for her character and makes us trust her even before we get into the nitty-gritty. 

Even though Avery’s life and the Hawthorne’s life is completely different there is a strange similarity between them. Both Tobias Hawthorne and Avery’s mum played games and riddles with them growing up.

In a different context, the two is unrelated as there may be many families who play riddles and games with each other. What makes the two interesting in the Inheritance Game is that the Hawthorne grandsons think this is the last riddle their grandad has played on them, and the only way to find out is to solve it. 

Tobias is one of the bigger game players I’ve come across in the world of fiction. We find out that Tobias gave himself the middle name “Tattersall” tatters all 20 years ago in August. Why would someone randomly give themself a name that suggests he will diminish all? The confusion doesn’t stop there. 

The name change happened after Tobias lost his son to a fire, however, even around this, there is controversy as some family members believe he disappeared and didn’t die in the fire. Like every other reader who walks this earth, I have a theory.. 

It’s important that I tell you I write my blogs as I’m reading the book. To be honest I don’t trust myself to remember the details so as I react to something I’ll note it down (so as I’m writing this I have no idea what will happen). My theory is that the homeless guy Avery speaks about in the beginning (Harry) is, or has something to do with Toby, the son who died. I mean how else can she and the Hawthorne family be connected? The narrative so far is that Tobias might have known Avery’s mother however I feel like the author has made that an obvious point, which makes me want to dig deeper!

The Inheritance Game is one of those books that pulls you in. The games that Tobias has set up for his grandchildren and Avery to solve brings the characters together. Even though this is a short book, the reader gets a good idea of the characteristics of each grandson and their connection with Avery. 

Talking of the characteristics of the grandsons, I didn’t know which one I fancied more! I liked Nash’s “I’m not fussed about the money” attitude and Xander’s boyish but smart ways. I struggled the most between Grayson and Jameson though, Grayson has a very “Mr Grey, 50 shades type” while Jameson is mysterious but more grounded. 

I’m not the only one who struggled with the two brothers as Avery also had a difficult time. Though she spends more time with Jameson and even shares a kiss there seems to be an unexplainable pull between Grayson and her. 

The attraction felt by the two brothers for Avery is often compared to Emily. If I’m being honest, I didn’t enjoy the whole “Emily would have wanted it to be this way” narrative. I feel like there is more to come from it in the sequel but in this book it just caused uneasiness. 

MAJOR SPOILER

At the very end of the book to Avery’s and my surprise Harry turns out to be Toby!!!!! I don’t know what I’m more surprised at, the fact that my prediction was right or that the dead brother who changed Tobias forever is still alive. 

The book ends with so many unanswered questions! I’m curious as to who Avery will end up with? Why did Toby leave his family and his fortune to be a homeless guy? I feel like there may be an element of mental health in this. We also don’t know why Avery was the chosen one, why did her mum tell her that she has a secret about the day she was born?

All these unanswered questions and as always I’m looking forward to finding them out (can we have the second book now, please?) 

How Saramago supports feminism in his book Blindness.

What better timing than to read a book about a society going through an epidemic when we’re going through a pandemic? Saramago’s Blindness is about a society which is hit with “white blindness”. One by one the infection of turning blind travels through the city until the city loses all function.  

The readers follow the story through the eyes of the doctor’s wife. Her husband “the doctor” is one of the first people to be infected by the disease as he is an Ophthalmologists who examines the first bind man.

It is at the very beginning of the book that the doctor’s wife makes her mark. When her husband is preparing to be taken away to the mental asylum hospital that the government decided the infected should quarantine in, she says that she has also turned blind and is taken to the hospital. 

Among the first people who turn blind there is the girl with the dark glasses and the car thief. There is an altercation that goes on between the two which leads to the death of the car thief. 

To get from one point to another the blind must get into a line and hold on to the person in front, a literal blind leading the blind. While the group is walking to the toilet the car thief is behind the girl with the dark glasses and he gropes her. As a reaction, she kicks him and he gets wounded. 

We actually see society starting to collapse at this point when the car thief is unable to get help for his small wound. The officials refuse to give him medicine because they don’t want to get close to the infected, and they believe that it’s not a loss to society if the blind died.  

I found it interesting that Saramago touched on the dynamic between men and women and how even in a state of illness men think and act as they want. 

At this stage of the book, the reader is unaware (at least I was) of Saramago’s feminism because throughout the book, men who harm women get punished with death. In the car thief’s case, he gets shot by a soldier because he decides to go out and ask for medication (highlighting the tragedy of how bad things were even at the start).

The scene which really hits home and plays on the reader’s conscience is when a new group of people are transferred into the hospital and within them are a group of hoodlums. 

The first thing the hoodlums change is the control of food. They request that the blind trade in their valuables for food rations. This is the first time since the car thief (who stole the first blind man’s car) we witness that even when valuables don’t mean anything, and even when people have reached new levels of helplessness, there are still disgusting people who take advantage. 

Once they give the hoodlums all of their valuables the hoodlums ask for more. In a hospital where no one is working what could the next most valuable thing be? According to this book and most of society, the female body. 

The hoodlums request that each day women living in the same ward will go to there’s and be forced to have sex. This made me really think about a women’s role, or the role we’re forced to serve in society. To be regarded in a way in which we are perceived as vulnerable as to be expected to agree to rape for the survival of society. For our bodies to be up for discussion amongst a group of men, who say and act as they wish with no regards to what we think. 

After the hoodlums request the group which we follow through the doctor’s wife’s eyes come to a disagreement. Some of the men argue that they should go as their life depends on it. A woman in return ask if they would go if it was the other way round, he says “there are no pansies here” to which she replied, “no whores either”. 

Situations like this happen in society so often. The female body, our right to our body and the decisions we make are constantly questioned. Have too much sex you’re a whore. You don’t have sex and you’re virgin Mary. Want to have an abortion? How dare you. Male politicians will base their whole campaign on how society should have control over the female body and mugs out there will vote for them. 

The punishment of the hoodlums. 

The second time the group with the doctor’s wife go to the hoodlum’s ward the doctor’s wife takes scissors with her. When the leader of the hoodlums is about to organism from the blowjob he is receiving she stabs and kills him. When the hoodlums become aware that they have been attacked the women run out of the ward, the doctor’s wife helps the women who was giving the blowjob out with her. 

The second punishment. 

After this incident, the hoodlums have a new leader however they are scared. They don’t leave their ward and for safety, they stack beds in the door so no one can get it. The women who was giving a blowjob to the hoodlums before he was murdered has a lighter. On her own she finds the ward the hoodlums are staying at and without bringing herself any attention she manages to light the beds until they catch fire. 

The thought of this is terrifying without the disadvantage of being blind. Which is why I think Saramago is a true feminist because in the end, he gives more power to women against the men who have wronged them. He shows the readers that even in the worse scenarios there will be people who take advantage of us, the scariest part of it all is how believable it is.

 

I read four more books!

My life lately has revolved around four things: working, reading, eating and sleeping. Three of those things I’m a fan of and the other not so much. 

The books I review in this blog are a little different from my previous posts. I have a book here which I started in 2016 and a book that I couldn’t finish. I’m not someone who gives up on a book easily so trust me when I say it was a struggle, a horrible one. 

The Little Snake by A.L Kennedy 

This is a cute short story. I’m not really a fan of short stories. It pains me that I can’t change this habit because it is exactly why I don’t enjoy Bukowski. Who even am I if I don’t enjoy Bukowski. 

The story follows a snake’s friendship with a human. It is the snakes first friendship and he learns different emotions from this person. In parts of the book I felt like the author was inspired by the story of Adam and Eve however with an added a twist. A twist which I enjoyed as the female character isn’t a “sinner”. 

I am The Messenger by Markus Zusak 

I enjoyed Zusak’s The Book Theif so much that I had to go back for more. I do have to say that The Book Theif and I am The Messenger are not equals. The Book Thief is an amazing story which left me in tears. I picked this up because I wanted the same impact. I wanted Zusak to play on my heartstrings but this was not the case. 

It was an enjoyable read. I didn’t get bored of the book in fact I finished it within a few days. It’s really easy to read and flows well. My only problem was that I wanted an emotional read. 

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I started this book in 2016. I remember buying it from the bookstall at the Thursday market- Essex University. The reason it took me 4 years is that I forgot about it. For a long time, it was my favourite book but that was because I didn’t read much back then. I thought that if a book was a classic then it must be good and should be my favourite. 

Thankfully I’ve gotten over thinking like that. 

In the world of the book readers, Crime and Punishment is a must-read. It’s not boring like some classics (Pride and Prejudice) but it isn’t the most fun either. I feel like Dostoyevsky could’ve easily cut some detail out. 

I’m glad I’ve read it because I do want to read more classics and see if I agree with the rest of the readers in making it a classic. If you also think like this then you should give it a shot. 

The Remains of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 

This book has 4.12 stars on Goodreads.

Goodreads is like my bible. If a book is popular amongst Goodreads users I usually trust their judgement and give the book a try. I regret doing this with The Remains of The Day. 

This was so boring that I dragged myself to read at least half of the book. I wouldn’t normally leave a book and the books which I have currently gone halfway are still on my desk *to be continued*. I couldn’t do that with this one. I know I’ll never go back to it. 

The book follows the journey of a boring butler. That’s all I can tell you to be honest. Boring encounters of a disciplined man. 

……

That’s a mini-review of the books I’ve read since my last blog. I’ve decided to not buy any new books because I want to get through my old ones. Is anyone else doing this or am I the only one?

Self-isolation reading list- part 1

As March 2020 finally comes to an end we’re faced with a very long April. Many of us are now working from home, not leaving the house unless we have to and generally sticking to the government guidelines for the general good of public health. 

As we’re staying home we have a lot more time on our hands (ps wash your hands). During this time I’ve turned to books. I’m usually someone who reads a lot however I don’t remember the last time I read 4 books within a few weeks. 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

After reading Dracula by Bram Stoker (see review here https://bit.ly/3aHJXQz ) I knew I had to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This book really took me by surprise. For all these years I had a narrative set in my head of the storyline. The narrative in my head was so far from the book which made it more enjoyable. 

Shelley takes the readers on a European journey and paints beautiful pictures of green valleys and ice-cold lakes. In this book, there is science, love, tragedy and compassion. As readers, we ask who the real monster is: the creator or the monster. 

The year of the death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago

I want to start with how happy I am by adding Jose Saramago to my reading list. Saramago is an author who will add substance and culture to any bookshelf. I picked this book up because it was suggested on Instagram after I confessed my love to Fernando Pessoa, the Portuguese poet. 

This book is all about dialogue, however, don’t let that put you off as it isn’t written as a script. Apparently Saramago doesn’t like to use speech marks. 

The flow of the book is amazing, there’s culture, history, literature and love. The storyline is a little out of the norm. There is nothing in the book that gets you particularly hooked or excited about. The reason I enjoyed this book was simply due to its rich cultural texts. Saramago’s take on class difference, discusses literature with Pessoa and has no real aim even though he is a doctor (an educated man as he likes to say). 

I would suggest this book if you miss having intellectual conversations with your friends and family. 

Necropolis by Santiago Gamboa

The passion I have for Gamboa’s work is really like no other. I enjoy his writing, way of thinking, character development and the suspense he builds. 

Necropolis is the second book I’ve read from Gamboa.  Some time ago I reviewed his Night Prayers shorturl.at/suT25 (I would say that I enjoyed Night Prayers more as there was more suspense). 

Necropolis is a book you’ll enjoy if you like having conversations about literature. The whole book is based on a literary convention where great minds come together and share their stories. Take Saramago’s The year of the death of Richardo Reis, add suspense, more action, suicide and a cult and here you have Nicopolis. 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Anything that is based on a real-life story is bound to play on your heartstrings. Over the past few months, The Tattooist of Auschwitz has fast become a must-read. 

I enjoy reading about people’s accounts of the war. I feel that it’s a different perspective than what the media and some history books tell us. Most of us are lucky now as we can spread awareness or share our story on social media. We as ordinary people have more power now than we ever have had. Unfortunately, during the Nazi Concentrations camps, this wasn’t the case so we have books such as this one to help understand individual struggle and survival. 

This is a beautiful book about love, struggle and survival. 

That is my current list of books read during self-isolation. I’m curious to find out how many more I will add before things go back to normal. I hope you enjoyed it and stay safe!

My book hit list, December edition.

I have to be honest and say that since I finished reading Night Prayers by Santiago Gamboa I’ve really struggled pick my next read. The novel was so good that I became hooked and want to read related themes and stories.  

After countless amounts of searching on Goodreads, asking my followers on Instagram and watching reviews on YouTube I’ve come up with a mini reading list. 

Albert Camus- The Fall. I first heard about this book in a review by Better than food book reviews (my go-to book reviewer). What attracted me to this novel was the impact it had on readers in just 100 pages. 

I’m currently working my way through a 2000 page book so the idea of potentially finishing a book in one weekend gives me great satisfaction. As a book worm from time to time, I need short books to somewhat distract me. I don’t like being limited to one book and one can often feel this when tackling a 2000 page Bulano novel! 

The Fall is about a barrister who is pretty much full of himself. The book is a long dialogue between him and a man he meets in a bar. They seem to form a good friendship as the things he tells this man goes from superficial to very honest, too honest as his deep feelings and thoughts start to come out. 

Leonardo Padura- The Man Who Loved Dogs. Over the course of this year, I’ve really narrowed down my favourite genre, The man who loved dogs is another historical fiction that has made its way through Goodreads onto my reading list.

This novel is a 500 something page magnificent novel which paves out the way of Trotsky assassination. The book brings 3 men from different parts of the world together. As the title may suggest their love for dogs somewhat bring them together. 

I’m really excited about this book because I’ve always had an interest in Russian history however never done much reading on Trotsky. Now, this is a novel so I won’t treat this as a history book however it’ll be nice to gain some insight into Padura’s interpretation of Trotsky’s world. 

Orhan Pamuk- A Strangeness in my Mind. My family comes from Turkey so reading books based in Turkey gives me a completely different sense of joy. For some reason, maybe the love I feel from far to this city has started to pull me towards novels based there. 

The city in question is Istanbul, I’ve visited Istanbul twice but I love the rich culture and the streets which never sleep. If you think London never sleeps then you need to pay Istanbul a visit.

I know that the novel is based around a man’s life and the title suggests to me that he may be suffering from a mental health illness. The combination of mental health and Turkey written by Pamuk sets very high expectations for me. I know that this novel will be eye-opening both in terms of literature and how mental health is perceived and dealt with in Turkey. 

I would say that out of the 3 I’m most excited about this book. I’ve previously only read one of Pamuk’s novels, however, couldn’t finish it as some parts were very detailed a repetitive- hopefully, this will not be as much. 

If you would like to see my other book hit lists check out  https://ohmagodezz.wordpress.com/2019/09/24/my-book-hit-list/

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This book is a kind reminder of how inhumane Nazi Germany was and how despite the ugly there were people who fought for what they believed right.

Liesel, Rudy, Max and Papa. 

What makes these characters so memorable is how they meet and are forced to part ways. As you can imagine a book based in Nazi Germany will not have the best circumstances when bringing people from different backgrounds together, especially if one is Jewish. 

At the beginning of the book, I didn’t think Liesel would have the loving life she found with the Hubermann’s. A dead brother, communist father and poor mother is why Liesel is adopted by the Hubermann’s. 

The storyline doesn’t dwell too much on her life before the Hubermann’s, though it would’ve been interesting to find out what happened to her father and what her mother did after she left Liesel. Did she make it alive, was she also a communist and if so did she end up in a concentration camp because of it? 

Liesel struggles to adjust to her new life however once she does her story quickly turns into a loving one. She has a very loving bond with her papa and friend Rudy. I would say that Hans Hubermann, her papa is the character that stood out to me that most. 

Hans is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. He is a good, loyal man who throughout the whole book does not betray Jewish people or mistreat them in fear of standing out. He is the man who paints over Jewish hatred messages written across the streets, gives bread to a Jewish prisoner in front of his neighbours and German soldiers, and hides a Jew in his basement. 

Every time Hans was mentioned in The Book Theif it gave me a warm but also worrying feeling. I’m inspired by what he does however scared of the consequences of him getting caught. 

I would say that the book leads you on to think that Hans’ death will be caused by his “anti-German” stance. Although things happen to him because of this it is not the reason for his death, I almost feel like it would have been more of a heartbreaking story if it was. 

Rudy. I’m sure anyone who has read The Book Theif wishes Leisel kissed Rudy while he was still alive. I hate the feeling of doing things when it’s too late. Hopelessly wishing that something can change but all the while knowing that they won’t. 

I had the same feeling with Rudy, his character was built up to either die at Hitler Youth or war. Rudy is a naughty but ever so caring character. Premature death in books and life for that matter makes one wonder how things would’ve ended otherwise. 

Would Liesel and Rudy have got married if he wasn’t killed or would Leisel have always ended up with Max?

Max, I guess the biggest plot twist of it all is Max surviving. The one character that the reader would have expected to die, doesn’t. The Jewish man who spends months in Leisel’s basement, who is then caught and paraded across the streets and who fears his life the most, lives. 

I enjoyed The Book Thief, it was my commute book so at times I felt overly emotional for someone sitting on a train. Due to the nature of Nazi Germany, I always assumed that books based there are tears from the start, heartwrenching stories of innocent people and honouring lost lives. Though The Book Thief is all of these things it’s also a story about love, companionship and a story showing readers what people can do for the things they believe in. Even when what they believe could get them killed.