MICROFICTION :
books
BOOK OF THE MONTH
I AM PILGRIM
Terry Hayes ( Bantam Press ) From the scriptwriter of one of my favourite films ( Mad Max 2 ), comes what looks like the thriller of the year . A treacherous trip through the world of intentional espionage , concerning a plot to destroy the USA by a deadly virus , that only one man ( Pilgrim ) can prevent . This is a huge novel , over 700 pages long , but not a word is wasted , with a beautifully worked out , multi-layered plot stretching back to WW2 , forward to 9 / 11 and beyond . It all starts with a murder in a seedy New York hotel , then spins to Paris , Turkey , Afghanistan and all points east as the intelligence units of the Western world search for the terrorist only known as The Saracen who always seem to stay just one step ahead of them . The spy who ’ s sent back into the cold sums it all up . Sensational ! MARK TIMLIN
THE DEDALUS BOOK OF VODKA Geoffrey Elborn ( Dedalus ) Dedalus tend to favour books which put decadence or licentiousness in a literary , historical context . Elborn ’ s agreeable overview of vodka ’ s 600-year evolution , its eventual global spread , and the cultural and sociological weight behind this – may therefore be their perfect book . Predominantly associated with Russia , this allows for some choice extracts from Chekhov and Dostoyevsky novels ; Elborn thinks enough of his audience to give these much more attention than James Bond . NG
THE BUNKER DIARY Kevin Brooks ( Penguin ) Six rooms , six very different people , all duped by one man and stuffed into a truck only to wind up , well , that ’ s what they ’ re figuring out . Brooks has captured the intensity of fragmenting minds forced into close quarters , making you more than a little unsettled . But will the unfortunate six discover how to beat the twisted puppeteer that torments and watches them through cameras ? You ’ ll ache for the end , just as their guts ache for nourishment . KB
RUSSIAN STORIES Francesc Serés ( MacLehose ) Twenty-one of them , precisely : short stories by what the book jacket calls “ five neglected or forgotten Russian writers ” but whom are all pseudonyms for Catalan writer Serés . First published in 2010 , this is the English translation of a Catalonian attempt to imitate Russian literature ’ s peculiar worldview and turns of phrase . Tangled ? I should say so . A sparkling read , though , the highlight being The Russian Encyclopaedia by ‘ Vitali Kroptkin ’, and especially its punchline . NG |
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MR LYNCH ’ S HOLIDAY Catherine O ’ Flynn ( Penguin ) Mr Lynch ’ s Holiday is a charming and comic novel by prize-winning author Catherine O ’ Flynn . Set in the Spanish ghost town of Lomaverde , once a utopia for those seeking their place in the sun , widower Dermot arrives to visit his son Eamonn , amid fractured relationships where living abroad can feel like a life sentence . Moving scenes , vivid descriptions and plenty of colourful characters , this heart-warming tale is expertly crafted to make you laugh and cry in equal measure . RH |
ALCHEMY OF WATER Various ( Gomer ) This collaborative collection of beautiful photos and poems focuses on Wales and its endless connection to water in all its many forms . The stunning photography throughout the book comes from Carl Ryan and Mari Owen who have captured some of the most beautiful areas of Wales as it comes into contact with water . The images are matched by some short , haiku-style poems from Grahame Davies and Tony Curtis which adds narrative depth to create an altogether pleasant and enjoyable coffee table read . GL |
SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS Mark H Williams ( Atomic Fez ) Those pining for Merlin will find some fun in this flawed Arthurian romp . Things start off well with King Arthur and his butler on a present-day road trip to reunite the beerbellied Knights of the Round Table . Sadly , the story reaches its natural crescendo within 100 pages ( and then drags things out for 300 more ). Williams has an easy prose style and the book ’ s a charm to read , but the poor structure undermines the fun . Give us fewer dragons and more blokes bickering . MM |
MICROFICTION :
A GIRL ’ S ARM by Gee Williams
BUZZ 42
THE air was freezing but also rank . Though it had never happened to me so far , you can always get in a funk over what you ’ re going to find . I flicked the light switch and breathed again – the room was vacant . A sofa against the far wall was draped with items of men ’ s clothing and some magazines . A couple of armchairs were aimed at an empty grate so choked with ash it spilled out onto the bare wooden boards and stirred in the draught from the door . But the coffee table was the worst thing . The top was invisible under mugs and glasses and polystyrene trays – it was out of one of these a gobbet of mould sprouted like a dead squirrel ’ s tail . “ Fucking great !” I said aloud . Just to be on the safe side I called my name out again but the only sound anywhere was from the farm cockerel up the hill . Leaving the door open behind me I edged past the rot holding my breath and went through into a tiny kitchen . Not as bad as it could have been . A ketchup bottle was welded to the draining board by its own run-off , the sink was full of more mugs , brown inside but dry . The weirdest thing was what must have been well
over a hundred empty cans of cider , laid on their sides and stacked to form a perfect pyramid on the Formica top . Their poked out eyes faced forward . A hint of apples lingered in their corner . Of course I knew what I was doing . There were still two closed doors , a bathroom off the kitchen and the bedroom next to it . An old hand at Watkins and Nunn had felt he ought to set me right when I ’ d moved into lettings . ‘ Now your bathrooms are your prime locations for doing-away-withs , bedrooms for natural causes .’
This extract is taken from Gee Williams ’ latest book , A Girl ’ s Arm , which has been shortlisted for this year ’ s Wales Book Of The Year award . A short story collection focused on the pressure points in the lives of its characters , the book is published by Salt Publishing and is available in all good bookshops or via their website . Info : www . saltpublishing . com