The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier

The November meeting found the group crowded round a laptop, closely examining the paintings of Vermeer. That is probably a very common reaction for readers of this book - we felt we'd been given an intense lesson in art, and all wanted to know more. 'How do you write a book about a painting?' we may have asked ourselves. Well, this is how - we were all drawn in and totally captivated by this wonderful story. The writing was deceptively simple, but there was an awful lot in it - a bit like Vermeer's paintings. We loved the maturity of Griet, and her internal battle between her Protestant uprightness and growing infatuation with Vermeer. Her lack of choices - forced by family poverty to either enter service or marry - was commented on. Kenneth pointed out it was social class more than gender that caused restrictions.

The place and time were beautifully evoked - Marghie said she felt she'd gone back and spent time there. The everyday domestic detail like doing laundry were great, and it was the close domestic setting which particularly allowed the tensions and jealousy to burn, as the women of the household were eaten up with resentment and jealously of Griet. Andy commented with some understatement "this was the sort of familiy that didn't get everything out in the open". Vermeer's wife Catharina was an interesting character - impossible to like, yet you could understand her insecurities. The feisty mother-in-law Maria, the lynchpin of the house, had real depth of character; the child Cornelia was a hateful brat; Griet's patiently cheerful suitor, Pieter the butcher, was a godsend, as events conspired to destroy her.

We debated long over Vermeer himself, whether he was callous and abusive of Griet, or just so self-absorbed and driven by his art that he couldn't appreciate the emotional battlefield he was creating. We agreed the depth of the relationship between them was mainly in Griet's head. They found a connection in their appreciation of perfect form, and although yes, she was taken advantage of by Vermeer, she did gain from him the chance to fulfil her artistic sense.

We liked the ending of the story - several of us confessed to anxiety that it wouldn't get tied up in as satisfying way. A lesser author might have left us hanging, but Tracey Chevalier gave us a fulfilling read right till the end.

Sorry the book group hasn't been blogging much lately - we have still been reading and meeting once a month, we've just let our reporting standards slip. Will try harder in 2013!

Dark Matter

Michelle Paver's icy horror story was given a thumbs up by the group and many thought it truly terrifying. It was well-researched and did a good job of evoking that period of gung-ho British expeditionary zeal found at the start of the last century (bone china tea service included).

Of course, the total darkness of winter was a key element to the story and we pondered how we would fare in a similar situation. Shetland is bad enough on a wild and dark winter's day, where you might only get six hours of light. Most felt they couldn't have forced themselves to walk round the outside of the expedition cabin in total darkness - turning those blind corners as Jack did would have been too much!

The group talked about the siting of the cabin and we all agreed that placing it next to the old 'shed' was asking for trouble. But of course that allowed the creepy pole, outside the front door, to become a really nasty, brooding element throughout the story.

Jack's desire to tough it out was discussed at length: Was it his desire to prove himself to his upper class companions or was it more a desire to be seen in a good light by Gus?

The group thought that Paver must be a dog owner as Jack's relationship with Isaac, the last husky to survive, was well drawn. He certainly stopped Jack going mad with fear.

Personally, I would have liked a more gruesome, scarier ending and felt the novel needed to be longer and more detailed at key points. Maybe the novel reflected the author's Y.A. background...

Ella Minnow Pea and The Woman in Black

The group took a trip out for their June meeting, to the stately surroundings of Busta House. Over a meal followed by coffee in the Library, discussion flowed as we'd read two books this month.

The first was Andy's choice, Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. He explained that it first attracted him as he's keen on cryptic crosswords and word games. The story: a strange island society worships Nollop, the man who created the pangram 'The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog'. Their shrine to him includes the phrase picked out in tiles, but after a hundred or so years the letters start to drop off, one by one. The island Council sees this as a divine sign and bans use of the letters that fall off. First of all it's not a big deal, but as more letters go, the affect on the language and the draconian powers used to enforce the rules lead to a gradual breakdown of society. 

The book is told as a series of letters, which are lipograms, avoiding use of more and more letters as the story proceeds. It's fascinating to see how the characters cope with the new limits on their expression. It gets to a point where the Council has to allow very inventive phonetic spellings, and they are great fun - Andy as a teacher particularly enjoyed them. By the time that the only letters still allowed are LMNOP, though, things are getting really desperate.

Although the book is clever, quirky and funny, group members agreed that it was surprisingly dark, and a strong depiction of totalitarianism. Janet said she felt angry at language being taken away: if you love language you will find it very oppressive. Marghie pointed out that it was published not long after 9/11, to a background of concerns about freedom of speech in the USA. Interestingly, Diana observed, as the language gets harder the story gets more gripping. A good read, highly recommended by the group.

For our second book we returned to a story the group first read in 2006 - the ultimate ghost story, Susan Hill's The Woman in Black. The reason for this choice: Busta House is famously haunted, plus we'd recently seen the new film of the book and wanted to go back to the far superior book.

There were many new members of the group so most people hadn't read it before and loved the 'gothic trappings laid on with a trowel'. The description was highly atmospheric - Hill really is a splendid writer - and, as our newest member observed, every chapter is perfectly-turned and draws you in. Me, I was both satisfied and desperately frustrated that, as in every good horror story, a character chooses to spend the night in an obviously unwise place, letting us scream 'No, you fool!' at the screen/page.

Andy chose to criticize it because on the journey to the dreaded Eel Marsh 'they would never have changed at Crewe to go to the East coast' - but the generally-female membership of our group were not impressed by such train-spotterly remarks. We still don't recommend the film, but we do the stage play, and certainly the book.

And then forever

June's choice for the group to read last month was And Then Forever by Christine De Luca. The novel contains two love stories, one current and one historical. The latter tale centres on Gilbert Jamieson,who emigrates to Winnipeg and embarks on a romance which is doomed due to religious differences. The current story involves the discovery of an old photograph and a journey to learn more about its origins. Those of the group who had finished the book enjoyed it and liked the format. The historical story proved more intriguing than the modern one,which some of the group felt lacked drama. There were themes which could have been developed, whereas the historical tale had several beautiful passages of description. The issues of emigration were the same for both generations - having to start afresh and embrace an alien culture, plus the concerns over those left behind. There were parts of the book which appealed to individual readers -Kathleen liked the story of the brooch and Karen like the way the story began in Australia and moved to Canada.
All in all, the group agreed this was a book to recommend, especially as it is by a "weel kent" author who is aware of how many of her readers will find a personal connection with the theme of emigration.

Catch-22

Catch-22 is a satirical WWII novel about USAF Bombardier Yossarian and his desperate attempts to get grounded. The book's title is the name of a rule that stops Doc Daneeka signing Yossarian off as unfit for duty: if you think you're mad then you can't be mad (you're only really mad if you think you're sane and everyone else thinks you're mad).

It was a big read with parallel plot lines, chronology issues and fantasy sections that weren't everyone's cup of tea. In fact the majority of the group failed to finish either because of the time needed to crack the book or difficulties with the problems outlined above. It was definitely a Marmite experience; you loved it or hated it.

Our discussion centred on whether Yossarian was a mad man in a rational and logical war machine or the only sane man in a mad warmongering world. Heller certainly leaves it open to your own interpretation with Yossarian's disorganised rambling story.

Maybe the clincher is Yossarian's assertion that if someone's going to get killed why does it have to be him? A logical response maybe...

Click to read Shortlist magazine's review of 50 years of Catch-22

Click to listen to BBC Radio 4 Bookclub discuss Catch-22 with Joseph Heller (from 1999)

Peace is about war. It is about the moral choices which are made in horrible split seconds and about the men who are called on to make those decisions. In very spare but evocative prose Richard Bausch tells the story of four men who are on a scouting mission after an incident involving a German soldier shot at close range after he was discovered hiding with a prostitute in cart. The German shoots dead two American GIs before being shot dead himself. The sergeant summarily shoots the prostitute in the head.

Three of the men are young American GIs and one is an old Italian man who has been pressed into leading them into unknown territory. The young men from disparate backgrounds are thrust together and squabble, jeer and needle each other as they climb a seemingly endless hill in a deadly cold, winter. Can they trust their guide? Can they trust each other or even themselves to do what is right…or if not right at least what is necessary to survive their mission?

The setting is bleak and is so well rendered that you can feel the bone chilling cold as it saps the strength of the men. The weather and the prose are stark but the moral decisions the men must make are not. Where the right path lies is left an open question but the ending I found surprisingly hopeful, reaffirming a young man ability to do what is necessary to keep hold of his humanity in the face of the insanity of war.

The book group all agreed the book was an excellent depiction of men at war. The prose was described as “Hemingwayesque”. There was not much back story given about the characters but just enough to get a sense of their disparate background. The men “treat each other like many other men do” in the words of one member. They are rough and insulting but in the end committed to each other. Another member saw in the books the distillation of many war movies from the 1940’s and 50s.
The book made this reader and others in the group, interested in reading other books by Richard Bausch. Who is a well respected writer in the USA but not well known in the UK. .

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

On my first visit to Lerwick Book Group I got myself in a fankle: I thought we were reading 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall', by Anne Brontë, in portions, but arrived to find that everyone else had finished the book. It's a testament to the novel and the discussion that despite the big spoiler, I was still really keen to read it, and spent the following weekend glued to it.

June introduced her choice, describing the two narratives that structure the novel. These are a letter from Gilbert to his brother-in-law Jack Halford in which he introduces the 'Tenant', Helen Graham, and his burgeoning 'regard' for her, which encapsulates the journal extract that forms the heart of the book, in which the Helen Graham describes her abuse at the hands of her dissolute husband. June also summarised the central themes – the independence of women, alcoholism and psychological abuse.

We agreed that Helen was a strong protagonist making the best of her unenviable lot, and noted that, like the heroine of 'Jane Eyre', written by Anne Brontë's sister, Charlotte, she addressed her plight with impressive pragmatism, in contrast to the young men in the novel, who largely seemed unable to entertain themselves if not drinking heavily or hunting.

Many of us were shocked – as was the audience of the time – that the darker side of the social life of the time was described so graphically, in particular disturbing scenes in which Helen's young son is taught to take hard drink with the men, and one in which the alcoholic Lord Lowborough, struggling to reform, is likewise forced to drink by dint of peer pressure and outright violence. Of the male characters, even the more sympathetic individuals, including the 'hero' Gilbert, were shown in an ambivalent light.

Whilst we all found the narrative structure slightly contrived, most of us got swept up in the book, and felt that it was a remarkable achievement for a writer of 28. It's heartbreaking to discover that Brontë succumbed to T.B. the year after it was published. Janet said that, compared to 'The Sea, The Sea', she felt refreshed after reading it. Most of us felt that we'd like to read more work by the Brontë sisters after 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall': their novels, daring for their time, and often suppressed because of it, continue to have relevance to our modern lives.

The Sea, The Sea

Chosen by Karen, October's book of the month was Iris Murdoch's monumental story of love, jealousy and mystic powers "The Sea, The Sea".

The main character, Charles, decides to retire to the English coast and write his memoirs. Little does he know what a Pandora's box he's about to open... as the serpent foretells. There are many layers to the book; philosophical and classical references feature at various points (overwhelming the plot occasionally). Obviously a book of its time, Murdoch's theatre types make the dialogue seem dated - something that June thought was unlikely to improve with age.

Marghie liked Charles' humorous cooking insights: "We had ham cooked in brown sugar to a recipe of Gilbert's, with a salad of tinned tomatoes and herbs. (These excellent tomatoes are best eaten cold. They may be warmed but never boiled as this destroys the distinctive flavour.)"

Maybe Charles' insights on relationships were the cause of many of his troubles. In fact The Sea, The Sea could be viewed as the story of an insensitive and opinionated man coming to terms with the way he has treated his friends and lovers.

Murdoch's description of the sea was admired by Kathleen and June. Praised indeed from Shetland folk!

Overall, the group liked the book. Karen, who had read it before, found it harder work a second time: Janet and myself thought it too long. I skimmed many paragraphs of navel gazing and didn't seem to lose too much when it came to Tuesday's discussion. Jen, who was still reading and enjoying it felt she would definitely finish the book after the meeting.

A desert island choice, perhaps. But maybe you'd be too busy with your own demons?

Muriel Spark

Radio 4 Book Club interview with Muriel Spark, from 2004, talking about The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00fc431

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

Miss Jean Brodie is a short book, which - the group members agreed - seemed a lot longer. That's meant in a good sense - there just seemed to be so much in it, so much to discuss, and so much more to discover for the many of us who'd gone back and re-read it. This is in happy contrast to many a book we read, where often things could have been much improved by editting out at least 20% of a work.

This book was selected by Morag, who explained that it had made a big impact on her in her youth. One formidable teacher had actually used the phrase 'Creme de la Creme' to her and her A-stream classmates, and she suspected the teacher identified with the book. Morag said, interestingly, that she was more shocked now at the things Jean Brodie said to her pupils than she had been on reading it in the sixties. This perhaps illustrates a change in our culture - the Sixties was about experiment, rebellion and the pushing of moral boundaries. In the 2010s we are steeped in caution and procedure to the point of paranoia about what kind of behaviour is appropriate towards children.

What struck all the members was the interesting way Muriel Spark's narrative jumped back and forth in time. Another writer may have kept the revelation of which girl betrayed Jean Brodie as a climax, but we thought the curious structure was because she wanted to concentrate on the characters more than the plot.

My favourite bits of Jean Brodie are always her imperious, deliciously snooty, put-downs and remarks. I think there are a few similarities with Notes on a Scandal, one of my all-time favourite books. As the story progesses she becomes a less and less likeable character, manipulative and living life vicariously through her girls, but you still rather admire her, up until she starts to show her weaknesses and becomes rather an object of pity. Her treatment of Mary is cruel - its seems she picked her as one of the set merely as she thought it useful to have a 'whipping b0y' in the group.

We admired Jean Brodie's individualism, and her encouragement of her girls to dare to be different, but this was in marked contrast to her admiration of fascism. Frances pointed out that she admired merely the shallow glamour of fascism, and that in many ways she was all about style over substance.

There were many themes and characters to discuss: the excellent protrayal of Edinburgh, the love affairs, jealousies and subterfuge and the varied paths of all the girls. It did indeed seem like a much longer story. Finely honed writing at it's best, packing a fascinating and enduring story into 100 pages.

Islanders

The group's read for August was Islanders by Margaret Elphinstone who visited the Shetland's book festival Word Play this year. The book is set in the Shetland islands during the medieval period although no date is stated. The community depicted in the story is on what is now Fair Isle. A girl arrives on the island as the only survivor of a ship wreck. The story revolves around her integration into a tight knit group of islanders over the course of a year.

While some of us found the book slow we felt the sense of history was good. As islanders ourselves, although not so cut off as those in the book, we enjoyed identifying places that were depicted in the book. The journey to Papa Stour and then back to Fair Island crossing the main island of Shetland by foot was very evocative. (I still look at the mountians to the west of Cunningsburgh as I drive by and wonder if there are "wild tribes" living up there.)

Some of us felt that certain issues and narative threads were introduced and then never really really went anywhere. For instance one of our group spent time investigating homosexuality in Shetland at the time of the books. She felt that it would not have been stigmatized as was depicted in the book. Others felt the priest was interesting as a character and lent another "outsider" perspective to the community but was introduced and then dropped out of the narrative. The group felt the characters were "flat" and hard to get to know.

We also read John Boyne's first novel The Thief of Time and found if to be a relatively good read although some found the bouncing back and forth across time in the narrative an annoying device. Mathieu, the 256 year old narrator was criticized for being an aloof and not particularly sympathetic character. The book has been described as a "picaresque hopscotch through time" by it's reviewer in Publisher's Weekly - a phrase I believe the group would endorse. As one of our group also said "it's a daft idea but does make you think about how people learn (or do not learn) through living." The book was published in the lead up to the turn of the millennium so perhpas gained some narrative traction from being read during that time period.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Jen's choice for this month was Emma Donoghue's much acclaimed Room, which she had picked up in the local bookshop because it looked like an interesting read. The book is narrated by Jack, in his own words, with vivid descriptions of the room and it's contents. Jack lives by routine and rules despite his bizarre situation, and uses counting as a coping stategy.

June thought initially she wouldn't like the book but really enjoyed it. Janet loved the way Jack's mother maintained his innocence. Marghie pointed out that the book could have become bogged down in darker realms had it been narrated by the mother. Kathleen took a while to get into the story as there was little indication on the cover as to what the book was about. Denise observed that Jack only had one other person to share his experiences with. Morag found the escape plan alarming reading -so many things could have gone wrong. There was some discussion on how the book was based on several hostage situations rather than any particular one. Denise had come across a floor plan of Room when reading reviews. Janet and Karen loved the mother/child relationship -Jack gave his mother the will to survive. Jack's vocabulary shows a lack of outside influence and is very believable. Some discussion followed on life outside Room and the issues which interaction with other people raised. All in all, a good read and a book worth recommending to others.

Bel Canto

Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto was Janet’s choice of book for May and she felt it was a love it or hate it book. Janet chose this book because she liked the idea of opposing interests and cultures and seeing what happened when the characters were isolated together.

‘Bel Canto’ means ‘beautiful song’ and it is opera that draws all of the characters together. With opera, kidnap and romance being the main themes of the book, the general consensus is that the entire group enjoyed it, with June enjoying all of the Spanish bits. The book has definite parallels to Big Brother with funny behaviours and the forming of relationships that would not normally have done so.

The book is written in an omniscient third person narrative which most of the group liked. However Morag and I have both recently read a lot of books with just a couple of central characters and this could explain our initial difficulties in getting into the book.

With no graphic details of violence it became a rather girly account. Karen said it appeared to enter a dream-like state with inept terrorists and their demands over time were just for the sake of going through the motions. Morag could imagine the rescue scene in a film being accompanied by loud and striking opera music and sweeping camera shots.

Generally, we felt the book was very improbable in the sense that they all eventually turned to culture, be it chess or music, and feelings of altruism dissipated. Their passions came across rather than their differences. Janet felt the terrorists died at their peak; none of them would ever become a top chess player or world-class opera singer. What was interesting to note was that all of the characters actually blossomed, with the exception of the Red Cross man. In terms of the love story between Roxanne and Mr Hosokawa, Morag did not find this plausible whereas Karen did.
Most of the group did not like the epilogue. Personally, I felt it showed the two characters were trying to maintain a connection to their captivity and those that they had loved and lost.

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

April's book was The Secret Scripture,which was chosen by Marghie. She chose this book because the blurb intrigued her -a 100 year old woman looking back on a past which contained scandal and mystery. Also the Irish setting appealed,as Marghie had spent some time in Sligo. She enjoyed the book although she felt the ending had been "a bit too neat".

Karen enjoyed the language and the dual narrative but found the book depressing. The fire in the orphanage was a strange episode! Comparisons were made to the Magdelen Sisters, in particular the suspicion of the clergy regarding a pretty girl in a small community. June has a good knowledge of 20th century Irish history and for this reason tends to avoid Irish fiction, because, like Karen, she finds it quite depessing. Jen wondered how correct the old lady's version of events was, when often we had conflicting accounts from other characters.

The complexities of Irish politics and religion shaped much of the story, and parallels were drawn with other cultures and religions. Morag was intrigued by the doctor -the author sometimes seemed to forget that this character had lived most of his life in England and at times he came across as "too Irish". Was his strange behaviour due to some hereditary form of madness? There was some discussion of the fact that the book's characters appear in other novels by the author, and the assumption that the reader will be aware of events which are touched upon but not explained. All in all, though, it was felt that this was a good read, with some beautiful passages of prose and a storyline which kept everyone guessing to the end.

The Power of One

In Feburary the group enjoyed dicussing Andy's choice of book, The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. That's not the same as saying everyone enjoyed the book, but clashing opinions always enliven the discussion. Andy's the long-suffering 'token male' in the group and so we look forward to his 'man-book' choices as something outside our usual reading.

The Power of One is a big South Africa saga, the tale of one man's progression from a terrified and bullied bed-wetter in boarding school, to a young man of almost Messiah-like qualities. The early death of his only friend -a scraggy chicken called Granpa Chook - at the hands of the bullies seems to be a vengeful driving force. It could seem a bit odd for the death of a chicken to guide your life, but the life and death of Granpa Chook was genuinely powerful and touching, emphasising the loneliness of our hero, Peekay.

Peekay's life then proceeds, from a chance encounter with a boxer on a train, through a chain of events spurred on by his ambition to be Welterweight Champion of the World. He's a remarkable boy - excels at everything he does (well, at music he's merely 'good') - and people begin to be drawn to him. This high-achieving caused some dissension in the group - some found it unnatural and unbelievable, reckoned nobody is so good both physically and intellectually. Others though, found the story inspiring and epic - it was the story of a hero, a future leader perhaps, and of what you can do if you really try, body and soul. Apparently this is the favourite book of Ben Fogle, and of some of our top sportsmen, and you can see why it would be a memorable read for young men.

The book is set in South Africa in the 1940s and 50s, so race plays a big part in the story, and there are many powerful and upsetting scenes. The author doesn't shirk from showing the inbuilt racism of even the generally positive characters. On the other hand there is a lot of humour in the book too. At his best Peekay is a very engaging character. There are some very vivid descriptions - of a mining community for example - and a lot of the background seems to come from the author's own life.

The story is told in a completely linear style, and it's a long book. For some of the group, it dragged. For others, it was completely engaging from start to finish. Andy had gone on to read the 900-page sequel, Tandia. For some of the group this seemed like a form of self-torture, but on the whole Power of One was an enjoyable read leading to a robust and interesting discussion.

One Day

The group read David Nicholls book One Day for the January meeting. Janet,who chose the book,bought it a few months ago without realising it had already developed something of a cult following. The influence of Thomas Hardy was apparent-missed chances, fate, the letter which is never received etc. The characters were believable and the dialogue sharp and witty. Nicholls has captured the feel of the era perfectly. The ending is quite devestating, but everything seemed to fall into place as the book came full circle.

Kathleen found it an easy read and Helen found the plot plausible, while Karen liked the fact that there weren't too many flashbacks. Marghie and Morag loved the book and found it impossible to put down. The Larkin influence was also apparent. The group were devided on the character of Ian, but felt he was memorable , as were all the other minor characters. Helen liked Emma's referral to Dex as being like a two piece jigsaw. Karen liked the way the final description of what happened at the beginning of the book made everything clear. The humour was what kept the book alive for everyone. All in all, a fantastic read. Some discussion took place of the forthcoming film and we all agreed that Jim Sturgess makes a perfect Dex!

Small islands

For the December meeting a suitably Christmas feeling was provided by mulled wine, pumpkin cake, home made mince pies, vegetarian crisps, etc. Thank you everyone who baked and brewed!

Chosen by Helen, this month's read was Andrea Levy's award winning novel Small Island . It tells the story of Caribbeans coming to Britain during WWII to help defend the 'Mother Country' and their subsequent migration here in 1948 on the S.S. Empire Windrush. Told by four voices (two black and two white) the book has many themes: new beginnings; casual, and not so casual, racism; the British Empire; duty; and love.

Although a little slow to start, everyone in the group enjoyed the book. I found the war time experiences of Gilbert especially enlightening. The notion that the U.S. army's segregation applied to black G.I.s even though they were in Britain was maddening. As a black Caribbean Gilbert's treatment was in many ways much better (and maybe that was the reason he chose to return).

Karen judged Hortense snooty, high minded and naive; and found her experience with the interview and the broom cupboard both amusing and saddening. Possibly this was the point when the reader started to empathise with her...

Queenie was liked by June and Jen. Some thought the description of pork pie making too much, but it did introduce Queenie as a 'salt of the earth' no nonsense character who treats Gilbert without prejudice. Marghie enjoyed the vignette provided by the sweet shop owning auntie who encourages Queenie to talk to the respectable, reserved, Bernard.

Janet and Margaret felt Bernard cold and unfeeling; many in the group had no sympathy for the character or his adventures in the war. I surmised he was a vehicle for the feelings of returning soldiers who wanted their country and jobs back. Morag thought his story added little to the plot at that late stage and the reason for his stay in Brighton was amusing to say the least...

Helen said that the ending, with Queenie giving birth to Michael Robert's black child, was predictable. Maybe a twist too many, but overall the group felt it had been another in a series of highly edifying and pleasurable book group choices for 2010.

The Girl on the Landing

In November, the group read Paul Torday's The Girl on the Landing. This was a novel we found to share comparisons with 19th Century sensationalism/ghost story novels. It was written in a style akin to that where we thought it may be set during an earlier time not that of a more contemporary time. The novel is original, not plot prescriptive and is suspense story more than a thriller, with a touch of Rebecca and Turn of the Screw to it.

To begin with we all found the characters to be unlikeable but then as time went on we did start to feel sorry for them. With the narration of the novel alternating between Michael and Elizabeth Gascoigne, it certainly aided in the character development throughout the novel as well as creating an atmosphere of suspense.

The novel covered very topical subjects including racism, schizophrenia/mental health issues and genetics. Issues that raised a lot of debate and discussion over them.

The novel sparked a great deal of discussion amongst all the members in terms of whether Michael Gascoigne was suffering from schizophrenia or was it the supernatural. It was a bit 'muddy' at times and, looking at it from a critical viewpoint, we felt it had to be more plausible at times. With the dog sensing the supernatural, it really was left open to the reader's own interpretation.

We debated the relevance of certain things, e.g. the linen press and the dog disappearing. Again, it seems to be left open to the reader's own interpretation.

The nature of the story led naturally into a discussion on mental health in the community and the question of how far do you go to medicate someone and change them completely? We also discussed the possibility of there being people who operate on a different level of sensitivity. There was varying opinion in the group on whether Michael was on a different level of extra-sensory sensitivity, mentally ill or just plain bad.

Several members of the group were disappointed with the somewhat rushed ending of the book. Overall, the general consensus was that this was an enjoyable novel with many of us considering reading more of Paul Torday's work.

On the Beach

In September the group read Neville Shute's sombre fifties classic On the Beach. Janet, who suggested the book, explained that she had been prompted to go back to this book after recently reading another post-apocalypse story, Cormac McCarthy's The Road. She noted there are a great many tales of Armageddon, but On the Beach is the only one where all the characters die. Despite the odd glimmer of hope (a radio signal from the blighted northern hemisphere, a failed theory that the radiation is lessening) this is just a story of the people of Australia waiting, pretty calmly, to die of the inevitable radiation poisoning from a disasterous nuclear war in the North. Quite a brave thing for the author to do, to write something so bleak (get so scarily possible). This must have summed up pretty well the fears of people during the early Cold War, and fed into the consciousness that generation.

This was a book we all found fascinating and it gave us a lot to speak about. The submarine journey to North America is a compelling storyline, especially the moment when a crew member jumps ship to die in his home city - the only living being alive in that hemisphere for the few days he will last. There is the very occasional humourous detail, like the determined gentlemen in the club determinedly drinking their way through all the best port.

The group discussed how some of the characters were pretty wooden, but that this didn't detract from the book. It's power lies in the ordered suburban society being juxtaposed with the approaching nightmare, and since this was set in the conservative 195os in conservative Melbourne among a naval community, the stilted stiff-upper-lip behaviour of many of the characters is believable. People continue to go to work, to plant crops, to plan the future - and it's not as crazy as it seems. If you only have a few days to live, you may panic and go mad, but if you have months to wait you can't keep that kind of behaviour up for long. And if you must go, why not on a nice beach with a government-issue suicide pill and a bottle of brandy? Better -surely? - than the savage struggle for survival depicted in The Road? It is both seductive and terrifying how people in On the Beach accept the inevitable. A very powerful book.

The Book Thief

Would you choose to read a story told by Death? Many of us in the book group were unsure until we were gripped by the story itself.
Death narrator of The Book Thief tells the story of a girl, Liesel, sent away from her family to be fostered during the rise of the Third Reich and the small town where she and her foster parents live. In many ways, given the prevalence of death during this period of Germany’s history, Death's a central voice in the novel makes perfect sense. What was surprising to the group was the fact that Death’s voice was both poetic and sympathetic. Death loves colour both the dark and the light. The story he tells is about both the vitality of life and love and the brutality of war and oppression.

Liesel is the book thief of the title and it is her relationship to words, particularly written words, which shape her understanding of the world. She picks up a handbook for grave-diggers at the gravesite of her brother and as she uses it to learn to read, builds a relationship with the foster father. Books become entwined in her life even though they are difficult to acquire. Liesel “steals” books from the mayor’s wife who not only turns a blind eye but aids the “theft”. When Liesel’s family hide a young Jewish man, he makes her a book by using the over painted pages of “Mein Kampf” a nod towards the destructive power of words.

The group particularly enjoyed the rich characters of Rudy (Liesel's rebellious and loving friend), Hans (her mench of a foster father), Rosa (acid tongued but loving foster mother) and Max (the Jewish fist-fighter who teaches Liesel how to write her own story).

The book led the group into a discussion of how ordinary people who lived in Germany during World War II have been depicted in the aftermath of the war and the discovery of the death camps. The Book Thief gives an even handed view of how the inhabitants of a German town might have reacted to Hitler’s master plan. Some bought into the plan and some resisted in various ways but all were affected.