Different Class, Joanne Harris

I love a Joanne Harris. She writes such good, satisfying stories and food always plays a huge part even, as in this case, just as symbols and tools to show the character's attitudes. Having said that there is always something that annoys me about the way she writes, if all the rhetorical questions were edited out her novels would benefit hugely.

This novel is very different to any of the others I have read though. It is a real mystery with plot twists and slow reveals. It centers around a boy who seems to be a sociopath and an ageing and well meaning Latin teacher at St Oswald's Grammar School. Harris touches on what feels like a thousand different themes in the book. I am not sure that I agree with her conclusions on some of them but it is compelling and readable. IT reminded me something of Harry Potter in places, but I think that was mostly down to the setting in a fairly well to do and very traditional school. 

To Throw Away Unopened, Viv Albertine

This is an incredible memoir, it really is uncompromising, and is written beautifully. The evening of Albertine's mum's death is slowly revealed, paragraph by paragraph in between the telling of Albertine's family life. We are shown a window into the lives of her mum, dad and to some extent her sister's lives. Albertine is shockingly honest and uncompromising, when talking about her own experiences we feel like we see the ugliness and the best of her.

I am amazed that Albertine could write this book and convey so clearly all the contradictory feelings of complicated families (and isn't every family complicated on the inside?) She makes us understand how much she loved her mum, but that she also saw her flaws and really problematic behaviour with long lasting effects. 

Her writing on men is also illuminating and sad, at one point she writes: 

'I've never regretted the loss of any man -or cat- I've known. I have regretted losing women though. Every woman, good or bad, who's gone from my life has left a hole.'

I found this eye-opening, and from her writing you can completely understand why, a mixture of the time (being in a successful female punk band in the 70's, you can imagine) and her family experience. She continues:

'I was on tenterhooks for years anticipating my mother leaving the biggest hole of all. I expected her to leave a crater. A crater can be beautiful, I kept telling myself. People go to Iceland and America especially to see craters' 

The book is whole and vital and funny and sad and cutting and galvanising.

Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid

 Heartbreaking, as Annie John gradually hits puberty her relationship with her mother breaks down. Kincaid artfully tells the story from Annie's point of view, we see cracks appear and watch as neither mother or daughter know how to repair them. Despite themselves they drive wedges between each other and the rift becomes too big to cope with.