Mayo County Library -- October Reviews 2011

Cover image of The Rage written by Gene Kerrigan

The Rage by Gene Kerrigan

Gene Kerrigan is best known for the eagle eye he keeps on the ins and outs of life in Irish politics, as he holds forth from the back page of the ‘Sunday Independent’ on a weekly basis. He has also written some non-fiction books which cast a cold eye on some of the country’s most notorious goings-on, but it is as a writer of Dublin-based detective fiction that he is really coming into his own. In this, his fourth crime novel, Detective Sergeant Bob Tidey is faced with the realisation that the job has changed him, and has made him consider a course of action he would never have contemplated when starting out in the force. Meanwhile, recently released thug Vincent Naylor has arranged the heist of a lifetime, and he and his brother Noel are convinced that they will net enough of a haul to be able to retire. But when a retired nun calls DS Tidey to report a suspicious car on her quiet residential street, a storm of violence is unleashed upon which Tidey must act fast or live with the consequences. Like Declan Hughes and Tana French, Kerrigan is very strong on the underbelly of Irish society, and on the wider social issues we have been grappling with for the past few years. With ‘The Rage’ he is on top of his game

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

When the pharmaceutical company bankrolling the research of eccentric scientist Annick Swenson has had enough of her constant lack of contact, they send the mild-mannered Anders deep into the Brazilian jungle to bring the recalcitrant doctor to heel. The lab researcher’s mission is simple: he is to warn Dr. Swenson that unless she produces results in double-quick time, her funding will dry up. But his colleagues are shocked when a curt letter arrives informing them that Anders died suddenly and has been buried inBrazil. His colleague Marina, a former student of Swenson’s, is sent to solve the mystery of Anders’ mysterious passing and to bring closure to the job he was sent to do. When she discovers the medical miracles occurring regularly in the remote rainforest area, she is astounded. But there are even more surprises in store in this remarkable tale of discovery. There are still a few months to go before the ‘best books of the year’ compilations kick in, but this captivating read – which will come as no surprise to fans of Ann Patchett – is definitely in line for one of my favourites of 2011.

Cover image of What i Did written by Christopher Wakling

What I Did by Christopher Wakling

Combining the premise of The Slap – man smacks boy and sets in train a catastrophic series of events – and the language of Room – story largely told from the perspective of a six-year-old boy – What I Did is quite a dark read at times, but well worth the investment. When Billy Wright runs across a busy world, his father swoops him up and smacks him, but reckons without the intervention of a passer-by, who contacts social services. An amazingly bright little boy, Billy lives largely inside his own head, running through various things his father has told him about, and making his own analogies with life in the animal kingdom, gleaned from the nature documentaries he avidly watches. His dad speaks to him quite frankly about life and the universe, and while Billy is incredibly clued-in on many fronts, he is also quite capable of badly misinterpreting things. With the family under the spotlight, and the other adults in Billy’s life confused about the truth of what happened, the family begins to fracture. There is an undertone of foreboding running through this compelling tale, but many lighter moments also. All in all, a wonderful read.

The Pink Ladies Club by Emma Hannigan

Anyone who has ever heard or seen author Emma Hannigan being interviewed (Ryan Tubridy is a big fan) cannot fail to have been charmed by her vivacity and her can-do attitude. The foreword alone to her latest book – she is on her seventh battle with cancer since 2005 – does not make for the most cheerful reading, but her indomitable spirit and sense of fun mean that her books are as from the maudlin as you can get. ‘The Pink Ladies Club’, her third novel (she also has a memoir called ‘Talk to the Headscarf’) follows the travails of three very different women who have been diagnosed with cancer, and who find themselves in the same support group. Twenty-two-year-old Zoe runs an up-market boutique with her identical twin sister, and is devastated to learn that her fertility may be affected by her illness. Esme is nearly 70 and determined to enjoy the girly bonding brought by a shared experience, and her devil-may-care attitude and constant malapropisms soon win the younger women over. Tanya, the mother of a toddler, can’t bring herself to admit to her husband how far along her cancer is, and finds it hard to be honest with her fellow groupies. Hannigan doesn’t shirk the often brutal reality inflicted by cancer treatment, but her trademark humour helps lighten the mood at even the darkest moments.

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