january-february 2019 books…

The Leavers (Lisa Ko): A brilliant novel telling the story of an American boy and his Chinese birth mother and the spirit-breaking difficulties of belonging and the plight of illegal immigrants. At a time when terms such as ‘immigrants’ and ‘refugees’ are constantly in the news, this book comes as a welcome reminder of the brave, heartrending, brutal stories that lie behind the headlines. It’s a courageous, sensitive book about families, relationships and human dignity. I loved it.
Raven Black (Ann Cleeves): I absolutely loved the ‘Shetland’ TV series and thought it was about time I read the books. Well, I absolutely loved this too! I found the Jimmy Perez character (quiet calmness etc) really believable and there was something about the gentle rhythm of island life (despite the murders) quite compelling. Perceptive and convincing. Cleeves is a really excellent writer… and I have two more books lined up on my bedside table (and there will be more in due course)! Brilliant.  
Remembering Richie (Richie Benaud+friends): Benaud has always been a bit of hero of mine – both as a cricketer (he was a leg-spin bowler/batsman just like me!) and as a journalist/broadcaster. As an architect, I recall working on a project for a London client who lived next door to the Benauds… and me needing to make a ‘schedule of condition’ inspection of their apartment and feeling that I was somewhere akin to being on ‘hallowed ground’! I think I met Benaud’s wife, Daphne, in the course of my visit. This book, published after his death in 2015, is a compilation of extracts from his various books and articles and a host of tributes from colleagues and friends from the world of cricket and beyond. Benaud always seemed to have all the gifts – intelligence, knowledge, discernment, humour, articulation and being the ‘master of the measured word’ (as journalist Ian Wooldridge once described him). A lovely book.
Ghost Wall (Sarah Moss): This is a short novel, set in rural Northumberland at the end of the 20^th century, that sees a 17 year-old girl and her parents joining a university professor and a group of students for a few days to live as the ancient Britons did: foraging for food, dressing in tunics and observing iron age rituals. The father – a bus driver by day and obsessed amateur historian by night – has armed himself with all the necessary skills for survival and is there to pass on some of his knowledge to the students. He’s not a pleasant character. He thinks women should ‘know their place’ and he doesn’t tolerate those who fail to share his values or who disobey his pronouncements. The book starts with a short prologue, in which an iron age girl is marched out and murdered before an audience of neighbours and family… and this sets the tone for the unfolding story. I’ll say no more… It’s a tense, haunting, gripping and unsettling story by an excellent writer.
Reaching For Mercy (ed. Chris Goan+others): This poetry anthology is unapologetically ‘spiritual’, sometimes angry, sometimes expressing disappointment and regret, frequently raw and honest… but also saturated with hope. Edited by eight individuals including my friends Chris Goan (from previous Proost collaborations/Leeds exhibitions) and Emily Magrath (from Saint Stephen’s church, Bristol) – with contributions from nearly one hundred poets (including our vicar Lee Barnes) from around the world. I first came across the book at one of the twice-monthly ‘Resonate’ gatherings at Saint Stephen’s. Organised under the following headings: ‘hope’, ‘post truth’, ‘lament’, ‘ordinary-sacred’, ‘wild’, ‘everyone is welcome’, ‘whole’ and ‘resisting’… I’ve gently working through the book over the past three months or so and found it both challenging and inspiring. A lot of very talented people!