june-july 2020 books...

Black River (Will Dean): I decided to make ‘lockdown’ my excuse for not waiting for the paperback version to be published (I know). This is Dean’s third Nordic noir crime novel (set in the northern wilds of rural Sweden) written by a bloke who grew up in the English Midlands (who now lives in rural Sweden in a wooden house he built in the middle of a forest). Tuva Moodyson, a deaf reporter, drops everything to return to Gavrik, a small town community in Sweden, to help look for her closest friend, who’s ‘gone missing’. It’s another intriguing, fast-moving, tense, haunting and compelling novel. Dean’s books seem to ‘borrow’ ideas from other writers/authors – but I’m happy to forgive him for that! – Tuva is very much in the same Saga ‘mould’ portrayed in the brilliant “The Bridge” television series (with her Asperger syndrome meaning that she doesn’t act in socially conventional ways) and the books themselves have the same ‘feel’ as Ann Cleeves’ ‘Shetland’ books (and even their titles/fonts bear an uncanny resemblance: eg. Dean’s Black River/Dark Pines/Red Snow and Cleeves’ Red Bones/Cold Earth/Blue Lightning etc)(and the same thing might also be said of some of Peter May’s books). Anyway, I’m not complaining… they tick all the boxes in my book! Predictably, I very much enjoyed this one.

Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (PG Wodehouse): I’m afraid I opted for some more ignore-what’s-happening-in-the-real-world, comfort reading. I last read this book eight years ago… it’s excruciating predictable, but Wodehouse does have a way with words and I constantly found myself with a smirk on my face! Effortless, light reading.

Black And British: A Forgotten History (David Olusoga): This is our “Bloke’s Books” bookgroup’s next book (which was also an excellent 4-part BBC documentary). It’s a very long book (nearly 600 pages) which tells the comprehensive and important history of black Britain and I thought it was quite, quite brilliant. It reaches back to Roman Britain, to Elizabethan ‘blackamoors’ and the global slave-trading empire. I had thought the book would concentrate on the lives of particular black Britons but, although it clearly does focus on some key individuals, the basis of the book revolves around slavery (and the US cotton industry/Civil War). I found the book hugely informative, humbling and, in parts, absolutely shocking. It made me realise that there was so much of the ‘black story’ of which I was quite ignorant or unaware. I knew I’d be depressed by 18^th and early 19^th century accounts of the slave trade but I think what shocked me most the attitudes, remarks and policies adopted by (mainly English) politicians only perhaps 70-80 years before I was born. It also acted as a hugely embarrassing reminder of the shameful colour prejudice views adopted by some members of my own family as I grew up in Birmingham in the 1950s/60s. It’s an authoritative and hugely important book (and the story it tells should surely be part of the school curriculum?) which provides a sobering background to the wealth generated for this nation through slavery and its resulting status as a world power.

An American Marriage (Tayari Jones): This is our next StorySmith bookgroup’s next book (we wanted to choose a prize-winning book and this won “Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019”). It’s about a young African-American married couple; the husband is wrongfully arrested and sentenced to 12 years for a crime he didn’t commit; the devastated wife (who knows her husband is innocent) struggles to comes to terms with events; she turns to their closest friend for support; the husband is unexpectedly released after only serving 5 years; he returns home ready to resume their life together… It’s very much an American novel which tells the all-too-frequent story of black people’s interactions with the criminal justice system (black men are disproportionately represented – 1 in 3 black men are likely to be imprisoned in their lifetime as compared to 1 in 17 white men). It’s also represents a demoralizing and infuriating reality for black families in the US - ripping away parents, children, providers, and supports, leaving vulnerable people and communities even more at risk. It’s a very readable book and Jones is an excellent writer, but I have to admit that, despite the plaudits from such eminent people as Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, I was left feeling somewhat unconvinced. I didn’t really believe in most of the characters (particularly the wife) – and, on occasions, I also found myself being irritated by American dialogue (but that’s problem just me). Maybe I’ll change my mind as I reflect on the book over the coming days (or after our bookgroup discussion) but, as things stand, it just feels like a 7/10 novel.

Lockdown (Peter May): A novel about a deadly pandemic wreaking havoc across the world (but with London at its epicentre) that was rejected by the publishers 15 years ago, because they deemed its subject matter “extremely unrealistic and unreasonable”. Well, who knew?! The story is something of a page-turning thriller involving a struggling detective inspector on his last day with Met who’s trying to track down a remorseless killer against a backdrop of a deadly virus that has already claimed thousands of victims… martial law has been imposed; health and emergency services are overwhelmed; violence and civil disorder are rife. May is one of my favourite writers and I finished this novel in less than 2 days. It was a little disturbing to read May’s perception of what life in a pandemic might be like (face masks; young people ignoring curfew rules; the race for a vaccine… and even the death of the Prime Minister)… he clearly undertook a huge amount of research. Our present government could definitely have learnt something from him! There were some aspects of the book that I found a little unconvincing but, overall, it’s an excellent, intelligent, thrilling… and somewhat sobering novel (even if there were moments when I found myself asking if this really was an appropriate time to read a book about a deadly pandemic!).

covid-19: social distancing and other matters…

Today (4 July) sees a change in ‘guidance rules’ for the general public from the government – a relaxation of many of the ‘rules’ (the list is quite extensive).

I don’t envy the government in these difficult times… but I’m very critical of the mixed messages they’re constantly giving out.

There was yet another example of this just yesterday: an exasperated Wales’ First Minister, Mark Drayford, said this in connection with the government’s plans to lift travel restrictions: "Dealing with the UK Government over the last few days has been an utterly shambolic experience. If ever there was an example of making an announcement first and then trying to work out what you meant by it - that is what we have seen since this announcement was first trailed in the press...”.

There have been several such examples.

As far as ‘social distancing’ is concerned, we've all become used keeping a minimum of two metres apart, but the Prime Minister recently announced a relaxation of social distancing rules (due to come into force in England from TODAY) as part of the “next phase of the country's fight against coronavirus”. The new rules encourage members of the public to remain two metres apart "where possible" or "one metre plus" elsewhere. For the life of me, I’m really not sure what this actually means in practice… so I decided to check on the government’s website – and, yes, it contained these very same words… but then it added this somewhat ‘strange’ rider: “Please stay two metres from anyone you meet who you don’t live with”.

Confusing?

I suspect, especially for the young (if they ever bother to read such things), this essentially will be interpreted as “all bets are off, we can do whatever we like”.

I checked out another government website link (dealing with “staying safe outside your home”). This informed me: “The government recommends that you keep two metres away from people as a precaution or one metre when you can mitigate the risk by taking other precautions in this list”… the list include such things as avoiding being face-to-face with people outside your household; keeping hands+face clean; avoiding crowded spaces; using face coverings on public transport or in hospitals; avoiding “shouting or singing close to people outside your household”(!); and advice when at work or in business or public premises.

Two metres or not two metres? That is the question.

I’m still confused.

  

You might recall that it was only a few days ago Mr Johnson was in almost celebratory mood - telling us all it was “back to business”… indeed HM Treasurer almost issued a party invitation to all and sundry with its tweeted message: “Grab a drink and raise a glass, pubs are re-opening their doors from 4 July” (which, of course, it subsequently felt it had to delete). Since then we’ve had Mr Johnson giving a rather more sober message of “we’re not out of the woods yet, let’s not blow it”. It almost feels like an after-thought designed in such a way that, if it all goes wrong and there is a ‘second wave’ or a series of ‘spikes’, he’ll be able to say: “well, I did warn you”… and blame EVERYTHING on the British public!

Moira and I have been self-isolating for more than 15 weeks now.

We’ve been taking coronavirus precautions very seriously and decided from the outset that we would avoid shopping and the like (ie. avoiding people!), that we would maintain 2 metre social distancing, but that we WOULD endeavour to get out and walk every day (for both our physical fitness and our mental health)(still, as far as possible, avoiding people).

For me, most of today's rule changes don’t apply. I’ve been designated as “clinically extremely vulnerable” and so, basically, until 1 August, I need to continue as before. From that date, I’ve been told (by letter from Health Secretary “Matt” – that’s how he signed it!) that I will be able to go to work (as long the business is “COVID-safe”); that I can go outside to buy food and exercise (but need to “maintain strict social distancing”); but that I should remain cautious as I’m still at risk of severe illness if I catch coronavirus, so I should stay at home where possible and, if I do go out, I need to “follow strict social distancing”.

Ah, but is that two metres or “one metre plus” social distancing, Matt?

Rest assured, for the foreseeable at least, I’m sticking to two metre social distancing – whatever the government tells me.