I’m one of those people who likes to reread books. In fact, whenever I tidy our small house, I have to give myself a stern talking-to when it’s time to give the bookshelves a go. There are books that have stayed with me since childhood, others discovered in college, and beyond. The ones that I really like, I’ll read again and again. I think that’s the pleasure of books; the comfort of an old friend that will make you laugh and sigh all over again.
The Likeness by Tana French
Whenever I feel stuck while I’m writing, I like to read Tana French. I’m a huge fan of her taut mysteries that combine acute observation with beautiful writing, and The Likeness is my favourite of her books. I love the snap of French’s Irish dialogue, which both centers you in place and drives the story forward.
Actually, she does this in all her novels, but what makes The Likeness particularly enjoyable is how the plot unfurls: both a love story to an old house (like Du Maurier’s Rebecca) and the thrilling, cat-and-mouse game of impersonating someone else.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
My favourite Austen novel, more poignant, pained, yet fulfilling than her earlier ones. Persuasion deals with the loss of first love, and what it means to have a second chance. The story unwinds subtly, building to a breathtaking finish. The very first time I read it, I remember sitting up really late at night to finish it, and when I got to the end, actually feeling my heart race with happiness for Anne Elliott!
The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogawa
This short, sweet read surprised me with its charm and insight. A housekeeper and her ten-year-old son end up working for an elderly professor who, after a traumatic head injury, only has 80 minutes of short-term memory.
This could have been a real tear-jerker, considering that the professor is a brilliant mathematician who tries, earnestly and sincerely, to organize his world by remembering facts like shoe size and tying them to number theory.
Yet in Ogawa’s capable hands, the book is both edifying and uplifting. On days when I feel disappointed in humanity, I find this book a comfort. Plus, its lucid simple prose makes it very easy to read.
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
As soon as I saw the title, I had to get this book. Korede, a plain and practical nurse, finds herself an unwilling accomplice in cleaning up bodies and crime scenes after her beautiful, spoiled younger sister Ayoola kills her beaux in “self-defence”.
Complications arise when Korede’s secret crush becomes Ayoola’s latest suitor. Morbidly funny, yet fiercely thought-provoking about the complicated relationship between sisters who both support and undermine each other, as well as the men who wreak havoc on their worlds.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
So I have to confess that I actually watched the movie first before I read the book, but once I did, I wished I’d read it earlier, or even when I was growing up. There’s a reason this book is a classic – it’s fresh and sharp, funny and poignant.
The voice of seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, who lives in a crumbling castle with her eccentric family, is the stand-out reason to read this book. Written in diary form, we follow the ups and downs of Cassandra’s life as in order to free themselves from poverty, the family conspires to marry off her beautiful older sister Rose to one of the newly arrived young gentlemen of the manor (doesn’t matter which one). First love, disappointment, and growing up are seen through Cassandra’s thoughtful, clever eye.
