When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan

TWO BOOKS REVIEWS IN ONE DAY I HEAR YOU SCREAM?! WELL KEEP SCREAMING BECAUSE YES, IT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

I only write in these over the top capital letters to reflect the brilliant book When Mr Dog Bites. Set in a- I hate to say it- special school, we follow Dylan Mint, a 16-year-old boy suffering from Tourette's syndrome. Tourette's symdorme is one of the those conditions that has become some what of a laughing stock in society, mainly down to misinformed television programmes that instead of looking at things from their point, tend to focus on the reactions of other people as they walk past. I'm looking at you BBC3. So it is fantastic to see the condition used in a different way and in another medium where instead of hearing the person shouting and swearing, you have to picture it yourself. It has quite a different effect, you'd be surprised. It makes you feel for Dylan, not feel sorry for them, just want better for him. I never sniggered once. It must be terrible.

We come into Dylan's life at a difficult time, when his ticks are out of control, he is getting into fights at school and his mother is acting strange. Dylan receives some, what he thinks, is bad news at the doctors where he convinces himself that he is due to die in March. To me, I always got the sense that he wasn't going to die, especially because his mother seems more concerned about herself. So it is quite sad to see Dylan planning his final few months, even writing his bucket list, or as he calls it "Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It". I think everyone should call it this from now on. 

There are of course times when you are reading the book that you feel uncomfortable when he is shouting racist and rude things, but at the end of the day you know he can't help it. There are some heart warming moments too, like when he is writing letters to his absentee father, who he believes is at war fighting terrorists. But you always get the sense his mother is hiding something from him about where is really is. And this is confirmed later.

Conaghan gives such a realistic insight into the world of those with conditions such as Tourette's that you find yourself not feeling sorry for them. You just realise that they are normal 16 -year-old boys. Boys who at time can be very crude, sexist and stubborn. They just all seem like normal kids. That's what Conaghan does so cleverly, making you notice that whilst they may be at a special school, they all go through the same things at school that people at other schools go through. This includes bullying, where he meets two other boys from the supposed 'normal' school in the park. That chapter will soon make you realise, who really is the considered the 'freaks' in society? Ignorant arseholes. Sorry. 

I sometimes don't know how far young adult novels can go with their realness but with things like Tourette's and addressing something they may misunderstand from other representations in the media is important. And something else that he does so well is to not focus the entire story on how he copes with Tourette's but giving him other stories such as his relationship with Amir, his best friend and his eventual finding out about what his father is really like. There is a beautiful letter at the end where Dylan expresses himself in the most honest way I have had the pleasure of reading. 

So when you get used to the times when 'Mr Dog Bites' or basically where Dylan Tourette's shines through, you see a completely normal 16-year-old boy. A boy who constantly thinks about women, football and his father. You can't but help see that no matter what people say in society, what is normal? And who is anyone to say what is normal?

When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan is publishing by Bloomsbuty in the UK. 

The Sorrows Of An American by Siri Hustvedt

Well it has been quite awhile since I sat down and wrote one of these. Life has been rather busy and not overly fantastic in the past couple of weeks. But the sun is out and it's time to review again. I can hear you all cheering in the stands. Please, please I am not worthy. I have realised how this blog can sometimes be a mix of me telling you about my life as well as reviewing books. I'm thinking maybe I'll change the description a bit, so as not to lure you book fans into a false sense of security... SO on with the review.

I am going to put this out there from the outset, I think this book goes into my top five favourite books of all time. I couldn't put it down and I truly loved it. I have always been a massive fan of American literature, especially the classics like In Cold Blood and Tender Is The Night. Even though this was released in the 2000s, it felt like it was written in that 1900s era, minus the use of aeroplanes and mobiles phones of course.

The Sorrows Of An American follows Erik Davidsen, a psychiatrist who is struggling to cope with lonliness, his new tenant as well as his complex family. Having recently divorced from his wife, Erik struggles to deal with being lonely, slipping into the typical male mind set of fantasising  about women. It is quite hard to describe this plot and do it justice, but reading it is a completely different story. Hustvedt writes with such ease and beauty that demonstrates the weaknesses of the human mind set, that the plot fades into the background as we become enamored with the thought processes in all of Erik situations, be it the family side, his relationships or his relationship with his new flatmate Miranda.

There are some great moments to do with his job too, when we get an insight into his patients and how they end up effecting him at a low point for Erik. But it the issues with his family that eventually take precedence, as him and his sister discover a letter from their recently deceased father and they go on the trail for discovering the lady at the centre of the content of the letter. It goes onto effect their relationship with their mother, each other and even other relationships. There is so much plot that I can't even go into detail about with confusing you, but Hustvedt handles it with such care and attention, you are never confused and always wanting more.

Considering that it is written by a female author, Siri Hustvedt sure does know how to get into the male psyche. She has for sure written in some of her own life into the book, crossing over the Norwegian family living in America, so bringing a real authenticity to the book. The images of their father during the war through his diary entries is also truly touching. It is not often I am moved by a book, but I couldn't help be by this beautiful book. I think even just writing this review has moved it up into my second favourite book of all time. There I said it. I apologise for the brief review, but I just don't think I can do it proper justice. The beauty is in the words.

The Sorrows Of An American by Siri Hustvedt is published by Sceptre, an imprint of Hodder and Stoughton in the UK. 

Season To Taste...Or How To Eat Your Husband by Natalie Young

Well my oh my hasn't this month just flown by! Already two weeks into May and I don't know where the time has gone. I have been super busy as well just to add to the chaos that is work, so apologies for the delay for the latest review. This has not been helped by reading two novels that have been pretty darn rubbish to say the least. So I shall plough forward with one that has meant my blogging standard. Also the one I am reading at the moment has been potentially one of my favourite books of all time so watch this space...

Today's review looks at Season To Taste or How To Eat Your Husband. The brutal reality of the title of the novel hits you straight in the face on the first page as we learn that Lizzie, our female protagonist, has murdered her husband. No messing about, Natalie Young gives us the story right away. In a way, you may think this may ruin the rest of the story, but it is learning about her past and the unique way she begins to dispose of his body, that is the true story here. That was for me what made it so unique, having the main event so early on and seeing the reasons why after it has happened.

Now Lizzie goes on to chop her husband up into bits and store him in the freezer. There is something so methodical to her practice, and her total disregard for the seriousness of what she is doing seems extremely robotic. She fits into the typical domestic housewife role, even creating a step- by- step list littered throughout the novel, but just with an extremely dark twist. I must warn you that there are some graphic moments during the cooking and consuming of her husband. The worst bit for me, which surprisingly was not his cock and balls, but when she eats his hand. I found myself looking down at my own hand on the train and feeling rather nauseous. People must have thought I was a right freak looking at my hand like that. I just kept picturing a chicken wing.

To be fair to Lizzie, she cooks the parts of him in possibly the tastiest ways you could maybe think of, just the only problem being its human flesh she is using. But this just adds to her methodical ways. But this endless consumption methaphor, which Young uses to highlight how Lizzie's pre- murder life was consumed by her lazy husband and dead end marriage. It is very clever, if not sometimes vomit inducing.

Another famous literary cannibal

The housewife role is added to more in a familiar setting, well familiar for me anywhere. Set in a remote cottage in leafy Surrey, where I happen to reside, I could feel myself in the places where she speaks of. This, for me, added an extra isolated dimension, just as to how much goes on behind closed doors, especially in supposedly sleepy towns. There is an mention of my home town too, holler out to Weybridge on page 49!

So if you enjoy your complicated female led books, then I highly recommend this book. Young's clever style of writing, including the brilliant how to guide, will get you in the mood for some very dark moments. Just ensure you have a strong stomach, some parts are pretty hard to read through. Just do what I did, picture a Nando's and not your own chubby, hairy hand.

Season To Taste... Or How To Eat Your Husband by Natalie Young is published by Headline books in the UK. 

Sorta Like A Rockstar by Matthew Quick

I think I'm going to have to start reading longer books, because I am just rattling through them at the moment. So here I am, already breaking my rule about doing one book a week, but only because I've got a really good book this time!

Matthew Quick's name first caught my attention from the critical acclaim that surrounded the hit film Silver Linings Playbook based on his novel of the same name. I have yet to be lucky enough to get hold of this (please charity box Gods let me find it!) but have read on of his other novels, Forgive Me Leonard Peacock. All about a boy who does that American horror and kills in his own high school. So along with depression in amongst his other novels (such delightful topics), it comes as no surprise to find in Sorta Like A Rockstar many issues including homelessness, abuse and death. Why are young adult novels always so damn depressing? I guess you only realise this as you get older. But then, they must learn.

Quick is responsible for Silver Linings Playbook. 

Set around the character of Amber, we follow her story, right from the outset where she is living in the school bus that her mother drives for a living. We immediately can connote facts about her past of course; abandonment, not knowing her father and her mother having boyfriend after boyfriend all feature. But there is something incredibly different about Amber that you don't get in these usually cliched stories. She is full of hope. And always keeps herself busy. Whether it be having debates at on old peoples' home, visiting a war veteran who writes haiku's endlessly, teaching the Vietnamese 'diva' choir by seeing diva classics or cooking tequila omelettes (sound delicious), there seems something so pure about Amber's character. And something else Quick does well to eradicate is the teenage girl chase for a boy, or a boy coming along and saving the day. There is no mention of relationships or her desire for one. It is something we need to see more of, and it is so important for girls to know relationships at such a young age is not the be all and end all.

There are some lovely moments throughout the novel, especially the relationship between Amber and her eventual adoptive mother Donna. Donna is the woman that she, in my opinion, should aspire to be. Quick sure does know how to great a fantastic and strong mother figure, someone that Amber never really has in her life. And their relationship feels so real, never forced. I guess that because Quick used to teach, he knows how to write in teenage talk (God I feel old writing that, and yes I'm only 21). You forget after awhile it isn't a teenager writing the book. He does it is so seemlessly.

Sorta Like A Rockstar

Another poignant moment in the book is where tragedy strikes with Amber's mother. The book literally falls apart in the middle as Amber's life does. Quick gives us mere sentences as chapters, intercut with Amber's talks with the local Vietnamese church priest where she contemplates life as anyone would in the situation. And this is where the book begins to lose some of its momentum. Her friends try to rally around her but she just rejects those who try to help. It gets extremely difficult after sometime to understand she this after awhile, and I think Quick drags this out slightly. Also the constant haiku's eventually, for me, were moments to skim read. I hate poetry (sorry guys, awful English graduate right?). But Quick manages to pull it together at the end, with a fantastic ending. We can only hope that every teenager who goes through hardship has people like Amber does to pull around her in times of need. But deep down I know that's not true. Truly heartbreaking for me.

So in a story that is full of a variety of characters, most of them old but let's face it, aren't they the ones who have the most to talk about? But Quick does something quite special with Amber by matching her to these people. The interaction between the old and the young never feels false and you always get a sense reality from Amber. Whilst the tiresome references to religion and JC get old very quickly (typical atheist me), there is plenty to keep you entertained. Yes it might be for the young adult market, but come on, the issues are so serious that we adults will have no problem enjoying a book as great as this. There are rumours of a film for this too. Cross those fingers. And them toes too.

Sorta Like A Rockstar by Matthew Quick is published by Headline books in the UK. 

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I'm beginning to think that Sunday evening might just become my weekly review post. I just get so tired during the week that I don't want to write a rubbish post and you not enjoy it (or get anything from it). But then I read so many good books I don't to get lag behind and forget. So maybe I'll just go against what I said anyway. What the hell. What are rules for! So anyway hello and welcome to today's review...

Got quite a different book for you this week compared to last weeks lovely, gory and sexually violent book, Stardust. Written by Neil Gaiman, a man who has been receiving a lot of attention for his latest novel The Ocean At The End Of The Lane- watch this space, that book is currently residing in my pile of books to be read- so before I get to that to see what all the fuss is about, I decided to read another one of his older novels. Wow that was a long sentence.

I have seen the film adaptation that was released nearly 7 years ago now- where the hell is time going?! I really enjoyed the film, mainly down to the adult fairytale feeling that the film gave across. And of course I never miss a chance to watch a film starring the only woman I would ever consider, Michelle Pfeiffer. I was immediately thrown into a completely different universe, but one that I couldn't help but think was slightly familiar. Set in sunny (always is in fairytales) England, there was an extremely picturesque feeling to the whole story, especially in the village of Wall. Gaiman certainly does have a way with words.

I always enjoy a fairytale, mainly down to the themes that it deals with, that can often been of quite a violent or adult nature, but they are dressed in such a way you simply don't think of them as such. Stardust follows the character of Tristian, as he sets off into the other world that Wall sits next to. He is in search of a fallen star that he wants to get in order to get a hand in marriage. Being a demanding woman, she wants the star. In what I think is such a lovely image, the star is not an object, or a ball of gas, but is actually a woman whom has fallen out the sky. She was hit by a gem that 2 brothers, Primus and Septimus, the last two alive lords of the land, who must find the stone in order to become King. There is some great scenes involving them, mainly down to their ghostly brothers who always appear behind them in the film, and this detail is carried on the preceding novel, something Gaiman uses to a great comic advantage. This is also true of the witch who is after the star, and there are some great scenes where she forces an inn keeper to pretend they are married in order to entice the star into staying. There is something so sinister about reading the witch doing everything she can to relax the star, when we know she really wants to cut her heart right out of her.

Now, being 21, you may think my memory may be very sharp, but alas you would be mistaken. But I have to say I was quite impressed in noticing differences between the book and novel, something that alas (I love that word) always must occur. But I think the book wins out on all the alternatives that the film presented. This is more than evident in the witch's final scene, where an old witch, who is also after the star in order to recapture her youth, lets the star go when she eventually gives her heart to Tristian. This means her heart, which needs to be cut out before something like this occurs in order for it to give her the youth back, wouldn't work Gaiman's version is so much better and so less the stereotypical Hollywood ending where the evil is stamped out by the goodies. She simply just leaves them to live their lives in the novel, something so different it was a joy to read.

Does the film of 2007 film adaptation fair better? 

Another book vs film difference, where the book wins out, is seeing Tristian and his starry bride getting to travel and see the world that they will eventually reign first hand before taking over from Tristian's mother as rulers. They just seemed so down to earth, as much as a fallen star can be, that we can only hope for leaders like them in this world. And for people who actually know and have seen what the hell they are talking about.

Gaiman is truly a master of words, he truly drew me into his faitytale world, but not letting the picturesque setting take away from the fascinating characters or the adult tones that burst through. A truly adult fairytale, that anyone will enjoy, Gaiman puts to the forefront a world that anyone would want to be part of. Don't let the film put you off, there are moments that work so much better, are so less cliched, all in the end making a great little read. And the book is quite thin, slip it in your bag for your holidays! I look forward to reading more of his books, as well as the TV adaptation of his novel American Gods.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman is published by Headline in the UK. 

Ten Storey Love Song by Richard Milward

I can only apologise for the lack of book reviews for the past week. You may think that I haven't read any books recently but you would be wrong. I've read two more.... so that only means that I have been lazy. But do forgive me. I have been too busy down the church paying for Jesus.... Oh hang what the fuck am I talking about! Of course I've just been eating chocolate. So anyway, creepy chocolate covered Jesus images aside, let's plough on with one of the books I have recently devoured (sorry mid-devouring-chocolate as I type this).

Ten Storey Love Song is set in Middlesbrough in a tower block called Peach House. Full of characters that are both complex, hilarious and scarily violent all at the same time, the book is written in continuous prose. Expect no gaps or breaks in the texts, not even a chapter in sight. Usually I am a fiend for stopping at the start of a new chapter in a book, but trains suddenly arriving at their destination has snapped me out of this habit. So I didn't struggle with this at all. And if anything it reflected real life. Life's continuous journey, never stopping for a break, especially in a tower block where someone is always passing doors or heading out to work.

Now Richard Milward's not only a genius in this continuous flowing form of writing, but the content is absolutely brilliant. Focusing on two misfiring relationships between Bobby the Artist and Georgie as well as Ellen and Johnnie, they both encapsulate the benefit nation, often found out drinking, cheating the system and generally being delinquents. But there is hope for them all in some way, whether it be Bobby's talent attracting attention in London for painting masterpieces whilst under the influence of a multitude of drugs (including sniffing Lynx) or Georgie's job at BHS. Their relationship is full of complex moments, and also some heart warming ones, including Bobby thinking drugs no longer effect him even though he doesn't know Georgie has swapped his drugs for her addiction, sweets. Although you sometimes feel so angry at just how many bad mistakes they make and how much money is wasted, in the end your heart goes out for this couple, something Milward handles to well.

Johnnie and Ellen's relationship on the other hand is less hard to understand. I just want to warn you now, this novel is extremely graphic in its description, but whether you see it as graphic or realistic is up to you. But there are some fantastic descriptions and I loved the way Milward gives voices to inanimate objects whilst Bobby is on drugs including a VCR- yes its an older book- it's just hilarious. But yes I digress. Ellen and Johnnie's relationship always feels a bit doomed, especially when Ellen cheats on him and Johnnie loses his temper and nearly kills Angelo, the man she cheats with. Again, the graphic description here just adds to the intensity and your toes will curl, I guarantee you. I found it hard to like either of these characters, but again I think it is Milward's way of writing, that despite the good moments, there will always be disaster around the block.

There are other characters that Milward is so successful with that are worth a mention, all bringing their own complications and issues to the story. Lewis, the art dealer from London that Bobby thinks is so posh, is if you really look into his character, is just like everyone else. There is also Alan The Blunt Cunt (to give him his full name used throughout) whom is shown to be a pervert during the course of the story, that is right until the end when we learn about his real character. And you start to feel sorry for him.

In a story that is both graphic, realistic, tragic and heart warming, I couldn't help but smile when I finished the book. Milward did something I really respect of authors, taking characters that you should hate and detest for the choices that they make, but it is simply impossible. In a world that I know very little about, people taking drugs and delinquents on benefits, I saw a vein of positivity running from start to finish. Added to all this, one of the funniest books I have read in a long, long while. Go read now!

Ten Story Love Sony by Richard Milward is published by Faber and Faber in the UK. 

The Other Half Of Me by Morgan McCarthy

Now I don't really have a particularly dramatic or close family, but I do love a good story about a the traditional family, and how behind closed doors, things are not as simple as they look. And this is exactly what I have in store for you this week fellow readers: a dramatic family tale. And before you say anything, yes I did read this book mostly based on the fact that the family surname is Anthony (basically my name) and the main characters' name is Jonathan (my middle name). Fairly selfish reason I'm sure you will agree...

Set in rural Wales, The Other Half Of Me focuses on the not-troubled-for-money Anthony family. The story is told from Jonathan Anthony's point of view, as we criss-cross different times in his life, with details about the plot slowly being revealed as we go. McCarthy achieves this with such grace and elegance, it's hard not to admire the way she manages to reveal everything throughout so many different time periods. From the outset, we can tell that whilst they may have no money worries, they have plenty else to deal with.

Morgan's novel

 Jonathan's younger sister Theo (yes that confused me for a very long time, boy or girl?) is an intriguing character even at such a young innocent age, asking strange questions and following Jonathan about like a lost puppy. This continues into the latter stages of their lives, when they have both moved to London and Theo is completely dependent on Jonathan. But their relationship is told so well, you almost start to feel sorry for Theo, and the fact she can never hold down a job and gets bored very easily. Reading the parts about her, I struggled to not agree, yes work can get boring, why not just not turn up sometimes? But unfortunately, as reading is an escape from the real world, this idea soon fades.

There are many other family characters who continue to intrigue and fascinate throughout as well, including Theo and Jonathan's mother Alicia, who is never referred to as Mum or Mother and only ever Alicia. This little detail highlights to us just how distant she is from her children, and they constantly rely on each other for entertainment, or the multiple staff that work in their huge country house. Along with the mother is their estranged father, whom either child knows about, and are both told died in Australia. This absentee father bases the majority of the story, as Theo always until her tragic demise, wants to find out about and know what happens to him. This continues to haunt Jonathan throughout his adult life until he gets some truth (I won't ruin it for you) and you will be satisfied with the ending.

The character that clinched my interest the most was their grandmother Eve. A former US government worker, there are many names dropped throughout, including Nixon and JFK himself. Now a international hotel owner, Eve plays a somewhat impermanent fixture in Jonathan's life, and she is the character I enjoyed the most. She is the one who carries the family secrets to her death bed, telling Jonathan almost everything just before she passes towards the end of the novel. She was such an complex character, with plenty of history, that I was always a little saddened when she disappeared again and again from the novel. Maybe this is one downside; not enough Eve.

This is not to say that Jonathan doesn't tell a good story. He kept my attention at all times, as he described his long lust for their almost neighbour Maria, but it does get a bit creepy after awhile at just how many years he thinks about her and just how many relationships he lets it effect.  But all in all, I found this book hugely enjoyable read, not to complex, not graphic but plenty of mystery, plenty of fantastic characters and PLENTY of family dirt. A must read.

The Other Half Of Me by Morgan McCarthy is published by Headline books in the UK.