STAYING IN
interactions become dryly academic. The third act does pick up pace; the emergence of Trump and the alternate Bill, making for many a squirm-inducing scenario. Rodham is smart and considered, but it needs more wit and pizzazz. Ella Walker
FIVE GO ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE BY BRUNO VINCENT Published in hardback by Quercus, priced £8.99 (ebook £3.99). Available now
★★★
Another instalment in the Enid Blyton for Adults series, this time, Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy are stranded on their beloved Kirrin Island when the COVID-19 lockdown is announced. Chaos ensues as they try their best to follow government guidance and do nothing at all - a counter-intuitive behaviour for them. The series documents defining milestones with tonguein-cheek satire, all rested atop a heavy slice of Blyton nostalgia. It follows the same established formula, and includes plenty of familiar moments from the pandemic: the confusion over what lockdown means; panic over food supplies; early morning PE sessions with Joe Wicks; etc. As in the rest of the series, other characters from Blyton’s world make appearances. However, the joke never really takes off, with the narrative feeling a little leaden and stale. It provides an unusual keepsake that documents the more curious moments of the pandemic, but the humour needs to be sharper, and the narrative more cohesive, to be a souvenir as well as an enjoyable read.
Nicole Whitton
THE PRISON DOCTOR: WOMEN INSIDE BY DR. AMANDA BROWN Published in hardback by HQ, priced £8.99 (ebook £4.99). Available now
★★★
It’s hard not to feel desperately sad when reading accounts from Dr Amanda Brown, a GP in Europe’s largest women-only prison. She relays first-hand, heartbreaking stories of women who live from sentence to sentence - for whom a spell inside is preferable to life on the streets or being abused. But we also see instances of determination to break this cycle, and how important a non-judgmental face is when rock bottom beckons. Dr Brown lays bare the health and social challenges facing these women with brutal honesty, shining a particular light on being a mother behind bars, and prisoners trying to come off drugs. This book leaves you feeling many women in prison are also victims of abuse, neglect, or simply circumstance, and asking whether more needs to be done to help them.
Jemma Crew