Book Bites

A Book of American Martyrs ★★★★ Joyce Carol Oates HarperCollins, R290

Who the martyrs in this book are is not entirely clear. Although it initially seems that the narrative centres on the dividing line between pro-choice and pro-life, Oates adeptly teases out the complexities. The plot is driven by the murder of

Gus Voorhees, a doctor providing abortions in Muskagee Falls, Ohio. The perpetrator, Luther Dunphee, believes he has been chosen by God to “defend the defenceless”. With Voorhees dead and Dunphee imprisoned, the wives and children of these men are rendered widowed, a single parent and fatherless: martyrs. An interrogation of grief, courage, religious fundamentalism, abortion and family relations, this is one of Oates’s finest creations. ● L S. Chantelle Gray @CGrayvH

The Tattooist of Auschwitz ★★★★★ Heather Morris, Zaffre, R270

Based on the true story of Lale and Gita Soklov, Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz and finally made Australia their home. One of the most horrific symbols in the Nazi death camps was the blue numbered tattoos. Lale was given the job of tattooing prisoners marked for survival. With a rare amount of freedom, he bargained his way through the camps and tried to help the imprisoned. His courage and determination to survive is already powerful, but add in meeting the love of his life in the camp, Gita, who was waiting to be tattooed, and you’ve got a book that will likely make your best reads list. ● L S. Jessica Levitt @Jesslevitt

★★★★ Bitter Francesca Jakobi, Orion, R295

It’s 1969 and Gilda has worn white and a net veil to her son Reuben’s nuptials — symbolic of the toxic relationship she has with him. Then you get to know the complex Gilda; how she was unceremoniously sent to boarding school in England by her unfeeling German parents. The chapters are short between past and present and Jakobi’s imagery transports you from bombed London streets to the anything-goes vibes at the end of the swinging ’60s, from the severe colours of war to the colourful dresses and freedom of the flyaway bob. You get to know why Gilda left Reuben, why she is stalking his wife, and why she is so alone. A terrifying and poignant portrait of a lonely woman. ● L S. Jennifer Platt @Jenniferdplatt