The latest page-turners
The books on everyone’s must-read list
DEATH AT THE ORANGE LOCKS
By ANJA DE JAGER Constable When there’s a major terror alert at Amsterdam’s main train station, most of Lotte Meerman’s colleagues are roped in to deal with this threat to the city. But the detective and her partner are ordered to attend to a floating body that has been found close to the Orange Locks. The corpse is quickly identified as Patrick van der Linde and they have the unpleasant task of informing his widow of his death.
Meerman is shocked when it transpires that Van der Linde is the father of Nadia, the woman who seduced her husband, Arjen, and became pregnant four years ago.
With Arjen and Nadia now married, she understandably wants nothing to do with the investigation into the murder but when Arjen becomes the prime suspect, Meerman just cannot believe her former husband is capable of murder and sets out to prove his innocence.
This is the sixth book in the Lotte Meerman series but it works perfectly fine as a standalone because it’s much more than just a mystery or thriller. It’s also about Amsterdam, vividly bringing this Dutch city to life while examining the pain that accompanies divorce. The pace is rather slow, but I quite liked it – maybe because Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities. – ANDRÉ J BRINK
KLARA AND THE SUN
By KAZUO ISHIGURO Faber The Nobel laureate takes us into a time in the near future where artificial intelligence and gene editing are the norm. It’s narrated by Klara, a robot who has been bought as an “artificial friend” for a teenager named Josie.
As a result of the genetic tinkering that has been done to her, Josie is very sick and doesn’t seem to have long to live. But the solar-powered Klara is convinced that she knows a way to save her and is willing to go to any lengths to carry out her plan.
The book has a strikingly similar feel to Ishiguro’s 2005 novel Never Let Me Go, and to a certain extent 2015’s The Buried Giant, and delves into a lot of the same themes – love, humanity, sacrifice. Like with his other books, there’s a thread of hope that pulls the action along, a quest, which may or may not be based on a misunderstanding but requires total faith.
It’s a strange and disturbing world that he creates and seen from Klara’s perspective with many things only half understood, it’s even more puzzling. Sometimes these gaps are frustrating but if you’re willing to persevere, your patience
will be richly rewarded. – JANE VORSTER
THE FOUR WINDS
By KRISTIN HANNAH Macmillan This is a well-written, rather harrowing story of a family of small farmers in the Texas Panhandle, during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Elsa Wolcott is disowned by her strait-laced family after getting pregnant. She marries her boyfriend, Rafe Martinelli, the indolent son of immigrants, and joins him on his family’s drought-stricken farm.
They struggle along with so little to eat that they’re practically at the point of starvation. But when Rafe abandons her, and their son gets severe lung disease from all the dust, Elsa decides to head off with her two kids in search of a new life in California.
Travelling through the Mojave Desert, they eventually end up in a squatter camp in the San Joaquin Valley. They move around picking fruit, cotton and hops but are badly exploited by the farmers who sense their desperation. It’s not quite the life they’d hoped for, but throughout it all Elsa’s love pulls the family through – until tragedy strikes . . .
I can’t really say this was an enjoyable book but I am very glad I read it. I now have a better insight into this dreadful time in American history with its untold misery.
But it’s not all gloom and doom because Elsa’s dedication to her kids is the warm, beating heart of the novel. If you loved Hannah’s other books, you won’t want to miss this one. – GERRY WALDEN