BOOKS OF THE WEEK
Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri Picador, £16.99 (ebook £8.99) Review by Bridie Pritchard
These short stories from the Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri present a different view of Italy and of Rome. That of the outsider, the migrant, the refugee, the person who doesn’t quite belong – but still wants to be there anyway. The alienation of the people who inhabit her stories is mirrored by the namelessness of many of the protagonists, who are referred to by an initial, a status or a relationship. But despite this and the elliptical nature of the writing, the stories are full of feeling and the desire for connection. Loving and longing are never far away, nor are hopes and thwarted desires. Full of humanity and its joys and disappointments, tiny incidents resonate through time and relationships.
Light Over Liskeard by Louis de Bernières
Harvill Secker, £20 (ebook £9.99) Review by Emily Pennink
A monstrous net fail threatens to send the world back to the Dark Ages, while the self-absorbed effete population is glued to devices, oblivious to the impending doom. All but middle-aged Roman toga-wearing Q – who as the Government’s last line of defence against capricious online anarchists can see apocalypse on the horizon. As Q ponders the meaning of life, he meets a cast of oddball characters. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin author Louis de Bernières has an undeniable talent for creating an achingly romantic affair from what may at first glance appear to be a mundane midlife crisis. However, his remorseless fun-poking at modern society may be a little more divisive.
Begin Again by Oliver Jeffers HarperCollins Children’s Books, £20 (ebook £5.99) Review by Bridie Pritchard
When even the author says this book is difficult to define, you know it’s not going to be like his previous picture books for children. Begin Again is full of questions, morality and philosophy – looking at how life came about, with Jeffers worrying that the world is unravelling. He fears for the future, but has hope, and wonders about the value of stories to humans. It’s hard to know who it’s aimed at – it’s not typical toddler fare with its deeper themes. But it is still written and illustrated in his signature style. He wants it to inspire people to act differently, to make better stories. The book needs to find its own audience – young and old – who want to make the future better than the present.
Disobedient Bodies: Reclaim Your Unruly Beauty by Emma Dabiri
Profile Books x Wellcome Collection, £7.99 (ebook £5.99)
Review by Prudence Wade
In this long essay, academic Emma Dabiri puts her focus on the relationship between beauty and the patriarchy. Dabiri – author of Don’t Touch My Hair – gives a whistlestop tour of Western beauty standards and how they can be weaponised against women. It’s engagingly written and well researched, interweaved with deeply personal anecdotes. Dabiri expands on what it was like growing up as a black person in Dublin, while also outlining her efforts as an adult to break free from typical beauty standards. It’s a slim tome, but a powerful read.