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What I love about noir fiction, is that the morally bankrupt thrill of it all, is always undercut with social commentary on big issues. Chaze‘s masterpiece is no exception. I was thrilled and disturbed throughout this ‘angel of death‘ tale, and it also made me think. This is easily one of the best noir novels I have read in some time. I‘m eager to read more from this woefully underrated author. LOVED it. #indiebuddyreads

Is it a novel, a memoir, a series of essays, or fictional vignettes? It‘s actually quite hard to say. But whatever this is, I found it immensely incisive in its observations of post 9/11 America. These are stories of our times, as bleak as they are. Akhtar asks some big questions about identity and belonging, dispossession, politics, family, and what makes a home. The state of the union, and the world is dire. #indiebuddyreads

There‘s scope here for great stories about survival at both a micro and macro level. Cook did have a lot of individually interesting things to say about what people are willing to do to survive and there are the bones of some interesting characters here. Unfortunately, the realisation of this was hampered by what ended up being an unwieldy narrative. Cook didn‘t seem to know where the story was going, or how long it was going to take to get there.

Next Booker longlist read... I‘ve seen some very mixed reviews so I‘m interested to see where this goes #indiebuddyreads

Ooooo mate‘s. I‘ve just revised this one up to a 5 because it has STUCK with me. This is a slight, tight novella which really demonstrates Morrison‘s exceptional skills. This is so much more than a story of a place and a time. It‘s a story about people, about who we are when we are alone, and how we survive when we have to against stacked odds. The frontier looms large over each of the characters‘ lives in this novel. As ever Morrison is Queen.

There is a lot going on in this book, which I thought was a really thoughtful story about the depth of trauma wrought by colonisation. Where this novel lost a bit of its edge for me, was in the breadth of ideas it grapples with. I thought these stories were all interesting and meaningful, but at the end, many felt a bit underdeveloped. Well worth a read #indiebuddyreads

Hurricane Season isn‘t for the faint hearted (trigger warnings: basically everything). It‘s a relentless, graphic, violent narrative about life in a Mexican village. It‘s demanding of its reader. The nature of the prose and the magically real framing of the narrative won‘t be for everyone. Melchor tells a necessary story about the pervasive violence against Mexican women in such communities. #indiebuddyreads

As good on a re-read as it was the first time. Although this is clearly earlier, less refined writing from Smith, I really think she can do no wrong. Each of Smith‘s novel is a perfect capture of a moment in time. Her examinations of human existence are pitch perfect. Her writing is sharp and original. I love it. #indiebuddyreads

Re-Reading and old fave for #indiebuddyreads

This is the kind of writing I love #indiebuddyreads