The Free-Range Bookclub

READ FOR BOOKERTHON

A modern re-write of Don Quixote that broaches traditional elements as well as the current state of the world. 

⚑ “Confession time: I have not read Don Quixote. While I know the premise I don’t know its intricates nor how cleverly Rushdie has played upon them in Quichotte. But I imagine quite well. Confession number 2: I have never finished a Rushdie book. So I was thrilled to discover how readable and enjoyable Quichotte was, despite the sometimes absurdist occurrences and delusional ramblings.

“The main character, an old man named Quichotte and his imaginary son, Sancho, traverse a United States that is in moral decline and encounter racists, opioid-addicted celebrities, people who turn into mastodons, crickets who speak Italian and guns that talk. They watch copious amounts of telly and trash Trump. During their travels they address all the big ticket items: racism, media, politics, addiction, greed … serious stuff but actually the book is quite funny. Plus also weird, poignant and annoying. But the world is these things. And so are people. Story telling and literary references are rife, tying together all the abstract ideas. Despite, or perhaps because of, all this craziness, I really enjoyed this book and I think the characters will stay with me for some time.” – Rachel

… to live inside fictions created by untruths or the withholding of actual truths. Maybe human life was truly fictional in this sense, that those who lived it didn’t understand it wasn’t real.

⚑ “Before this year’s Bookerthon got underway I boldly stated there was NO WAY I was going to read Quichotte due to having absolutely no success with reading other Salman Rushdie books. However, Rach gently persuaded me and I decided to give it a go.

“I’m so pleased I did as it was a damn good read! I enjoyed the book-within-a-book structure and the parallels between the two stories. I have read other reviews of Quichotte that said it was a bit too silly, but I was all for the silliness. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to give Midnight’s Children another crack.” – Suzy

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Published 2019
Jonathan Cape
393 pages

READ FOR BOOKERTHON

A dying prostitute’s brain lives on for 10 minutes & 38 seconds during which it recalls her life’s troubles.

⚑ “Tequila Leila is a Turkish woman with a traditional but disturbing upbringing and a adulthood full of expectations and sadness. It is hard to bear sometimes but the humanness that Shafak creates is important as she details how so many people in the world are taken advantage of and dehumanised. We know from the opening pages that Leila is dying and, unconventionally, it is her death that lifts the story into one of hope and camaraderie. Five of her friends, each with their own imperfections and trouble being accepted into normalcy, come together to ensure her life was not without meaning. This book was a huge page turner for me, despite its grimness. I enjoyed the rich detail of Turkish traditions and the complete feeling that Leila existed outside of these pages. I felt I learned a lot by reading it.” – Rachel

⚑  “This novel was strangely uplifting despite there being one tragedy after another in rapid succession. The events that occurred lost a bit of their horror when the pieces were picked up by a strong and supportive group of friends. I liked the insight this novel gave into various historical events and we also learned how brutally life can pan out for people in Turkey who don’t fit with society’s expectations. Despite the strong storyline and enjoyable characters I would never recommend this novel. The brutal sexual violence was awful to read about and if the author’s intention was to disturb her readers then the goal was certainly achieved with me.” – Suzy

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Published 2019
Viking
312 pages

READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Rachel

A man offers his son to another couple after accidentally shooting their child

“Landreaux Iron is a native American man who accidentally shoots his wife’s half-sister’s son while hunting. As means of reparation, Landreaux and his wife Emmaline decide to follow an old Native American custom of atonement and offer their own five-year-old son, LaRose, to the parents of the dead child.

.”The resulting story is a multi-layered, nuanced drama in which families are brought together via tragedy. As a woman with Ojibwe ties, Erdrich writes about this extended Indian family with a knowledge that adds a deep believability to the stories, the traditions and the reactions. The language is pensive and lyrical and therefore reflective of the book’s tragedy.

“As well telling of the boy’s life, the novel moves back in time to relay the stories of the boy’s namesakes, all the other LaRose’s in the family genealogy and how each suffered but also survived. This provides a nice symmetry to the young boy’s story of living in two families and his power to heal them both.

“A focus on good and bad is apparent, along with the message that a good person can do bad things and that one who commits evil should not be given up on. As such the theme of redemption comes through strongly as the two families rebuild not only for the loss of Dusty, but also connections with other family members.

“La Rose felt like a whole and complete work where all features tied together and issues were raised and settled without ever appearing twee or predictable. For the second month following, the free rangers all concurred in our feelings for the month’s book. And that was that this book is touching and poignant and certainly worth reading and recommending.

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Published 2016
Harper
372 pages

READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Becks

A 50-year-old failed novelist avoids his ex’s wedding by attending a series of obscure literary events

“There are two important facts any potential reader should know about this book:
1. The author – a gay, middle-aged, white man – writes about a a gay, middle-aged, white man who is writing about a a gay, middle-aged, white man who is writing about a a gay, middle-aged, white man.
2. It won the Pulitzer.”

“Arthur Less, the central character, is a struggling novelist who, in a bid to miss his ex’s wedding, accepts every trivial literary invitation that comes his way. His  journey through several countries is intriguing, with various Odysessian and Joycean references. Less attempts to re-write his latest novel, Swift, but the tragic hero he was hoping to capture turns out to be a comic fool instead. Much like Less himself. And what we all agreed upon, in the Freerange bookclub,  was that Arthur Less’s disappointing persona made him lifeless, a character we neither loved nor loathed. Connecting with him and his story of woe was difficult.

“What was interesting however was that while debunking the characterisation of Arthur Less we recalled his antics with laugh-out-loud amusement. ‘I didn’t laugh when it happened in the book, but now it’s funny when we talk about it.” Jo mused. And no one could offer an explanation why.

“So the book became a tale of contradiction for us all. Was it boring? Was it genius? Could it be both? Was that the intention? It was hard to tell. Even the ending encapsulated this confusion with both an interesting twist and a predictable conclusion all in one. None of us was sure how to truly capture how we felt about the book, other than we’d all struggle to recommend it to a friend. And I guess that says it all.”

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Published 2017
Lee Boudreaux Books
273 pages