The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Passing – Nella Larsen
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Chosen by Jodie
Irene Redfield is a black woman living an affluent lifestyle in Harlem. She runs into Clare, an old friend who is “passing” as white and married to a racist. Clare struggles with the disconnection from her community and culture, and Irene struggles with keeping the dangerous secret. This novel was first published in 1929.
It’s funny about ‘passing.’ We disapprove of it and at the same time condone it. It excites our contempt and yet we rather admire it. We shy away from it with an odd kind of revulsion, but we protect it.
● The title “Passing” refers to the practice of passing as a different race, a topic I knew little about. I was fascinated with the concept and incredibly sad that some African Americans of mixed race felt the necessity to pass as white to avoid persecution. Larsen wrote a short novel that was very well done in getting to the core of what she was trying to achieve without the need to overwrite scenes and characters. I was very connected to the story and thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending was brilliantly done! – Jodie
● What a lovely surprise of a novel! I didn’t realise passing was so prevalent in the 1920s and hadn’t realised the true extent of the consequences of it, not only for the person passing but for their friends and family who are in harm’s way keeping the secret. This book details all that with a focused narrative of friendship and rivalry among the socialites, well formed characters and a wonderfully shocking ending. It made me realise how identity and belonging are long-standing struggles. Over time, and still today, people have been moulding their outward appearance and persona in order to fit in or stand out. For a book published 100 years ago there is still so much relevance to today amongst its 116 pages. – Rachel
● A lot of the characters’ deceptions in this novel were sadly necessary to ensure the ability to exist in a deeply racist and bigoted society, however there is certainly deception for more nefarious means as the novel unfolds. Despite being written nearly 100 years ago, many of the themes are still relevant. This is a highly readable and brilliant book. – Suzy
● I was aware of black people passing as white but hadn’t read a lot about it. Passing educated me on the topic and allowed deeper thinking into the intricacies associated with pretending to be someone you’re not in a dangerously prejudiced time. Nella Larson masterfully conveyed complex emotional interactions, especially within our protagonist, and scenes that were easily imagined. The twist at the end was swiftly shocking and satisfying. – Jo
Published 1929
Knopf
141 pages
Bookerthon – 2024
Do you ever feel crestfallen? Do you wonder what is the point? [Orbital]
The above quote bears relevance to all the books on the Booker Prize shortlist for 2024. Existence, creation, humanity, the past and the future seem to be the hot topics this year. Perhaps so much has occurred in recent years that writers and people in general can’t help but reflect on why we are here, how we are here and what the future hold for us.
I used to think there was a ‘before’ and ‘after’ most things that happen to a person; that a fence of time and space could separate even quite catastrophic experience from the ordinary whole of life. But now I know that with a great devastation of some kind, there is no before or after. Even when the commotion of crisis has settled, it’s still there, like that dam water, insisting, seeping, across the past and the future. [Stone Yard Devotional]
Suzy and Rachel pondered these very questions while relaxing on the serene Otago Peninsula, with a sealion named Sophie at the gate and gorgeous views to enhance our sense of place.
We agreed this is a shortlist of other-worldly, mesmerising narratives, whether from people in space, neanderthals, ghosts, spies, slaves, repressed women or atheists in a convent, we are given so many angles from which to examine borderless humanity. The planet and its current state of brittleness is often referred to and this connection with our environment aids the main characters as they question existence and creation. What can we learn from the past? What have we done? Where will we end up as a result of our decision making? What awaits us in the afterlife? After the sun implodes? After we acknowledge our mistakes? What if those mistakes hadn’t happen and we could reimagine the past?
A psychoanalyst looks for clues of repression, of what a patient has hidden from others and more, importantly, hidden from himself. The deepest repression of all is the story of those who came first, before we did, long before the written-down. We must unpack what these earlier lives might mean for us, and for our future. [Creation Lake]
It’s a collection that touches on many philosophical ideologies: the spiritual, scientific, supernatural and existential, but without ever delving so deep to end up in the realm of unattainability. It feels like a shortlist about the need to belong, at a time when people feel lost; it’s a super aware collection of stories that made us contemplative about identity, about how one can mould, distort or discard their outward appearance on a whim.
Love confirms who a person is, and that they are worth loving. Politics do not confirm who a person is. [Creation Lake]
The traditional linear narrative construct is challenged in 2024. Alongside the more traditional novel presentations we are also rewarded with poetic fragments, ethereal space odysseys, responses to classic literature, expressions of repression and erotica, biblical interruptions and cave dwelling scriptures. This shortlist forces you to forgo what you know of the traditional novelistic structure, to trust the author in their narrative experimentation and surrender to a new version of storytelling.
He did not believe that the mystery at the heart of things was amorphous or vague or a discrepancy, but a place in us for something absolutely precise. He did not believe in filling that space with religion or science, but in leaving it intact; like silence, or speechlessness, or duration. [Held]
● My initial favourite was James by Percival Everett. What a genius for creating a companion piece to an original work of literature. He does not condemn or criticise but reclaims a lost voice. It’s an important piece of work that was a propelling read from start to finish.
But then I read Creation Lake and was swept away by the beguiling Sadie Smith. Her brazenness to take over the story, and her unique, refreshing take on a female lead had me star struck. Despite her villainous intentions, I loved her personal journey. I wanted her to be the best spy and infiltrator she could be. Her and Kushner’s profound observations of life past and present impressed me deeply and pushed the book to the top of favourites list.
Though to be honest, I would be happy if either this, James, Stone Yard Devotional, Orbital or Held won. I loved and appreciated them all. The Safekeep was the exception for me. I felt it had deficiencies and My Friends by Hisham Matar would have been more deserving of its place on the shortlist. – Rachel
There are moments, moments like this, when an abstract longing overcomes me, one made all the more violent by its lack of fixed purpose. The trick time plays is to lull us into the belief that everything lasts forever, and, although nothing does, we continue inside that dream. And, as in a dream, the shape of my days bear no relation to what I had, somehow and without knowing it, allowed myself to expect. [My Friends]
● It’s been an interesting mix of books this year, from the adrenaline-filled intensity of James to the quiet pacing of Stone Yard Devotional. I was quite challenged by the unconventionally written Orbital and Held, but was also wowed by the undeniable genius of these writers.
Overall my pick for the win is James. Percival Everett has written a book that is unputdownable, unforgettable, and deeply moving. – Suzy
There is no God, child. There’s religion but there’s no God of theirs. Their religion tells that we will get our reward in the end. However, it apparently doesn’t say anything about their punishment. But when we’re around them, we believe in God. Oh, Lawdy Lawd, we’s be believin’. Religion is just a controlling tool they employ and adhere to when convenient. [James]
Suzy’s rankings
James
Creation Lake
Stone Yard Devotional
The Safekeep
Held
Orbital
Rachel’s rankings:
Creation Lake
James
Stone Yard Devotional
Orbital
Held
The Safekeep
Creation Lake – Rachel Kushner
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A 34 year old secret agent using the alias Sadie Smith infiltrates an activist collective in Southern France. Past, present and the future are examined in this region of centuries-old farms and ancient caves as Sadie becomes entranced by the preachings of the collective’s leader, Bruno Lacombe, who believes the path to a secure future is a return to the ancient past.
But why would you want to survive mass death? What would be the purpose of life, if life were reduced to a handful of armed pessimists hoarding canned foods and fearing each other? In a bunker, you cannot hear the human community in the earth, the deep cistern of voices, the lake of our creation.
● Sadie Smith is my favourite character of the Booker shortlist. She is focused and resolute, sarcastic and wry. She is neither pitiful nor super heroic as female leads often are, but instead a beguiler who has taken over from Rachel Kushner in the telling of the story and in the creation of herself. She offers a reliable outlook because she’s so blatant and bold in the telling of herself. I felt swept away in her life and her persona.
As Sadie infiltrates the activist group in Southern France, she reads the leader’s manifest emails which challenge his followers to examine the past as a way to find resolution for the future. His voice and hers challenge the reader in equal measure but in different ways and fit together like puzzle pieces. He examines astrology, philosophy, ideologies, capitalism, technology and history; he is a God-like figure spouting belief from beyond visibility. Her astute observations of humanity and behaviour are resultantly affected, and as D-Day approaches for intervention at the collective, she begins to re-examine her own identity and creation.
I love to analyse characters and Sadie is so layered, I felt like I could ponder her all day. Bruno’s observations are equally fascinating. Plus I loved the slow burn of a plot and the appropriate ending to this book. Rachel Kusher is a talented writer of nuance and has kept me thinking aplenty since I read the last page. – Rachel
● While I don’t agree with the Observer comment that this is some kind of a Kill Bill/John le Carre hybrid, I do agree that it’s smart, funny and compulsively readable.
I’ll always prefer a book that places me smack-bang into the action, rather than holding me at arm’s length, and I thoroughly enjoyed feeling somehow enmeshed in the life of this undercover American spy in France. The gradual building of tension was as enjoyable as the climactic scene, which is not always the case in books with a similar structure. Another great read from Rachel Kushner. – Suzy
Published 2024
Scribner
416 pages
Orbital – Samantha Harvey
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One day in the life of six astronauts in a space station, hurtling around earth 16 times. They admire and ponder life from afar, considering humanity from the Big Bang, current environmental crises through to thoughts on where humanity might end up.
The earth, from here, is like heaven. It flows with colour. A burst of hopeful colour. When we’re on that planet we look up and think heaven is elsewhere, but here is what the astronauts and cosmonauts sometimes think: maybe all of us born to it have already died and are in an afterlife. If we must go to an improbable, hard-to-believe-in place when we die, that glassy, distant orb with its beautiful lonely light shows could well be it.
● I am unsure how this author (who I am guessing has not been to space) managed to give this reader (who has also not been to space) a deep comprehension of what life on a space station is like. I somehow now feel mentally prepared should I ever get the call-up from NASA – how the hell has Samantha Harvey done this?! This book doesn’t have too much of a plot/storyline, but rather has a ‘vibe’. I can’t sustain ‘vibe’ books for very long, but Orbital was beautifully written and the perfect length. – Suzy
● Orbital is an examination of humanity, of our past, our current and our future. By placing a select few people in space, watching over Earth in all its beauty and destruction, as humans go through the steps of life, Harvey provides an ethereal observation of existence. There is not much of a plot yet there is always something happening, and what happens is profound and beautiful and thought provoking. – Rachel
Published 2023
Atlantic Monthly Press
207 pages
Held – Anne Michaels
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Beginning with a soldier injured in the WWI trenches and observing three subsequent generations of family, Held is a kaleidoscopic narrative of memories, dreams and the supernatural. Held together by symbols, metaphors and motifs rather than a traditional linear narrative, Michaels asks the reader to surrender to a looser and more poetic structural form than we are used to in novels.
There are so many ways the dead show us they are with us. Sometimes they stay deliberately absent, in order to prove themselves by returning. Sometimes they stay close and then leave in order to prove they were with us. Sometimes they bring a stag to a graveyard, a cardinal to a fence, a song on the wireless as soon as you turn it on. Sometimes they bring a snowfall.
● There were many moments throughout Held where I was very engaged and feeling quite desperate to find out what was ahead for the characters. Increasingly though, it became hard to follow what exactly was happening and how the different chapters were meant to link with each other. This took the novel from enjoyable to frustrating for me. I don’t mind a challenging read, but this was too much for me and my brain. – Suzy
● Held is told in fragments that are sometimes pages long and sometimes only one sentence. Whatever their length they are poignant and poetic and powerful. The book starts with a man in the trenches in WWI, injured and hoping not to die. Spoiler alert, he doesn’t die and in chapter two he is photographing portraits and somehow capturing ghosts of the past. This becomes a theme of the book, which despite it’s brevity manages to encapsulate four generations of one family, their internal struggles and how each is moving through life and death. The book does have a loose structure and this did hinder the flow for me. While I thought every word was beautiful, I spent a lot of time trying to understand the novel’s meaning. – Rachel
Published 2023
McClelland & Stewart
240 pages
The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden
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It’s 1961 and the people of Dutch town Overijssel are adjusting to life post war. Living alone in her late mother’s country home, Isabel leads a life of routine and discipline. Much to her disgust, her brother Louis dumps his new girlfriend Eva at Isabel’s doorstep announcing she is to stay for a month. As the days go by the two women and the house all start revealing their secrets.
Isabel had never known loneliness like that, one that arrived without the promise of leaving.
● Wow, this book took some very unexpected twists and turns. Sorry to the person I sat beside on a flight from Wellington to Dunedin who casually glanced across while I was reading some of the more interesting scenes but honestly that is on you.
I was wondering what the circuit breaker was going to be for the ongoing tension between the two main characters, and once this happened things moved a lot more quickly. We talk a lot in Aotearoa about mana whenua and the sense of belonging, it was was interesting to read about how this might look in a different cultural context. – Suzy
● I have mixed feelings about The Safekeep. I think the author has a lovely writing style and has paced this book well. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the historical, post-war setting and plot, which I can’t mention further as it will provide spoilers. Societal expectations of the ’60s and constraints placed on women are also explored well.
But unfortunately, I did not connect with the characters. Isabel, Eva, Louis and Kendrik were flat and one dimensional to me, and in the beginning I didn’t have feelings for any of them. Though, later I did come to care for one character. I found several plot points far too convenient, especially the diary left behind accidentally only to be read by a crucial someone else. And I wasn’t a fan of the ending. Maybe when Suzy and I meet in person and discuss this book further I might be inclined to get off the fence one way or the other. – Rachel
Published 2024
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
272 pages
Stone Yard Devotional – Charlotte Wood
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A grieving, unnamed narrator attends a spiritual retreat at a convent, departs and returns again with no plan of leaving. As an atheist she is committed to giving back through hard work rather than praying. Set over Covid, the narrator finds herself fighting a plague of mice and preparing for the return of a former nun’s bones.
I used to think there was a ‘before’ and ‘after’ most things that happen to a person; that a fence of time and space could separate even quite catastrophic experience from the ordinary whole of life. But now I know that with a great devastation of some kind, there is no before or after. Even when the commotion of crisis has settled, it’s still there, like that dam water, insisting, seeping, across the past and the future.
● This is quite a philosophical book, examining existence and religion and humanity and womanhood, and running all these ideas into one cohesive story without them challenging each other for air. The idea of an atheist living at a convent shows how goodness comes in many forms and that another’s perspective of community can be different but just as important as your own. The inclusion of Covid as a timeline is a reminder that faith and working for the greater good pertain to more than just religion. It is a slow burn of a read, mimicking the crawling pace of grief, of the Covid years, of hard work and of the ageing nuns. I liked it and am glad it was shortlisted. – Rachel
● If I was asked to summarise what Stoneyard Devotional was about I would say “not much really”, yet it somehow completely drew me in. I loved the petty interactions at the convent and the deep wonderings of the main character that, while revealing, often lead to nothing in particular. Fear not, there was still enough of a plot to keep a plot-driven reader engaged – even if at times it involved far too many mice. – Suzy
Published 2023
Allen & Unwin
320 pages
James – Percival Everett
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A re-imagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but told from the point of view of the slave, Jim, or James as he prefers to be called in this book. James escapes his owner when he hears he is to be sold, and Huck runs from his violent father. The two meet up and sail away together down the Mississippi River, trying to dodge harm but getting caught up in sorts of situations along the way.
I had never seen a white man filled with such fear. The remarkable truth, however, was that it was not the pistol, but my language, the fact that I didn’t conform to his expectations, that I could read, that had so disturbed and frightened him.
● Some books gently carry the reader through a story. They softly guide us into heartfelt revelations and moments of joy. Be assured that James is no such book. The visceral fear and utter sadness I felt while reading this book kept me awake at night and as the book came closer towards its conclusion the adrenaline surge was almost overwhelming.
There was one particular moment near the start of the book where I just thought god damn Percival Everett you are actually a genius. I don’t know if this book is one where I would say I ‘enjoyed’ it, but I did love it. A very strong start to my Booker shortlist reading. – Suzy
● In the original, Jim was a caricature, existing only to make Huckleberry Finn look good when he treated the slave with kindness. What Percival Everett has done is give James dimension and a clear voice. As such, James is an astute, clever and good man who puts on an act when white folk are within cooee in order to let them feel superior. Beneath the bravado and dry humour, James lives in a constant state of fear. The stress he has for his safety, and that of his friends and family is immense and it creates a more meaningful read than either Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn.
It was an honour to hear the story from James’ side. Percival Everett is a genius for writing this. I felt for James as though he was a real person and I wanted to cry and/or rejoice at his day to day outcomes. This is an important book, and a riveting read and I’m sure it will join the classic lists in time. – Rachel
Published 2024
Knopf Doubleday
303 pages
Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell
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Chosen by Suzy
Set in the 1580s, this book is about Shakespeare and the events that led to him writing the play Hamlet. It is told not from his point of view, but from that of his wife, who is left in Warwickshire to raise three children, one of whom is Hamnet/Hamlet, and battle various illnesses and plagues. A story of motherhood, marriage and grief.
What is given may be taken away, at any time. Cruelty and devastation wait for you around corners, inside coffers, behind doors: they can leap out at you at any time, like a thief or brigand. The trick is never to let down your guard. Never think you are safe. Never take for granted that your children’s hearts beat, that they sup milk, that they draw breath, that they walk and speak and smile and argue and play. Never for a moment forget they may be gone, snatched from you, in the blink of an eye, borne away from you like thistledown.”
● I loved the shift from the famous playwright to the important person who he married – Agnes Hathaway. The domestic focus was long overdue and done in such a comprehensive and rich way that I wasn’t particularly interested in knowing more about the man who is otherwise revered. The depiction of grief was both gripping and devastating. – Suzy
● I was drawn in and captivated by this well-researched work of historical fiction based primarily around Shakespeare’s wife and the tragic loss of their 11-year-old son Hamnet. The novel was easy and uncomplicated to follow, full of beautifully written descriptive passages. A very emotional and heart-rending novel with a great ending that left me with chills.– Jodie
● This opened my eyes to another side of life for Shakespeare, seeing life through his wife and family’s outlook. I was made to think about the harsh reality of normal life at this time where losing a child in particular was common place. The descent into grief was heartbreaking and seemed realistic (having never myself, thank god, experienced such awfulness). A little bit of seeing into the future and a few ghosts rounded out the story nicely. I would recommend this book. – Jo
● As with all her books, Maggie O’Farrell has an unparalleled style of writing. It is breathtaking, especially when dealing with grief and anguish. My only ‘but’ is that sometimes the descriptions get a little wordy, but I am being overly critical here because her work is of such a high standard and I will always read anything new she writes. Hamnet is an incredibly moving book. I appreciated the story of a famous man being told from the point of view of his wife, detailing all that she went through to allow him to achieve greatness. – Rachel
Published 2020
Tinder Press
372 pages
Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead – Olga Tokarczuk
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Chosen by Jo
Janina lives alone in a desolate, snowy part of Poland near the Czech border. She studies astrology, over analyses everything and has a fiercely protective nature for the animals of the region. She becomes concerned when the police don’t seem to be properly investigating the suspicious deaths of her neighbours.
I find this division of people into three groups—skiers, allergy sufferers and drivers—very convincing. It is a good, straightforward typology. Skiers are hedonists. They are carried down the slopes. Whereas drivers prefer to take their fate in their hands, although their spines often suffer as a result; we all know life is hard. Whereas the allergy sufferers are always at war. I must surely be an allergy sufferer.
● While reading Drive Your Plow I felt the cold, I could see the setting and the characters became very real, quite quickly. It was darkly humorous in places with some great stand out funny scenes. I enjoyed the murder whodunnit story but did find myself becoming bored with all of the astrology detail. Overall, quite an enjoyable book. – Jo
● The aspect I enjoyed most about this novel was the construction of the main character Janina, a middle aged, eccentric woman. Janina makes hilarious observations about the people within her remote community, giving them funny nicknames that reflect their personalities. I enjoyed the style and pace of the book and thought the author was very creative in how she addressed the issues Poland has with women’s rights and animal protection. It’s a cleverly written novel that is well worth a read. – Jodie
● It concerns me that I increasingly feel a connection with these slightly weird and rebellious characters we’re coming across, but it is what it is. This novel felt almost dreamlike with the setting of heavy snow and I therefore felt a wee bit of a disconnect, but overall I loved the animal rights storyline and enjoyed being transported to this unsettling and strange Polish village. – Suzy
● I love an unreliable narrator and dark themes and this was rewarding with both. Janina is a well constructed character and I loved her nosiness, her misguided morals and her outspokenness. Shout out to the translator who has created excellent atmosphere and intrigue which we can only presume is reminiscent of the original book. This is a literary thriller that will find favour with many readers. – Rachel
Published in Polish 2009
Translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones 2018
Fitzcarraldo Editions
288 pages
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