The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
James – Percival Everett
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
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
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
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
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
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
All Fours – Miranda July
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Rachel
A 45 year old artist plans a roadie from LA to New York. Twenty minutes into the drive, she exits the freeway, rents a motel room, and undertakes a transformation of the room and herself, leading her on a journey other than what she imagined. A multi-genre, boundary pushing work that encompasses themes of quest/adventure, family, intimacy, self discovery & comedy.
For me lying created just the right amount of problems and what you saw was just one of my four or five faces- each real, each with different needs. The only dangerous lie was one that asked me to compress myself down into a single convenient entity that one person could understand. I was a kaleidoscope, each glittering piece of glass changing as I turned.
● All Fours is fabulous and hilarious. It has a fast moving and never predictable plot and convincing characters who live modern lives that challenge traditional societal beliefs. The main character has a dry sense of humour, sees people and the world with a great sarcastic wit and seeks new and exciting experiences that sometimes shock, sometimes resonate but always entertain. She behaves in new ways to what I am used to in fiction and in life, but in doing so she empowers perimenopausal women to freely examine intimacy and all forms of expression. All Fours turns the mid-life narrative on its head to positively reinforce menopause, a time when women are becoming their own woman. If I read another book where a woman’s powerful, mid-life transformation is referred to as a “mid life crisis” or a “breakdown”, I will lose my shit (in a positive, transformative way). I highly recommend this book. – Rachel
● All Fours was a wild ride for sure! It perfectly captured the weird soul-searching that we seem to end up doing during middle-age or, more accurately, peri-menopause. Miranda July is out there living her best life and is not afraid to be vulnerable or do things unconventionally, and that is putting it mildly. I feel so positively influenced by her energy and I feel like this book is one to be absolutely cherished. – Suzy
All of the hormones that made me want to seem approachable so I could breed are gone and replaced by hormones that are fiercely protective of my autonomy and freedom.
● All Fours tells the story of a woman’s journey through perimenopause and her sexual awakening. Although our protagonist was often unrelatable to me with her odd behaviour and excessive focus on sex, I ultimately enjoyed her disregard for societal expectations and her pursuit of an alternative marriage. It was easy to read and frequently hilarious, and certainly thought provoking. Not my favourite, but still enjoyable. – Jo
● There are not many books I have put down after finishing and thought “what was that?” but this was one of them. It took me out of my comfort level and opened my eyes on many topics, challenging my perspective on parenthood, sexuality, monogamy and menopause. July has a no holds barred approach to her writing which resulted in a novel that was epic, vulnerable and honest. I thought it was brilliant in the way it could make me laugh and cringe at the same time. – Jodie
Published 2024
Riverhead Books
336 pages
The Whalebone Theatre – Joanna Quinn
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Jodie
The story of Cristabel Seagrave from orphaned girl to WWIII spy. It is told in five acts, each portraying a different slice of her life and the stories of all the people in it. One Act is about the establishment of a stage in a whale’s bones, introducing a life of storytelling. Via each part of her life, Cristabel becomes a stronger, more resilient and capable young woman, culminating in her war experience.
Every route through the lightless city is now an unpredictable one. It is a shadowy moonscape and the bombs change its shape every night. Landmarks evaporate, streets are roped off, and dust falls over everything.
● I feel a lot of readers will enjoy this work of historical fiction. It is well written and researched, has colourful characters and some really descriptive narrative scenes. But, in my opinion, it could easily have been half the length and delved deeper into the characters’ lives and plot. It wasn’t unenjoyable, it just lacked a bit of punch. – Jodie
● Following the Seagrave children’s lives from early childhood through to post-WWII, this story was rich with detail about an extraordinary time in history. I’d never read about the activities of secret agents before and it was eye opening. All the characters were brought to life well, but interestingly there were few villains which flattened the emotional highs for me. There was potential for unlikeable characters such as Digby’s mother, among others, to bring more angst to the story and make it a really powerful read. But it didn’t happen which meant there were very few peaks to the story and I felt a bit let down. – Jo
● This was pleasant enough, but in this genre I have read books that are far more engaging than The Whalebone Theatre. There were certainly sparks of interest but they were far and few between. The main character, Christa, often heard about very interesting and exciting things that were happening for other people and I couldn’t help but wonder why the author wanted us to read about the action from afar. – Suzy
● The Whalebone Theatre is clearly well researched and written. There are five acts covering different times and events in Cristabel’s life and each is as thorough as a stand alone novella. However there was no real climax or pivotal event. Even the makeshift theatre inside a whale carcass doesn’t get as much air time as the title suggests. The characters are well developed but each is confined to the expectations of its role (orphaned girl, Nazi officer, stepmother etc). It seems silly to say but I always felt like I was reading a book, whereas many other authors are able to make me feel as though I lived the experience they are writing about. – Rachel
Published 2022
Knopf
588 pages
Bunny – Mona Awad
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Suzy
Samantha Heather Mackey is a loner in her fiction writing class at Warren University. When she is befriended by a group of girls known as the bunnies she can’t help but be attracted to their Smut Salon clique, despite the horrific rites they are performing on animals and young men. Important topics examined in a surreal/absurdist/horror mash up with an unreliable narrator.
The truth is, if you go to Warren, no matter what is going on in your personal life—hair trouble, existential malaise, ax murder—you do the reading.
● This book seemed to completely take over my life as I was reading it. Why did I want to robotically answer ‘Yes, Bunny’ to everyone who spoke to me? Why was there a spooky taxidermied rabbit in the window of my regular Saturday morning cafe that I had never noticed before? I agree with Margaret Atwood in calling Mona Awad a genius. This book is so layered, so deep, so brilliant. – Suzy
● Trying to figure out what the hell was going on in Bunny was a little frustrating but the unexpected twists and turns and the hypnotic weirdness of Samantha’s reality meant the narrative was captivating rather than annoying. There were many amazing phrases, with emotional content expertly conveyed in a brilliant writing style. After discussing the book’s complexities at book club, we re-read the ending and discovered the punch of a brilliant finish that otherwise could have meandered off into nothingness. I feel like a complete re-read would reveal so many clever details missed on the first read. – Jo
● Bunny is a complex book. By that I don’t mean it’s difficult to read or understand, but it has so many layers, nuances, twists and turns and genre influences it is the kind of book that can keep you pondering for days. Re-reading a single page or paragraph would make me second guess my prior thoughts as there seemed to be several ways to interpret a single event. I love an unreliable narrator and having to guess at the truth of the matter so this was right up my alley. I’d describe it as a mash up of Alice In Wonderland, The Heathers and The Secret History. Adding to the intrigue surrounding this book was the fact that all bookclub members had an unexpected encounter with a bunny within days of bookclub! – Rachel
● Wow! What a crazy, strange journey this novel took me on. I was left thinking what just happened?! It was tricky to decipher what was real and what wasn’t, so in the end I had to give up trying to work it all out and just roll with the chaos. I know this book will have a lasting impression on me and will be one I’ll never forget. I’m sure other readers will feel the same way. But, be warned, you will never be able to look at a bunny in the same light again! Go on, give it a go! – Jodie
Published 2019
Penguin Books
305 pages
2024: Women’s Prize
Families are at the heart of the Women’s Prize shortlist this year, in particular the role of mothers and daughters who are adapting to personal or societal change. The six female leads in the shortlisted novels have treasured but complex relationships with their families that must be carefully navigated as they attempt to overcome upheaval and strive for better.
Their traumas are inherited or forced upon them by circumstance and we as readers are given the opportunity to examine and understand their pains in ways that hit home hard. Each protagonist exhibits resilience, fortitude and acceptance as they overcome adversity.
The settings in which these characters are placed are either real or carefully crafted as to be identifiable. It’s a shortlist of realism, there is no fantasy, sci fi or magical elements in this year’s shortlist, rather admirable hours of research and the portrayal of experiences lived by the authors. It feels like a deeply personal shortlist this year.
Again, the Women’s Prize attracted us with the focus on the female experience and what a diverse range of women’s experience we were presented with. We may have not bonded with every book on the list, but we appreciate the examination of women’s strength from across the ages and across the world and across a range of contexts.
If we let disaster stand in our way we will never do anything. Every day here is a disaster [Enter Ghost]
● Rachel: I had mixed reactions across the individual titles this year but what I did appreciate about the shortlist as a collection was the respectful treatment of the characters and their plights, for they represent the plights of women everywhere. The authors have furnished their female leads with strength as well as flaws, they have explained societal and familial influences on their lives, they have provided context and accountability for their actions. They have provided them successes as well as failures along with the complexities of personality and lived experiences that shape how we view the world. They have made them seen.
It made me realise how often this respect is not afforded to female characters, and how in fact some authors rely on female suffering for the success of their book. I think this year’s Women’s Prize shortlist will change the way I select books in the future and how readily I DNF!
As far as a winner goes, I’d like to pick a two way tie between Enter Ghost and Brotherless Night. Both were spellbinding, taught me lots and made me feel many emotions. However, I will abide by the Suzy And Rachel’s Women’s Prize Judging Rules which, if they existed, I’m sure would stipulate: no ties for winner. So I’ll back Enter Ghost for the win. But to be honest I wouldn’t mind if any of my top five were to win.
My rankings:
1. Enter Ghost
2. Brotherless Night
3. River East, River West
4. The Wren, The Wren
5. Soldier Sailor
6. Restless Dolly Maunder
Imagine the places you grew up, the places you studied, places that belonged to your people, burned. But I should stop pretending that I know you. Perhaps you do not have to imagine. Perhaps your library, too, went up in smoke. [Brotherless Night]
● Suzy: This shortlist felt strangely disjointed with such divergent subject matters that had us leaping from rural Australia in the 1800s to Sri Lanka in the 1980s.
While there were some great reads the standout for me was Brotherless Night. It was a truly outstanding book that has somehow changed my outlook on so many things. It’s historical fiction at its absolute best.
My rankings:
1. Brotherless Night
2. Soldier, Sailor
3. The Wren, The Wren
4. River East, River West
5. Enter Ghost
6. Restless Dolly Maunder
Enter Ghost – Isabella Hammad
READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE
Actress Sonia Nasir returns to Haifa to visit her sister after a relationship breakdown. She is persuaded to perform in an Arabic version of Hamlet amid the violence, highlighting the connection between performance and political protest. At the same time Sonia is navigating ghosts of her own and the country’s, and reuniting herself with Palestine, its past, present and future.
Now the thing about Hamlet specifically is that anyone who plays Hamlet in London, Sonia can back me up here, any Hamlet in London is haunted by all the ghosts of the Old Hamlets, I mean of all the famous actors in the tradition. That’s not meant o pressure you, Wael; in fact, the opposite. Because Wael here is haunted by other things, by things he can’t even express yet, maybe. We are all haunted by a mixture of traditions, events, memories. So I don’t want you to bow down to some grand idea of a far-off English Shakespeare, no as Amin says, Fuck Shakespeare. We’re free to play.
● I found this a captivating story of the beauty of art vs the horrors of war, especially the importance of art, of freedom and expression. Hammad has conveyed how crucial art is to convey political objection when outspoken political statements come at great risk to one’s safety. The characters’ ability and right to act and put on a performance in war-torn Palestine felt like much more than just putting on a play.
The main character Sonia has a see-saw personality. She begins as indecisive and aloof and needing to be led, but by the end she becomes more seen and I was engrossed in her journey. I also enjoyed the author’s diverse presentation of information. The prose and script narrative methods would pull me in close to confide in me, then hold me at arm’s length and let me observe, making me feel like an active participant in the story. – Rachel
● I struggled to engage with Enter Ghost and felt like I was viewing this story through a hazy filter, or somehow was being kept at arm’s length by the author. Perhaps this sense of confusion and nonchalance was deliberate by the author, to help convey the state of the character’s situations but it made for a challenging read for me. – Suzy
Published 2023
Grove Atlantic
336 pages
Brotherless Night – V V Ganeshananthan
READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE
Sashi is a 16-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil with aspirations to be a doctor. Even when civil unrest ensues and her four brothers are caught up in the violence, Sashi still finds a way to help people, at great risk to herself.
I met the first terrorist I knew when he was deciding to become one.
● [Trigger warning: Discusses sexual violence]. Some writers seem to keep the reader at arm’s length and we observe the story that has been created for us. Other authors throw open the front door and warmly invite us into their worlds. Brotherless Night is the latter and the result is both overwhelming and adrenaline-filled. I genuinely feel privileged to have read this very special novel which has approached a terrifying civil war with such strength and nuance.
I would also like to acknowledge the way the author has written about sexual assault. Many authors seem to write these scenes for their own gratification, revelling in the imagined experience of being a sexual violence survivor. VV Ganeshananthan instead conveys the trauma and unrelenting aftermath of sexual violence in war with sensitivity and compassion. – Suzy
● What I came away with after reading Brotherless Night was a deeper understanding of the complexities of civil war. The media often report fractions as good or bad, but Brotherless Night showed me how everyday people get involved because they are desperate to stand up for their families, their communities and their culture. I felt strongly for all the characters and understood the trajectory of their decision making, both rightly and wrongly – though some actions where heartbreaking and difficult to fathom.
V V Ganeshanathan has put all this into a text that is layered, nuanced, plot-filled, character driven and most importantly historically accurate. It’s phenomenal that she can put so much into one story, in a clear concise way. There are many characters but I was never confused about who was who, what their political position was, who their family was and how they had suffered. What’s more the author was respectful of characters’ (and therefore real people’s) trauma, and used restraint and empathy in conveying tragedy. – Rachel
Published 2023
Random House
348 pages
River East, River West – Aube Rey Lescure
READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE
Alva is a 14-year-old half Chinese, half American girl with a secretive mother. They live in Shanghai but Alva dreams of a better life in the US. A coming of age, social drama about the impact of western emigration to Chinese society in the 2000s, told through two narratives: Alva’s in 2007, and her step-father Lu Fang’s in 1985.
‘Just a child’, but it wasn’t true. Something broke and suddenly you were no longer a kid. You were out on your own and no one asked questions. No one paid attention.
● The complex layering of this novel was executed beautifully and at times I felt great sadness for a character only to then feel aggrieved by their actions a few chapters along. All characters, for different reasons, were doing their utmost to hustle and better themselves in an environment that was both challenging and alienating, even for those who were a part of it from birth. I appreciated the insight into modern-day China and the necessary wrestling with the past. – Suzy
● River East, River West certainly portrays what it feels like to be stuck in the middle of two opposing worlds. The author, herself half Chinese and raised in Shanghai, has highlighted many important topics such as race, class, culture, alienation and identity without cluttering up the narrative. I enjoyed the plot and the events and always wanted to get back to the story, but had a mixed relationship with the characters. Sometimes I loved them, sometimes I did not, but that rollercoaster of emotion only made me more invested in the outcomes. A book with a satisfying ending. – Rachel
Published 2024
William Morrow
354 pages
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