The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Women’s Prize: 2022
After loving the Women’s Prize shortlist in 2023, we have decided to back read the Women’s Prize shortlists. The finalists for the year we have completed were so readable, meaningful and highlighted the female experience. That’s a winning reading combo we want to chase more, so it’s off to the 2022 shortlist.
Late in 2023 Suzy and Rachel completed the titles they had not already read and over the hot summer shared their thoughts and analysed the six titles, deciding which book they would have picked as winner.
The finalists were:
The Bread The Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agnostini. Trinidadian Alethea has an abusive past and present. She is trying to forge a career and make something of herself but her controlling boyfriend and secrets from the past are set to thwart her.
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. This is a haunted book, starting with a ghost in a bookstore but includes characters haunted by the past, by racism, by Covid and by secrets. Set in Minneapolis, its leading character is a former felon married to the man who arrested her.
Sorrow & Bliss by Meg Mason. A love story about Martha and Patrick and the impact that Martha’s undiagnosed mental illness has on their relationship. It is heartfelt but also funny and dark humoured. As the title says, the book, and the relationships in its pages, are filled with bliss but also much sorrow.
The Book Of Form & Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. A boy begins hearing voices after the death of his father. Of the objects speaking to him is a book about his life who in part narrates this book to the reader. A study of grief and madness in a surreal setting, with a struggling mother-son relationship at the centre of it.
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. A father and daughter struggle after the death of their wife/mother. Dual timelines relay the story of the parents’ controversial love affair in war-torn Cyprus, and their life once reunited in the UK. However, escaping the conflict doesn’t remove the emotional consequences of it.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead. Marian Graves is an orphan who becomes a great aviator. She has many obstacles to her dream but is dogged in her determination and finds ways to achieve. A century later Hadley Baxter is examining Graves’ life as she plays her in the movie of her life.
● Suzy: The 2022 shortlist did not f$%k about and was absolutely filled to the brim with violence, addiction and mental illness. Some authors did this more effectively than others and I am at a loss as to why The Book of Form & Emptiness was selected as the winner. I don’t know how I managed to stay fairly unmoved by this family’s tragic circumstances, but the smug narrator (a book) may have had something to do with it.
The rest of the shortlisters all shone, albeit in different ways. It was hard to go past Great Circle as my favourite – it was a breath of fresh air to read a story about a female adventurer and it was just done so well. Sorrow and Bliss and The Island of Missing Trees were also very special and I thoroughly enjoyed them both.
● Rachel: Despair, trauma and mental illness played a big part in the formation of the shortlist in 2022. That may sound miserable but texts that dissect female emotions and the handling of sensitive information are valuable. This honesty gave me a deep sense of connection with (most of) these novels and their characters.
The Island of Missing Trees came out on top for me. The love story, the trauma of war and separation, and a young girl grieving for her mother were powerfully written. I read all 354 pages in one sitting, unable to put it down. Shafak is a very talented writer.
Sorrow and Bliss by Kiwi-born author Meg Mason and Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead came in second and third. The former heart-wrenching, the latter a great adventure. I can’t fault The Sentence but it just wasn’t as captivating for me as the aforementioned titles.
The Bread The Devil Knead was well constructed and written but it had too much traumatic content for me to place it any higher. Like Suzy, I can’t understand how The Book of Form & Emptiness won the prize in 2022. It really took the concept of using metaphors for grief to the nth degree. And there were many subplots shooting off at all angles. The characters felt like characters in a book. I know that sounds weird because they were, but after feeling so much for the characters in the other shortlisted books, I found myself not caring for Benny and his mother.
2023: End Of Year Thoughts
There’s an intriguing stream of literature being published post Covid. That time of constraint and restriction appears to have spurred a greater range of freedoms post pandemic, especially in the way in which writers examine the human psyche and societal change.
Characters we met this year seemed to be strong and oh so convincing but often set in surreal environments to challenge traditional thinking. These alternative realities and magical elements really pushed the character to react, and the reader to examine today’s world, and to re-imagine it. When put under this spotlight, crises of the world and sobering events of the year can be more closely considered and understood; applauded or condemned.
We just wrapped that fog around us like a cocoon.
Cocoon by Zhang Yurean
In our reading this year we explored a diverse assortment of genres that took on all these considerations, pushing us outside of our comfort zones and sometimes right over the edge! It’s no surprise all our Most Shocking Moments came from the same book: Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, a book where humans are harvested for meat.
Motherhood was one common theme we found to be under examination to measures we had not seen before. The pressure of getting it right; the consequences when its not; the relationships children of all ages have with their mothers; lengths to which a mother will go to protect her young; mothering relationships between strangers. As mothers all of us, we were quick to offer opinion on how mothers were portrayed, and wondered has it even been done right yet? There is still much complexity of motherhood to be explored.
So what did we love from our 2023 reading? There were some commonalties, such as admiration of how the crack in the pool in The Swimmers by Julie Otsaka so cleverly represented Alice’s dementia; that Lauren John Joseph had the most interesting author bio; and Tama winding up Rob produced some of the funniest moments.
‘Tama. Don’t you dare.’
The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
‘Maybe you’ve had a nose job. Classic whore move, babe. What the fuck’s a peacharine? Can’t you cut up a fucking potato? I’m not an enemy. This was no suicide, Trent. See the spatter patterns? Do you think it’s hormones? Am I just the workhorse?’
‘Obviously we can’t use profanities,’ said Lakshmi.
‘We can’t use profanities,’ I said.
He’s being a dick on purpose,’ said Rob.
‘He’s being a dick on purpose,’ I said.
Here’s a selection of the rest of our faves:
Best Character
Suzy – Ms Shibata from Dairy Of A Void
Jo – Martha from Sorrow & Bliss
Jodie – Keiko from Convenience Store Woman
Rachel – Ms Shibata from Dairy Of A Void
Following the manager’s cue, we repeated the phrases at the top of our lungs. “We pledge to provide our customers with the best service and to aim to make our store the beloved store of choice in the area!”
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Worst Character
Suzy – Rob from The Axeman’s Carnival
Jo – Thomas James from At Certain Points We Touch
Jodie – Miriam Cornell, the piano teacher, from Lessons
Rachel – Shiraha from Convenience Store Woman
Best Relationship
Suzy – Jiaqui & Gong from Cocoon
Jo – Melanie & Ms Justineau from The Girl With All The Gifts
Jodie – Marnie & Tama from The Axeman’s Carnival
Rachel – Marnie & Tama from The Axeman’s Carnival
Most Atmospheric Setting
Suzy – The convenience store in Convenience Store Woman
Jo – The water tower in Cocoon
Jodie – The convenience store in Convenience Store Woman
Rachel – The slaughterhouse in Tender Is The Flesh
Best Ending
Suzy – Sorrow & Bliss
Jo – The Girl With All The Gifts
Jodie – Tender Is The Flesh
Rachel – Dairy Of A Void
Runner Up Best Book Of The Year
Suzy – Convenience Store Woman
Jo – The Girl With All The Gifts
Jodie – Dairy Of A Void
Rachel – Dairy Of A Void
Book Of The Year
Suzy – Tender Is The Flesh
Jo – Tender Is The Flesh
Jodie – Sorrow & Bliss
Rachel – Tender Is The Flesh
After all, since the world began, we’ve been eating each other. If not symbolically, then we’ve been literally gorging on each other. The Transition has enabled us to be less hypocritical.
Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
The Rabbits – Sophie Overett
READ FOR BOOK CLUB
Chosen by Rachel
16yo teenager Charlie Rabbit goes missing in the midst of an Australian heatwave. The story is about the collateral damage to the already dysfunctional family which must now navigate Charlie’s absence, too. A contemporary story with a touch of magical realism.
I have a theory that a person spends half their life thinking they’re the normal one but the reality is that normal doesn’t exist. People are complicated and they make the wrong choice all the fucking time. They’ve had chicken-shit parents or punchy boyfriends or long, long lives no matter how many years they’ve lived, and those things make them cowards or they make them strong and they make them care about other people too much, or not enough or not at all, and they give them this weird, warped sense of self-preservation and it can’t be navigated by you or me because we might see right now where a person is on a map but we haven’t seen the route they’ve taken to get there. All you can control is you and what’s yours and the choices that you make, not anyone else’s.
● The Rabbits is a work of contemporary Australian fiction with a tender, examining quality but also a nagging hint to expect more than you initially thought. What starts as a simple story of a dysfunctional family with extremely relatable characters and examinations of family dynamics, takes a sudden turn into a magical realist bent. The story is so steeped in reality before this, it makes the U-turn sharp. I enjoyed the magical element for its ability to make us focus even more on the characters left behind and how it supported the themes. Overett has a beautiful turn of phrase, too. I starting dog-earring pages to refer back to but was creasing too many pages and had to stop! My favourite character was Olive, the teenage daughter who was labelled ‘a brat”, however I understood her every action.” – Rachel
● The Rabbits had a point of difference with the magical realism angle. It came as a bit of a surprise, despite knowing something out of the ordinary was coming, but it made the book more interesting to me and I enjoyed this aspect. I admired the author’s characterisation, too. She had me enjoying all the characters, even though some were difficult and frustrating, and their relationships were dysfunctional and lacked communication – I really wanted them to just talk to each other!! One gripe is Delia’s reaction to Charlie’s disappearance. It didn’t ring true to me that a mother would carry on as usual and go to work when her child was missing. However, I became so emotionally invested in this book it had me weeping frequently. I loved The Rabbits, including the ending which involved a promising resolution without being unrealistic.– Jo
● The characters in The Rabbits were lovely – flawed, well-rounded and relatable. Even the less likeable ones still had vulnerabilities that really made me feel for them. There were however aspects of the novel that I found detracted from the story. The magic realism felt jarring and the depiction of a mother with a missing child just wasn’t urgent enough for me. While I was glad to have to met the Rabbit family, I wasn’t completely wowed by their fantastical story. – Suzy
● The first part of The Rabbits is focused on an ordinary dysfunctional family and an ordinary domestic setting. Then, out of nowhere, it took an unexpected twist and we were thrown into a world of magical realism. I really enjoyed this turn of events. Overett made me sit up from the comfort of an easy, flowing story, and made me mentally challenge this unbelievable new element. The novel was written beautifully, and the characters and plot were convincing which in turn made the unbelievable actually quite believable. – Jodie
Published 2021
Penguin Random House
336 pages
Bookerthon – 2023
The announcement of the Booker longlist in 2023 elicited a wide spectrum of reactions in the literary world. There were many unheard of titles amongst the finalists, and those expected to make the list did not. The absence of Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead was the biggest surprise. After winning both the Women’s Prize and the Pultizer Prize, some thought it would take home the trifecta.
But also absent were Salman Rushdie’s Victory City, Eleanor Catton’s Birnham Wood, Deborah Levy’s August Blue, Zadie Smith’s The Fraud … the list goes on. Many book reviewers scored poorly with their prediction lists and some didn’t even try to predict the shortlist, which set off another round of surprised reactions, especially when there were more white men named Paul than women on the list.
It was with trepidation and intrigue that we took on the shortlist this year. What we anticipated was a collection of books with a fresh outlook. Perhaps those expected titles missed out because they were too expected. Maybe these novels were hidden gems breaking the mould of storytelling and taking literature in a new direction.
In Wellington, overlooking the beautiful and blustery Lyall Bay, we found six stories that examined identity and in particular how to create space and to simply be your own person in today’s complex world. And while the characters try to figure this out, the authors throw weighty issues at them: tyrannical governments, extremism, climate change, immigration, racism and xenophobia, poverty, grief and personal shame. There is a lot of no holds barred honesty, amongst which we were able to place ourselves to examine the issues from the inside out.
Stylistically, form is pushed in new directions, too. Linked short stories, a lack of punctuation, use of second person narrative and choosing an absence of words to portray plot are all novel ways to introduce new forms of storytelling – so, yes, a fresh outlook. Hurrah. So, what did we think?
Rachel:
In analysing the shortlist, I couldn’t help but use Demon Copperhead as a yardstick. Yes I thought it would be longlisted, shortlisted and possibly win, so for any of the actual shortlist to justify their inclusion, in my eyes it had to be better than Demon Copperhead. While I liked some of the list and did appreciate their collective world viewpoint, I can’t say they are individually the best six books I’ve read this year. If Demon Copperhead was the seventh book on the shortlist, I would have given it second position. The House of Doors I would have placed third.
My last place is going to This Other Eden. The aspect I thought it had most going for it, its historical merit, turns out to be tenuous and I feel a bit duped in the marketing of the book as historically accurate, when the author himself says it is “90% imagined”. When I didn’t particularly rate the writing style either, I’m left wondering how this book made it this far.
The other book I have evolved feelings about is The Bee Sting. The more time passes, the more I think about it and realise what a phenomenal job the author did in keeping so many plot balls in the air while simultaneously developing the characters and creating a sense of now so thoroughly, then bringing everything together in a mind-bending conclusion.
Western Lane and If I Survive You were both good solid reads that I enjoyed and which offered me content I have not experienced before. I maintain my opinion on Sarah Bernstein’s Study For Obedience, though I know I’m out on a limb there. I wouldn’t be surprised if it won because it is so different and form-breaking.
The book I loved right from the start and never stopped loving, and which I do think is better than Demon Copperhead, is Prophet Song. Paul Lynch had me right there alongside Eilish every step of the way. I felt agony over her decision making, as if it was me that had to decide to stay or leave behind a certain family member. Some scenes just broke me. It feels like there is no more relevant fictional book right now and I really hope it wins.
Suzy:
I had not heard anything particularly positive about the shortlist when it was announced so honestly my expectations weren’t high. I was pleasantly surprised by six books that were all highly readable (not a given with Booker shortlisters!) and also very moving in different ways.
I have appreciated the shortlisters even more since our research on them, with the exception of This Other Eden. This novel is promoted as being based on a true story, but then the author twists historical facts in the worst possible way.
I feel like I have been privileged to get an insight into different times, cultures and countries while reading these exceptional books. However, it has been Prophet Song that’s propelled me into a horrific imagining of how lives can move from ‘normal’ to completely upended so quickly. While the other four novels are all truly fantastic and worthy, I am backing Paul Lynch for the win.
Rachel’s favourites (ranked 1-6)
Prophet Song
The Bee Sting
Western Lane
If I Survive You
Study For Obedience
This Other Eden
Suzy’s favourites (ranked 1-6)
Prophet Song
The Bee Sting
Study For Obedience
Western Lane
If I Survive You
This Other Eden
Western Lane – Chetna Maroo
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
In this coming of age novel, 11-year-old Gopi takes up competitive squash as a way to cope with the grief of her mother’s death and the challenges of being an ethnic minority living in Britain.
● After some wordy novels on the Booker Prize shortlist this year, I very much appreciated the brevity and sparseness with which Chenta Maroo presented Western Lane. There is talent in being able to convey so much emotion and purpose not only with words used, but in words not used.
Like many others I had wondered how engaged I would be with a book about squash, but the characters drew me in from the outset and I appreciated how every move on the court represented Gopi’s outlook on life as she comes of age. The time spent on the squash courts is supported by a strong plot about Gopi’s family, in particular their attempt to overcome their grief, financial hardship and exposure to racism, to be a supportive and successful family unit. An uplifting read despite the sombre themes. – Rachel
I knew how to move on the court, and sometimes I hit beautiful, aggressive shots, but I was inconsistent. Ged had court sense. He knew where he was and where his
opponent was and he knew where to place the ball. In this way, he was an attacking
plater, but sometimes, when he had done the work, when he had set himself up to win, his mind wandered.
● Chetna Maroo’s story about Gopi, the youngest daughter of a grieving family navigating the pre-teen years, is both tender and subtle. Gopi and her family are aware of her special talents, but face the challenge of encouraging her to flourish against a backdrop of a disintegrating domestic environment. As a reader I felt myself strongly hoping that my own will would somehow help achieve Gopi get to where she needed to be.
The writing in Western Lane was without the often overwrought sentences of some of the other Booker shortlisters and somehow this often made it seem ‘less than’. However, as I reflect more on this I think its apparent simplicity was much more clever than I originally thought. – Suzy
Published 2023
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
160 pages
This Other Eden – Paul Harding
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
After inhabiting Apple Island for six generations, the small, multi-racial community face the authorities who decide its time to “cleanse” them. Real events that happened to the people of Malaga Island in 1911.
● While I appreciate that Paul Harding has educated the reading world about the plight of a group of people in history who were displaced and mistreated, I don’t feel like I heard from the people themselves. More, the story was about what happened to them, without their input on the physical, emotional and cultural consequences.
Some parts of the story were compelling but others were wordy and cumbersome and my attention waned, resulting in a bit of re-reading. I finished the book interested in the history and feeling sympathy for these people, but unsatisfied in the reading experience, as if there is still more story to tell. – Rachel
And it seemed as if by sending him off to paint his beautiful pictures they all might somehow unhouse homelessness, might somehow bankrupt poverty. It seemed to all of them that evening as if they somehow might even starve hunger itself.
● I’m looking forward to the research of this book as it definitely feels like the events are unconscionable enough that they could be based on real historical events. There was little solace and the island residents being seen as not quite human brought to mind the treatment of the Aboriginal people in Australia.
With novels like this I often think geez I wish the author could just give us a bit of joy, but any glimmer of hope in This Other Eden would have been misplaced. – Suzy
Published 2023
W W Norton & Co
224 pages
Prophet Song – Paul Lynch
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Prophet Song is set in an alternative Dublin where a tyrannical government is weaving its way into people’s lives, and society is slowly collapsing. It focuses on one family who suffer in many ways and one mother, Eilish Stack, who is trying to hold her family together.
● Surely there is no more pertinent and relevant novel than Prophet Song right now. I am embarrassingly ignorant as to the history of the war that is currently dominating the hearts and minds of so many of us at the moment. I have read articles, I have listened to podcasts and I just can’t get my head around it.
While educating us on specific historical events isn’t necessarily Paul Lynch’s goal, what he has achieved is made the experiences of conflict and war as human and messy and relatable as possible. A devastating read that left me feeling nauseated and bereft. – Suzy
Sooner or later pain becomes too great for fear and when the people’s fear has gone the regime will have to go.
● One of the first stylistic things I noticed in Prophet Song is that while chapters and section breaks exist, this author is not a fan of the <enter> button, even during dialogue. There are also no speech marks or other notations to indicate speech or a change of speaker. I was concerned momentarily, but actually it provided a new kind of reading experience. Firstly, it made me slow down and really read every word. And it simulated the non-stop, rolling events, propelling me from one scene to the next.
As well as the style, I also admired Lynch’s way with words and character development. He has lovely phrasing that can endure or devastate so cleverly. I rollercoastered through the emotions with Eilish as she had a small win or a new tragedy. There is one scene in particular that I think will stay with me forever.
It’s probably obvious I absolutely loved this book. I was completely immersed in the story, and was impressed at how it was stylistically put together. I also appreciated how it made me further consider current world events. – Rachel
Published 2023
One World Publications
320 pages
The Bee Sting – Paul Murray
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
An Irish family saga based around Dickie Barnes, his failing auto dealership and his wife and children who are each dealing with huge issues of their own. A 600+ page drama that investigates each character’s plight indepthly.
● I didn’t connect with The Bee Sting in the first few pages, well the first 100 pages. The story felt menial and I just didn’t care about a teenager, her privileged life and her beautiful friends. If it wasn’t a Booker book I would probably have DNF’d it.
However, persevering proved how important and relevant every part of the novel is to the whole story; to the final package. It’s interesting how each character is built to be a part of the family drama but also their own person struggling with their own issues. Their voices are distinct. The story builds and builds and has one of the best endings. Reading through the wordy lives of the individual characters, and accepting some chapters don’t have punctuation (???) is worth it for the ending.
The book covered off a lot of current issues and it feels like a work of this time and place. I think it will have longevity. Though I don’t consider it perfect by any means, I think it could be a contender for the Booker Prize win. – Rachel
Maybe every era has an atrocity woven into its fabric. Maybe every society is complicit in terrible things and only afterwards gets around to pretending they didn’t know.
● This novel began innocuously enough with a bit of light teenage drama and angst. Yes, I thought to myself, I can handle this. However, The Bee Sting gradually builds the tension, and as secrets were revealed I felt increasingly stressed about how each character was going to find a sense of peace and resolution amidst the increasingly complex layers of their existence. The tension of the final pages was nearly unbearable.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Bee Sting. More than anything it was a ripping yarn and you don’t always get those on a Booker shortlist! – Suzy
Published 2023
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
656 pages
If I Survive You – Jonathan Escoffery
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A series of linked stories about a Jamaican family in Miami, centered around younger son Trelawny and his determination to survive racism, financial woes and Hurricane Andrew.
● I am privileged in that I have generally always had a pretty strong sense of belonging. Whether it has been a new town, a new job or something else entirely I can nearly always guarantee that I’ll soon enough feel at ease and that I’m with my people.
If I Survive You is a masterclass in what it’s like for someone when that sense of belonging is hard to reach and the heartbreaking reasons for not necessarily achieving it. The author did a great job at bringing us along with Trelawny and his experiences felt raw and uncomfortable, as they should. – Suzy
‘Are we Black?’ you ask your mother.
‘Chuh. I was never asked such stupidness before coming to this country. If someone asks you,’ she says, ‘tell them you’re a little of this and a little of that.’
● This book was touted as linked short stories which, to be honest, put me off it from the outset. However, I was proved wrong in my estimations as I was immediately drawn to Trelawny, his life, wry sense of the humour and the weird and wonderful situations he got himself into. I liked the way he analysed situations and people, including himself.
There was never a dull moment in these stories, which did not feel like short stories, it seemed like a novel with each chapter focusing on a new character. Each of them offered a new perspective about acceptance, community, displacement and battling. Some stories are very funny, albeit heartbreaking. In the end I loved it and would recommend it widely. – Rachel
Published 2022
MCD
260 pages
Study For Obedience – Sarah Bernstein
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
A woman moves to the countryside to become a housekeeper for her brother, whose wife has recently left him. Soon after her arrival, several unexplainable events occur and she feels the community’s suspicion towards her growing.
● Well, regardless of whether it wins the Booker or not I am giving my own award to this book for “Most Likely to Induce Nightmares”. The deep sense of unease I felt while reading Study For Obedience has yet to completely leave me and it’s been a good few weeks now since I finished it. It was sometimes just one small moment that would have the nails-down-a-blackboard effect, but there were so many of them in this book. So many! Sarah Bernstein has done a phenomenal job and I would not be surprised if she takes out the win. – Suzy
In the mornings of those first few weeks at my brother’s house, I cherised the silence. I stood at my bedroom window and watched the greens emerge, the trees, the mountains. How to describe how I felt then, pacing the floorboards in my bare feet, unable to tear my eyes away from the world outside, unable to leave the porch, and finding it impossible to stay still.
● Beneath the surface of Study For Obedience is a seductive tale with uncomfortable undertones of a woman meandering around her brother’s property and community, always there, always opinionated and guiding events and never properly engaging with anyone. She is unreliable and as such there is an interestingly paced reveal of key information throughout. I felt like I was always grimacing expectantly as I turned the pages, wondering what was coming next.
However, these undertones were smothered by the surface which is painfully verbose. Clearly language is a theme of the book but even still, this wordiness – whether intended to be the author’s or the narrator’s – was too much for me, dragging out events unnecessarily and providing a stilted reading experience. For example: ‘In short, the state of extreme precarity to which I had been accustomed up until this point, the state of permanent although latent terror that had characterised my existence until then, had prevented me from believing my current situation was anything other than provisional, and as my desire increased to stay in place forever, to remain at the mercy of the weather on the edge of the forest, so did my conviction that something, yes, something would intervene, something terrible would happen.’
Or, to summarise: ‘I thought something terrible would happen.’
This book could have been exceptional if the author didn’t try so hard to be linguistically clever. – Rachel
Published 2023
Knopf Canada
208 pages
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