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Dance Move by Wendy Erskine is a collection of short stories that brings to life a broad and varied cast of characters, each trying to move forwards in their lives. Binding these stories together is the profound impact that moments in our past can have, either shaping how our lives have progressed or simply resurfacing unexpectedly in our present, eliciting deep emotions and impacting our decisions. Almost halfway through 2022, I’m steadily working my way through my TBR pile but also taking a moment to think back on some of the books from 2021 that I loved so much and can’t wait to pick up again. On this Father’s Day, what are some of your favourite books exploring father-child relationships, both the heartwarming and the more complex? Wunderland by Caitríona Lally is a wonderfully conjured portrait of two siblings, each struggling with life in their own way. Roy has been swiftly exiled to Germany, after some rumoured scandal back home, to work in Hamburg’s miniature model railway world. Gert decides to visit him, with the aim of getting to the bottom of what led to this exile. What follows is a darkly funny and poignant exploration of people somehow living on the fringes, struggling to move forward easily in life, and exasperated by the way the majority seem to live so unburdened. Intimacies by Lucy Caldwell is a short story collection exploring the experiences of young women trying to make their way in this world. The cover design by Jack Smyth now seems particularly apt. These are particular women, yet these could be any woman; the stories detail experiences which are often both personal and, at their essence, universal. I was gripped, and felt connected, from the first story; a story about the exhaustion, the chaos, the trying to fill the days calmly, the emotional roller coaster, the sometimes overwhelming sense of responsibility, the snap decisions and the terrifying ‘what-if’ moments of motherhood with young children. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak is a beautiful and captivating novel about love and loss, identity and displacement, devastation and renewal. At once heartbreaking and hopeful, the story spans several points in time across almost half a century, taking us from war-torn Cyprus of the 1970’s to London of the late 2010s. Spotlight today on this gorgeous book celebrating the joy, and profound benefits, of books and reading. Edited by @mariapopova (of that wonderful website and newsletter The Marginalian) and Claudia Bedrick, it’s a collection of letters, written by a host of well-known names from a variety of fields and backgrounds, directed at the young readers of today. Fight Night by Miriam Toews is an exuberant and compelling story about three generations of women, living together in a house in Toronto which is loud, chaotic and full of cursing but, at its heart, brimming with love. Our nine-year-old narrator Swiv lives with pregnant Mom and elderly Grandma. When Swiv is expelled from school for fighting, Grandma is tasked with homeschooling, and her highly alternative yet often practical approaches provide many of the early laughs. The first half of the novel deals largely with day-to-day activities, focusing on building up a vivid portrait of these characters and their family dynamic, while the second half of the novel sees Swiv and Grandma embark on the adventure of a lifetime to California. In a bid to diminish the ever-growing TBR piles I have just posted about (I have since discovered even more unread books in this house) I am excited, if a little daunted, to be taking part in this year’s #20booksofsummer22 challenge hosted by @cathy_746books.
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