Paterson Loarn's Blog: Paterson Loarn on Goodreads, page 6

The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu

The narrator of Wenyan Lu’s mesmerising novel The Funeral Cryer is a middle-aged woman who lives in a remote Chinese village. She leads the mourning at funerals by eulogising the deceased and piling on emotional pressure until everyone is in tears. Her work is well paid, but because of it she is labelled unlucky and shunned by her neighbours. The plot follows the Cryer’s everyday life, while she analyses her situation with dry humour and seeks a path to contentment.

None of the characters in The Funeral Cryer has a name. The Husband, the Daughter and the Brother all arouse resentment in the Cryer, but she refers to her parents as Mum and Dad. This implies that in her heart she is still their child. The Husband moved in with her family when they married, so according to local tradition he has a low status. He takes this out on the Cryer by calling her stupid, pocketing the money she earns and playing mahjong in his friends’ houses at all hours. Nevertheless she defers to him and does all the housework and cooking. Her main pleasure in life is having her hair done by the Barber, and these grooming sessions become more frequent after the Husband shows an interest in a woman nicknamed Hotpot. The story unfolds to a surprising and darkly comedic conclusion.

The Cryer respects ancient conventions and traditions, even though they work against her. Rejection by her community has ruined her life, but she admits that if the roles were reversed she would do the same. The only thing she questions is why the names of the surrounding villages refer to landscape features which do not exist. The Funeral Cryer makes the reader think about women’s universal roles, poverty, our attitudes to death and how names can dictate people’s roles in society. I found it spellbinding.

I was gifted a copy by Allen & Unwin in return for an honest review.

The Funeral Cryer

Author Interview: Alex Pearl

Alex Pearl's latest novel is A Brand to Die For, a comic murder mystery set in the pre-digital advertising world of 1983. I talked to Alex about his writing pathway and his views on book marketing.

LOARN: Tell me a bit about yourself.
ALEX: I live in NW London with my wife. Both our kids have flown the nest. I was brought up in the London suburbs. I wasn't particularly academic at school but I was good at art and English, so I went to art college and became an advertising copywriter. I started writing fiction in 2007 and my first book 'Sleeping with the Blackbirds' was published in 2011. My biggest influences were through school and later at work. I had a wonderful English teacher by the name of Clive Lawton. He was totally unconventional but a brilliant teacher. Then as a copywriter, I encountered brilliant people. One such person was my Creative Director in the mid-80s, Ken Mullen. He was an encouraging, supportive and nurturing boss, and he was great fun. He once created a press campaign for real fires for the Solid Fuel Advisory Service. This involved commissioning novelists to wax lyrical about their own real fires at home. Among the authors commissioned was the fabulous Beryl Bainbridge, and I was fortunate enough to sit next to her at the awards dinner. It was inspirational to chat with this lovely, down-to-earth lady who also happened to be one of the greatest living novelists in the country.

LOARN: How would you describe your writing? Are there particular themes that you like to explore?
ALEX: I’m a bit of a magpie in the sense that I steal stuff from all around me. I don’t think I have a writing style as such. This may be down to my background in advertising where I was expected to adjust my writing style and tone of voice to suit the audience I was addressing. The three novels I have written to date represent different genres: YA urban fantasy; political and psychological thriller; comic murder mystery. There are universal themes: trust; deception; friendship; love.

LOARN: Are you a planner or a pantser?
ALEX: I’m definitely a planner. I usually spend ages planning a detailed synopsis. When I set about writing The Chair Man, I spent almost two years reading around the subject and taking notes and working on a detailed synopsis. A Brand to Die For didn’t require as much research as I was writing about the advertising world I inhabited during the 80s.

LOARN: What was the first book you read?
ALEX: Stig of the Dump by Clive King, a wonderful book about a little boy who discovers a caveman or caveboy at the bottom of his grandparents’ garden.

LOARN: How much research do you do and what does it usually entail?
ALEX: It depends. When writing The Chair Man, which is a thriller set in 2005 following the terrorist attack on London, I needed to become au fait with the politics and the way in which terrorists used the internet. Conversely, my first book and most recent didn’t require any research to speak of.

LOARN: Do you ever base your characters on people you have encountered in real life?
ALEX: Yes, absolutely. Most of my characters are probably amalgams of people I have come across in real life. In my first book Sleeping with the Blackbirds, there is a character straight out of my childhood who was a disabled gardener. And in A Brand to Die For, the character Danny Deedes is based very closely on the late Ronnie Kirkwood who I had the pleasure of working for in 1980.

LOARN: Which was the last book you read that blew you away?
ALEX: I thoroughly enjoyed An Unmarriageable Man by Ashok Ferrey who is one of the 100 authors I interviewed for my book 100 Ways to Write a Book. I was delighted to learn that An Unmarriageable Man won the Gratiaen Prize in 2021.

LOARN: How do you market your books?
ALEX: I sometimes offer my books for free and use marketing services like the Fussy Librarian and Free Booksy, which have led to several thousand downloads. Gaining proper sales is far more difficult. I have achieved modest success with my recent novel, which is set in the world of advertising by messaging Linkedin contacts who are engaged in marketing. I use social media as well with modest results. But I prefer to write the next novel rather than spend time marketing.

LOARN: What are your interests aside from writing?
ALEX: I enjoy reading and listening to live music. I go to lunchtime classical recitals in London during the week. I also enjoy gardening, painting abstract compositions on glass, and cooking.

LOARN: Which authors do you particularly admire and why?
ALEX: Charles Dickens for his wonderfully colourful dialogue, unforgettable characters, and wit; George Orwell for the art of brevity; Graham Greene and John le Carre for their humanity and acute powers of observation; and Kurt Vonnegut for his chutzpah in daring to break every writing convention known to man and proving to the world that you can.

I reviewed A Brand to Die For in a previous post on this blog. A Brand to Die For

Keepers by Cheryl Burman

Keepers by Cheryl Burman is set in Australia during the late 1940s and early 50s, when two families are thrown together in a camp for migrants. Native Australian Raine, her mother and siblings have left their countryside home, so that Pop can be treated in a Sydney hospital. Teddy, an English carpenter, has travelled from London with his family and friend Alf, to escape the devastation caused by WW2. Were it not for war and disease Raine and Teddy would never have met, but when they do, sparks fly.

The young migrants find ways to have fun. Raine, Teddy and Alf enjoy dances, birthday parties and day trips to Luna Park. Burman brings the period to life with many well researched details of everyday life. There is a strong sense of place in descriptions of the camp, the offices where Raine and her sister work and the isolated hillside where she makes a home. Visits to the hospital where Pop is being cared for give insight into how a close-knit family copes with the declining health of a beloved parent.

The story is told mainly from Raine’s perspective, but also from Teddy’s. There are switches in time as well as points of view. The first chapter introduces Raine when she is pregnant and living in poverty with her infant son. Raine badly needs help, but when she approaches her in-laws she is insulted and given only minimal support. Questions come to mind. Where is Teddy? What became of their dreams of happiness? Why is Alf taking care of Raine?

Raine is an engaging character, and her problems are relatable. I genuinely wanted to know what happened to her and her friends as the story gradually unfolded. Keepers is a slow burner, but there are surprises along the way.

I was given a copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

Keepers

Wahala by Nikki May

‘Wahala’ is the Yoruba word for ‘trouble’. In May’s funny and perceptive debut novel, the trouble is created by a pushy outsider who intrudes herself into the lives of a tight-knit friendship group. Ronke, Simi and Boo have been friends ever since they met at university in Bristol. Their shared British-Nigerian heritage brought them together, and as young professionals they remain close. One of their favourite meeting places is a Nigerian restaurant near their homes in suburban London. When Ronke arrives there to lunch with Simi she expects to share news about her latest relationship, over a feast of pounded yam. Instead she finds Isobel, Simi’s wealthy childhood friend, who is celebrating her divorce by throwing her money around.
Happily married Simi is bound to her former bestie by memories of their Nigerian childhood and a shared love of fashion. Boo embraces Isobel as a distraction from her sweet but dull husband and challenging daughter. Only sensible Ronke, who loves cooking and is not worried about appearances, tries to resist her. But Ronke’s status in the group is weakened by her history of falling for ‘bad boys’ and by Isobel’s scorn for her curvy size 12 figure. Soon Isobel becomes a force to be reckoned with in the lives of the other three women. She has a keen eye for their vulnerabilities, which she manipulates for her own purposes.
The effectiveness of Isobel’s power grab becomes clear in separate narratives, told from the points of view of Ronke, Simi and Boo. She treats them to meals at top restaurants, buys them expensive gifts and invites them to extravagant parties where she chooses and pays for their outfits. This seems like harmless generosity, until Isobel uses the friends’ obligation to her to tempt them into pathways which may lead to their destruction. No secret, however private and personal, is safe with Isobel. Will her cruel deceptions never end? What can she possibly gain from this destruction?
May’s skilfully told tale sensitively explores the strength of female friendship, its weaknesses and resilience. All the characters, including the men, are well drawn and relatable. I recommend Wahala to lovers of witty writing – and scotch bonnet chillis, because Ronke’s recipes in the bonus section are seriously hot.
Wahala: A Novel

The Startup Wife

The Start Up Wife is narrated by Asha, a young Asian-American who devises an ingenious algorithm called the Empathy Module. Her dream is to enable people to connect with others on the basis of whatever gives their lives meaning, and allow them to integrate their belief systems with everything else they care about. After she wins backing for her project from a mysterious ‘tech incubator’ known as Utopia, she decides to drop out of grad school. Modest Asha lacks the confidence to promote her startup, so she persuades her charismatic blond husband Cyrus to front it. Initially Cyrus is reluctant, but eventually he throws himself into developing individual rituals which fulfil the spiritual needs of those who are not attracted by organised religion.
Tahmina Anam’s latest novel is set in New York. The atmosphere of the city that never sleeps pervades the plot, while Asha, Cyrus and their friend Jules work around the clock to build a platform and launch the empathy app. The couple live with Asha’s parents at first, then move to a stylish apartment where they exist on fast food. Asha lives and breathes WAI, which is pronounced why as in ‘Why am I here?’ But it is Cyrus’ magnetic personality which WAI reflects. When Asha’ business begins to make money she knows it is because of his relationship with the subscribers.
The heady excitement of starting a business is set against a background of cultural differences and everyday family problems. Once the friends have committed to WAI there is no backing out. As Jules says, ‘We’ve had a taste – even the smallest taste changes you.’ Anam’s pacy writing style is packed with witty lines and hilarious dialogue which held my attention throughout. Also, she has created well-drawn secondary characters who add to the humour of the story. The conclusion of the novel is ingenious and believable.
The Startup Wife

Love Marriage by Monica Ali

When Yasmin Ghorami introduces her mother Anisha to her fiancé Joe’s mother Harriet, it changes all of their lives. Anisha is a conventional Muslim housewife and home-maker, while Harriet is a wealthy white feminist writer who is famous for being outrageous. To Yasmin’s astonishment they instantly hit it off, and their bond becomes closer while they plan the wedding. Meanwhile, the bride finds herself sidelined and is forced to face harsh reality. Love Marriage follows Yasmin’s emotional journey while she re-evaluates her relationship with Joe, the dynamics of the Ghorami family and her career.
Yasmin and Joe are doctors at the same hospital, where her work with geriatric patients is frustrating but he loves delivering babies. Communication between the engaged couple breaks down after gossip about Joe reaches Yasmin’s ears. Her suspicion that she does not satisfy him in bed creates inward turmoil and a desperate need to prove her sexuality. Author Monica Ali depicts Yasmin as a well-meaning but confused young woman who tries to please everyone, especially her doctor father Shaokat. When the happiness she believes she deserves eludes her, she becomes angry. As a result she is called ‘out of control’ and accused of having ‘a mean streak’. Meanwhile, the two mothers carry on with their wedding plans, oblivious to what is going on under their noses.
Secrets dominate the plot of Love Marriage. Misunderstanding is the main source of humour, especially when it arises from the meeting of two cultures. The Ghoramis are part of the south London middle class Indian diaspora, whereas Harriet has her roots in the west London intelligentsia. It is only when tragedy threatens that Yasmin finds out the truth about Anisha and Shaokat’s love marriage. That is when she finds the strength to be honest with Joe and, most importantly, herself.

The Lock In by Phoebe Luckhurst

The Lock In begins on a fine Saturday morning in April, when three flatmates and a date accidentally lock themselves in the attic of their rented house. No-one has a functioning phone and their absence will not be noticed until Monday morning. The fact that they were expecting to find a stopcock in the attic highlights the gaps in their life skills. How can they escape? What will they do about the flooded kitchen two floors below? Where should the designated toilet area be?
The endearing twenty-something characters are relatable and very funny. In clever ‘third person limited’ narratives told from the differing perspectives of Ellen, Alexa and Jack, author Phoebe Luckhurst shows them wrestling with the practical difficulties and social embarrassment of their situation. Sensitive Ellen fears she may have to pee in a waste bin. Sensible Alexa is worried about the threat to her relationship with Ben. Dutiful Jack is keen to help but cannot decide what to do for the best. The plot thickens when Ellen realises she and Ben have encountered each other before. Memories are shared, resulting in a ‘he said/she said’ confrontation. It looks as if the long-standing friendship of Ellen and Alexa is about to crumble and fall, taking with it Alexa and Ben’s promising love affair. After much drama Luckhurst presents the reader with Ben’s point of view, which casts a surprising light on the matter.
Luckhurst’s flashbacks to small town life in the 1990s are hilarious. I also enjoyed her description of the lifestyles of recent graduates making their way. Alexa is set for a safe career in the civil service, while Ellen and Jack work for risky ethical startups. Ellen’s favourite ice breaker, ‘I am the voice of the UK’s leading brand of CBD infused tampons,’ made me laugh out loud.
The Lock In

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

I listened to an Audible recording of Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, narrated by Miranda Raison, which included an interview with Garmus by Pandora Sykes. In my opinion this novel is a kind of fable. The opening words ‘back in 1961’ are like ‘once upon a time’. Lessons in Chemistry is an entertaining and useful reminder of past struggles told from a place of comparative safety. The male chauvinist attitudes Elizabeth Zott experiences have not gone away, but at least they have been driven underground in many parts of the world.
Elizabeth Zott is a caricature, which is an effective way to present a difficult message. She is a scientific genius, but socially awkward and incapable of adopting the flirtatious mannerisms necessary to appease men. Zott’s beauty would have been a useful tool in progressing her career, but she is unaware of it. As a result she is judged according to prejudices which she cannot understand. Much of the humour in the novel comes from this mismatch. Also, the dialogue is funny and there is a wealth of satire and irony. The reader has the benefit of several points of view, because Garmus cleverly gets inside the head of her characters. One of them is Elizabeth Zott’s dog, and why not? My dog understands every word I say.
In the interview Garmus agrees that not all men are predators, and Sykes comments that at least one of her male characters, Walter Pine, is ‘rather lovely’. Garmus also states that she wanted to salute Zott’s generation of overlooked women and remind herself society has moved forward. She has achieved these objectives superbly. However, there is a scene of sexual violence against a woman and several tragic events, so I found myself growing sad or angry as often as I laughed. Lessons in Chemistry is a comedy in the Shakespearean sense, where dreadful things happen but there is a happy ending.
Lessons in Chemistry

Impossible by Sarah Lotz

Nick and Bee are suddenly thrown together when his email to a defaulting client lands in her inbox. Amused at being called a ‘tweedy twat’ she fires off a witty reply. An irresistible chemistry kicks off between them and they begin to riff one-liners over the ether. Romance is in the air, but the extent of the problems the loved-up pair face becomes clear when they arrange to meet. That is when the reader realises the dilemma of these star-crossed lovers is insurmountable.
The story is mainly told in dual first-person narratives. Bee is working all hours to build up her dressmaking business and Nick is freelancing as a literary editor. Both of them are lonely and open to a relationship, but through no fault of their own, unimaginable difficulties stand in the way of their love affair. Fortunately the nature of their problem allows plenty of scope for humour, and dryly funny email exchanges between the lovestruck couple emphasise their longing to be together.
There is a strong moral vibe in Impossible, because Bee and Nick share an awareness of red lines. Serious issues such as suicide and the climate emergency are discussed, but the author’s excellent writing keeps the tone light. Characters like incompetent investigator Geoffrey, grumpy pensioner Lily and Nick’s landlady Erika provide lots of laughs, and the throw-away lines are hilarious. For example, Nick’s new digs are ‘...a study in flat-pack Scandinavian discomfort’. But in the end, it is the way Bee and Nick spark off each other which creates the humour in this very enjoyable novel. I loved their positive attitudes. As Bee says, ‘...hope floats.’
I was sent an advance review copy of Impossible by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK in exchange for an honest review.
The Impossible Us

Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen

Factory Girls describes the adventures of three Catholic girls during the summer after they leave school. It is set in 1994 in a Northern Ireland country town. The story of their holiday jobs in a shirt factory is told in third person from the point of view of Maeve Murray, who is desperate to escape to a journalism course in London. Seen through the eyes of intelligent but unsophisticated Maeve, life in a small town where everybody knows you is about avoiding hostilities - personal, social or paramilitary. She also has to watch out for predators like seductive Andy Strawbridge, the factory manager.
Michelle Gallen brings Maeve and her friends to life with sparkling wit and colloquial humour. Tough Catholic machinist Fidelma Hegarty is ‘famous for her sour puss and brawling’, while Billy Stone the fabric cutter has Loyalist tattoos and ‘his left hand hidden in what looked like a chain-mail glove’. This is a clever reference to the bloodstained legend of the Red Hand of Ulster. When Maeve realises that for the first time in her life she will be sharing a space with Protestants, her unease is palpable. She has grown up in a divided society and developed a sixth sense for danger. To quote one of Gallen’s many brilliant lines, ‘Maeve had sandbags in her belly’.
I am from a Protestant family in Northern Ireland, so Factory Girls is a mirror image of my own teenage years. I laughed out loud at the discussion of whether to hold the factory social at Kelly’s pub (Catholic) or Cromwell’s (Protestant). My ‘Planter’ heritage has its roots in the time of Oliver Cromwell, so I never spoke to a Catholic socially until I was sixteen. Michelle Gallen has done a witty and wonderful job of illustrating the realities of growing up in Northern Ireland, and highlighting the depth of the division between our communities.
Factory Girls