Books: Jacqueline Connolly tells story her sister could not
This week there’s murder, real and fictional, kidnapping, history and hikes.
A Beautiful Way to Die, Eleni Kyriacou, HoZ, €24.65
The shocking underbellies of Hollywood and Ealing in their so-called golden age of the 1950s is exposed in this disturbing novel and Kyriacou describes it all with a stylish pen. It’s the story of two women on opposite sides of the Atlantic, but both caught in the vortex that is Max Whitman. Ginny has high hopes for her Hollywood career, but the asking price for fame may just be too high, although not according to Whitman. Meanwhile, in Ealing Studios, Max’s ex-wife Stella Hope, once one half of Hollywood’s Golden Couple, embarks on life without Max and the future looks bright, until she receives a blackmail note, threatening to expose something from her past that will shred her reputation. Tense and dark historical noir.
Deadly Silence, Jacqueline Connolly, Hachette, €16.99
Most of us will remember the horrific incident in Cavan in 2016, just before the schools reopened, when deputy school principal Alan Hawes murdered his entire family and then killed himself. This book is a frank recounting of that murder, of what exactly happened, including the burial of Hawes with the family he killed, which was a huge mistake, (his wife’s family remedied that later on) and informs the reader about what he had been up to in the months before he wiped his household out in a most brutal, violent, bloody fashion. It makes for disturbing reading, not least because the local community, shocked beyond belief, didn’t provide much support to Jacqueline and her elderly mother, neither did the police no the parish priest. They were largely left isolated in their shock and devastation. This is a story of coercive control taken to its horrific and gruesome extreme and will leave you speechless. Jacqueline Connolly is to be commended for being brave enough to tell the story her sister couldn’t.
The Rarest Fruit, Gaëlle Bélem, Bullaun Press, €14.95
Translated from the French by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert, this novel is based on the life of Edmond Albius, the man (although he was a child at the time of discovery) who discovered a way to quickly pollinate vanilla on the island of Réunion, and that discovery would lead to the vanilla trade from there and from the island of Madagascar. It is also a story of slavery and colonialism, as Edmond was a slave, adopted as a baby by white botanist Ferréol Beaumont and raised by him as a kind of ‘pet’. The writing is wonderful, the translation glittering and despite its slender size, this book has much to say about the slave trade in Réunion, where most babies born to slaves were drowned, as they would not be profitable for at least 10 years. Edmond did not receive any significant credit for his groundbreaking discovery during his lifetime, simply because of his social status. Bélem’s previous novel, There’s a Monster Behind the Door, was longlisted for the Booker Prize and this novel is just as fresh, alive and humane.
Cleopatra, Natasha Solomons, Manilla Press, €15.99
This is a fictional account of Cleopatra’s life up until the death of Caesar, so it’s likely there will be a sequel. Cleopatra is born, in her own words ‘a girl and a goddess. A future queen, if I should live that long.’ But from early on, she is aware that her father’s court ‘teems with enemies’ although she can’t envisage, at that point, how her brother Ptolemy will do his best to destroy her. This is sibling rivalry at a whole other level. Cleopatra is depicted as an intelligent youngster who’s fond of the library, of reading and writing and who’s extremely fond of her slave, Charmian, treating her more like a friend than a subject of the court. Solomons has written a small mountain of historical fiction, all of them big successes, and she ranges from one historic period to another with apparent ease, although such work takes oodles of research. Her first venture into the tricky world of ancient Egypt and Rome is evocative and engaging. And keep an eye out for Cleopatra Vol II…
Such Quiet Girls, Noelle W Ihli, Pan, €14.50
Inspired by the true story of the Chowchilla Kidnappings in California in 1976, this novel is probably not suited to anyone who suffers from claustrophobia. Jess has just started her new job as a schoolbus driver and is anxious that nobody know she has lied on her CV to get the job. One of the passengers, a 12-year-old girl, is exhausted from minding her younger sister and just wants to get home as soon as possible. But the bus is hijacked, with Jess and ten children on board, and it’s put in a shipping container buried 20 feet underground. A ransom is demanded but no ransom is forthcoming, leaving Jess and the children trapped in a vessel that’s beginning to exhaust its oxygen supply. A tense, taut nightmare that will keep you riveted to the end.
The 50 Best Family Hikes in Ireland, Mairéad Furlong and Fergal McLoughlin, Gill, €16.99
The primary school summer break is upon us and this book is well-timed for the holidays. With the emphasis here on hikes that will suit practically everyone, including the smallies, this is invaluable. There are plenty of excellent books out there that detail our more strenuous hiking routes, but I haven’t seen one like this. The authors are a couple who have hiked with their now eight-year-old son for years. There are plenty of spots included here that you won’t find in other guides. Beautifully produced and illustrated, this one’s a keeper for anyone interested in getting out there with the walking boots and taking the family along.
Footnotes
If you haven’t already booked your tickets for the events of the Mullingar Literary Festival this weekend July 4-6, you need to get your skates on. See mullingarliteraryfestival.com.
The Cáirde Arts Festival starts in Sligo this weekend, running from July 5 to 12th. See cairdefestival.com for details.