CONTEMPORARY
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
by Miranda Popkey (Serpents Tail £14.99, 224pp)
This is a fascinating character study in which we catch up with our protagonist at various points in her life.
From insecure student to unhappy, unfaithful wife to single mother with a drink problem, each chapter relays the conversations she has with other women, telling stories about themselves, about the men and issues in their lives.
She constantly flags up the unreliability of memory, the need to impose a clear, linear narrative on the series of random events that make up a life and the desire to embellish or edit these tales to impress our audience.
Despite — or perhaps because of — her self-confessed attempts to impose chronological order on these recollections, their slippery nature left me unsure whether she is uninterested in self-knowledge or trying to move towards it. Her thoughts and behaviour are often unpleasant, but this gives it veracity. It’s brilliant, thoughtful and compelling.
RIGHT AFTER THE WEATHER
by Carol Anshaw (Fig Tree £14.99, 288pp)
American author Anshaw is new to me, but I loved this read so much I ordered her back catalogue. Fortysomething theatre set designer Cate is trying to wean herself off a bad relationship by flinging herself into a new one. The red flags thrown up — then brushed off — form stacks of evidence against whatever she may tell herself.
Running parallel to Cate’s self-inflicted concerns, punctuated by organic food deliveries and beachfront dog walks, is a story about twisted junkies who will stop at nothing when they need a fix.
These two lowlifes are as addicted to causing human misery as they are to narcotics, and when the two worlds collide, Cate is forced into a situation so violent she could never have predicted her reaction. Thought-provoking, emotionally intelligent and beautifully written.
RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE
by Karma Brown (Legend Press £8.99, 288pp)
Alice Hale leaves her job in PR after a disastrous encounter with a client and a predictably disappointing response from her awful female boss.
She doesn’t tell her husband the truth about why she’s leaving, but agrees it’s a good time to move from central New York to the suburbs and start trying for a baby.
Alice isn’t wild about the creepy new house, but when she finds a box of recipes and notes in the basement she decides to work her way through them.
Fifties housewife Nellie Murdoch is the previous owner and the narrative moves between Alice’s dissatisfaction in the present day and Nellie’s life dealing with bouts of domestic violence from her cruel husband.
As Alice discovers the sinister reality of Nellie’s life, her own relationship becomes increasingly fraught.
Interesting how much it costs to keep up the facade of the happy housewife life, both then and now.
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