Hello!
It’s been a hot minute. How are you going? I’m a little behind in writing book reviews, so I’m going to write about all the books I’ve read recently in this one blog post. One nice thing about not having to commute to work is having the extra time (it takes me about an hour each way on public transport). It’s been hard to make use of this extra time though (I’ll write another post about quarantine fatigue soon) … Like many others, I had a whole list of things I wanted to achieve during iso, but most of them haven’t happened, and that’s okay. One thing I really did want to do though, was give myself time to leisure read.
Teacher by Gabbie Stroud
Teacher was a really great book, and I highly recommend it! It’s a memoir written by Gabbie Stroud, who was a primary school teacher (she’s since published another book called ‘Dear Parents’). I’ve seen a bit of a trend with using the word ‘recovering’ for those who have left their professions due to some sort of burnout experience. Stroud describes herself as a ‘recovering teacher’. I wondered whether I should write ‘recovering doctor’ for my social media bios… Anyway… what I’m trying to say is that this book is very relatable for anyone who has ever felt disappointed by their industry or profession. When Stroud became a teacher, she did so because she was passionate about children’s learning. There are some gorgeous anecdotes that make you realise how much heart she put into teaching. However, what she discovered over the years was that being a teacher wasn’t just about teaching. There’s so much bureaucratic bullshit that you have to deal with that it became less and less about the kids, and increasingly about statistics and paperwork.
I think a lot of people working in health professions will also relate to this. We enter health care thinking we will make a difference to patients.. but we soon realise that that’s only one part of the job. So much of what we deal with is political. I think we can all relate to the litany of paperwork too, with the explosion of electronic medical records (which is a known contributor to burnout in the health system). Another thing you might relate to is performance punishment. Stroud was very skilled at looking after kids with special needs, so she kept getting more students who needed extra care, without getting any additional aid. Stroud is a wonderful writer who describes so well how heartbreaking it is when you realise a system is letting down the people in it – it truly is a well written and special memoir.
The book was shortlisted for an ABIA award for Best Biography last year
Fake by Stephanie Wood
Have you been catfished? Or maybe even hat-fished? The online dating world is full of ups and downs, and occasionally we come across an excruciating story like Stephanie Wood’s. Wood dated a man named Joe who was not at all as advertised. Even though there were red flags along the way, she – like many women – made excuses for him and allowed herself to be deceived by a fraudster for several months. He completely fabricated details about his life, and was even dating another woman at the same time.
In helping her to heal, she’s done a tremendous amount of research for her book to help her understand what goes on in sociopaths’ minds. She was initially reluctant to write about it because she felt so silly for being fooled by Joe, but eventually found the bravery to write about it in Good Weekend magazine before penning this memoir. I really found this book interesting from a psychology point of view, because I’ve always been fascinated by human behaviour, and learning about personality disorders in medical school. Wood has interviewed psychology professors and other experts for the book, who provide great insight. If you’ve ever been in a relationship with a pathological liar, cheater, or sociopath, it can be quite an uncomfortable read, but it may help you understand and move on. These types of people can be very good at what they do; they can be incredibly charming and get away with deceiving others for a long time.
This book was shortlisted for a 2020 ABIA for General Non-Fiction.
Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
Evie Wyld is an award winning author and I could feel that from the first few chapters of reading Bass Rock. She is truly exquisite in the way she writes, and I particularly warmed to the character Viviane, who brings a lot of dark humour to an otherwise grim genre. Bass Rock is about violence against women, and explores the stories of three women; Viviane, her step-grandmother Ruth, and Sarah, a woman accused of being a witch in the 1700s. The storyline of Sarah felt too detached to the other two, and I found that one hard to follow. I also found it a bit strange that it was told from the point of view of a young boy called Joseph, who helped rescue Sarah from getting burned. I would have thought that allowing the women to tell the stories would have made more sense.
The stories weave in and out, and at times I thought this book might be a little too clever for me. Between the three storylines are stories of unnamed women, which I found a little disorienting. I think the point of these anonymous stories is to highlight how awful it is that these acts of violence take place without anyone noticing or remembering. We must acknowledge what has happened to women; individual stories do matter. The writing is brilliant and I couldn’t stop at first, but about halfway through the book it lost me. I’ve read another review that said that it’s one of those books you have to read twice – and I agree with that. I think I would have to read it once more to truly appreciate the complexities and power of it.
Your Own Kind of Girl by Clare Bowditch
I like Clare Bowditch. I have her CDs and I enjoyed seeing her on Offspring – one of my favourite Australian TV shows. I’m really someone who should have loved this book. I bought it because it has been very popular since its release late last year, but I can’t say that I recommend it. This memoir is not about Clare Bowditch’s career as a musician, but more about her childhood trauma and struggles with weight, depression and anxiety. The start of the book is very strong and moving, and gives a lot of useful advice to anyone who might suffer from anxiety. She shares generously and thoughtfully about her experiences, including a breakdown she has in her early twenties. Bowditch is self-deprecating in tone, but at times it’s so excessive that it can come across as disingenuous. I think that’s when I stopped connecting.
What really lets this book down is the severe lack of editing. Bowditch is clearly beautiful with words, as we know from her song lyrics. However, there are numerous editing failures throughout the book. It’s very repetitive and we get reintroduced to things like her school and childhood friends. I remember her school was introduced to us in chapter 10, thinking ‘Hold on, didn’t she introduce her school in chapter 3?’ There were a few moments like that. Mistakes like that really take away from my enjoyment of a book. The timelines really were all over the place in the second half of the book.
This book won the ABIA for Best New Writer, and was shortlisted for the Audiobook and Biography categories
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
I’ve had this book for nearly a year, sitting on my bookshelf. I finally grabbed it a few days ago and swallowed it in three sittings. It’s an easy and enjoyable read, but it’s a little controversial. See, to me the main character Eleanor was clearly autistic. She has trouble forming relationships with other people, and misses social cues, which lends itself to many an awkward and cringe-worthy scene. I thought to myself, ‘isn’t it great that there’s a book like this that helps us understand people with autism?’ … but it turns out I was completely wrong about the point of this book. In interviews, Honeyman asserts that Eleanor Oliphant is definitely not on the spectrum, but rather her behaviour is a result of childhood trauma.
Regardless of the exact diagnosis, we grow to love Eleanor throughout the book. It explores themes like loneliness and friendships. There were a couple of times when the character loses her ‘voice’ but otherwise Eleanor is a very believable character. The book is somewhat predictable, but I still loved it. Reese Witherspoon has bought the film rights to the book – I’m excited for it!
This book was the Book of the Year at the 2018 British Book Awards
Happy reading,
Miko xx
