Dido Elizabeth Belle is a paradox: she is both a black woman and a member of the 18th century aristocracy. The mere image of her elicits a double-take; we are not accustomed to seeing women of colour in such opulent period dress; it goes against our sense of historical accuracy and the understood precepts of Read More
On the 5th of May 1993, in rural Arkansas, three eight-year-old boys disappeared, their bodies found, naked and bound, in a local creek the following day. Despite a lack of physical evidence, in 1994, three local teenagers were convicted of the murders, which were said to be the work of a satanic cult. Extensively documented, Read More
As the title suggests, Fading Gigolo is perhaps as exciting as a waning escort can be. While the story line of a male escort may interest those relishing role-reversals in cinema, what we get from John Turturro is a pseudo-classic era Woody Allen film with neither the wit nor the complexity such films are praised Read More
Sunday evening on the M25. Darkness is falling when the traffic crunches to a sudden halt: “Standstill. The sky was tarnishing as black-winged night accelerated its descent. Over the swarms of grubby, gleaming machines, a fug of fumes sighed”. Various characters speculate on the cause of the holdup, with minimal success. The proffered explanations range Read More
Leaving the Atocha Station is a perfect little book to get lost in; it will in equal measures make you laugh, contemplate, and feel a bit better about yourself. The novel is essentially about a young American man, living in Madrid on a fellowship, who spends his days self-medicating, partaking in drugs, as well as, Read More
Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong, was brought to life at Dundee Rep by the Original Theatre Company guided by award winning director Alastair Whatley. Birdsong tells the story of Lieutenant Stephen Wraysford, recalling different stages of his life before and during World War I. The play is particularly relevant during this year’s centenary Read More
In her 2008 memoir, The Two Kinds of Decay, Sarah Manguso recounted her experience of living with the autoimmune disease she contracted in her early twenties. With The Guardians she again makes a study of her own suffering – this time in the wake of her close friend Harris Wulfson’s suicide. Harris threw himself under Read More
This short, but memorable novel was first published in Italian in 2011, but – luckily for readers with no expertise in that language – it has been translated. The author’s name may not be familiar to many readers in English, but this is Mander’s third book and debut novel, and it is heartily recommended by Read More
It is not hard to see why Tendai Huchu’s The Hairdresser of Harare was one of The Observer’s top ten African books of 2012. Huchu immediately draws his reader in with his snappy, darkly humourous writing style, reminiscent of others in the newer generation of African writers such as Zakes Mda. Huchu has also chosen Read More
In The Book of Bells and Candles, Norman Jope adapts the Golem myth and places it in a modern setting. The poet expects a great deal from his readers; not only are they to follow the over-arching story, but he inserts references from several different European cultures into that ancient Jewish folklore. So, this is Read More