Following a family bereavement, a young girl called Esme Lennox arrives in Edinburgh from India. She is wild spirited and as she grows up she rebels against the social codes of how women of her class should behave. She is labelled as troublesome and a series of traumatic events lead to Esme being cut off by her family and erased from their collective memory. This is the vanishing act…..
Category: Reading Ideas
Book of the month – Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
This is a splendid read, Sarah Waters creates some unforgettable characters, and we are kept in suspense as the truth and lies mingle in this wonderful book full of thieves and ladies, fraudsters and innocents, madwomen and murderers.
Book of the month – Runaway by Alice Munro
Runaway is a mediation on a variety of themes, most obvious being that of flight or escape. Her characters flee in a variety of ways – successfully, unsuccessfully, with large rebellion and small. Munro perfectly captures small town life in all its difficulties and beauty.
New books on our shelves
This month, why not try out a spooky ghost story, a fierce autobiography, or a book that celebrates the wonderful city of Glasgow!
No Human Involved
Despite the seamy side of life portrayed, there’s also hope and humanity. Sometimes I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Bad Attitudes
Agnes Owens’ writing is sparse, simple and down-to-earth, but with so much going on beneath the surface. She is great at portraying characters whose realities are slightly skewed, but who could quite easily be the people who live next door
The Singer
The story and the characters reflect the passion, energy, aggression and rawness of punk, as well as the deprivation, social unrest and alienation of the times.
A Darker Domain
Intelligent and tightly plotted with twists upon twists and turns upon turns. An excellent read which kept me up.
Cuckoo
Very clever, creepy and chilling. Makes you wonder who your friends are. Excellent stuff.
Naming the Bones
Despite its length and seemingly leisurely pace, Naming the bones is a fast read. It’s atmospheric with a great sense of place and a very gothic tone.