Summer book reads, July 2017
“What is the meaning of life?” Virginia Woolf famously asked in her modernist classic To the Lighthouse. “That was all – a simple question”
A simple question it may be; it’s answer inherently more difficult to find. But there is arguably no better place in the world to indulge in such philosophical introspection than the Isle of Skye, where Woolf’s novel is based, and where I’ve spent the last few weeks holidaying.
It’s often said that Skye’s appeal lies in its beauty and remoteness. And it’s this remoteness that has afforded the island an almost mythical status: its legendary Black and Red Cuillin are allegedly haunted by the ghost of a local outlaw MacRaing, and the tranquillity of its Loch Coruisk is disturbed only by the threat of the Kelpie, a shape-shifting water horse that Rabbie Burns immortalised in his Address to the Deil. Sir Walter Scott, him who gave us the account of Rob Roy MacGregor we are all familiar with today, was also affected by the Loch, ominously commenting:
Rarely human eye has known
A scene so stern as that dread lake,
With its dark ledge of barren stone...
Considering the island’s unique history, it’s impossible to escape the idea that it has a profound effect on everybody who goes there. And that’s part of the reason for me bringing my twins here every year – Its about bringing them to a place that has an enchanted feel unlike any other. (Another, perhaps more selfish reason, was that I wanted to take them to a place where they wouldn’t be distracted with the salacious goings on of Love Island every day…*) Anyway, influenced by my holiday in a place that prompts contemplation, here are 6 books to read over the summer
*Oh, and for those wondering, my plan to get the twins away from Love Island failed – despite the limited wifi, not only are they gripped each night, but I have to also confess a tiny liking!
Nutshell (Ian McEwan)
Arguably Britain’s greatest living author, McEwan’s latest is essentially Hamlet re-told through the eyes of an unborn baby. Weird? Yes. Gripping? Definitely. The book represents a return to the claustrophobic, macabre work of McEwan’s older novels like The Cement Garden or The Comfort of Strangers. It is also proof positive of this famous quote from Mark Twain: “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope.”
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
Based in the Isle of the Skye, and perhaps Virginia Woolf’s most celebrated work, To the Lighthouse is a deeply moving novel that focuses less on plot, and more on the ineffable complexity of experience and human relationships. Perfect for those greyer, more wistful summer days when you want to get away from your world and experience somebody else’s.
The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
A dystopian novel that has been banned in schools, adapted into a film and opera, and has now been popularised by Channel 4’s dramatization. The Handmaid’s Tale is the chilling story of a concubine living in an oppressive parallel America of the future, where fertile women are determined by the value of their reproductive organs, in an oppressive regime that sees them forced to bear children for infertile women of higher social status. Told through a narrative mix of the heroine’s merciless present, saved by tender memories of her past life as an independent strong woman, wife and mother. Despite being written over 30 years ago, I find myself examining how fictional the tale really is, when regrettably in some parts of the world, women’s rights remain suppressed by biological predestination and prejudice. The Channel 4 adaptation remains faithful to the spirit of the novel. But I’ll always prefer going and consuming the story in the way it was first intended.
The Tools (Phil Stutz & Barry Michels)
Lots of self-help books claim to be “life-changing”, but this is one that actually lives up to the hype. Conceived by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels, Hollywood psychotherapists who have 60 years of experience between them, The Tools is, on the face of it, a book about personal growth. It details 5 mental exercises – trialled by the two psychotherapists – which can be used in various situations where you need help to deal with the problem. Both clinical and personal, the final “Tool” – which prompts you to think about what you will be thinking on your deathbed – can be positively life-affirming.
Coraline (Neil Gaiman)
Neil Gaiman, a resident of Skye, is clearly another author who has been profoundly influenced by the island’s unique mythology. Coraline, a modern companion piece to Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland,conjures a world of dark fantasy that manages to be great fun, but with a strong undercurrent of the melancholic. The novel was later adapted into an award-winning film, directed by Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick. But I think the novel has more akin to another modern fantasy: Pan’s Labyrinth. One to stick in “kids novel that parents love too” category.
Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises (Charles. P Kindleberger)
On the face of it, Mania, Panics, and Crashes has nothing in common with my other choices…but look closer. Perhaps the most highly-regarded of any books on market crises, Mania is a captivating journey that takes the reader to the heart and soul of financial meltdown. Dealing with everything from before the South Sea bubble to the financial crash of 2007-8, the book’s central argument is that financial disasters follow a nature-like rhythm, “peaking and purging, swelling and storming.” While in Skye, it occurred to me that it’s almost 10 years since the financial crash, and perhaps time to reflect on the fact that sometimes reality is more fantastical than even the most magical fiction.
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