Raptor — A love letter to British raptors and ornithologist William MacGillivray ****

As a birder and particularly a lover of all things raptor, a book with the title ‘Raptor’ would always catch my fancy. The cover promises that it is ‘a journey through birds’, and displays some beautiful imagery of some of the birds of prey that the United Kingdom has to offer. I was hooked on the spot and decided to buy this book.

Reading the book does not disappoint. It sounds like quite a daunting task: describing all fifteen nesting raptors in the UK. The book is set up brilliantly for it. James Macdonald Lockhart starts his journey all the way up in Orkney, and travels through the UK searching for each individual raptor species. Each chapter is dedicated to one particular species, and Macdonald Lockhart does a lot more than just tell us about the bird. He tells us about the landscape and the relationship the raptor has to that landscape. He tells us about the history of the relationship between raptors and humans, and how this has developed in recent years. This can sometimes be a bit depressing, as humans and their actions have brought so many of Britain’s raptor species to the brink of extinction. There is room for optimism, too: humans are also involved in the return of species like the red kite, the buzzard and the osprey, with many initiatives to protect them throughout the UK.

While reading each chapter, you feel like you’re right there birding with him, and you feel like you’ve become part of the bird’s life. The amount of knowledge in this book is astounding, and I have already been able to use some of the acquired knowledge during my own birdwatching.

This book is also a love letter to the late Scottish naturalist and ornithologist William MacGillivray, who in 1819 set out for a walk from Aberdeen to London to visit the British Museum at the age of 23. On this journey he kept a diary, and there are many fragments from this diary included in ‘Raptor’. MacGillivray was a fantastic observer of all things wildlife and plants, and his notes really add an extra layer to the book. Sadly, MacGillivray never really got the recognition Macdonald Lockhart successfully claims he deserves, and as a reader you do wonder why you have never seen his name before, especially as a birder. ‘Raptor’ also features some of the watercolours MacGillivray made during his life, which are now apparently hidden in storage at the Natural History Museum and are never seen by anyone. I for one would love to see his watercolours, and am determined to get myself a copy of his most famous work ‘A History of British Birds’. MacGillivray intended for the watercolours to be included in this book, but didn’t have the money to make this happen. However, his descriptions of these birds are so vivid that you don’t actually need to see it at all. This is a rare gift, and I can only hope that other readers of ‘Raptor’ will join me in trying to get more attention to his work.

Even for people who are not generally fond of raptors there is a lot to enjoy in this book. It’s beautiful prose, and any book that is written by someone with a clear passion about the topic will draw you in regardless of whether you are actually as passionate about the topic yourself. Warmly recommended.

Title: Raptor
Author: James Macdonald Lockhart
ISBN: 9780007459896

Men Without Women — Short stories at their very best *****

So I’ll immediately cough up a confession: Haruki Murakami is my favourite author. I have literally read all his books, but I have never once written a review about his work. Admittingly, this will be a bit of a challenge.

Murakami is one of those authors not everyone may like. His style is subtle, and when you’ve read more than one of his works, you’ll know that certain themes are generally present. One of those themes is that his protagonist is usually male and a bit of a loner.

‘Men without women’ is a collection of short stories about men who find themselves alone, all of them for different reasons. Some of them are widowers, some of them were left by their wives, or decided to leave their wives themselves. One of them now gets a private female chauffeur because he can’t drive himself anymore. Another can’t leave his house anymore for (unidentified) health reasons, and has a woman coming in daily to take care of his needs, which includes the sexual ones. Another one has started a café in which he plays his own jazz records after the divorce from his wife, and is visited by a mysterious, muscular man who drinks scotch every day, as well as a stray cat. Regular Murakami readers will be familiar with these types of protagonist.

One of the things that define Murakami’s stories is that it’s very hard to tell someone afterwards what they are about. I have tried many times to explain it, but I never quite succeed in getting everything across, and always feel like I fail to do him the justice he deserves. Yet I feel that the impossibility to retell his stories is part of what makes them so great. In a way, not a lot happens. It’s usually about the interaction between the characters more than about what happens to them. That is not to say that there is no character development. The characters do develop, though some more than others.

Another thing that is often the case in Murakami’s stories is that there is an open ending. You are often left wondering, along with the main characters in the story, what has happened exactly. Murakami doesn’t give you perfect closure. Especially with his short stories, he leaves you with a feeling of wanting more, yet you are never left unsatisfied.

Writing short stories that can hook your audiences is notoriously hard, and many authors renowned authors have failed at their attempts. In Murakami’s case, I actually prefer his short stories to his novels. His minimalistic writing style and the way he often uses ‘show don’t tell’ make for the perfect ingredients for great short stories.

Readers who are not yet familiar with his work but interested in giving it a go will find this a great book to start with. It has all the elements his novels have, but you don’t have to commit yourself to reading several hundred pages yet. For readers who are already familiar with his work it will be like I said before: coming home.

Title: Men Without Women
Author: Haruki Murakami
ISBN hardback: 9781911215370
ISBN paperback: 9781784705374 (out in the UK 17/05/2018)

The Otters’ Tale — A masterful look into the life of the elusive otter*****

As the saying goes, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Yet, it was the cover of The Otters’ Tale by Simon Cooper that drew me towards it, featuring a beautiful watercolour painting of a curious otter by Mark Adlington. As someone who loves nature writing and has a lifelong wish of seeing an otter, I knew this was one of those books I had to read. I felt that it might shed some light on the life of an animal I knew very little about, except for the fact that I wanted to see one more than anything.

This book did more than simply shed light on the life of the ever elusive otter, however. While reading it, I felt like I was part of the otters’ lives. Part of their landscape. Simon Cooper obviously cares a lot about his subject, and describes every aspect of their lives in great detail. From being separated from the mother, to finding their own territory, to starting a family of their own, to abandoning their pups at some stage, Cooper has it all covered.

But he does a lot more than simply describing every step of the way in an otter’s life. He describes the landscape that surrounds them, the lives of the creatures the otters prey on. You get to know every single thread that is connected to an otter’s life. What makes one season completely different from the other, apart from the obvious factor of the weather. Why they prey on some creatures during one season, but different ones in another. Why, in order to survive and keep the species going, seemingly difficult decisions have to be made by otter mothers. I say seemingly, because as harsh as it may seem to us, to the otter it’s nothing more than common sense.

This is exactly what makes this book such a delight. Cooper really tries to understand the otter for what it truly is. It is very clear that he has observed otters in extreme detail, and understands them better than most of us ever could. Reading this book really makes you feel stronger about wanting more otters in Britain. Cooper’s enthusiasm is truly infectious. What a privilege for him to be able to get to know these beautiful animals so well. And what a privilege for us to be able to read about it.

Title: The Otters’ Tale
Author: Simon Cooper
ISBN: 9780008189716 (Hardback) and 9780008189747 (out in paperback 22/03/2018 in the UK)

Foxes Unearthed — Fascinating book that is as much about foxes as it is about Brits *****

As an outsider who has now lived in Britain for over a year and a half, one of the things that have mystified me the most is that fox hunting is actually a topic that is discussed during election times. Fox hunting? Seriously? The current prime-minister, Theresa May, has stated that she wants a vote on the current ban on fox hunting, and people have spoken out strongly in agreement or disagreement. It really made me wonder why this topic is even important at all. The answers to these questions are in Foxes Unearthed, a beautiful study by Lucy Jones, in which she enlightens us on so many aspects of the relationship between British people and foxes.

Fox hunting has existed along other forms of hunting for hundreds of years. There is, however, a strong difference with some other animals, such as the beaver, that British people used to hunt for. Whereas most were killed for either their fur or their meat, foxes were killed usually for neither. Fox fur has hardly been seen in Britain, and foxes are supposedly disgusting to eat. Fox hunting has always been mostly about the chase, the supposed thrill of going out with the horses, the fox hounds and your fellow hunters, or about a genuine hate for the animal, particularly from farmers who fear for their livestock. This hunting for fun is what I, as an outsider, never really understood. Nobody hunts like this in the Netherlands, and Lucy Jones states that Britain is unique in this aspect of hunting.

Why is Britain so different in this aspect? Although Jones does not answer all the questions that I have, as she focuses purely on Britain and not on other country’s attitudes towards foxes, she sets out on a bold description of all the reasons why British people either love or hate foxes, and either love the hunt or hate the hunt. She talks to all the parties involved. Scientists who have studied the behaviour of foxes, farmers who fear for their lifestock, hunters who genuinely think that what they’re doing is the right thing, hunt saboteurs who are convinced that foxes are still being killed every weekend across the country, they all get their say on the matter. It is truly marvellous to read, and although I am strongly opposed to fox hunting as it used to be in Britain and the book did not change my mind, it made me more aware of other people’s opinions and more importantly why they would have these opinions. Foxes unearthed really is the kind of book that makes you think for a moment, and really enlightens you on different viewpoint on the same topic.

For me, the debate on fox hunting reflects the general situation in Britain. Without going too deep into politics, it has to be said that the majority of British people are in favour of the ban on fox hunting, supposedly around 77%. Unfortunately for them, the remaining 23% makes up a huge amount of the British Parliament. This is why a topic that is basically a non-issue with the majority of the people is still seen as a major topic in the Parliament, and probably always will be. As is the case with many aspects of British life, the government is slightly out of touch with reality.

Still, even within the 77% in favour of the ban, there is a lot of variation in the way people feel about foxes. Although many people love to see them and even feed them in their garden, there are also lots of people who are fearful of foxes, especially around their children, and who fear that there will be too many of them. Lucy Jones provides answers on these topics as well, and I think many people will feel relieved after reading her account.

For me, Foxes Unearthed is as much about foxes as it is about the British people and their sometimes strange relation to nature. Here, you can wear a scarf with foxes, but still hate them. This is an aspect of British culture that I will probably never understand, but Lucy Jones has certainly helped to unfold some of the mysteries. A must-read.

Title: Foxes Unearthed

Author: Lucy Jones

ISBN: 9781783963041

Ithaca — Interesting look at escapism in children ****

The first novel by Alan McMonagle, who has published two collections of short stories before this, is a debut that promises great things from this author. Combining humour with rather serious topics such as loneliness and longing for company can be a risky thing to do, but McMonagle pulls it off in admirable fashion and creates a lead character that is easy to sympathize with.

Jason Lowry is an eleven year old boy who basically has nobody to talk to in town. He has no real friends, and his interactions with peers often end in fights, where he is usually on the receiving end. He lives alone with his mother, who drinks the days away and has a new boyfriend every week, the only consistent thing being that this boyfriend is usually married and not interested in anything lasting. Jason has no idea who his father is, and is determined to find out. During his search he encounters a girl with a wild imagination, who dreams of escaping to places such as Egypt and, more specifically, Ithaca, the home of Odysseus. She herself has issues at home, with a father grieving for the loss of his beloved wife.

With this girl, who remains unnamed throughout the novel, Jason finds himself on strange adventures, where he paints graffiti with disturbing messages on houses in the neighbourhood and hangs out with her around the Swamp at the outskirts of town. The girl seems self-destructive, tries to seduce him to touch her at intimate spots, and threatens to hurt herself if Jason doesn’t do something she wants. It becomes very clear that this relationship is not necessarily a healthy one.

Meanwhile, Jason’s mother suddenly disappears, supposedly to Paris with one of her many lovers. Jason also starts dreaming of a life in Paris. It is at this point that things in his life start to unravel, and definitely not for the best.

McMonagle has written a very interesting novel here where he explores the ability of children to lose themselves completely in fantasies and dreams. More often than not this ability is used while playing with toys, but children can also use it to escape their daily lives. Not often have I read a novel where this particular use of this ability has been described so vividly, without it actually being a description. We join Jason while he is living these fantasies, and we get to experience them with him. We also get to experience the feeling that perhaps he is taking his escapism too far. We start wondering where the line is between fantasy and reality. How much of what Jason is experiencing is actually happening?

McMonagle writes in beautiful prose, and his style is original and the dialogues between Jason and the girl are pretty sharp and oftentimes funny. This is an excellent debut novel, and I for one am curious to see what this exciting new author will publish next.

Author: Alan McMonagle
Title: Ithaca
ISBN: 9781509829842 

Northern Lights — YA/Fantasy classic that basically lives up to its reputation ***

It’s always a risky business reading a book that many people have told you good things about. At least in my case. My expectations beforehand always hit the roof, and a book has to be really good in order to meet them.

Northen Lights by Philip Pullman is one such book. It’s the first book from his modern classic trilogy His Dark Materials, and despite the fact that it is already over 20 years old, I had managed (in part conciously) not to read it. Until now.

It’s the story of Lyra, a girl with a daemon (an animal companion that all humans in Pullman’s world have) who grew up in Jordan College in Oxford among scholars. Among them is her uncle Lord Asriel, who travels North for mysterious reasons. When children all over the country are starting to disappear, including her friend Roger, she wants to find them. Before she leaves, one of the other scholars gives her an alethiometer (which tells you the truth, basically, about everything, if you manage to read it right), and he tells her to keep it to herself, hidden. She also meets Mrs Coulter, a beautiful and elegant woman who takes her in for a while. She escapes from there, and is taken in by gyptians. She then travels North, to a world of cold, witches and icebears with armours, in order to find Lord Asriel and the lost children, and to find out what Dust is.

I have to (kind of shamefully) admit that I’m not entirely convinced, which probably becomes clear from the incredible difficulty I’m having in giving even a small summary. I took the book with me on holiday, and I basically couldn’t get through the first 150 pages. I didn’t really care about any of the characters or any of the mystery that is created (and there is a lot of that!). I started one of the others books I took with me on holiday instead, and only picked up Northern Lights again upon my return to Wales. I nearly abadoned it altogether. I can now safely say that I’m glad I didn’t, but also that the book never really got a hold over me.

I’ve got to admit that Pullman created a wonderful new universe with all kinds of interesting elements taken from different cultures. Some if this did seem random (I noticed the odd Dutch name here and there, which to me came out of nowhere as none of the story is set there), but I do admire this element of the book enormously. However, at the end it suddenly becomes clear that this is, in fact, a book critising religion, using the fantasy elements as a metaphor for religious terms we are all familiar with (most notably sin). To me, this came completely out of nowhere, which might be due to the fact that I was just never able to really get into the book or the world Pullman created.

I’d still recommend it, if only because it is a classic and it’s always worth reading something yourself and being able to voice your own opinion. I’m not too keen on reading the rest of the trilogy, however, which is probably telling. It’s a nice book, but I don’t care enough to continue reading.

On Tyranny — Timely read on how we should not repeat ourselves****

Ever since reading Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder for a course at university a couple of years ago, I have known that he is one of those authors who can really reveal certain things to you. When I saw that he had a new book titled On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century coming out, I was immediately determined to read it, knowing that Snyder is an expert on this topic.

His expertise does not disappoint. Each lesson, ranging from speaking out on topics and causes you care about to not looking the other way when things become strange and potentially dangerous, is timely and important. You could say that some lessons seem obvious, but are they really? The entire world keeps repeating that we should never make the same mistakes from the twentieth century again, yet here we are in a situation that is frighteningly similar to what happened in both the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. Leave it to Timothy Snyder to draw the comparisons that may seem obvious to some, but are ignored by too many.

This book was clearly written in a fit of passion and anger about the current situation in the United States, and it refers to ‘the President’ quite a number of times. This makes On Tyranny a less timeless book than Bloodlands, but maybe an extremely current and poignant book about why we should not stand by and watch as we repeat history is exactly what the world needs right now. As it is only 120 pages, I would say that everyone should read this to make up their own minds about whether or not we are repeating our mistakes and what their stance on the whole matter is.

Title: On Tyranny: Twenty Lesson from the Twentieth Century
Author: Timothy Snyder
ISBN: 9781847924889 

Stay with me — Absolutely beautiful debut*****

With her first novel, Nigerian author Ayobami Adebayo has given us a gem of a book. It is a story about loyalty, grief, and, above all, love. A family’s love. The love between husband and wife. A mother’s love.

Yejide has been married to Akin for a couple of years, but has not yet conceived a child. The pressure from her husband’s family is increasing, and when it turns out that Akin has married another woman to supposedly conceive a child with her, Yejide is at wit’s end. She decides to try all kinds of things to get pregnant, including a visit to a prophet. The feverishness with which Yejide wants a child is flying off the pages, and you feel yourself suffocating along with her when it just doesn’t seem meant to be.

As the novel progresses, and bad luck keeps befalling Yejide and Akin, you as a reader start discovering that the perfect marriage that Yejide was describing at the beginning of the novel may not be all that it seems. It is in this aspect that Adebayo excels. The turns the novel takes are continually surprising, and you can never settle down in one train of thought. By revealing information bit by bit, by teasing the reader into realising that there is more than meets the eye, you are completely drawn into the story. I couldn’t really put the book down, and when I had to, I kept thinking about the missing pieces of information I had noticed.

Although it seems at first glance that this book is about Yejide and motherhood, it would do it injustice to simply label it as such. This book is as much about Akin as it is about Yejide. While she is struggling to become pregnant, Akin is always in the background, and at the beginning you kind of wonder what his feelings are about children and his second wife. The biggest surprises in the novel come from his storyline. As much as Yejide is struggling, Akin is struggling just as much. The only difference is that Yejide is scrutinised in public for her struggles, whereas Akin struggles alone, without anyone, including Yejide at first, noticing. Akin’s private struggles turn out to be the main force behind everything that happens in their lives, and as they become less private, there is no telling whether Yejide and Akin can overcome all that is coming their way.

This is an absolutely stunning description of what it means to love, in all its aspects, good and bad. In a society where everything is focused on producing offspring, the pressure on women as well as men is daunting. How do you deal with this pressure? What a blessing it is that such a gifted author has decided to take on the task to describe just that.

Title: Stay with me
Author: Ayobami Adebayo
ISBN: 9781782119463

The Elephant Thief — An instant classic for children *****

When I first saw the cover of The Elephant Thief, I was immediately gripped by a sense that this was a children’s book that would have the same feel as the ones I used to read when I was a child. Now that I’ve finished it, I cannot say enough how wonderful it is, and how reassuring it is that there are still authors of children’s books out there who write stories like this.

The story begins in Edinburgh, where Boy (basically nameless), who doesn’t speak, spends his time pickpocketing and trying to avoid getting into contact with gangs in Edinburgh, and particularly the gang leader Scatcherd, who claims that he owns Boy.

One day, Boy finds himself at an auction where he somehow manages to buy an elephant, Maharajah the Magnificent, on behalf of Mr Jameson, the owner of the Belle Vue menagerie in Manchester. Mr Jameson immediately has plans for Boy, and decides to turn him into Prince Dandip of Delhi (or Danny for the people around him). Mr Jameson’s plans do not stop here. He agrees to a bet with Mr Albright, another menagerie owner from Leeds, that Maharajah can walk from Edinburgh to Manchester within seven days. If they don’t make it, Mr Albright will get all the animals from the Belle Vue, including Maharajah himself. The Elephant Race, as it is soon named, is joined by Sandev (Maharajah’s carer), Mr Crimple (an employee of the Belle Vue), and Mr Saddleworth (a vet) and his daughter Henrietta (Hetty). Danny is to ride the elephant throughout the race. Mr Jameson wants to draw as much attention as possible to the race in order to draw people to his menagerie, but what price does one have to pay for this amount of attention?

The journey from Edinburgh to Manchester is not without its problems, and it soon becomes clear that there are people out there who do not want Maharajah to succeed. The group around Maharajah have to be on constant alert for people trying to stop them from the outside, but perhaps also from within. It is a thrilling journey that we are taken on, and it remains thrilling until the very end.

What makes this story so delightful is the development Boy’s, or Danny’s, character in the book. Having never experienced real friendship or love before, we as readers see him change from a kid from the streets to someone worthy of being seen as a royal. He turns out to be loyal and kind, and his connection to the elephant Maharajah is absolutely wonderful to read about. Not only does this book tell us that appearances and first impressions are not always to be taken seriously, it also teaches us about friendship, both between humans and between humans and animals. It conveys these messages without it feeling pushy or preachy, and without it being heavy reading, as I’ve often found in children’s books of recent times. It is wonderful to see that these messages can be conveyed not with heavy fireworks and huge drama, but with an intimate story about a boy who is given a second chance in life. Seeing as this is Jane Kerr’s first book, I have to say that I cannot wait to see what she will be writing next. This is one children’s author to look out for in the future.

 

A horse walks into a bar — Alienating but entertaining ****

This year’s Man Booker International prize winner was announced last Wednesday, and to me, it wasn’t a surprise that it went to David Grossman’s ‘A horse walks into a bar’ (translated by Jessica Cohen). As soon as I saw the shortlist announcement a couple of months ago, this is the book that stood out to me the most as something unlike anything I had ever read. Having finished it, I can honestly say that it is just that.

The story takes place in a venue in Netanya, a small Israeli town. Here, veteran comedian Dovaleh G is set to perform that evening, and perform he does. This is, however, not going to be the show that people are expecting to see. Dovaleh has chosen this night to unveil some of his darkest secrets and to take his audience along on a story from his childhood. The audience doesn’t quite know how to respond to his self-harming act of beating himself up, both physically and mentally. “Tell us a joke already!”, people in the audience start shouting when things are not as funny as they were expected to be.

There are a lot of interesting things going on here. First of all, Dovaleh has invited a friend from his childhood to come to this particular performance with the simple request of “watching him, and telling him what he saw”. This friend is reluctant and oftentimes considers leaving the venue, but decides to sit out the whole thing. Why is this person here? As Dovaleh’s story unravels further into the abyss of human existence, it becomes clear that this friend’s presence is no coincidence. Perhaps the presence of another person from Dovaleh’s past isn’t a coincidence either. Who knows?

Secondly, in his writing style David Grossman manages to make us feel what it must be like to witness this event first-hand. He switches between the story Dovaleh is determined to share with his audience and the occasional joke he throws in to keep that audience happy, if only for a bit. The constrast between the obvious pain the story causes Dovaleh and the almost silly jokes he tells in between is alienating, and often painful. By not giving the audience of Dovaleh and the readers of the book a single break, it becomes a rollercoaster ride one wants to escape from, but at the same time cannot escape from. This feeling of being trapped is not caused by being physically trapped. The audience is free to leave the venue, and we as readers are free to put the book away. Yet, something in Dovaleh’s story and presence makes you want to stay with him throughout his ordeal.

As original as the book is in its approach of dealing with being struck by grief as a child, in a way the ending was not entirely satisfying to me. You spend a lot of time waiting for the big reveal, and in the end it is not all that revealing. Perhaps, though, this is one of those cases where the journey is more important than the destination. And boy, the journey is thrilling.