Saturday – Ian McEwan
It’s a pretty ambitious novelist who decides that their novel will be built around one man’s experience of a single day. Or perhaps just someone confident enough in their powers as a story teller. McEwan pulls it off with aplomb. There is much to gain from Saturday’s rich exploration of the inner life of its protagonist, and the ensuing family dynamics as he navigates his day which encompasses protests against the Iraq War, an attempted mugging, family crises and neurosurgery. It’s a brilliant book.
The Kate Henderson Trilogy – Tom Bradby
My daughter picked up a spy novel for a holiday read, and well I ended up reading them too! Secret Service, Double Agent and Triple Cross form a trilogy around MI6 agent Kate Henderson’s quest to rid the British government of Russian agents right at the very heart of the establishment. Bradby uses his journalistic experience to colour these novels with great characters (some thinly disguised) and accurate details of how Whitehall works. A gripping twisty plot and thoughtful details on what family life might be like for a secret agent all add to the story. I did guess the conclusions of the first and third book about half-way through but that may have been intentional, to build a sense of dread for what Kate intuited was true but didn’t want to face. Fun holiday reads.
The red house – Mark Haddon
This novel documents a seven day family reunion in a rented farm house in the Welsh countryside. A brother and sister, long distant but pulled together after the death of their mother agree to this holiday with spouses and children in tow. The style at first was a bit too piecemeal and fleeting for my taste, but in persevering the inner lives portrayed of all the characters became engrossing. That Haddon captures so convincingly the essence of teenage girls and boys to middle-aged couples is a remarkable talent.
Jason Kitcat 