Review: Death of a Foreign Gentleman by Steven Carroll

 

Death of a Foreign Gentleman by Steven Carroll 

Kobo reviewed my reading habits and suggested this to me as a book that I might enjoy. Seeing that it was by an Australia author, was literary crime fiction in an historical setting, I agreed that it looked right up my alley, so I purchased it on a whim (well done Kobo). 

The story is set in post WWII England (1947 specifically). The story begins with the death of Martin Friedrich, a renowned German philosopher and former Nazi Party member, who is hit killed by a speeding car while cycling to deliver a lecture at Cambridge University. Detective Sergeant Stephen Minter, an Austrian-born Cockney Jew whose parents were interned during the war, is assigned to investigate the case. 

Minter starts investigating, looking into Friedrich's life and uncovering unsavoury truths about the man - his past as a Nazi supporter, his arrogance and selfishness, and his dishonourable treatment of the women that he tricks into his life until they have served their purpose for him. The story oscillates between the different characters, slowly drawing together the threads of their individual narratives to reach the culmination where the truth behind Freidrich's accident is exposed.  

One of the most striking aspects of the book for me was how meaning emerged from a series of coincidences and randomness, and not from a carefully constructed plan or motives. Usually, crime fiction reveals an intentional plot toward some criminal end. Carroll gives us a piece of crime fiction involving chance events. I think was deliberate - to show that cause and effect isn't always a straight line. This is relevant to the post-war world the story is set in, where the characters are left a little bereft with the world and the ways of life that they once believed they knew having been destroyed. 

Maybe what I am trying to say is that Carroll seems less interested in who killed Friedrich, and more in what the aftermath of his death exposes in the lives of the people around him. For example, their grief following his death, their grief following the way, their dislocation from their homes (for some) and family (for others). Perhaps he is using Friedrich's death and its aftermath almost as a metaphor for the war and its aftermath. 

It is definitely a very thoughtful novel, and I recommend it - even if I couldn't honestly say that I loved it. 

Review: Unfinished Business by Shankari Chandran

Unfinished Business by Shankari Chandran 

Shankari Chandran first came to my knowledge when she won the 2023 Mile Franklin Literary Award with her novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens. While that novel remains on my wish list, I picked up Unfinished Business because I will be seeing her speak about this book at the SWF (with Ian Rankin). 

The book itself is a political thriller set against the backdrop of Sri Lanka's civil war. The novel opens in 2009 with the assassination of Ameena Fernando, a prominent journalist known for her fearless reporting. In response, the CIA dispatches agent Ellie Harper to investigate, but with instructions only to do the bare minimum of an investigation so that the US can look as though it is contributing - without actually contributing in any meaningful way. 

The narrative moves back and forth between 2005 and 2009. In 2005, Ellie was part of a failed mission to Sri Lanka that haunts her, along with her failed relationship with Sathyan - who it turns out was Ameena fiancé at the time of her assassination. This was a bit of a convenient coincidence for my liking, and I think put me off a little from the story from the very beginning. 

Driven in part by her desire to make up the past, Ellie dives into the investigation in earnest and uncovers a web of espionage and foreign intervention in other nations. Chandran is making a point of drawing attention a wide range of social, political and human rights issues. The persecution of the Tamil population. Political corruption. Perhaps most importantly the ongoing neo-colonial benevolence where foreign intervention is dressed up as benevolent assistance of the 'we know better' variety but ultimately serves the interests of the intervening country. 

While I wanted to really enjoy this novel and I don't want to understate how important the themes of the novel undoubtedly are, they often took precedence over character development and plot, making the story feel more like a vehicle for commentary than the immersive narrative experience I prefer. 

Review: Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

It was almost by chance I came to this. A colleague mentioned that she was reading it, and within a week I found it on sale and thought "why not"? It wasn't until a few weeks later that I realised I was going to see Madeleine Gray at the SWF and so it jumped up the priority list. 

I actually enjoyed this book far more than I expected it. I think we can call it contemporary romance, and I won't lie, one of the things that I was particularly drawn to is that it is set in my city and events occur near where I work. I could really visualise the characters in the actual places that are within my own experience. When Gray describes the workers entering their place of work - how they look, how it feels to be one of them - it connected with my own personal experience. Even just the way Gray describes how the office works - the siloing of colleague groups, the awkward interactions, the importance of finding some you can connect with and send those snarky messages to when required. Gray nailed it. 

The novel follows Hera, a 24-year-old Australian navigating the disillusionment of post-university life. She has finished her degrees, still lives with her father and despite feeling completely disconnected from herself and those around her, she concludes its time for her to do something to move her life forward. She begins working as an online comment moderator and finds herself drawn into an intense affair with Arthur, her older, married colleague. Despite identifying as a lesbian, Hera becomes infatuated with Arthur, finding in him a source of excitement and escape from her mundane routine. Their relationship, largely sustained through digital communication (hence the green dot connection - that good old green dot on Teams) begins to consume Hera's life.

Hera's voice was one of the key strengths of the novel for me. Her voice is bold and unique - she isn't afraid to engage with her own inner thoughts and self. She recognises that her actions aren't acceptable, that they do damage to her, to Arthur, to his family and to those that love and support her. But despite knowing it's wrong she isn't afraid to pursue her desires knowingly. She is chronically anxious about what people think about her but handles this by making every attempt to seem overly confident and extroverted. I think this is a fairly authentic depiction of how some people deal with their own anxiety. 

It also added a welcome element that the story was told from the perspective of Hera looking back on her affair with Arthur - we know where it all ends, but it doesn't impact the journey. I would say that even though Hera was the leading lady, as someone much closer in age and experience to the 'older man' I couldn't help but reflect on the experience of him and his family, something that isn't really touched on in the book. The duplicity that can sneak into marriage. The desire to be the centre of someone else's world and what people will do when that feeling fades in their own relationship. The heartbreak and betrayal his wife must have felt. This definitely wasn't the point of the story - just where perhaps my own age led my thoughts and reflections.  

In short - this was a compulsive read, and I highly recommend it. 

WWW Wednesday: 7 May 2025

WWW Wednesday is a meme that is hosted by Taking on a World of Words. It's a very simple premise of sharing with others The Three Ws:

What are you currently reading? 

What did you recently finish reading? 

What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading

Jane Harper is always a reliable read - so far, I have really enjoyed everything of hers that I have read, particularly The Dry. I picked this one up at the Lifeline Book Fair, and not being sure what I wanted to read next I knew that this would be a solid choice. 

Recently finished

Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent. Love love loved. 

Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin by Alison Goodman. Love love loved - actually think it was better than the first. 

Up Next

The Constant Wife by W Somerset Maugham. Its been awhile since I read a play, looking forward to this. 

April 2025: What I read

April was another big month for me reading wise. I didn't expect to get through so much with so many other things going on my life, but I am pleased to see that I was still able to find a good amount of time for myself to relax and escape into another world for a while. I was also pleased to see that three of the six books were by Australian authors. 

I read a quote the other day by Jeanette Winterson that I absolutely connected with:

"Books and doors are the same thing. You open them, and you go through into another world".

That's what reading allows me to do - spend some time immersed somewhere else, with other people, and live their lives for a time.  

Sydney Writers' Festival choices

With the Sydney Writers' Festival coming up, I have been pretty keen to read as many of the books that I can by the authors that I will be going to see. In April, I read two:

• Green Dot by Madeleine Gray
• Unfinished Business by Shankari Chandran

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

It was almost by chance I came to this. A colleague mentioned that she was reading it, and within a week I found it on sale and thought "why not"? It wasn't until a few weeks later that I realised I was going to see Madeleine Gray at the SWF and so it jumped up the priority list. 

The novel follows Hera, a 24-year-old Australian navigating the disillusionment of post-university life. She has finished her degrees, still lives with her father and despite feeling completely disconnected from herself and those around her, she concludes its time for her to do something to move her life forward. She begins working as an online comment moderator and finds herself drawn into an intense affair with Arthur, her older, married colleague. Despite identifying as a lesbian, Hera becomes infatuated with Arthur, finding in him a source of excitement and escape from her mundane routine. Their relationship, largely sustained through digital communication (hence the green dot connection - that good old green dot on Teams) begins to consume Hera's life.

In short - this was a compulsive read, and I highly recommend it. A longer review is scheduled for 10 May 2025. 

Unfinished Business by Shankari Chandran 

Shankari Chandran first came to my knowledge when she won the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award with her novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens. While that novel remains on my wish list, I picked up Unfinished Business because I will be seeing her speak about this book at the SWF (with Ian Rankin). 

The book itself is a political thriller set against the backdrop of Sri Lanka's civil war. The novel opens in 2009 with the assassination of Ameena Fernando, a prominent journalist known for her fearless reporting. In response, the CIA dispatches agent Ellie Harper to investigate, but with instructions only to do the bare minimum of an investigation so that the US can look as though it is contributing - without actually contributing in any meaningful way. The narrative moves back and forth between 2005 and 2009. In 2005, Ellie was part of a failed mission to Sri Lanka that haunts her, along with her failed relationship with Sathyan - who it turns out was Ameena fiancé at the time of her assassination. 

I am pleased to have read this before the SWF event, but there were some aspects of the novel that meant it wasn't something that I would recommend, even if I wouldn't go so far as to say that I recommend you give it a miss. A review is scheduled for 12 May 2025. 

American Slavery

I'm not quite sure how American slavery became a theme in April 2025, but it definitely was. I read two books dealing with the tragedy of slavery and the indelible mark it left on its victims: Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and James by Percival Everett. 

Underground Railroad is a Pulitzer Prize–winning novel which reimagines the historical Underground Railroad as a literal underground train system used by enslaved people to escape bondage in the American South. It follows the plight of Cora, a young woman fleeing a Georgia plantation, as she travels from state to state, encountering different, often horrifying manifestations of racism and oppression. It's essentially a blend of historical fiction and speculative fiction - or historical fiction with speculative elements. It certainly feels far more historical than anything in the way that it describes the brutality of the lives of enslavement that so many people were subjected to.  

James is a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but this time told from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man who accompanies Huckleberry on his journey. Similarly to Underground Railroad, James is a piece of historical fiction with speculative element. Everett imagines that enslaved people only speak in the stereotyped dialect when white people are listening. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that this use of language by the enslaved is a strategic performance rather than a reflection of their reality. What I took from this is that Everett was trying to reclaim the voice of the enslaved by challenging the historical depiction of enslaved people as ignorant or unintelligent. It acknowledges that white cultures (whether in the past or present) often see and hear what they expect to see and hear. A longer review of these books is scheduled for 27 May 2025. 

Others that caught my fancy

Death of a Foreign Gentleman by Steven Carroll 

Kobo reviewed my reading habits and suggested this to me as a book that I might enjoy. Seeing that it was by an Australia author, was literary crime fiction in an historical setting, I agreed that it looked right up my alley, so I purchased it on a whim (well done Kobo). 

The story is set in post WWII England (1947 specifically). The story begins with the death of Martin Friedrich, a renowned German philosopher and former Nazi Party member, who is hit killed by a speeding car while cycling to deliver a lecture at Cambridge University. Detective Sergeant Stephen Minter, an Austrian-born Cockney Jew whose parents were interned during the war, is assigned to investigate the case. 

Minter starts investigating, looking into Friedrich's life and uncovering unsavoury truths about the man - his past as a Nazi supporter, his arrogance and selfishness, and his dishonourable treatment of the women that he tricks into his life until they have served their purpose for him. The story oscillates between the different characters, slowly drawing together the threads of their individual narratives to reach the culmination where the truth behind Freidrich's accident is exposed.  

It is definitely a very thoughtful novel and I recommend it - even if I couldn't honestly say that I loved it. A review is scheduled for 19 May 2025. 

The Sweeping Sword by Brenda Jagger

This was my 'insomnia read', something I have mentioned previously on this blog. This is the book that I read many times before that keeps me company through the long, lonely nights when insomnia has me in its grip. 

This is the third instalment of one my all-time favourite series and books of all times - The Barforth Trilogy, which I have previously reviewed. It is historical fiction, feminist but still a romance. If I had to talk about books that I think undeservedly go under the radar, these would be them. 

Best Books of the 21st Century

I have always loved a good list - especially when it comes to books that claim to define a generation or capture the spirit of a place. I remember when I was younger, I always looked at the Dymocks Top 100 lists. Now I have decided to keep track of my reading of two significant literary lists from the 21st century: The New York Times’ list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (so far), and Readings' list of the 30 Best Australian Books of the 21st Century (so far). 

I’m curious to see how many I’ve read (in bold), which ones I own (marked with an asterix) and which ones might be in my future. I have linked to my reviews where they exist on this blog. 

I don't necessarily have a view about whether the lists are 'correct'. I want to use them as a way to reflect on my reading and maybe discover something new.

You can jump to the two lists below:

Readings' Best Australian Books of the 21st Century

The New York Times' 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

Readings' Best Australian Books of the 21st Century

Readings, one of Australia’s most respected independent booksellers, released its list of the 30 Best Australian Books of the 21st Century in 2024 in response to the New York Times' list - to celebrate its deep connection with Australian literature and lack of representation of Australian literature. The list showcases a diverse range of voices, from debut authors to established literary heavyweights, and includes fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid works that speak to Australia’s evolving identity. It’s a celebration of local storytelling and a reminder of the strength and breadth of our literary culture. 

I am starting with the Australian selections because they are closer to my heart, and I feel more strongly about prioritising these books when choosing my next read. There are so many on this list that I have already read and absolutely loved. If I could give some shout outs, they would be for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (one of my favourite books of all time) and for Hannah Kent for having become of my new favourite authors. 

1. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (one of my very favourite books of all time)

3. Burial Rights by Hannah Kent (one of my very favourite authors of all time)

4. Breath by Tim Winton

5. Limberlost by Robbie Arnott

6. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan*

7. The Secret River by Kate Grenville

8. Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au

9, The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island by Chloe Hooper

10. Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen

11. The Boat by Nam Le 

12. The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey

13. Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Salton*

14. Stasiland by Anna Funder

15. How to End a Story: Diaries 1995 - 1998 by Helen Garner

16. Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko*

17. The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose

18. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

19. The White Girl by Tony Birch

20. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks*

21. Joe Cinque's Consolation by Helen Garner*

22. The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay

23. Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

24. The Yield by Tara June Winch

25. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

26. Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down

27. The Dry by Jane Harper 

28. Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears

29. The Broken Shore by Peter Temple

30. How the Light Gets In by MJ Hyland

The New York Times' 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

The New York Times published its list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century in July 2024 - unveiling its list of the 100 best books in the first 25 years of this era. The compilation was based on a survey of 503 literary figures, including novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics, and other book enthusiasts. It sparked discussion and controversy. The list leaned heavily on American and English-language titles (61 of the authors were American - not highly diverse for a list of 100 - and only 13 were translated novels), leaving some readers questioning the global inclusiveness of the selection. There was also debate around genre representation and the prominence of certain authors over others. 

I've not read nearly as many of these as I have the Australian selections and there are quite a few that I would really like to read some time soon, especially My Brilliant Friend which has been recommended to me over and over again. 

1. My Brilliant Friend (#1) by Elena Ferrante*

2. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

3. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel*

4. The Known World by Edward P Jones

5. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen*

6. 2666 by Roberto Bolano

7. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

8. Austerlitz by WG Sebald

9. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro* 

10. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

12. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

13. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

14. Outline by Rachel Cusk

15. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon*

17. The Sellout by Paul Beatty

18. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders*

19. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe

20. Erasure by Percival Everett

21. Evicted by Matthew Desmond

22. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

23. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro

24. The Overstory by Richard Powers

25. Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

26. Atonement by Ian McEwan

27. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie*

28. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

29. The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt

30. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

31. White Teeth by Zadie Smith*

32. The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst

33. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

34. Citizen by Claudia Rankine

35. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

36. Between the World and Me by Te-Nehisi Coates

37. The Years by Annie Ernaux

38. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano*

39. A Visit From the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan*

40. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

41. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegam

42. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

43. Postwar by Tony Judt

44. The Fifth Season NK Jemisin

45. The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

46. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

47. A Mercy by Toni Morrison

48. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

49. The Vegetarian by Han Kang

50. Trust by Hernan Diaz

51. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

52. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

53. Runaway by Alie Munro

54. Tenth of December by George Saunders

55. The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright

56. The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner

57. Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

58. Stay True by Hua Hsu

59. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

60. Heavy by Kiese Laymon

61. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver*

62. 10:04 by Ben Lerner

63. Veronica by Mary Gaitskill

64. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

65. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

66. We the Animals by Justin Torres

67. Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon

68. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

69. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

70. All Aunt Hagar's Children by Edward P Morgan

71. The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen

72. Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich

73. The Passage of Power by Robert Caro

74. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

75. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

76. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

77. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

78. Septology by Jon Fosse

79. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

80. The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante

81. Pulphead by John Jeremiah Sullivcan

82. Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor

83. When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut

84. The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

85. Pastoralia by George Saunders

86. Frederick Douglass by David W Blight

87. Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

88. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis by Lydia Davis

89. The Return by Hisham Matar

90. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

91. The Human Stain by Philip Roth

92. The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

93. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

94. On Beauty by Zadie Smith

95. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel 

96. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Saidiya Hartman

97. Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

98. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett*

99. How to Be Both by Ali Smith 

100. Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson

Six Degrees of Separation (May): Rapture to At Home by Bill Bryson

The meme is hosted by Books are My Favourite Best and is described thus: On the first Saturday of every month, a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book. Each person’s chain will look completely different. It doesn’t matter what the connection is or where it takes you – just take us on the journey with you.

This month's six degrees starts with Rapture by Emily Maguire, the story of a girl who disguised herself as a monk to live in a monastery and avoid the life of a wife or nun. I haven't read Rapture yet, but I have read many positive reviews about the book.

The first link is a little boring perhaps - but Wicked by Gregory Maguire comes straight to mind just as a result of the matching surname. I read and reviewed it in 2009, in the early days of my first blog Page Turners. Although I don't recall much of the specifics of the plot anymore, I recall the impact it had on me at the time. It was dark and visited me in my dreams and made me ponder the difference between good and evil. I saw the movie recently with my daughter and I think that it might be time to revisit the book some time soon.

I can't help it, next is The Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum. This was a quick fun read from 2009 as well, that oddly enough I read for the first time after I read Wicked. The book was great, but it's hard to go past the movie, which played such a big role on repeat in my childhood. One of my primary school memories is my sister bringing home an illustrated copy of the book from the school library. When my mother saw the book, she remembered owning a copy of the same book as a child herself and after a polite request the school librarian allowed her to keep the book rather than return it to the library.

Next is Father Frank by Paul Frank - the connection being in the name of Frank. I would be very surprised if anyone else has ever read this but it's one of my favourite easy reads. It's about a man who becomes a Catholic Priest (despite not believing in God) and drives a taxi part time to raise funds for his church. Eventually, a beautiful woman books his taxi and sparks fly. What is a Priest to do in such circumstances? It's just a bit of light-hearted romance but I love it.

Light-hearted romance? I have to think about Emma by Jane Austen. Perhaps not light-hearted in the same way, but certainly about romance and certainly very funny - laugh out loud funny. I think this is Austen's funniest novel.

Laugh out loud funny? That takes me straight to Notes from a Big Country by Bill Bryson. That man is hilarious, and I remember just absolutely cracking up the entire time I was reading this one.

This takes me straight to the last book of this chain, another Bill Bryson book - and that's At Home. I would really like to finish At Home, which tells the history of the family home room by room. I've started it, but it's such a door stopper I've never quite been able to get through it.

That's all from me - looking forward to June.