'Agent Reilly chases down a UFO spotted over Dublin'
This week there’s fiction, memoir, biography and poetry, something for everyone.
Electric Blue, Plague Green, Connor Rennick, Amazon, €12.65
This novel, the first in a planned series, is an urban fantasy story and sees protagonist Agent Reilly chasing down a UFO spotted over Dublin. The alien ship’s crew have been struck down by some deadly virus and Reilly’s investigation throws up more questions than answers. Reilly needs to track down a bioweapon that can’t be scientifically emulated as well as struggle with his own traumatic past and try not to become as morally corrupt as the very powers he struggles to save the city from, or as Nietzsche put it: ‘Beware that when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.’ A fast-paced thriller that never lets up, perfect for fans of the genre.
Hot Wax, ML Rio, Headline , €16.99
A novel for fans of metal rock, this is the story of Suzanne, bored suburban wife but once upon a time an underage rock chick, working on the road with her father Gil’s band in 1989. Now 40 and married to the mild-mannered Rob, she gets word that her estranged father is dead and has left her his car down in Florida. She collects the car and embarks on a road trip, partly to come to terms with his death, partly to find out what happened to him in the latter years of his life, and partly to re-live the old days, in the company of a pair of itinerant second-hand clothes merchants. Trouble is, she hasn’t told Rob about her plans and he’s hot on her heels, chasing her cross-country. More entertaining than it originally appeared to be, it’s a hell of a ride. Literally.
WTF Happened, Sarah Durcan with Lian Bell, UCD Press, €30
Irish theatre’s Waking the Feminists movement was born in 2015, when the Abbey Theatre announced its 1916 Centenary Programme titled Waking the Nation and only one female playwright was included, along with nine men. Two women directors were listed and seven men. We’d had women presidents, women CEOs and women government ministers, but yet in Irish theatre’s two crown jewels, The Abbey and The Gate, it appeared that with rare exceptions, the only place for women was serving behind the bar. The authors of this book were among the first to raise a ‘call to arms’ and the first Waking the Feminists rally took place in the Abbey in November 2015. The rest is history, but it’s a fascinating history and also a shameful one. What were the men involved thinking? And did they really think they could get away with Irish theatre being an exclusive men’s club indefinitely? This is well worth the read, not just for theatre lovers, but for women and for anyone interested in recent social history.
Peacemaker, Thant Myint-U, Atlantic, €16.99
This is a chronicle of the turbulent 1960s as well as a biography of the first UN Secretary of colour, the Burmese Buddhist U Thant, who put out more fires than one could imagine and who foresaw not just the current genocide taking place in Palestine but also the alliances that US politicians would make with those pushing big oil, big pharma, big diamonds and big guns. He advised JF Kennedy to opt for negotiations instead of nuclear war during the Cuban Crisis. Kennedy finally listened. He constantly fought for the principles of diplomacy and negotiation over military aggression and was opposed at every turn by Henry Kissinger and his ilk, but U Thant never gave in. This bio is a fascinating account of the life of a man who, without fail, opted for the peaceful road to conflict resolution. And one can’t help but think how much we need a man of his stature today. But it seems all the good men are gone. Don’t miss this.
Mother Mary Comes to Me, Arundhati Roy, Hamish Hamilton, €22.95
Booker prizewinner Arundhati Roy’s memoir about her mother depicts a woman who was harsh and cruel when her children didn’t meet her standards and conversely a loving Madonna when they did. Mary Roy had overcome poverty – almost impossible in India, even more so for a woman – to become a teacher who established a school in Kerala that was to gain widespread recognition. Her mother was, according to Roy, an ‘unaffectionate iron angel’, full of contradictions, a woman who cared for her students with devotion but was full of punishments for her own children. But this angry woman was nothing if not ambitious and Roy admires her mother’s incredible achievements, acknowledging that she would not be who she is if not for her mother. This is not a Mammy Dearest tell-all diatribe, but a measured and thoughtful exploration of a woman Roy still can’t explain. And coming from a writer of such stature, it is magnificently written.
Scanty Plot of Ground: A Book of Sonnets, Ed. Paul Muldoon, Faber €22.95
It would be hard to imagine a nicer gift than this book for the poetry fan in your life, and if that’s you then you should buy it for yourself. It’s a book of sonnets (both Petrarchan and Shakespearian – see what I did there?) by every poet you’ve ever heard of and probably plenty you haven’t, on every topic under the sun. The contributors hail from the last five centuries and there are not only contemporary poets included, but Irish poets are also well represented here. I cannot imagine how Muldoon picked these poems from the mountains of wonderful material available, but I’m so glad he managed it! This is a book that will never leave my bedside locker. It’s a permanent keeper.
Footnotes
The Leaves Festival of Writing and Music in Laois has a remarkable lineup of guests, taking place on November 4-8 with a multitude of events across the county in libraries, churches and arts centres. See leavesfestival.ie for details.
The Dublin Book Festival is on November 5-9 and also promises a stellar lineup. This annual festival is a celebration of Ireland’s writers and publishers. See dublinbookfestival.com for information.