Reviews Aren't Dead

Or at least, they shouldn't be - so here are 5 based on books I loved

I was doomscrolling through Instagram the other day looking for some book recommendations. I scrolled for about 10 minutes, and throughout that time, I didn’t see a single review. All of the posts were book related. There were hauls, and wrap ups, and Day-In-The-Life videos. There were trends, and transition videos. There were even book and drink pairings. But not a single review.

That’s not to say that nobody writes them, or records them, but that the algorithm (man, that’s a hard word to spell. I also struggle to spell rythm? rhythem? rhythm?) doesn’t prioritise them, and so they don’t perform well enough to appear on the homepage. Then you have to go digging, and go directly to the pages of people who you know you share a book taste with to find anything resembling an opinion.

In today’s attention economy, the algo (I’ll stick to this abbreviation so I don’t misspell it and embarrass myself) prioritises short, clickable content. A video with a cute outfit of the day will gain more attention than someone sharing their journaling routine, or someone making a cup of coffee will outperform someone reading a poem. The online world has been deemed a ‘brain-off’ activity, which is dangerous in and of itself, but I miss when bookstagram was about what we thought and what we felt.

In an attempt to correct that - could I interest you in some short book reviews? I’ve got five books I’m absolutely foaming at the mouth to talk about!

These five books I have read over the last 3 or 4 weeks and they’ve all stuck with me for different reasons. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura

You’ll likely know Kitamura because of her latest runaway success that was Audition. When I adore an author’s work as much as I do Kitamura’s, I’ll often dive into their backlists. I borrowed this book from a friend and I was so happy that I did.

An unnamed female narrator is a simultaneous interpreter at The Hague. She has been tasked with translating for a previous world leader who stands accused of committing war crimes.

The writing is sharp, and highly evocative. In just over 200 pages, Kitamura delivers a taut and precise study of power and the intimacy of translation. I cannot recommend it enough. Kitamura is chairing the International Booker next year and I’d be interested to see how her obsession with translation shows in the longlist she helps curate.

Under Water by Tara Menon

I was absolutely floored by this stunning debut novel. It is a moving novel of grief and loss set against the backdrop of two calamitous natural disasters.

I find myself drawn to precision in a novel these days, maybe for the very same reason I mentioned earlier about the attention economy. Menon asks big questions in only 200-something pages. She asks who belongs where, and what belongs to us, as humans. She paints the most stunning imagery. Her scenes (quite literally) under water will have you holding your breath and then gasping in amazement.

We’ll cover this on The Reading Chatroom next season. Stay tuned!

May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry

Art and art-adjacent books are all the rage right now, and for good reason. They ask us to slow down and consider something that someone else has made and remove ourselves entirely from the narrative. I appreciate a book that can make you think. This does just that.

Perry writes a story of a curator who is commissioned to stage a palace for an upcoming tourist season. In her work, she finds the story of a forgotten king and chooses to stage the palace with scenes from his reign. The story starts being told by the curator, then switches to the king. It asks the question of what happens behind power.

It is gorgeous, quirky, and simply unforgettable. A Booker contender if ever there was one. More on The Reading Chatroom soon!

I Want You to Be Happy by Jem Calder

Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends meets Dolly Alderton’s Good Material in this funny, awkward novel of circumstance. Chuck is a millennial creeping towards 40. Joey is a 20-something barista, and Chuck is obsessed with her.

What follows is a hilarious, and fumbling relationship that will have you cringing and rolling your eyes, but unable to look away.

This one won’t be for everyone, but it sure as hell was for me.

Lone Wolf Living by Werner Pretorius

I am thrilled to report that the South African short story lives on! And it is in brilliant health.

Pretorius’s debut collection is a kaleidoscopic clash of colour and feeling. Slightly speculative, slightly unhinged, entirely brilliant.

There is a talent here, and I don’t say this lightly, that reminds me of the greats. Pretorius’s prose is full of emotion and intrigue, but never feels heavy handed. He tackles themes of family, loss, belonging, and so many more in a collection that feels completely unique, yet still wonderfully cohesive.

I cannot recommend it enough.

There you have it folks. Some book reviews - I wonder if you enjoyed reading them? Let me know if this is something you would look forward to reading again in the future, or if I should just stick to ‘What’s in my bag’ content going forward ;) x

As the ink dries,

Riley x