CULTURE CLUB
LOST DOG
BY KATE SPICER Not a new book, but one for you to pick up in paperback. It tells the story of Kate’s journey from partygoer to dog owner: discovering the joys of life in the company of her adopted lurcher, Wolfie, taking him wherever she goes – and then the horror of learning he’s been lost while in the care of her brother’s family, and the all-consuming dog hunt that follows. Along with pounding the streets and holding posters with Wolfie’s photo in front of anyone who’ll give her the time of day, Kate takes to Twitter to seek help from her thousands of followers. The book’s events take place in 2019, back in Twitter’s heyday, and any ex-fans of the platform will find it slightly bittersweet to see the social network at its most useful. This book perfectly captures the sheer delight of sighthound or lurcher ‘ownership’ – it’s (accurately) said that long dogs are more like partners than pets – and getting to read Kate’s account of life in London, gadding about with Wolfie in tow, will almost certainly leave you envious of her Notting Hill existence. Kate’s writing has always been whip-smart, and this story of her life both pre- and post- dog adoption is heartbreakingly affecting, whether you’re a committed dog lover or not yet under a canine’s spell.
The Wren, The Wren BY ANNE ENRIGHT
Anne Enright is a hugely acclaimed, brilliantly talented and completely beloved author with a Booker Prize to her name, yet she has remained strangely below the mainstream’s radar – but this novel seems to be the one which is (finally) getting her work into the hands of millions more book lovers. The Wren, The Wren is a stunning piece of fiction – it allows us to spend time in the company of mother and daughter Carmel and Nell, and we jump between them to get different perspectives on their turbulent, but love- filled relationship with each other. We’re also privy to their thoughts on Carmel’s father, Phil McDaragh, an internationally famous Irish poet – and with the poems
and people that he abandoned both before and after his death. Nell is starting to make her way in the world, desperate for adventure yet always somehow tied to the Irish landscape her grandfather loved so much. While Carmel is left behind by her daughter’s expansion, reopening wounds wrought by her father’s choices and the generational hurt caused by the men who preceded him. Carmel and Nell’s differing attitudes to the world are shaped by the times they grew up in and the communities formed around them, yet it is in their thoughts on each other that the book really hits home: a challenging but brilliant read for those consumed by connections between mothers and daughters.
THE WINTER SPIRITS: GHOSTLY TALES FOR FROSTY NIGHTS
BY VARIOUS
Another set of short stories, but this time with a slightly spookier vibe, these 12 tales by some of the best writers working today will have you on the edge of your sofa or pulling the covers right over your head. Authors including Imogen Hermes Gowar, Catriona Ward and Stuart Turton will transport you between locations such as Victorian London, an isolated Scottish island, a thinly disguised Rye – and all sorts of eras and situations, from an upper- class seance to a dressmaker’s studio and a traditional play put on by a cast of amateur actors. The common theme between the tales are these chillier months of the year – and thrillingly uncanny happenings: this compendium is a fantastic addition to any to-read pile.
WINTER CHILLS These spooky short stories all have the cold winter months as a central theme, only adding to the dramatic tension
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK FEBRUARY 2024 27
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