CULTURE CLUB
NIGHT WHEREVER WE GO
BY TRACEY ROSE PEYTON
This debut is a transfixing work of historical fiction, rooted firmly in awful fact. Set on a plantation in Texas in 1852, the book opens as six enslaved women meet in the woods under cover of darkness. A place to talk safely – soon essential for survival. Plantation owner, Mr Lucy (named by the women after Lucifer), has hired a stockman, Zeke – another slave – to impregnate the women and bear a second generation of slaves. They have each tried and failed to dissuade Zeke from his task; his life also depends on the women becoming pregnant. The eldest of them, Nan, shares her herbal knowledge: chewing on cotton roots can help to prevent or end pregnancy, and if all of the women fail to become pregnant, they can point the finger at the stockman rather than themselves, sparing the emotional and physical burden of bearing a child into this world. The plan only works if they all take part: the danger is that if one woman slips up and becomes pregnant, they risk revealing the plan to their sadistic owners. Peyton’s writing is stark and visceral, sparing the reader nothing, yet the book is impossible to put down – grimly beautiful in its descriptive passages of nature, human bodies, remembrances of past times of peace and hope for future contentment. This is a haunting, heartbreaking read that will stay with you for a long time after its final pages.
THE ISLAND OF LOST GIRLS
BY ALEX MARWOOD Strap into your sun lounger for this compelling thriller of a holiday read; a perfect second helping for anyone who enjoyed the latest season of HBO’s The White Lotus . This story takes place between the 1980s and 2016, on the fictional Mediterranean island of La Kastellana. In 1985, the traditional community finds itself on the cusp of massive investment by the super-rich, who have just discovered its unspoiled natural beauty and willing locals, ripe for employment and exploitation. The duke who owned the island has died, passing the title to a new, internationally minded owner. A 12-year-old local girl, Mercedes, finds herself indebted to multimillionaire Matthew Meade, architect of ‘the New Capri’, and his daughter, Tatiana. Thirty years later, La Kastellana is a fully realised, secretive and glamorous playground for the ultra-wealthy. Mercedes is still in the employment of the Meades, running their luxury property on the island, managing their house staff and catering to their every whim. Elsewhere on La Kastellana, Robin arrives by ferry in search of her missing 17-year-old daughter, Gemma, having discovered she may have visited the island – and knowing the stories of young women abused by rich men holidaying. But no-one wants to help and risk the wrath of the jet set, who pay everyone’s wages and hold the local community in a vice-like grip. Dripping with glamour, yet sinisterly shadowed with darkness, this is a superb summer read where nothing is as it seems. Perfect for devouring propped up at the edge of an infinity pool.
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK JUNE 2023 25
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