CULTURE CLUB
CAMBRIDGE EDITION Book Club Whether you’re looking for a moving memoir or a chart-topping ‘romantasy’, these female authors are bound to satisfy your literary appetites
WORDS BY CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
The Hunter BY TANA FRENCH This book wasn’t meant to be. The Searcher , Tana French’s previous Irish western following former Chicago cop Cal Hooper and his arrival in a small Irish village, was made as a stand-alone novel. But the best-selling author sensed the characters weren’t quite done. Come immerse yourself in rural Ireland once more in the company of retired Cal, his not-quite-girlfriend Lena and local teenager Trey Reddy. The trio have reached an easy equilibrium since the tumultuous events surrounding Cal’s arrival (the prior book’s subject, which you don’t need to have read), and have formed an unconventional family unit. Cal is begrudgingly adjusting to small village life, spending his days with Trey restoring old furniture together, smoothing and sanding old wood back to life. Meanwhile, Lena and Cal are getting comfortable, loping between houses in an unspoken arrangement which suits them both fine. But this
season, the heat dials up a notch – and as all good westerns have taught us, high noon brings trouble. Trey’s long-absent, no-good father suddenly rolls back into town with a rich English friend in tow and a crazy scheme to rinse that Englishman for all he’s worth. The villagers – hungry for change, both from their lives and the relentless heat – are all ears. Even law- abiding Cal gets involved, determined not to let the scheme upset Trey’s hard-won peace. Yet Trey has other ideas: beneath the teenager’s cool exterior lies plans for revenge. The characters are compelling, but the book’s setting is another huge draw. Returning to the rugged, ferocious and unrelentingly beautiful landscape of west Ireland is clearly a delight for French; her prose captures the magic of the imperious mountains, sparkling golden fields and babbling brooks, which may or may not conceal pots full of gold within their waters, depending on who you listen to.
Essential for anyone who misses Hilary Mantel, this collection of non-fiction essays, articles and reviews is another chance to spend time with her unmistakable voice. Paired with her unique way of seeing the world, it should be grabbed with both hands. Alongside her musings on the death of Princess Diana, Mantel’s own ill health and experience of domestic life in Saudi Arabia, the book also includes (for the first time in print) her stunning 2017 Reith Lectures on the craft of historical fiction, plus the task of resurrecting those long dead. The topics drift from reviewing When Harry Met Sally to the challenge of being a female writer. Though this collection was assembled after her death, immersing yourself in her words still gives you a sense of connectedness, that there are considered threads running through all her work, carefully woven by Mantel herself over the decades. BY HILARY MANTEL A MEMOIR OF MY FORMER SELF: A LIFE IN WRITING
24 MARCH 2024 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
Powered by FlippingBook