Date Archives April 2015

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner: Review

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I think I have a problem with over-hyped books. Although the hype is never true, I always end up believing it, and come to a book with ridiculously high expectations that can never be satisfied. A similar thing happened a few years ago with The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. As I wrote then: I quite liked this book. I think that, perhaps, if I had come upon it by chance in a neglected corner of a bookshop and read it without any preconceptions, I would… Read More

Jacks Hill Road by Jennifer Grahame

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Cover of Jacks Hill Road

We’ve all driven down one of those streets, haven’t we? One of those streets where the lawns are manicured, the pavements are clean and uncracked, and the houses are hidden away behind large gates. One of those streets where you can feel money dripping from the trees. Jacks Hill Road is that kind of road, and it’s the Jamaican setting for an entertaining novel by Jennifer Grahame. We’re introduced to it through the eyes of the housekeeper, Louise, as she struggles up the hill in the heat of the morning… Read More