State of Wonder – Ann Patchett
When Dr. Marina Singh hears of her friend and colleague’s death, she travels to the Amazon in search of her old professor Dr. Annick Swenson, who has been studying a group of women who remain fertile well into their seventies. Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (one of my all-time favorite books), State of Wonder is the compelling journey of woman into the darkest part of humanity, and then into the brightest.
Little Bee – Chris Cleave
A beautiful story about two women dealing with the present while trying to forget the past. Sarah and Little Bee met in Nigeria, where they faced a terrible choice, made a horrific sacrifice, and had to live with the dreadful consequences. Two years later, Little Bee turns up at Sarah’s door in England, and together they must face their pasts. Chris Cleave has a genius grasp on language. This book is emotionally forceful, much like his other novel, Incendiary. It is an amazing story of human triumph, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.
The Hippopotamus – Stephen Fry
When poet Ted Wallace loses his job as a reviewer, his goddaughter, who is dying of leukemia, asks him to go to the family’s enormous estate and do some spying, for the last time she was there, she witnessed a miracle. Stephen Fry’s witty and clever use of language brings the reader on a romp of an adventure through the hardships of sexuality and the significance of human kindness.
P.S. Unfortunately I have had to cancel the Creepy-Crawly Writing Contest due to an insufficient number of submissions. I hope people will be more willing to participate in my next contest!
