I was tempted to read that vol2 review but skipped it. 😂😂😂
When I lived in NYC for a summer in the late 90s I befriended a couple of guys from India who were living together and had many conversations with them about the fact that to their specific families, their relationship was basically a non-entity. Nobody pretended their relationship was not romantic but also nobody acknowledged it as such. Deviant sounds amazing and your description of it really made me wish I'd stayed in touch with my friends.
Haha good restraint 😉 what a lovely memory Petya - I love it when a book evokes a memory, even if it is one tinged w sadness! I think you'd really like Deviants - I'd recommend! If nothing else so you can indulge some more in remember your friends.
Also starting any story with 'when I lived in NYC for a summer in the late 90s' is iconic.
as you said of me - a very Martha month!! Such diversity of experience, but all stories of struggle and life. I considered reading Vol II but also I just want someone to tell me what happens in the entire story. I will be so interested to see how she concludes this tale.
get used to reading two books at once because Solenoid is going to take YEARS lol
A very Martha month indeed! If you'd like me to book by book tell you what happens in all the volumes, I am MORE than happy to provide that service for you so you don't have to read it anymore haha.
lmaooo Solenoid is going to take YEARS I agree - it's looking like it'll be the only book I read in May at this rate! I am enjoying it, but because you need to set aside time to really get into the flow, I haven't been gravitating to it too much! But whenever I do open it again, I am really in love with the fluidity of it! Glad we have each other for support <3
Yes that exactly! When I finally had a quiet chunk of time to read yesterday I didn’t want to stop, but you can’t just pick it up for a few minutes here and there. Also decidedly not a treadmill book…
Interested to hear your thoughts on the newest Renato Cisneros book. I read The Distance Between Us a couple years ago and really really enjoyed (although that one is based on his own father and his political career in Peru so the scope was narrower than that of his latest work, from your telling). I think I would still pick this up with guarded expectations perhaps.
I also had a month that dealt with colonialism. I read Short War by Lily Meyer which addresses the coup in Chile ending Allende’s government and the ripple effects of that on a small cast of characters. I also read Beasts of a Little Land following a group of characters in Japan-occupied Korea during the early 1900’s into the WW2 years. I think this book does live in Pachinko’s shadow a little bit, and while I liked it, I didn’t like it as much as Pachinko. But I still find the Japan/Korea relationship very interesting and appreciate exploring that via literature.
I also finished Octavia Butler’s duology with The Parable of the Talents. It was a bleak read at times, felt a little too relevant to the current moment in the US with the rise of the religious right, and also featured a very unlikable narrative to me! An interesting reading experience all around and I wish I had more people to discuss with.
I have heard really positive things about The Distance Between Us & I'd still really like to read it! I think it did however set my expectations higher for The World We Saw Burning. I'd be interested to hear what you think - and yes definitely still pick it up! Sometimes I always think of when I didn't like a book is what if I was just having a bad few days and it rubbed off on my reading..? It is hard to ever know! It was captivating and well written, and I enjoyed 3/4s of it, but once I thought that one narrative was swallowing the other I couldn't un-see it, you know? And that ultimately influenced how I finished it/felt overall.
Short War has been on my list for forever - thank you for re-reminding me of it's existence! I'll push it to the top of my list. Beasts of a Little Land sounds compelling but it is interesting you say it lives in Pachinko's shadow so much. Pachinko does dominate in generational stories from Korea/Japan so much!
I never read the whole duology, only The Parable of the Sower! I think I felt hesitant because of how bleak it was... which is funny because I read that a good few years ago now, and look at what's happened in the US! If I remember correctly, I think I found the emerging dominance of the religious narrative slightly unnerving in TPOTS and felt hesitant to be plunged into it again! Would you recommend I read it anyway, for the sake of the duology? It is definitely a discussion book thats for sure!
Always SO hard to know what is affecting your read of a book. I actually read Parable of the Talents thinking it would have landed a lot differently for me last year when Biden was the US president. Interesting how personal mood, life circumstances, national conversations, and global events all shape your experience of a book. Although sometimes I’m so anxious to read a book at the “right” time that I put it off perpetually. Regarding TPOTT, if you are interested in seeing the story through, the second the book covers a lot more time and has a reflective structure (Lauren’s daughter introduces each journal entry as she goes through her mother’s writings sometime in the future). I think the discussion around family relationships is front and center (I believe Octavia Butler lost her own mother while writing), and the religious conversation is also dominant. These are themes I tend to like so I found it worthwhile! Given that, I did find parts to be rather upsetting and some characters a bit frustrating.
Excited to hear what you think of Short War! Part 3 took a turn I was not expecting and I’m still not sure how I feel about it!
Personal mood, life circumstances, national conversations, and global events all absolutely shape your experience with a book - I find it to interesting! It is impossible to read a book in a vacuum of all of those aspects, but sometimes I wish you could! I went to a really interesting talk last night with Karim Kattan, author of The Palace on the Higher Hill which has recently been translated into english, but he originally wrote it in 2018/19! He was discussing how the book is received and read differently now because of the genocide in Gaza (the book is set in the West Bank, he is a Palestinian author, living in France). I picked up a copy of the book so am very interested to read it, especially with the context change, it almost changes the book entirely?
Reading Parable of the Talents under Biden would absolutely be a completely diff experience - maybe if I come across a second hand copy I will finish the series one day! I will endeavour to try and read Short War this year - I will make sure to message you when I do!
I believe books three and four of On the Calculation of Volume are being released in English simultaneously! (tbh I'll probably pre-order them both at the same time...) And: the added pleasure of reading a review of something I *have* read is that you always articulate a theme I felt but couldn't put into words. Very intrigued to see these ideas play out.
Looking forward to reading your next author interview (!) and now to see if I can track down Co-wives, Co-widows--"joyful and absorbing" sounds like good tonal shift for my reading.
My intel in the UK (from my understanding) is that Vol 3 is coming before Vol 4?? Which will be INTERESTING and wildly frustrating if, for example, the US get both first?! I'd riot. I am so intrigued to see how these ideas play out - I am anticipating a sort of moral thread throughout about what our existence means but idk maybe I'm wrong and she'll curve ball us all - which is half the fun of it I suppose!
Thank you Laurel! I am sending you all the book tracking down fairy dust - I hope you can find it! It was a really nice tonal shift for me, especially as someone who just often reads intense books.
I thought we were getting 3&4 this year in the States, too, but just checked and looks like 3 on Nov 18 and 4 in April 2026… Faber looks to be following close behind that. I want them all now! I have been reading them perhaps too closely as a commentary on marriage. Hunchback is my April read I’ve thought about most often.
Thank you for the insider intel Danielle! That sounds about right - I know an ARC of vol 3 will be available soon but nothing has been said of 4, which lines up if its not coming till mid 2026! I also wish we could just buy a bumper pack of all 7 to read feverishly in one go. I thought vol 1 was very marriage commentary but I did think vol 2 steered from that in a very different direction - what about vol 2 did you interpret as still marriage commentary bc I am curious to hear how you interpreted it?
Hunchback definitely does that - I still think about it almost 5 months after I read it! Did you enjoy?
Interesting! When I bought the second (in Canada), the bookseller said “and there are two more this year!” which lines up with the pre-order dates on their website. Guess we’ll just wait and see.
realistically the publisher changed the dates and my local bookstore is just behind on changing the dates. fascinating because i only bought the book and talked to the bookseller ~2 weeks ago—gotta build up the hype, perhaps.
Wonderful read, as always. I'm looking forward to Co-Wives, Co-Widows and in the meantime you've reminded me to read a possibly-similar book I've had on my shelf for a couple years.
My favorite books of the year so far are On the Calculation of Volume Vol. 1 and A Month in the Country. I'm also about halfway through the Count of Monte Cristo and it is as good as I remember!
This month, aside from OtCoV1, I finished The Mortal and Immortal Life of the Girl from Milan by Domenico Starnone, which was pretty good but not as good as his fantastic Trust; The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, which was good but not as good as her wonderful Enlightenment (one of my favorite books I read last year); Little Green, which was good enough but not as good as other Walter Mosley books I've read, and The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton, which had moments but did not live up to my expectations.
I'm about halfway through the very short A Leopard-Skin Hat, which is quirky and fun and I'll be interested to see if it sticks the landing. I keep sort of hoping it will take a Pale Fire / Talented Mr. Ripley turn, but can't tell yet. The library says I have at least a couple weeks to wait for Perfection, Under the Eye of the Big Bird, and Reservoir Bitches. Even though that last one didn't make the short list, I'm hoping I get them in time to read before the prize is announced toward the end of the month.
Thank you, always, Geoff! Ooh whats the other possibly-similar book you've had on your shelf - I'm intrigued?? I want to read A Month in the Country this summer so I am pleased to hear how much you loved it! OtCoV1 was brilliant - stands out to me so much on the basis that it is unlike anything I have come across in a long time!
Would you recommend Starnone's Trust to me? I think I have seen it around before and thought it looked like something I might like to read! Really intrigued by your love for Enlightenment because it is not one I would have taken a second look at! But, because we have so much overlap, whenever you tell me about a book you've loved, I seriously consider that I might have to read it too!
I admire your commitment to reading the Booker this year - doing it last year and hating it really put me off doing it this year. Perfection and Reservoir Bitches are books I'd like to read eventually - and I'd be very interested to hear what you think of Under the Eye of the Big Bird because I don't think any of my peers (in real life or online) seem to have read it so I have very little intel on what it's like.
The similar-sounding book is The First Wife by Paulina Chiziane, published by Archipelago Books. A woman finds out her husband has been supporting four other families and makes an honest man out of him by forcing him to marry the other women. The cover flap says it's a "feverishly scathing satire of gender politics in Mozambique."
I really enjoyed Trust and would call it a buy! I only knew the premise going in and the book develops in a way I didn't anticipate, and continues to do so. He is so good at describing emotional situations and how they change as life changes. Enlightenment is different. After I finished it, I read others' reviews on StoryGraph, including many who didn't like it much, and their criticisms are fair, I even agree somewhat, but they didn't make me like the book any less for myself. Both it and the Essex Serpent are about friendship, about unlikely friendships, in a way that is not often the subject of 'serious' fiction. Enlightenment dwells on mistakes that deeply crack a friendship and that can't be undone. It is maybe a bit sentimental, but it deals with its flawed characters with honesty and forgiveness for their humanity. Sarah Perry is also very deft at certain techniques, like how she shifts perspective within a scene.
I just got Big Bird from the library. Fingers crossed! Having access to two good libraries helps with the nominees. If I had to buy the books I wouldn't persist. Some of them are really not very good, but when I first started reading the nominees, a few of them were so good and so world-expanding that it's hard to stop. So far OtCoV1 is far and away the best of this year's nominees I've read.
Oo thank you for the title - I will add The First Wife to the tbr! A cover that says 'feverishly scathing satire of gender politics in Mozambique' is a book for me! And I will also add Trust too the list too - I just your buy recommendation! I can't wait to hear what you think of Big Bird - and I agree about the library access. I unfortunately do not have a good library near me right now and it has a big impact on what I read, just because a lot of books have to be sourced by me! I also agree that some noms are really not very good at all - I'm still scarred from last year. I would agree OtCoV1 (even though its one of only 3 I've read) - I really am expecting it to win!
I read Co-wives, Co-widows last year (after searching for it for so long!) and I absolutely loved Ndongo Passy’s and Grekpoubou’s care and love for each other throughout the narrative. It was like a soothing balm.
Their relationship was SO lovely - I was positively elated when Ndongo Passy told her new husband that Grekpoubou had to come and live with them! It feels so rare sometimes to come across narratives where two women just genuinely like and care for each other. I wish the author had other work translated into English because her writing is so good! Have you read anything similar (ish) you'd recommend?
Yes, I loved that ending! And I think I’d recommend the classic ‘So Long a Letter’ by Mariama Bâ if you haven’t read it already. It’s also set in a Francophone African country and I loved how it explored and portrayed female friendship.
I'd be very interested to hear what you think about Vol I and II! I look forward to being able to talk about Fish Tales with you both because I have thoughts and I'm very curious if we will all align on them or not!
Thanks Martha for such indepth reviews. These are new authors to me, so it's great to be introduced to interesting writing. I have read a few good books in April and intend posting a review of them shortly. Can say that The Safe Keep and Fierce Attachments were the stand outs for me.
Thank you Lucy - I'm glad you've been introduced to some new authors! Let me know if you read any! I look forward to reading your reviews - especially The Safe Keep because I intend to read it very soon!
I was so grateful to read your review of FISH TALES which is the only review I’ve read that addresses the sexual abuse. I feel that the cover copy, marketing, and reviews I read prior to reading the book completely mislead me to the point where all I could think about was the discrepancy between what I was told I was reading and what was actually on the page. Your review is the first to help me make sense of what Jones might actually have been attempting with this novel. Thank you!
Thank you Sara! I very much agree with everything you've said - the marketing of Fish Tales is frankly wild, I am so tired of seeing it described as a party girl novel?! It is a novel of abuse!!! Complex and longstanding abuse!! It is such a disservice for them to market it in that way - for readers & the author because it undermines the story. When I was doing some searching for what people had said when writing the review myself, I was struck by how little commentary there was on how it is an abuse novel, which felt very weird, considering that is frankly all thats happening on the page? I think it is intentionally very smoke and mirrors about the abuse, which I would guess is to reflect on how hard it can be identify sometimes, but it is not the fun flirty novel on the summer the NYT (for example) is pushing it to be - its bloody harrowing.
I read your review of Vol 2 because I don’t plan on reading the series soon. I thought it was smart of the author to shift the focus for volume 2. I’m curious though why it’s titled On the Calculation of Volume. What does it mean in the context of the series.
I agree a shift of focus was smart and also needed - I think without it it might have become very dry? I am curious too - my current interpretation is the volume of humanity? As in the amount of space we take up, dominate/occupy as people in the world or in other peoples lives? I'm excited to either be proven right or challenged haha
just added every single one of these to my tbr! super intrigued by 'deviants' and 'portrait of an island on fire,' honestly might bump them up my tbr list (a testament to your review-writing prowess as well!!!)
i've been making my way through 'brotherless night' by v. v. ganeshanathan - its had me hooked from the get go and pacing myself (which is proving to be a necessity with this read given the subject matter) is proving to be a herculean task! would loveeeee to hear your thoughts on it, if you've read it!!
Thank you Dru <3 I think you'd really like both Deviants & Portrait of an Island on Fire! I'd love to hear your thoughts whenever you read! I read Brotherless Night in Feb (review here - https://marthasmonthly.substack.com/p/february-2025-reads) and agree I was completely hooked. I was SO impressed with that book in all it tackled. I think I said something in my review that is feels very necessary it is so intense - that we as the reader get no reprieve because that is not reflective of the reality. She is meticulous in portraying how horrendous it was and I admired it a lot.
Once I'd finished it, I watched this interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65ClXwnFYvc with her and enjoyed it a lot so I would recommend if you're interested in her process/approach to the book!
ahhh i can’t believe i missed it! can’t wait to read it ( + watch the interview, thank you for that btw!) once i’m done w the book! the emotions this story has elicited in me, a sri lankan, has been unexpected and also necessary. it’s a perspective i’ve never been privy to, despite having experienced a portion of the war myself. CANNOT wait to read your review on it, thank you!🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
let me know what you think once you're finished w the book and then we can CHAT!! Sometimes the unexpected but necessary emotionally inducing books are my absolute favourites - I enjoy being both confronted and enthralled all at once 🩷
no one does it like you Martha! I know you said I might not like on a woman's madness but your review has me inching towards buying it lol. its like 19 euros in my bookstore so maybe not though. I want to catch up with Vol 1 and 2 before 3 comes out so we can read that together. And I also skipped over Fish Tales review but will come back here and read it once I'm done.
hehe love you! I am so intrigued my review has you inching towards buying On A Woman's Madness because I wouldn't have guessed that!! Maybe I'll let you read some of my copy in May and you can decide if you'd like it or not haha. Definitely want to read Vol 3 with you so pls do catch up! And I can't wait for all the Fish Tales chats once you have read.
I love this AS ALWAYS but also just need to say one of my fav things about your round ups is how well you tie everything together and find a theme. It's just a delight !!!! That's all xo
<3 <3 thanks Steph!! You’re a delight! Frankly the theme can sometimes be really hard to find but other times (like this month) it can accidentally be really cohesive in a way I probably couldn’t have planned! xo
Skipping your Vol 2 review as I've jusssssst picked up Vol 1! Excited to get to it. Deviants is on my list to pick up so I'm happy it has your endorsement.
Can't wait for your interview with Ariel Saramandi!!!!
I can't WAIT to hear what you think of On The Calculation of Volume!! Deviants was lovely - I think you'd really like. It does officially have my endorsement.
In April I read a mixture of genres. Rose Tremain, James Baldwin, Alison Espach, Leticia Martin, Richard Reeves for non-fiction... From your review, I'm intrigued by On the Calculation of Volume and Deviants.
'Absolutely and Forever' by Rose Tremain was my favorite. As for non-fiction, I learned a lot from Richard Reeves' 'Of boys and men', and I usually appreciate that from non-fiction.
I am so intrigued by On The Calculation of Volume I oof! Definitely going on my to read shelf, thank you for these beautiful and fascinating recommendations <3
I was tempted to read that vol2 review but skipped it. 😂😂😂
When I lived in NYC for a summer in the late 90s I befriended a couple of guys from India who were living together and had many conversations with them about the fact that to their specific families, their relationship was basically a non-entity. Nobody pretended their relationship was not romantic but also nobody acknowledged it as such. Deviant sounds amazing and your description of it really made me wish I'd stayed in touch with my friends.
Haha good restraint 😉 what a lovely memory Petya - I love it when a book evokes a memory, even if it is one tinged w sadness! I think you'd really like Deviants - I'd recommend! If nothing else so you can indulge some more in remember your friends.
Also starting any story with 'when I lived in NYC for a summer in the late 90s' is iconic.
as you said of me - a very Martha month!! Such diversity of experience, but all stories of struggle and life. I considered reading Vol II but also I just want someone to tell me what happens in the entire story. I will be so interested to see how she concludes this tale.
get used to reading two books at once because Solenoid is going to take YEARS lol
A very Martha month indeed! If you'd like me to book by book tell you what happens in all the volumes, I am MORE than happy to provide that service for you so you don't have to read it anymore haha.
lmaooo Solenoid is going to take YEARS I agree - it's looking like it'll be the only book I read in May at this rate! I am enjoying it, but because you need to set aside time to really get into the flow, I haven't been gravitating to it too much! But whenever I do open it again, I am really in love with the fluidity of it! Glad we have each other for support <3
Yes that exactly! When I finally had a quiet chunk of time to read yesterday I didn’t want to stop, but you can’t just pick it up for a few minutes here and there. Also decidedly not a treadmill book…
hahaha definitely NOT a treadmill book
Interested to hear your thoughts on the newest Renato Cisneros book. I read The Distance Between Us a couple years ago and really really enjoyed (although that one is based on his own father and his political career in Peru so the scope was narrower than that of his latest work, from your telling). I think I would still pick this up with guarded expectations perhaps.
I also had a month that dealt with colonialism. I read Short War by Lily Meyer which addresses the coup in Chile ending Allende’s government and the ripple effects of that on a small cast of characters. I also read Beasts of a Little Land following a group of characters in Japan-occupied Korea during the early 1900’s into the WW2 years. I think this book does live in Pachinko’s shadow a little bit, and while I liked it, I didn’t like it as much as Pachinko. But I still find the Japan/Korea relationship very interesting and appreciate exploring that via literature.
I also finished Octavia Butler’s duology with The Parable of the Talents. It was a bleak read at times, felt a little too relevant to the current moment in the US with the rise of the religious right, and also featured a very unlikable narrative to me! An interesting reading experience all around and I wish I had more people to discuss with.
PS, I picked up a copy of A Little Luck on Independent Bookstore Day here in the US and am anxious to get to it soon!
Oh yay I'm so glad you got a copy!!! I am anxious for you to get to it soon too - I hope you love it!
I have heard really positive things about The Distance Between Us & I'd still really like to read it! I think it did however set my expectations higher for The World We Saw Burning. I'd be interested to hear what you think - and yes definitely still pick it up! Sometimes I always think of when I didn't like a book is what if I was just having a bad few days and it rubbed off on my reading..? It is hard to ever know! It was captivating and well written, and I enjoyed 3/4s of it, but once I thought that one narrative was swallowing the other I couldn't un-see it, you know? And that ultimately influenced how I finished it/felt overall.
Short War has been on my list for forever - thank you for re-reminding me of it's existence! I'll push it to the top of my list. Beasts of a Little Land sounds compelling but it is interesting you say it lives in Pachinko's shadow so much. Pachinko does dominate in generational stories from Korea/Japan so much!
I never read the whole duology, only The Parable of the Sower! I think I felt hesitant because of how bleak it was... which is funny because I read that a good few years ago now, and look at what's happened in the US! If I remember correctly, I think I found the emerging dominance of the religious narrative slightly unnerving in TPOTS and felt hesitant to be plunged into it again! Would you recommend I read it anyway, for the sake of the duology? It is definitely a discussion book thats for sure!
Always SO hard to know what is affecting your read of a book. I actually read Parable of the Talents thinking it would have landed a lot differently for me last year when Biden was the US president. Interesting how personal mood, life circumstances, national conversations, and global events all shape your experience of a book. Although sometimes I’m so anxious to read a book at the “right” time that I put it off perpetually. Regarding TPOTT, if you are interested in seeing the story through, the second the book covers a lot more time and has a reflective structure (Lauren’s daughter introduces each journal entry as she goes through her mother’s writings sometime in the future). I think the discussion around family relationships is front and center (I believe Octavia Butler lost her own mother while writing), and the religious conversation is also dominant. These are themes I tend to like so I found it worthwhile! Given that, I did find parts to be rather upsetting and some characters a bit frustrating.
Excited to hear what you think of Short War! Part 3 took a turn I was not expecting and I’m still not sure how I feel about it!
Personal mood, life circumstances, national conversations, and global events all absolutely shape your experience with a book - I find it to interesting! It is impossible to read a book in a vacuum of all of those aspects, but sometimes I wish you could! I went to a really interesting talk last night with Karim Kattan, author of The Palace on the Higher Hill which has recently been translated into english, but he originally wrote it in 2018/19! He was discussing how the book is received and read differently now because of the genocide in Gaza (the book is set in the West Bank, he is a Palestinian author, living in France). I picked up a copy of the book so am very interested to read it, especially with the context change, it almost changes the book entirely?
Reading Parable of the Talents under Biden would absolutely be a completely diff experience - maybe if I come across a second hand copy I will finish the series one day! I will endeavour to try and read Short War this year - I will make sure to message you when I do!
I believe books three and four of On the Calculation of Volume are being released in English simultaneously! (tbh I'll probably pre-order them both at the same time...) And: the added pleasure of reading a review of something I *have* read is that you always articulate a theme I felt but couldn't put into words. Very intrigued to see these ideas play out.
Looking forward to reading your next author interview (!) and now to see if I can track down Co-wives, Co-widows--"joyful and absorbing" sounds like good tonal shift for my reading.
My intel in the UK (from my understanding) is that Vol 3 is coming before Vol 4?? Which will be INTERESTING and wildly frustrating if, for example, the US get both first?! I'd riot. I am so intrigued to see how these ideas play out - I am anticipating a sort of moral thread throughout about what our existence means but idk maybe I'm wrong and she'll curve ball us all - which is half the fun of it I suppose!
Thank you Laurel! I am sending you all the book tracking down fairy dust - I hope you can find it! It was a really nice tonal shift for me, especially as someone who just often reads intense books.
I thought we were getting 3&4 this year in the States, too, but just checked and looks like 3 on Nov 18 and 4 in April 2026… Faber looks to be following close behind that. I want them all now! I have been reading them perhaps too closely as a commentary on marriage. Hunchback is my April read I’ve thought about most often.
Thank you for the insider intel Danielle! That sounds about right - I know an ARC of vol 3 will be available soon but nothing has been said of 4, which lines up if its not coming till mid 2026! I also wish we could just buy a bumper pack of all 7 to read feverishly in one go. I thought vol 1 was very marriage commentary but I did think vol 2 steered from that in a very different direction - what about vol 2 did you interpret as still marriage commentary bc I am curious to hear how you interpreted it?
Hunchback definitely does that - I still think about it almost 5 months after I read it! Did you enjoy?
Yes, enjoyed a lot!
If you haven't already seen it - I interviewed the author! https://pandorasykes.substack.com/p/an-interview-with-saou-ichikawa-on
Just read, thanks!! Ah I want to reread it already
Interesting! When I bought the second (in Canada), the bookseller said “and there are two more this year!” which lines up with the pre-order dates on their website. Guess we’ll just wait and see.
Well well well, I wonder who will get it first!!
realistically the publisher changed the dates and my local bookstore is just behind on changing the dates. fascinating because i only bought the book and talked to the bookseller ~2 weeks ago—gotta build up the hype, perhaps.
I’ll keep hope both 3&4 will be in English and shippable this year!
Wonderful read, as always. I'm looking forward to Co-Wives, Co-Widows and in the meantime you've reminded me to read a possibly-similar book I've had on my shelf for a couple years.
My favorite books of the year so far are On the Calculation of Volume Vol. 1 and A Month in the Country. I'm also about halfway through the Count of Monte Cristo and it is as good as I remember!
This month, aside from OtCoV1, I finished The Mortal and Immortal Life of the Girl from Milan by Domenico Starnone, which was pretty good but not as good as his fantastic Trust; The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, which was good but not as good as her wonderful Enlightenment (one of my favorite books I read last year); Little Green, which was good enough but not as good as other Walter Mosley books I've read, and The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton, which had moments but did not live up to my expectations.
I'm about halfway through the very short A Leopard-Skin Hat, which is quirky and fun and I'll be interested to see if it sticks the landing. I keep sort of hoping it will take a Pale Fire / Talented Mr. Ripley turn, but can't tell yet. The library says I have at least a couple weeks to wait for Perfection, Under the Eye of the Big Bird, and Reservoir Bitches. Even though that last one didn't make the short list, I'm hoping I get them in time to read before the prize is announced toward the end of the month.
Thank you, always, Geoff! Ooh whats the other possibly-similar book you've had on your shelf - I'm intrigued?? I want to read A Month in the Country this summer so I am pleased to hear how much you loved it! OtCoV1 was brilliant - stands out to me so much on the basis that it is unlike anything I have come across in a long time!
Would you recommend Starnone's Trust to me? I think I have seen it around before and thought it looked like something I might like to read! Really intrigued by your love for Enlightenment because it is not one I would have taken a second look at! But, because we have so much overlap, whenever you tell me about a book you've loved, I seriously consider that I might have to read it too!
I admire your commitment to reading the Booker this year - doing it last year and hating it really put me off doing it this year. Perfection and Reservoir Bitches are books I'd like to read eventually - and I'd be very interested to hear what you think of Under the Eye of the Big Bird because I don't think any of my peers (in real life or online) seem to have read it so I have very little intel on what it's like.
The similar-sounding book is The First Wife by Paulina Chiziane, published by Archipelago Books. A woman finds out her husband has been supporting four other families and makes an honest man out of him by forcing him to marry the other women. The cover flap says it's a "feverishly scathing satire of gender politics in Mozambique."
I really enjoyed Trust and would call it a buy! I only knew the premise going in and the book develops in a way I didn't anticipate, and continues to do so. He is so good at describing emotional situations and how they change as life changes. Enlightenment is different. After I finished it, I read others' reviews on StoryGraph, including many who didn't like it much, and their criticisms are fair, I even agree somewhat, but they didn't make me like the book any less for myself. Both it and the Essex Serpent are about friendship, about unlikely friendships, in a way that is not often the subject of 'serious' fiction. Enlightenment dwells on mistakes that deeply crack a friendship and that can't be undone. It is maybe a bit sentimental, but it deals with its flawed characters with honesty and forgiveness for their humanity. Sarah Perry is also very deft at certain techniques, like how she shifts perspective within a scene.
I just got Big Bird from the library. Fingers crossed! Having access to two good libraries helps with the nominees. If I had to buy the books I wouldn't persist. Some of them are really not very good, but when I first started reading the nominees, a few of them were so good and so world-expanding that it's hard to stop. So far OtCoV1 is far and away the best of this year's nominees I've read.
Oo thank you for the title - I will add The First Wife to the tbr! A cover that says 'feverishly scathing satire of gender politics in Mozambique' is a book for me! And I will also add Trust too the list too - I just your buy recommendation! I can't wait to hear what you think of Big Bird - and I agree about the library access. I unfortunately do not have a good library near me right now and it has a big impact on what I read, just because a lot of books have to be sourced by me! I also agree that some noms are really not very good at all - I'm still scarred from last year. I would agree OtCoV1 (even though its one of only 3 I've read) - I really am expecting it to win!
I read Co-wives, Co-widows last year (after searching for it for so long!) and I absolutely loved Ndongo Passy’s and Grekpoubou’s care and love for each other throughout the narrative. It was like a soothing balm.
Their relationship was SO lovely - I was positively elated when Ndongo Passy told her new husband that Grekpoubou had to come and live with them! It feels so rare sometimes to come across narratives where two women just genuinely like and care for each other. I wish the author had other work translated into English because her writing is so good! Have you read anything similar (ish) you'd recommend?
Yes, I loved that ending! And I think I’d recommend the classic ‘So Long a Letter’ by Mariama Bâ if you haven’t read it already. It’s also set in a Francophone African country and I loved how it explored and portrayed female friendship.
Thank you for this rec I haven't heard of it before - will add to the tbr!
Had never heard of Vol I or Vol II — buying both, now! Covered my eyes for Fish Tales as Ochuko and I reading that together shortly!
I'd be very interested to hear what you think about Vol I and II! I look forward to being able to talk about Fish Tales with you both because I have thoughts and I'm very curious if we will all align on them or not!
Thanks Martha for such indepth reviews. These are new authors to me, so it's great to be introduced to interesting writing. I have read a few good books in April and intend posting a review of them shortly. Can say that The Safe Keep and Fierce Attachments were the stand outs for me.
Thank you Lucy - I'm glad you've been introduced to some new authors! Let me know if you read any! I look forward to reading your reviews - especially The Safe Keep because I intend to read it very soon!
I was so grateful to read your review of FISH TALES which is the only review I’ve read that addresses the sexual abuse. I feel that the cover copy, marketing, and reviews I read prior to reading the book completely mislead me to the point where all I could think about was the discrepancy between what I was told I was reading and what was actually on the page. Your review is the first to help me make sense of what Jones might actually have been attempting with this novel. Thank you!
Thank you Sara! I very much agree with everything you've said - the marketing of Fish Tales is frankly wild, I am so tired of seeing it described as a party girl novel?! It is a novel of abuse!!! Complex and longstanding abuse!! It is such a disservice for them to market it in that way - for readers & the author because it undermines the story. When I was doing some searching for what people had said when writing the review myself, I was struck by how little commentary there was on how it is an abuse novel, which felt very weird, considering that is frankly all thats happening on the page? I think it is intentionally very smoke and mirrors about the abuse, which I would guess is to reflect on how hard it can be identify sometimes, but it is not the fun flirty novel on the summer the NYT (for example) is pushing it to be - its bloody harrowing.
I read your review of Vol 2 because I don’t plan on reading the series soon. I thought it was smart of the author to shift the focus for volume 2. I’m curious though why it’s titled On the Calculation of Volume. What does it mean in the context of the series.
I agree a shift of focus was smart and also needed - I think without it it might have become very dry? I am curious too - my current interpretation is the volume of humanity? As in the amount of space we take up, dominate/occupy as people in the world or in other peoples lives? I'm excited to either be proven right or challenged haha
ahhh that’s interesting. What the other book entails seems like a game at this point. I see a lot of people guessing. haha
It’s all part of the mystery I guess that makes it so enticing !
just added every single one of these to my tbr! super intrigued by 'deviants' and 'portrait of an island on fire,' honestly might bump them up my tbr list (a testament to your review-writing prowess as well!!!)
i've been making my way through 'brotherless night' by v. v. ganeshanathan - its had me hooked from the get go and pacing myself (which is proving to be a necessity with this read given the subject matter) is proving to be a herculean task! would loveeeee to hear your thoughts on it, if you've read it!!
Thank you Dru <3 I think you'd really like both Deviants & Portrait of an Island on Fire! I'd love to hear your thoughts whenever you read! I read Brotherless Night in Feb (review here - https://marthasmonthly.substack.com/p/february-2025-reads) and agree I was completely hooked. I was SO impressed with that book in all it tackled. I think I said something in my review that is feels very necessary it is so intense - that we as the reader get no reprieve because that is not reflective of the reality. She is meticulous in portraying how horrendous it was and I admired it a lot.
Once I'd finished it, I watched this interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65ClXwnFYvc with her and enjoyed it a lot so I would recommend if you're interested in her process/approach to the book!
ahhh i can’t believe i missed it! can’t wait to read it ( + watch the interview, thank you for that btw!) once i’m done w the book! the emotions this story has elicited in me, a sri lankan, has been unexpected and also necessary. it’s a perspective i’ve never been privy to, despite having experienced a portion of the war myself. CANNOT wait to read your review on it, thank you!🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
let me know what you think once you're finished w the book and then we can CHAT!! Sometimes the unexpected but necessary emotionally inducing books are my absolute favourites - I enjoy being both confronted and enthralled all at once 🩷
no one does it like you Martha! I know you said I might not like on a woman's madness but your review has me inching towards buying it lol. its like 19 euros in my bookstore so maybe not though. I want to catch up with Vol 1 and 2 before 3 comes out so we can read that together. And I also skipped over Fish Tales review but will come back here and read it once I'm done.
hehe love you! I am so intrigued my review has you inching towards buying On A Woman's Madness because I wouldn't have guessed that!! Maybe I'll let you read some of my copy in May and you can decide if you'd like it or not haha. Definitely want to read Vol 3 with you so pls do catch up! And I can't wait for all the Fish Tales chats once you have read.
I love this AS ALWAYS but also just need to say one of my fav things about your round ups is how well you tie everything together and find a theme. It's just a delight !!!! That's all xo
<3 <3 thanks Steph!! You’re a delight! Frankly the theme can sometimes be really hard to find but other times (like this month) it can accidentally be really cohesive in a way I probably couldn’t have planned! xo
Skipping your Vol 2 review as I've jusssssst picked up Vol 1! Excited to get to it. Deviants is on my list to pick up so I'm happy it has your endorsement.
Can't wait for your interview with Ariel Saramandi!!!!
I can't WAIT to hear what you think of On The Calculation of Volume!! Deviants was lovely - I think you'd really like. It does officially have my endorsement.
And thank you!!!!!
In April I read a mixture of genres. Rose Tremain, James Baldwin, Alison Espach, Leticia Martin, Richard Reeves for non-fiction... From your review, I'm intrigued by On the Calculation of Volume and Deviants.
What an interesting mix of authors! Which was your favourite? I'd like to hear if you choose to pick up On the Calculation of Volume or Deviants!!
'Absolutely and Forever' by Rose Tremain was my favorite. As for non-fiction, I learned a lot from Richard Reeves' 'Of boys and men', and I usually appreciate that from non-fiction.
Thanks for your reviews!
I have read neither - I will take a look at both! Thanks for your readership Agnese <3
I am so intrigued by On The Calculation of Volume I oof! Definitely going on my to read shelf, thank you for these beautiful and fascinating recommendations <3
On The Calculation of Volume is fascinatingly weird - lmk what you think! Thank you for reading <3