Month: June 2023

Book Review: Lump by Nathan Whitlock

Posted on by Libby Price

I saw this book on the header of NetGalley and it sounded intriguing (and I sadly know a few people who’ve had a dual pregnancy and cancer diagnosis) so I requested a copy. Here’s the blurb:

“A dark, satiric novel about a woman whose attempt to escape crises in her health and marriage ends up causing more chaos.
Cat’s career has stalled, her marriage has gone flat, and being a stay-at-home mom for two young kids has become a grind. When she finds out, all within a few days, that she is pregnant, that a lump in her breast is the worst thing it could be, and that her husband has done something unforgivably repulsive, she responds by running away from her marriage and her life ― a life that, on the outside, looks like middle-class success. Her actions send waves of chaos through the lives of multiple characters, including a struggling house cleaner, a rich and charismatic yoga guru, and even an ailing dog. What follows is a dark comedy about marriage, motherhood, privilege, and power.”

I have to say – this isn’t what I expected at all. The pregnancy, breast cancer and husband’s actions don’t come to light until about 40% through the book – I’d figured they’d be near the beginning and the book would be the aftermath – but there is a lot of scene setting. And even once it’s all revealed, the stories are still very much told as separate threads.

The chapters are told from different points of view – be that Cat herself, her husband Donovan, the cleaner and even an ill, old dog. The setting – in Canada – is also explained in quite some detail, which is not somewhere I’ve ever been (although is definitely on the ‘to visit’ list).

To be honest I really am not sure what I thought of it. It was ok? Ish? Different? Possibly my least favourite book of the year so far…….

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC. It’s out electronically in July 2023 if you fancy trying it even without a glowing review from me!

Book Review: None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

Posted on by Libby Price

Having enjoyed books by Lisa Jewell before I was delighted to be offered an ARC of her new book out later this summer. Here’s the blurb:

“Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th birthday. They are, in fact birthday twins.
A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for Alix’s series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Alix agrees to a trial interview. Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep digging.
Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life – and into her home.
Soon she begins to wonder who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?“

Ooh – this is a fabulous book – and as twisty and turny and exciting as you’d expect!

Whilst Alix and Josie might be ‘birthday twins’ there aren’t many similarities in their lives. Alix and her husband Nathan have primary school aged kids, live a seemingly ‘insta perfect’ life with lots of family and friends around, and whilst Nathan is a commercial property letting agent – Alix has a successful podcast. Josie, on the other hand, lives with her very much older husband and one of their grown up daughters – the other daughter having left home suddenly a few years before. Apart from her little dog, and a job as a seamstress, and a slightly odd obsession with denim, Josie doesn’t appear to have much going on in her life.

After initially bumping each other in the pub on their respective 45th birthday – Josie then ‘accidentally’ bumps into Alix again – and offers herself up as a potential interviewee for Alix’s podcast series.

The book is told from both Alix and Josie’s points of view, interspersed with recordings of the podcast and then also descriptions of a Netflix series made from the podcast series. You therefore know something ‘big’ is going to have happened.

The twists and turns keep you speculating as to what this could be – and I’m not sure you’d guess at all – and I’m not going to give any clues – you need to ride the journey for yourself!

I think social media – and particularly podcasts – have given everyone the opportunity to tell ‘ their truth’ – even if it’s not necessarily what everyone would consider THE truth. Recollections may vary and all that – and that is very much the vibe of Josie sharing ‘her’ story. But you also look at the back stories of the other characters and realise that you never really know what’s going on behind closed doors and in other people’s relationships.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC – and I’d highly recommend you all pre order it ready for release in July 2023.