Willoyd's Read Around the World

In January 2022, I started my own challenge of reading round the world. Whist the global challenge takes things even further (!), I intend to remain primarily focused on the target of a book for each country, but it'll be good to be able to include more than one from each of them here if and when I read them (and my experience during the first months suggests that the extra interest will mean I will).

My list comprises 200 'countries' as follows:

193 full members of the United Nations;
its 2 observer nations: Vatican City and Palestine;
one ex-member: Taiwan;
the United Kingdom split into its 4 constituent countries (I've read loads of English literature, but less from the other 3);
the only continent not otherwise represented on this 'tour': Antarctica

As for criteria in choosing each book, I'm going for aims rather than rules, simply because I suspect, from reading others' challenges, it will be nigh on impossible to find books which I can read (eg most will need to be available in translation) that satisfy similar conditions to those I am using in my Tour of the USA (still ongoing). So, my main aim is to read an example of adult literature set in the country with an author born in or a citizen of that country (or resident as next best), written in past 100 years or so (the baseline is the publication of Ulysses, which will be the earliest book on the ilst, if I manage it!) - books regarded as 'classics' generally preferred. I will normally go for fiction, but, again unlike my Tour of the USA, non-fiction is allowed; it may even, on occasions, be preferred if I think it gives more insight into the country and/or its literature. On occasions (Antarctica for instance!) it will need to be a book about the place written by someone who is neither from there nor a resident, but that will generally be a last resort. As well, whichever 'criteria' are satisfied, it will have to be a book I haven't read before - this is about expanding my literary experience after all. BTW, books being read in my Tour of the USA can't be used to double up and count here too.

Rather than a purely alphabetical list of countries, as others have generally used, I've initially divided them up into continental lists below. Star ratings are as defined in my profile: 1: disliked, 2: disappointing, 3: OK, 4: good, 5: very good, 6: excellent (with a sub-group of around 130 making up a 'favourites' list, 6+ stars!).

Countries read to date: 39 / 200


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

Create Your Own Visited European Countries Map

Europe 13/48
Albania:
Andorra:
Austria: Chess Story -Stefan Zweig *****
Belarus:
Belgium:
Bosnia and Hezorgovina:
Bulgaria: Time Shelter - Georgi Gospodinov ***
Croatia:
Cyprus:
Czech Republic: Closely Watched Trains - Bohumil Hrabel ****
Denmark:
England:
Estonia:
Finland: The Year of the Hare - Arto Paasilinna ****
France:
Germany: Measuring the World - Daniel Kehlmann ******
Greece:
Hungary:
Iceland: History. A Mess. - Sigrun Palsdottir *****
Ireland:
Italy: The Leopard - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa *****
Latvia:
Liechtenstein:
Lithuania:
Luxembourg:
Malta:
Moldova:
Monaco:
Montenegro:
Netherlands:
Northern Ireland: Travelling In A Strange Land - David Park *****
North Macedonia:
Norway: The Ice Palace - Tarjei Vesaas *****
Poland:
Portugal:
Romania:
Russia:
San Marino: The Republic of San Marino - Giuseppe Rossi (NF) ***
Scotland: O Caledonia - Elspeth Barker ****
Serbia:
Slovakia:
Slovenia:
Spain:
Sweden:
Switzerland:
Ukraine: Death and the Penguin - Andrey Kurkov ***
Vatican City:
Wales: One Moonlit Night - Caradog Prichard ******(F)

Africa (9/54)

Algeria:
Angola: The Book of Chameleons - Jose Eduardo Agualusa *****
Benin:
Botswana:
Burkina Faso:
Burundi:
Cameroon:
Cape Verde:
Central African Republic:
Chad:
Cormoros:
Congo, DR:
Congo, Rep: Black Moses - Alain Mabanckou *****
Cote d'Ivoire: Standing Heavy - GauZ ******
Djibouti: In the United States of Africa - Abdourahman Waberi ****
Egypt:
Equatorial Guinea:
Eritrea:
Eswatini:
Ethiopia:
Gabon:
Gambia:
Ghana: The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born - Ayi Kwah Armah ****
Guinea:
Guinea-Bissau:
Kenya: A Grain of Wheat - Ngugi wa Thiong'o ******
Lesotho:
Liberia:
Libya:
Madagascar:
Malawi:
Mali:
Mauritania:
Mauritius:
Morocco::
Mozambique:
Namibia:
Niger:
Nigeria:
Rwanda:
Sao Tome and Principe:
Senegal:
Seychelles:
Sierra Leone:
Somalia:
South Africa: The Promise - Damon Galgut *****
South Sudan:
Sudan: Season of Migration to the North - Tayeb Salih ******
Tanzania:
Togo: Michel the Giant - Tete-Michel Kpomassie (NF) ******
Tunisia:
Uganda:
Zambia:
Zimbabwe:

ASIA (7/48)



Afghanistan:
Armenia:
Azerbaijan:
Bahrain:
Bangladesh:
Bhutan:
Brunei:
Cambodia:
China:
Georgia:
India:
Indonesia:
Iran:
Iraq:
Israel:
Japan: Snow Country - Yasunari Kawabata **; Tokyo Express - Seicho Matsumoto ****
Jordan:
Kazakhstan:
Korea, North:
Korea, South: The Vegetarian - Han Kang *
Kuwait:
Kyrgyzstan:
Laos:
Lebanon:
Malaysia: The Night Tiger - Yangze Choo ****
Maldives:
Mongolia:
Myanmar:
Nepal:
Oman:
Pakistan: The Wandering Falcon - Jamil Ahmad *****
Palestine:
Philippines: Ilustrado - Miguel Syjuco ***
Qatar:
Saudi Arabia:
Singapore:
Sri Lanka:
Syria:
Tajikistan:
Taiwan:
Thailand:
Timor-Leste:
Turkey: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - Elif Shafak **
Turkmenistan:
UAE:
Uzbekistan:
Vietnam: The Sorrow of War - Bao Ninh **
Yemen:

THE AMERICAS (8/35)



NORTH AMERICA (5/23)
Antigua and Barbuda: Annie John - Jamaica Kincaid ***
Bahamas:
Barbados:
Belize:
Canada:
Costa Rica:
Cuba:
Dominica:
Dominican Republic:
El Salvador:
Grenada: The Bone Readers - Jacob Ross *****
Guatemala:
Haiti:
Honduras:
Jamaica:
Mexico: Pedro Paramo -Juan Rulfo ****
Nicaragua:
Panama:
St Kitts and Nevis:
St Lucia:
St Vincent and Grenadines:
Trinidad and Tobago: Minty Alley - CLR James ****
United States: Beloved - Toni Morrison *****

SOUTH AMERICA (3/12)
Argentina: Not A River - Selva Almada *****
Bolivia:
Brazil:
Chile:
Colombia: One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *****
Ecuador:
Guyana:
Paraguay:
Peru:
Suriname:
Uruguay: Quien de Nosotros? (Who Among Us?) - Mario Benedetti ****
Venezuala:

OCEANIA AND ANTARCTICA (2/15)



Antarctica:
Australia:
Fiji:
Kiribati:
Marshall Is:
Micronesia:
Nauru: Stories From Nauru - Bam Bam Solomon and others ****; readings from Indigenous Literatures From Micronesia
New Zealand: The Garden Party and Other Stories - Katherine Mansfield ******; Potiki - Patricia Grace *****
Palau:
Papua NG:
Samoa:
Solomon Is:
Tonga:
Tuvalu:
Vanuatu:

Hello and welcome! I like your main aim ("adult literature set in the country with an author born in or a citizen of that country (or resident as next best) - books regarded as 'classics' (modern or older) preferred"): that's basically what I am trying to do too.

>7 Dilara86:
Thank you!
Those aims could be challenging though - fairly stretched even with the first Sanmarinese book! Hoping to pick up some suggestions here as I go along.

Welcome! Ooh, I like how you are setting up your lists. By continent makes a lot of sense. Thanks for explaining your choices for countries too. There are so many ways to slice this particular cheese. You've hit some interesting countries so far.

>9 labfs39:
Thank you too.
I've really enjoyed those books so far too - really underline the joy in spreading one's wings a bit. The San Marino book was fairly limited, inevitably perhaps given its nature, but the others were excellent. Must get some comments up

Welcome to the group! :)

>11 Jackie_K:
Thank you!

First seven books completed:
1. The Promise - Damon Galgut, for South Africa *****
2. In the United States of Africa - Abdourahman Waberi, for Djibouti ****
3.Beloved - Toni Morrison, for the USA *****
4. The Leopard - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, for Italy *****
5. The Republic of San Marino - Giuseppe Rossi, for San Marino ***
6. Measuring the World - Daniel Kehlmann, for Germany ******
7.The Vegetarian - Han Kang, for South Korea *

Can't say I remotely enjoyed the last one, even if thought provoking - cold and singularly unpleasant. Almost the shortest (San Marino was slimline!) but easily the hardest read. Others were far more rewarding. Will try and get to write some proper reviews.

#8: O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker for Scotland ****.
Superbly written, and deservedly described as a classic IMO, but not sure how much I actually enjoyed this, with the whole book in the shadow of the opening where the main protagonist is mudered on p.1 (no spoiler, it's in the blurb). The rest of the book is the story of her life. Really appreciated yes, enjoyed hmm. Think I need to sit on this and see what I think longer term!

I don't think I'd heard of O Caledonia before, but I had a look at the work page and this is a book bullet for me!

>14 Dilara86:
I picked it up after it was reviewed in the Book Club Review podcast. Their reading is a wee bit more eclectic than most, and one of the presenters raved about this. I don't always agree with them, but they're one of the more reliable at providing leads (especially, for me at least, Kate).

Welcome, Willoyd!

#9: One Moonlit Night by Caradog Prichard for Wales ******(F)
In spite of having a strong streak of Welsh in me (and actually run for a Welsh team), this is probably my first piece of fiction translated from Welsh. It's the fictional autobiographical narrative of a never-named young boy growing up in a northern Welsh town in the years around World War One. The town is apparently based on Bethesda, and there are elements of the authors own life in the novel. It's dark, very dark in places, but it never feels like mis-lit, with moments of wonderful humour and 'sunshine' in it. This may be written by an older adult, but it has the definite feel of a child's positiveness. It's beautifully written, almost poetic in places; I can see why so many regard it as a modern classic. Quite simply, I loved it. This achieved exactly what I hoped for this challenge - introducing me to a great book that I would probably have never otherwise read (I hadn't even heard of it before researching the list). Later edit: added to my favourites list.

>17 Willoyd: You certainly sell that book, onto my list it goes.

>18 labfs39: Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

>18 labfs39: Same for me!

>20 Dilara86: And for me, too!
I don't think I have read anything translated from Welsh so far.

#10 Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov for Ukraine ***
A fairly slim satire on post-Soviet life in Ukraine. Inevitably, there's a strong streak of black humour in this, but I rarely find myself engaging fully with satire, and, although highly readable, this was no exception. The writing was admirably lean, saying a lot in a fairly short space, and Misha (the penguin) was well used on occasions to reflect Viktor's (the main protagonist) state of mind, even though he never actually 'said' a word! But, but, but, I never really felt I was seeing characters fully in the round, maybe a result of that very spareness; they just felt too underdeveloped for my taste - apart from Viktor himself perhaps, just not coming fully alive for me. Maybe because the book is actually focused elsewhere? So, I rattled through it, but I can't say it left me satisfied. On a different level, it did also feel horribly poignant that so much of where the book is set is now being blasted to destruction, but it does underline the fact that things weren't all sweetness and light beforehand.

>22 Willoyd: Interesting. I've had this title on my wishlist for years. Not sure if I'll push it up or down based on your review...

>23 labfs39:
It's such an easy read, I'd say definitely give it a go. It wasn't to my taste totally, but that's more to do with the overall style rather than the quality. I can see why more widely it's highly regarded.

#11 A Grain Of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong'o for Kenya ******
This was read as a book group choice, taken from the Big Jubilee Read* list, although I already had it down as my likely choice for Kenya. It's a fairly short read, just over 240 pages long, but packs a huge amount in to such a short space. Set in the days leading up to Kenyan independence in 1963, the main plotline covers the plans by local elders to expose, at they independence celebrations, the traitor responsible for the capture and death of a local Mau Mau leader. Other sub-plots examine the relationships of members of the same village, in particular the younger sister of the leader and her husband, himself interned for 6 years as a 'rebel'. Themes of betrayal and redemption, isolation and unity, religion and empire are interwoven in a narrative that, whilst progressing towards the denouement, shifts time and perspective sometimes almost without noticing, as one gets inside the minds of the various protagonists to see events from their viewpoint, whilst occasionally being drawn away to see the overall picture. It's complex, and it's deep, provoking an intense and very interesting discussion in our group, especially as we had members of our group with experience of both immediate post-colonial Kenya and knowledge of the author at at the time of his writing the book (we didn't find this out until the discussion!). One of my strongest reads of the year, and of the challenge so far.

*The Big Jubilee Read list is a list of 70 books (10 from each decade) developed through the Reading Agency and the BBC to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, taken from across the Commonwealth. Many of the books aren't so well known in the UK, and the list looks like rich pickings for someone like me looking to broaden my range of reading beyond the usual Anglo-American fare (although my USA Tour suggests that my American reading has previously been rather limited too!). One of my book groups decided to take a couple of books off the list to finish the year off - we're reading Yangsze Choo's The Night Tiger next.

#12 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak for Turkey **
Another book that was read as a book group choice, and not my original choice for Turkey, but it fitted neatly enough. The premise was interesting - the main protagonist Leila having just been murdered, 'lives' through the first 10 minutes 38 seconds of her death with her dying brain each minute experiencing sensations that in turn evoked key instances of her life (the idea was apparently based on a scientific paper that reported brain wave activity in a body for that period post-death). Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that this was just a 'different' way of telling a fairly standard story, the life of a girl growing up in an increasingly repressive Muslim household and how she 'escapes' and lands up working as a prostitute in Istanbul, complete with religious fanatic father, repressed mother, a sexually abusive uncle etc etc. All pretty predictable, and little different to so many other similar narratives (even if the story deals with important issues). The second half experienced a complete change of pace as Leila's friends (the story of how they became so having been told as part of the first part) work to honour her and ensure that she receives an appropriate burial (she's scheduled for a virtually unmarked grave in a pauper's cemetery). The narrative descends into virtual slapstick, and the ending was near farcical (in the literal sense). Whilst in some ways more interesting than the highly predictable first section, the juxtaposition of the two sections jarred - it almost felt like reading two different books that had been roughly stuck together
Overall, this was a rather underwhelming read. It certainly left me wondering why the rave reviews and the Booker shortlisting?

#13 The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo for Malaysia ****
The second book from the Big Jubilee Read, and something of a contrast to A Grain of Wheat. The latter was founded very much in the reality of colonialism. Whilst The Night Tiger is set in the 1930s, during the colonial period, there's a strong streak of magical realism in it that gives it rather more of a fantasy feel. Altogether a lighter book, but no less readable.
There are 2 strands to this novel, which are told alternately, and which gradually interweave more and more. Ren is an 11-year old houseboy tasked by the doctor he serves on the latter's deathbed with retrieving the doctor's amputated finger within 49 days of death, to ensure the doctor's spirit isn't left stranded in this world. In the meantime, Ji Lin is a young woman frustrated in her apprenticeship as a dressmaker when she wants to work as a nurse or doctor, who is also working as a dance instructor/partner (a rather less than polite job) to earn enough money to pay off her mother's gambling debts. She acquires an amputated finger in a vial from one of her clients....
At its heart this is very much a yarn to be enjoyed. Providing a rather different twist, it is suffused with Malaysian/Chinese beliefs and myths, particularly in the dream experiences of Ren and Ji Lin, which appear to be all too closely mixed up with the real world. Also underlying the narrative are suspicions of supernatural influences, including were-tigers and some improbable events and coincidences. And then there is, of course, Ren's objective.
At 470 pages it's a longer than average read, and there was a point just before halfway when I wondered quite how the author was going to spin things out to fill the space, but that brief longeuse was quickly replaced by a positive gallop to the finish which had me enthralled. My one caveat was on the historical element: whilst this was set in the 1930s and certainly reflected some of the social mores of the time and place, it never really felt fully settled in that period. I can't quite place why, but whilst it all felt 'correct' (at least as far as my very limited knowledge goes), there was something intangible missing - it just didn't fully breathe it for me. Not a spoiler though, and overall a definite like!
Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what the rest of the book group feel about it, particularly on that latter point (we have a writer of meticulous historical fiction in the group). Knowing me, I may well change my mind on some aspects after the discussion, but if I do, I'll edit and note the changes!

>27 Willoyd: I felt much the same when I read it last month. In fact, I wrote: "I enjoyed learning more about Malaysian folklore, but was a bit disappointed with the historical aspect. I felt as though the characters had modern sensibilities and the setting lacked historical nuance." I'll be curious as to whether your book club has a different impression.

#14 Michel the Giant by Tete-Michel Kpomassie for Togo ******
My second non-fiction book for this tour - but still a 'modern classic'; or, at least, one deemed worth of the Penguin Modern Classic imprint. And I cannot disagree!
As a teenager, the author, brought up in a traditional Togolese family, develops a near obsession to visit Greenland, to such an extent that he runs away and, over several years, makes his way up the west African coast into Europe and then, finally, sails from Denmark to Greenland. Many Greenlanders have never seen a black person before, never mind one who towers some 8 inches or so above them.
The main focus of the book is a searingly honest (or so it feels) account of Kpomassie's time spent in the country. It's a real eye-opener, and not for the faint-hearted - to a 'soft' Westerner, it's a completely alien culture! In fact, it seems, with some of his comparisons, that Kpomassie's own upbringing has far more in common - although some of the sexual freedoms and his experiences with food (much of it eaten raw) definitely take him by surprise! The word 'raw' feels appropriate for much else of his experience too - not least the relationship between man and dog, where the latter are as much a threat as a friend.
But, however much his preconceived ideas may have been largely washed away (much of life was more squalid and less exotic than he anticipated), and however alien life might have been, it's obvious that Kpomassie remained in love with the Inuit and with Greenland as a whole. I loved his descriptive writing, and the openness of his writing as to his feelings and emotions, with all his faults (he's a human, and no saint). I suspect that much, if not most, of his account is of its time (the 1960s), and wonder how much of the culture and life remains, but it is no less interesting and relevant for that, given the state our world is in today. Thoroughly recommended!

>29 Willoyd: I'm so glad you enjoyed it, it's a great book!

#15 Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabel for Czech Republic ****
Very short, powerful, intense read covering a huge range of emotions, from the laugh-out loud to the tragic.

>31 Willoyd: If you like Hrabal, you might like Too Loud a Solitude. It's one of my favorite stories (and short too!).

#16 Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata for Japan **
If ever a book made me feel inadequate....! Acclaimed as a classic, regarded by many as the masterpiece of a Nobel laureate, I failed at pretty much every level to engage with this slim (thank goodness!) novel. As much as anything, I think this must be something of a culture clash, as I can't recall a single Japanese novel that I've enjoyed (I've not read many, but have tried a few now) - at least one reviewer has commented that one needs to understand at least something of the way the geisha system works (I admittedly don't). Even trying to allow for that, whilst I found some of the description of the landscape evocative, I never really felt there was much point to what I was reading, with 2 characters bumbling along going nowhere, either as people or on any form of narrative arc, and revealing about the same. I stumbled my way through this in a fog of incomprehension and bewilderment, but, unlike some difficult poetry, with no real 'hook' to movitate me to try and work it all out: I found the style of writing almost abrupt, too staccato and fractured, with dialogue where it was all too often difficult to identify who was speaking. I'm just relieved to be able to move on, although I will probably, once given a chance to draw breath, start to wonder what that was all about.

>32 labfs39:
Thanks for the tip.

#17 Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou for the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) *****
The story of the eponymous boy as he grows up in a Congolese orphanage, later escaping to a life of survival and petty criminality on the streets of Pointe-Noire, whilst seeing himself as a sort of Robin Hood. It's a pretty brutal life, and the violence is notably casual, but the author writes it more in the style of a latter day Don Quixote, a sort of picaresque bildungsroman, than what could have been an unrelentingly grim story. As 'Moses' gradually loses grip on reality, there seems to be an increasingly strong element of that self-deluding Spaniard present right to the end! Overall, this was a fairly easy read which I found myself fairly galloping through. What struck me most was the strong maleness of the book - there are plenty of women, but they aren't drawn in the same depth and seem to flit in and out of the narrative almost casually (that word again!) - although it's the lack of a mother figure, or rather, perhaps, the search for one, that seems to dominate Moses' life. How accurate a reflection of Congolese life at this time this is, I can't say, but there's a ring of authenticity to it that I found convincing - it feels that the author is drawing on personal experience.
Incidentally, the book's title in the original French is 'Petit Piment' or Little Pepper - Moses' nickname in the street gang he belonged to.

#18 Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid for Antigua ****
Another growing-up story, this time centred on a young girl in Antigua. At the core of the novel is her relationship with her mother - initially very intimate, almost overwhelming, later more mixed and complicated as her mother appears to distance herself from her daughter as the latter reaches puberty - there's certainly growing alienation. But then, we're just seeing this from one perspective, and the reliability is uncertain. Annie certainly seeks substitutes, best-friending intensely successively with 2 contrasting peers. Annie is bright, top of her class, but increasingly rebellious, and the novel examines the complexities of her development - all from Annies point of view. It's beautifully written, with a clarity that makes this short, but very full, novel an easy read - almost too much so, as it's all too easy to miss some of the depth as one gallops from page to page. In particular, it touches on a number of different themes, the most prominent (at least to me) being the influence of colonialism. And yet, I never fully engaged with Annie. I think we're meant to sympathise with her, but there's something (fairly small admittedly) missing, possibly created by the temporal jumps between chapters - this is more episodic than continuous narrative (it was originally published as a series of chapters/short stories in The New Yorker). But still a powerful read, which I am likely to return to.

#19 The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna for Finland ****
A return to Europe, to Scandinavia, with a slim volume that is something of a cult read, although one that I didn't really expect to gel with. However, it's short, a mere 135 pages, so I reckoned I could hack it; the reviews are certainly mixed. In the end, though, I needn't have worried, as this actually really struck a chord, not least as I benefited enormously from getting more involved in nature when dealing with work-generated stress issues, even if my experiences were nothing like this! However, whilst this might have been written in the mid-70s, so much of what it's about resonates even more strongly today.

At heart, this is almost pure social satire (which is partly why I didn't expect to get on with it much, satire often going right over my head!). The main protagonist, Kaarlo Vatinen, rescues a hare that his car hits. The act seems to trigger a major reaction in his mind, and he takes off in the the Finnish landscape, leaving job, wife and his whole lifestyle behind, in spite of their efforts to hang on to him. The book then becomes something of a picaresque, almost back to nature, journey, although this is nature that is distinctly red in tooth, claw and fire. In the meantime, the 'civilised' world keeps threatening to intrude, and however dangerous nature might be, the latter is in danger of threatening even more, often ridiculously so.

The book's humour is often cited but, personally, it rarely made me more than smile. But it didn't need to - I still enjoyed the ridiculousness and the satire. As I so often find, I think the satire would be funnier, blackly so, on film, and I do intend to look out the film that was made of it in the 1970s (there are two adaptations apparently, with another French one made later in the 2000s). In the meantime, this proved to be a much more engaging and rewarding book than I expected, one I would recommend to others. even if just to decide for themselves what they think!

>36 Willoyd: I thought it was very good too, Willoyd. I wish I had written a review back when I read it so that I could make more cogent comments. I would like to read The Howling Miller by the same author. A very different book but also recommended by LTers whose tastes are similar to mine.

>36 Willoyd: I remember enjoying too. The Finnish certainly have a unique sense of humour!

#20: The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas for Norway *****
Another slim Scandinavian volume, regarded as a literary classic by many. It's certainly hypnotic, highly poetic in style, very lean, even simple, in its language, using a range of techniques that appear to upend many of the norms of 'good' writing (eg deliberately repeating words or phrases, multiple times sometimes, in sentences, really focusing the reader's mind). It's one of those books that is utterly captivating even if not sure I fully understood everything going on; it cries out to be reread, probably several times. There's so much packed in here, that even though it's only 140 pages long, I felt at the end as if I'd read a book at least double the length, and that was not due to boredom! I also find it very hard to describe my reaction - almost too complex, and much easier to talk than write about it - but perhaps it's sufficient for the present to say that I've immediately ordered a copy of Vesaas's other major work available in English, The Birds. I can completely see why the word 'classic' is so often applied.

>39 Willoyd: This one goes on my WL!

#21: The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa for Angola *****
Having thoroughly enjoyed the author's more recent book A General Theory of Oblivion as a book group read, I was keen to try him again for my Angolan stop on this tour. This was the one generally recommended! A interesting quirk of this book, and one that instantly attracted me to it, is that the story is told by a gecko (lizard) whose mobility around the house of the central human character, Felix Ventura, makes him a realistic omniscient narrator. Felix is an albino native of Angola, one who sells clients reinvented/imagined pasts. He is approached by someone who wants to create a completely new, documented, identity, the implication being that they are on the run (but who from?), and far harder core than Felix has been involved in before. Events start to spiral out of control (but not necessarily in the way that one might have imagined!).
A lot of (most?) reviewers suggest that the book has really been misnamed - the narrator is a gecko after all, not a chameleon, but I think that's a fundamental misunderstanding of what the title is referring to - it's not the narrator, but the human characters - adopting new identities, adapting to those identities, camouflaged by them, identities that become more real than their original ones, although these start to break through.... Actually, we find (fairly early on; it's not a spoiler) that our gecko was once human - perhaps the ultimate chameleon of all, now absorbed into the background of Felix's life and work (and regarding Felix as a friend).
It's an intriguing story, told in very short chapters (including a number of dream sequences when the gecko - Eulalio - recalls his human existence) that give a rather staccato feel to the reading at times (deliberately I'm sure, and sometimes rather disconcerting). I'm not sure I really got everything from it first time through, so it's now added to the lengthening queue of books on this tour which I want to reread. I need to find time for them!

#22: Quien de Nosotros? (Who Among Us?) by Mario Benedetti for Uruguay ****
A very short novel (novella), telling the story of a three-way relationship, with all three protagonists contributing in their own way. The primary narrator, telling his story through a series of entries in a diary/notebook, is the husband, Miguel. HIs wife, Alicia, contributes barely half a dozen pages, in one letter. The 'lover', Lucas (and also Miguel's best friend) provides the final element, his side told through a short story, written for personal not public consumption ( he is a writer), and footnoted as the story is fiction based on the reality, and the footnotes explain the differences. Complicated? Yes, it is, although for the most part I found the reading reasonably straightforward - it was just those footnotes; I could read the story, or I could read the footnotes, but the latter disrupted the former too much to read in parallel. Maybe that was the point?
It's an odd relationship. Miguel pretty much wills on Alicia's and Lucas's relationship - they are initially pretty antipathetic, and it's only because of Miguel's actions that they ever come together. Love manifests itself in very different ways - and, as with so many love stories, misunderstandings abound, as we find out once we see things from more than one perspective.
To a considerable extent, the plot is really rather trivial. What this is, is a study of 3 characters and their triangular relationship. The plot is the relationship. The book is brief, and very much to the point. It may be less than a hundred pages long, but it feels worth so much more.

Incidentally, I read it under the English title, but have included the original title as the touchstone doesn't otherwise work.

#23: History. A Mess. by Sigrun Palsdottir for Iceland *****
A young, female post-grad student studying a 400-year old diary trying to see if she can link the author to a famous portrait artist of the English Civil War era, finds a series of clues that suggest that not only is there a link, but that the artist is female, the first female professional artist in Britain. Her thesis is based around this premise, yet just as she's due to finish and submit, she finds an overseen entry that looks like it blows her work out of the water. What to do?
This is the central premise for a plot that sees our protagonist (I don't think she's ever named) come under increasing strain as she tries to come to a conclusion, returning to her native Iceland with her husband, Hans, and struggling to retain her equilibrium and sanity.
I was intrigued, increasingly so as I continued to read. The book is written from the perspective of the central character, and we see the world as she sees it. As a result, things become thoroughly increasingly disjointed as our subject starts to struggle mentally, imagining what people are saying, flashing back to and reliving remembered incidents (is her memory reliable?), becoming increasingly confused, even hallucinatory (early on, she contemplates a door in her sitting room that she doesn't ever recall seeing before!) as she struggles to hold on to reality. Tjhere are moments of real concern, but also of some humour.
It's a book which I can't pretend I understood all the time. Quite a few reviewers completely lost it, and a fair number reported giving up, but every time I though I might be losing it altogether, things seemed to resolve themselves again, and the mystery, quality of writing, and interest in the main character, kept me reading all the way to the end. I needed those moments of clarity though! I'm glad I persisted - the last dozen pages or so produced an ending that not only left me really pleased I'd made it, but also looking forward to going back and exploring the book further (it's only 170 pages long) to try and get to grips with elements I failed to grasp first time round.
This was not an easy read (well, the reading was easy, it was comprehension that wasn't always!), but one I found ultimately worth the effort. I'm certainly looking forward to the second of the author's books to be translated, due out soon (Embroidery).

#24: The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield for New Zealand ******
I'm not a great short story reader, all too often finding them rather unsatisfying, but i have to make an exception for these. I think that's because Mansfield focuses so much more on character and place than on pure plot. They are more vignettes that tell us something about lives, even about ourselves. No more so than in the first, and longest, story At The Bay, which consists of 13 different 'episodes' spread over a day at or near the bay in question, building layer upon layer. The language is concise but rich - both places and characters come vividly alive in a very short space. One can see very quickly why she's regarded as one of the leading developers of modernist writing - these stories have a very strong affinity with, for instance, Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse, and I can certainly see why Woolf so respected Mansfield's work. Perhaps the first short story writer whose work I'm going to definitely read more of - and have acquired a really nice second-hand copy of Constable's The Collected Stories in order to do so!
I immediately followed this with Claire Tomalin's Katherine Mansfield, A Secret Life; it doesn't tell us much (if anything!) about the generation of her work, and, unusually for a Tomalin work, left me a little bit unsatisfied, but provides some interesting insight into the difficult, fractured life of someone who, to be honest, I found it rather hard to warm to (maybe that's why I was unsatisfied?). I also have a copy of, and plan to read soon, Claire Harman's All Sorts of Lives, which hopefully will provide more insight into the stories themselves as well, as well as possible alternative perspectives.

>44 Willoyd: one of my very fave authors

>43 Willoyd: Going on my WL as I need another read for Iceland.

#25 One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez for Columbia *****
A book group read as well as a read for this challenge. A 'big' novel in more ways than one, this was an anything but easy read, even if very readable (if that makes sense!). A saga of seven generations of a family responsible for setting up a remote village in Columbia, reflecting the history of the country and its people's experience. Being anything but an expert on Latin American history, I spent much of my time wondering what on earth it was all about, and was grateful at the end to read a number of critiques, but the themes of colonialism and the human inability to apparently learn from history were all too clear! The strength and centrality of the female characters were prominent as well. Rich, colourful, unrelenting, this was a rare book that left me mentally exhausted (and wore out most of the book group - only 3 of us finished in it in the timeframe available, although several said they would continue with it) - although well sated. Needs a reread though, although I need some recovery time! Monumental.

>47 Willoyd: I'm glad you liked OHYoS. It's a favorite.

A second book for Japan: Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto ****. A thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery from 1957, with an intriguingly complex plot. Written in what was for me 'typical' Japanese style - slightly cold, clinical, removed, which on this occasion was well suited to the narrative in hand (all too often I don't really get on with Japanese novels). The age of the book took me slightly by surprised when the author talked about "the recently introduced" passenger plane service, and explained one or two small questions I had around the book (nothing negative). Very much a book I just happened onto in my local independent, and very glad I did too. BTW, just love the cover (Penguin Modern Classic edition), taken from a 1937 Japanese Railways poster - superb artwork.

#26 Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih for Sudan ******
The (un-named)narrator has returned to his Sudanese village after some years in England, and meets up with another ex-expatriot, Mustafa Sa'eed, who he has never met before. The narrator is inevitably curious, and Mustafa is quietly charismatic if, as becomes increasingly apparent, emotionally insular. Gradually the story of his sojourn is revealed, and it's not pretty, especially in his treatment of the women. Mustafa plays up to their European, subconscious racist sterotyping, and exploits it to his own advantage - colonialisation in reverse? - whilst subsequent events compare (and contrast) similar events closer to home (leaving it deliberately vague to avoid spoilers!). It's gripping reading, and beautifully written, with deep characterisation and some intricate plotting - little wonder that this was voted by one panel of critics as the most important Arabic novel of the twentieth century - it really is that good. And it's yet another book that I doubt I would have ever otherwise read but for this project (I feel this could get to sound a bit repetitive!). More please!
(Review added 30.10.23)

>50 Willoyd: And yet another book that I too loved. I check our stats, and we only share 211 books. I would have thought it would have been higher given the overlap in our tastes.

>51 labfs39:
It's even less than that: quite a few 'shared' books are in fact ones I've read and 'recycled' (ie gone to charity shop, sold on etc) - and 8 of them are Harry Potters (I don't have mine any more, but we've got our son's collection still)!
Quickly looking through our respective collections, I think it's a combination of factors:.
American vs British reader (you have more of the former, I have more of the latter!);
Rather different non-fiction books - you appear to have a fair bit of Jewish, memoir, WW2 (major tags). Whilst I do have some of the latter two (different emphasis though), I major on British/European history (esp 17th/18th century), natural history, travel.
I'm also rather recent to world fiction reading (proving to be a bit of a personal revolution!), so in the early stages of acquiring non-western reading. I see you focused on Asian last year - I've read very little (not yet grabbed me in the same way that African has).
I enjoy using other's collection lists to broaden my own - so will explore yours a bit more now!

#24b Potiki by Patricia Grace, a second book for New Zealand *****
Another in a series of slim volumes that packs a big punch! Initially reading in the rather stiff and repetitive way of of a traditional oral tale, this, as with many world books tackled to date, took a little bit of getting into, but, as with all the others, it wasn't overlong before I found it thoroughly engrossing - this one picked up enormously at the point when the developers start to try and persuade the residents to sell up. Telling the story of how a group of Maori inhabitants of traditionally owned land on the seashore stood their ground against developers trying to establish, by hook or by crook, a major leisure complex*, the novel was an object lesson in culture clash and failure to understand a different point of view - classic post-colonial literature. Modernist in style, this had definite whiffs of Woolf and Mansfield about it, but was oh so different (interesting comparing and contrasting this with Mansfield's 'At The Bay' and, to a lesser extent, elements of Woolf's 'To The Lighthouse'). A book that definitely grew on me.

*Later reflected in Grace's own experience resisting the New Zealand government's efforts to compulsorily purchase land she lived on to develop an expressway.

#27 Standing Heavy by GauZ, for Cote d'Ivoire ******
This slim novel focuses on a group of Ivorians trying to make their way as "undocumented immigrants" in Paris. Working as security guards they see much of the underbelly of Western capitalism and consumerism, and it's not a pretty sight. Satirical, wrily ironic, with much to say about post-colonial attitudes in both France and Africa, I was grabbed from the word go, reading this in two sittings (and wanting it to last longer). The structure is interesting, with 2 main threads interwoven - one the 'history' of the protagonists' experiences, the other thoughts about customers etc as observed by those same characters, in their roles as scurity guards, It's punchy, fragmentary, lean in style, and scalpel sharp in places. Reading others' reviews, the fragmentary nature of the wroting caused quite a few readers some problems, but I actually found that one of the book's most appealing aspects - it certainly made a refreshing change from so many relatively laboured wors, dotting all the 'i's and crossing the 't's - it made me think!
All in all, an excellent contribution to the growing list, and confirming my increasing enjoyment of African lit.
(Review added Jun 7th)

>54 Willoyd: Looking forward to your review - it looks super interesting and I've been curious about it.

#28 Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov, for Bulgaria ***
Winner of this year's International Booker Prize, it appeared an ideal choice for a country where readily available literature doesn't seem to be in huge supply, at least in English. And in many ways it was. The plot revolves around the establishment of a series of clinics to treat dementia: places where different decades in the past are accurately and minutely recreated so that patients can 'shelter' in the times they remember, and escape the times they cannot. Gradually the idea expands, relentlessly, until countries are voting which decade they want to move back into.... it's a strongly satirical look at the world we live in today, including the huge shift towards nationalism we are seeing globally, but particularly in Europe, and it's not a pretty sight.
And yet...whilst I picked up this book with eagerness, and tried to get really stuck in, I found this one of the toughest reads this year. Yes, I finished, but it took me, almost uniquely for a book of this length, over three weeks to finish, and even then it was only because of a very determined last couple of days of effort, otherwise it might have been very much longer. Why? I'm really not sure, but whilst I felt respect for what I was reading, I found it peculiarly unreadable - nothing in the way of character (there are virtually none, and what there are only make brief appearances), a curiously uninvolving plot (it's told in a very deadpan, almost journalistically objective way - this is what happened, then this, then this). Everything seemed directed at the satire itself, and here is where it scored most highly and just about kept me going to the end - the ideas were fascinating.

If ever a book underlined the importance of context for reading, this was it. I do suspect that most times I would have enjoyed it more, but at present such a challenging read is exactly what I didn't want to read, but having started it for a book group (unfinished at the time of the meeting, and in the event, unable to get there anyway) I did feel I wanted to finish it. Even so, I'm not sure...I really don't think that even under ideal conditions that this is a book that I would rave about (satire rarely is), but in a funny sort of way, I'm still glad to have read it.

#29 Travelling In A Strange Land by David Park for Northern Ireland *****
More a novella, at just over 160 pages, but an intense read. It's winter, and the UK has been hit by snowstorms just before Christmas. Tom and Laura's son, Luke, is poorly and stuck in his student accommodation in Sunderland as all flights are cancelled. Tom sets off in the car to bring him home. As he travels across Southern Scotland and the Pennines, he reflects on his relationship with his family, and some painful truths are revealed. I found the first two-thirds gripping - beautifully and succinctly written, gradually folding back layers, almost a continuous internal monologue, interspersed with encounters with other travellers. The descriptions of the landscape add strongly to the atmosphere and sense of claustrophobia. The final third, although continuing the quality of writing, didn't for me quite live up to the same, becoming more of a conventional narrative of an all-too predictable story, heart-tugging that it might have been. However, it remained a sufficiently strong enough read to keep me completely engaged through to the end, completed in one sitting (so has to be good!). This isn't the sort of book that I would normally read and enjoy - I don't do 'heart-wringing' as one reviewer described it - but as a one-off I found it thought-provoking (especially being a father of a son) and near unputdownable.

#30 The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah for Ghana *****
From several promising looking books, I chose this one based on its appearance on the Big Jubilee list, which has been the source of some cracking reads already, and the fact that The Leeds Library, a subscription library I belong to (the oldest surviving in England!) had got a stock in for one of the book groups, so was easy to get hold of!
The narrative focuses on 'the man' (he's never named), a railway clerk who, very unusually, is absolutely honest in what is shown to be an utterly corrupt society, the Ghana of the Nkrumah era. Colleagues, even relatives, don't understand why he takes the line he does, and no-one more resents his 'failure' to take advantage than his wife and mother-in-law, who, in particular, want to enter in a deal with a local party high-up over the ownership of a boat, and reap the rewards they perceive will be forthcoming. The book homes in on how his honesty affects these relationships, and the internal monologue that the man holds with himself - even he's not sure why he does what he does. But then events take a turn....
Most distinctive for me was the author's ability to draw a picture, one into which I really felt pulled - this was a place, never visited by me, that really came alive. It could be fairly gruesome too: the author used basic bodily functions and the contrast in toilet environments to really underline the difference between the corrupt 'haves', and the (more) honest 'have nots'. This is a distinctly post-colonial novel, but one that highlights the fact that (apparently) even after independence in Ghana everything 'white' was the aspiration, and anything native was to be deplored (some reviewers say that's still a problem). The colonial masters had simply changed colour themselves, treating the 'lessers' in just the same way as the previously European colonists had. I have to admit, I found the excremental side of things rather overwhelming at a couple of key moments, when I could only read through gritted teeth and clenched muscles - descriptions and details were all too vivid, and far too real to be anything but excruciating! But they certainly pushed the point (and the narrative) home. There are also passages where it feels all too much that the author has climbed up on his soap box and his bludgeoning us with his hectoring, but fortunately, they didn't overly dominate the book, and only once really felt intrusive - Armah was far stronger when he was showing than when he was telling.
Overall, this was a powerful read. It wasn't 'easy', but it certainly wasn't as difficult as the reviewer who claimed it would take anybody weeks to read (it's less than 200 pages) suggested. I read it in less than a week, and it only took that long because I was staying with friends for the weekend in the middle and unable to have my usual reading time. Yet another good read for Africa, my 9th book from there, the most consistently rewarding continent to date so far.

Reading the Pacific island nations
Reading others experiences in reading around the world, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, challenge is finding and obtaining books to cover the Pacific island nations. Even the very experienced and well connected Ann Morgan* struggled. I think it's reasonably OK if you're prepared to read books about the islands - there are plenty of books on the experiences of outsiders visiting or temporarily staying on the islands (frequently trying to be humorous, with a fair smattering of toe-curlingly awful titles), but if you want to read anything by people from these islands, then life gets a bit tricky.

So, I've been trying to plan ahead, and start to pull together books ready to read, and I've come to the conclusion that I will in one or two cases have to share books between countries. Hoping they are useful to others (and for my reference too!), these are the books I've lined up so far. Sources mainly UK second-hand dealers, but a couple available new, and a couple sourced from a dealer in America.

Fiji: Kava In The Blood by Peter Thomson. The same book as read by Ann Morgan*. It is non-fiction, so not perfect, but otherwise seems to satisfy all my guidelines. Backed up by reading from Nuanua (see Kiribati).
Kiribati: Nuanua (Albert Wendt ed.) main book, supplemented by reading from Micronesia and Palau listings.
Marshall Islands: Marshall Islands Legends and Stories (Daniel Kelin ed.).
Micronesia: Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia (Evelyn Flores et al, ed.) main book, supplemented by reading from Palau listing.
Nauru: Stories from Nauru (Bam Bam Solomon et al.).
Palau:Pacific Island Legends (Bo Flood et al, ed) main book, supplemented by reading from Micronesia listing.
Papua NG:Maiba by Russell Soaba
Samoa: Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel.
Solomon Islands: Being The First, Storis Blong Oloketa Mere Lo Solomon Aelan (Pollard and Warner, ed)
Tonga: Tales of the Tikongs - Epeli Hau'ofa
Tuvalu: Tuvalu: A History (Simati Faanu). Comfortably the most difficult to source so far. Fingers crossed until it arrives! (Later edit: it has!)
Vanuatu: Sista, Stanap Strong! (Michael Nyman, ed.). On the Kindle - hard copies more than twice the price.

I want to ensure that I keep to a minimum ratio of 1 book per country, so whilst some might share parts of books, the overall average is sustained, eg two countries share 2 books etc.

* Ann Morgan: A Year Of Reading The World website - an invaluable resource! Her book is interesting too, although more on general themes, ideas and issues to do with global reading rather than her specific project.

#31 Minty Alley by CLR James for Trinidad and Tobago *****
There are other candidates for the most famous book to represent T&T, not least A House For Mr Biswas, or pretty much anything by VS Naipaul, but I decided to opt for this on discovering it was the first novel by a Black Caribbean writer to be published in England. I came to it, and that fact, through it being included in the Black Britain collection published by Penguin and curated by Bernardine Evaristo. Whilst I'm sure the alternatives are great (and Biswas is on my to-read list), I have absolutely no regrets making this choice, rather the opposite!
Haynes (I'm not sure we ever learn his first name) lives on his own, his mother having recently died. He needs to downsize, and, against the advice of his loyal servant, Ella, he opts to take a room in the house of Mrs Rouse, at no. 2 Minty Alley. The house is a very mixed bag, including Mrs Rouse's lover, Benoit, various lodgers, servants and relatives. The book, just 260 pages long, tells the life of this household and how, almost against his will, Haynes moves from observer to active participant in this menagerie of characters. It's a fascinating, colourful, loud character study, and, (if accurate - I have no evidence one way or another), social portrait, bringing this small community vividly to life, vibrantly coloured. There's certainly plenty of passion and scandal, and the whole novel, including the writing, felt distinctly more modern than it's 1936 publication would suggest. For a book that addressed so many 'issues', it had a remarkably light feel to it - this was a distinctly enjoyable, entertaining, almost rollicking read.

>59 Willoyd: Thank you, that was a very useful post: I've added a couple of titles to my wishlist :-)

>60 Willoyd: I really like the sound of this one, great review!

>60 Willoyd: I did not care for A House for Mr. Biswas and have yet to read anything else by Naipaul. This sounds delightful. I'll look for it.

#32 Stories From Nauru by Bam Bam Solomon and others, plus readings from Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia for Nauru ****
My geography of the Pacific Island nations is, at best, sketchy, so venturing there for my first book from that region was a bit of an act of personal discovery. As I found out, Nauru is the third smallest nation in the world in terms of land area (only Monaco and Vatican City are smaller - I was really surprised to find that it's barely one-third the size of San Marino!), and population (Vatican City and Tuvalu are smaller), even fewer people than my nearest (small market) town in West Yorkshire (Otley)! It's not surprising then that its depth of literature is not great, particularly given the largely oral cultures that prevail in that part of the world. Even finding something to read was something of a challenge but, fortunately, the source that Ann Morgan used for her Year of Reading the World, proved equally productive for me over a decade later, and I was able to obtain a copy of Stories From Nauru from the Masalai Press in California (very effectively and efficiently packed and despatched too). Also published in the past few years has been a rather attractively presented anthology, Indigenous Literatures of Micronesia, part of The New Oceania Literary Series from the University of Hawaii (relatively new, with just 2 volumes in it so far), with 4 readings from Nauru within its covers. So, not a huge amount (Stories is just 20 pages long), but what this combination lacked in quantity, it more than masw up in interest.

Ann herself wrote an excellent review of Stories, which says far more than I ever could, so do read her commentary at https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/2012/07/26/nauru-small-triumphs/ . What I can say is that I found the combined collection fascinating - an eclectic mix of folklore retold, personal experiences (or so they read), and reportage. There's a distinct thread to these pieces- they don't make for the happiest reading - with a distinct sense of sadness, almost wistfulness, for how life was, or how it could have been, and the disconnection Nauruans are in danger of suffering from their culture and sense of identity, if they aren't already doing so. Inevitably, the impact of the phosphate mining that has devastated the island environment, and the mismanagement of the sovereign fund that should have provided the islanders with some financial security, has a presence too.

However, I did thoroughly enjoy what I read (more than once). My impression is that most of the authors were somewhat inexperienced at the time of writing - Stories after all derived from a literacy workshop designed to promote creative writing on the island - but the quality rather belied this, although there was a rawness, or freshness, about these pieces that I find thoroughly engaging, particularly given their brevity (succinctness!). It all certainly bodes well for my further explorations in the Pacific region. Both books thoroughly recommended (although Indigenous Literatures is likely to be much easier to obtain!), with Stories From Nauru rated at 4 stars, probably 1 more than I would have otherwise given, but intrinsically more interesting simply for the geographical (and rarity!) interest, and education!

#33 Chess Story by Stefan Zweig for Austria *****
More a novella than a novel, the quality of this psychological study more than compensates for the lack of volume! A group of cruise passengers take on the world chess champion in a series of matches, and takes the latter by surprise through the intervention of a complete unknown who, whilst surprisingly diffident, uncertain and apparently having not played for many years, is devastatingly incisive, leading the group to victory. How? It's intense, stark, and utterly riveting, posing some big questions about the human psyche. A book to reread (it only takes a couple of hours)!

#34 The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad for Pakistan *****
A series of short stories, linked through the life of the 'Falcon', set in the Pakistan/Afghanistan border region, the author having worked much of his life as a Pakistani government official in the region. The language is simply constructed but with a clarity that seemed so appropriate for a largely desert, mountainous, environment! As a westerner (even though I've visited Pakistan) the culture was totally alien, but, with a strong sense of authorial sympathy for his characters and subject, I felt I gained much insight. I was certainly gripped - this is a short book and pretty much unputdownable.

#35 The Bone Readers by Jacob Ross for Grenada *****
I don't often read crime fiction, although I am a fan of both Simenon (Maigret) and Leon (Brunetti), and have enjoyed a fair few others (admittedly usually historical fiction, like CJ Sampson). However, this appealed from the word go, and in the event didn't disappoint. As with all the best crime fiction, it's so much more. Yes, it has a good plot (and this is not cosy crime, having corruption, child abuse and statutory rape at the heart of the problem), but that's not what makes a book for me. What I enjoyed were the strongly drawn characters (both male and female), the sense of place (a major part of why I so enjoy Simenon and Leon), and the insights into island culture and politics. The author tries to reflect the local patois in his dialogue, and yet still manages to leave it eminently readable and understandable, only demanding a couple of rereads when I realised I'd misunderstood something!

In short, I find this pretty much unputdownable, reading into the early hours to finish off last night - that doesn't happen often with me! It appears to me to be an ideal book 'for' Grenada. And, as a confirmation of how good I thought this was, I've already ordered Ross's other two novels from my local bookshop. Whether it gets upgraded to 6-star/favourite status later, time will tell, but in the meantime, this is an easy 5-star grading.

#36 The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh for Vietnam **
A classic of the Vietnamese war I understand, on a par with All Quiet on the Western Front and other war greats. I can sort of see why, but personally I found this a tough, unrewarding read, boring me rigid before I reached half way, and struggling to make it to the end of what is, after all, only a slim 220 pages or so. Graphic in detail (the even mildly squeamish should be wary), unrelenting in its grimness, it may well be an all too starkly accurate portrayal of what the war was like, but I also found it repetitious and narrow in its language (this, of course, may be a function of the translation), equally repetitious in its narrative, and disjointed in its telling - chronological this is not (I don't normally find this a problem, but on this occasion it just confused). The odd attempt at metafiction just felt clumsy. All of this, for some readers (actually, most readers from the reviews - I'm definitely in a minority here) may well add to the impact, or carry this into the realms of the classic, but I'm afraid it just lost me about a quarter of the way in, and with only occasional remissions, it remained that way to the end, by which time I was really having to force myself not to leave it unfinished (I'm really trying to ensure I read books all the way through for this project, even if it's one I'd normally abandon). I'm sure this is down to inadequacy as a reader on my part, but this was a book I was glad, relieved, to put behind me.

>67 Willoyd: I’ve almost put this book on my tbr a couple of times, but have wavered. Your review has helped me put it there. I now look forward to reading it.

>68 Willoyd: There’s so much graphic stuff in books about war lately. If it’s to be done, it needs to be done well. So often it isn’t. I won’t be reading The Sorrow of War. Thanks for reviewing.- you saved me valuable time.

>66 Willoyd: I loved The Wandering Falcon too.

#37 Not A River by Selva Almada for Argentina *****
Reading various posts in CR24 and articles on publishers of books in translation (particularly a Guardian profile piece on several UK indie publishers), my eyes picked out this book from Charco Press in a tabletop display in my local Waterstones during a browse earlier this week. I've not read any of their books yet, but the name was familiar from both posts and article. A quick glance, and I knew I was hooked, not least by the production values (I'm a sucker, especially, for French flaps!). I've since discovered it's on the longlist for this year's International Booker and, having read it, I'm not surprised.
At only 99 pages (including a fascinating translator's note), this was a short but absolutely compulsive read: two friends are on a river fishing trip with the teenage son of another friend who died on a previous visit. They successfully land (by shooting!) a monster ray, which attracts the attention and the ire of local villagers, in turn threatening to boil over in violence. The story tells of how the relationship pans out, with flashbacks centred both on fishermen's and villagers' lives fleshing out both how they got here, and why things work out the way they do. It's a carefully, tightly woven narrative, made all the tighter by Almeda's very lean language and the spartan use of punctuation and paragraphing. So often this latter makes life harder, but the author's style rapidly grew on me, and it really did add to the atmosphere and my involvement as a reader (I may have been helped by the fact that I'm a few hundred pages into Ulysses, which has similar traits that actually made this feel relatively easy!). Almeda's focus is primarily on aspects of masculinity, much toxic, in a strongly patriarchal society, and some of the fallout from this, with this the third in a thematically related trilogy of books (they each stand alone, with no narrative or character crossover, so don't need to be read in order).
Yet, whilst the questions are asked and themes aired, this is also, in its simplest terms, a brilliantly told story, with a twist that both took me utterly by surprise, and made me go back to reread whole sections (easy enough when there's only 99 pages!) to tease out the clues, indeed large bites of narrative meaning, that I'd missed. This was a book which produced a genuine "Oh I see it now!" moment well after I'd reached the end. Maybe (probably!) I'm just a bit thick, but I did enjoy the revelatory experience!
So, a very happy impulse choice (perhaps not the right word, as this is a very dark book!), and a great one to add to the Reading The World list.

>72 Willoyd: Sounds fantastic! I really liked Dead Girls by the same author.

>72 Willoyd: You may want to fix that touchstone (Not a River for anyone else looking for the book). :)

>74 AnnieMod:
Thanks - done. I was sure I'd already done that!

#38 Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo for Mexico
A classic of Mexican writing apparently, which is why I chose it, included in a list of world's 100 most important works by the Nobel committee, and a major influence on Latin American literature. Slim at only 125 pages but anything but a short or straightforward read with chronological shifts, dead talking to the alive (and other dead!), and a style of writing that sometimes makes it quite hard to workout who is being written about and who is talking. To be honest, half way through I was feeling decidely unenamoured, but it grew on me and is, I think, a book that needs to be read more than once to work out what is going on, and interesting enough that it's worth reading more than once! I was relieved to read that even Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the writer of the Foreword of the translation I read, reckoned it's a difficult one! I'm not going to write a more detailed review, simply because I don't really have a lot more I feel I can say. Maybe once I've given it another go!

#39 Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco for The Philippines ***
Strangely two-dimensional, overly complex, over-written, this was a book that I had really looked forward to reading but ultimately disappointed. Seemed to take forever to finish. I'm not sure quite why I've rated it as high as 3 stars, but credit where credit is due - the idea was clever (and should have been entertaining and intriguing), and there were some great individual scenes. This should have been a great book, but the author seemed to spend too much time trying to impress rather than engage the reader. A snap review for now - I'll try and expand/explain this later.