Review: LOT stories by Bryan Washington.

NB: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

LOT stories centres on the (unnamed until the end) son of a Black mother and Latino father living in Houston, Texas. Their often chaotic life revolves around a restaurant that the father persuaded the mother to partner in when they first got together, not knowing how it would change their lives.

Most days, the main character works in the restaurant and tries to avoid his older brother, while resenting his older sister for her absence. The family see the father walk in and out of their lives on a regular basis, and the children chastise their mother for letting him push her around, until he finally leaves for good.

However, LOT is not just about this family. It's about the entire neighbourhood. The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey; a cleverly constructed story about a young baseball team and their fortunes as they grew up; a drug dealer who takes a Guatemalan teenager under his wing; and a group of male prostitutes and the house they live in.

Longing, desire, desperation for more, and the sense of ride-or-die community pervades through this novel. The neighbourhood is a place where many thrive, but more simply have to survive. They face increasing gentrification and the loss of their identity; poverty; gang and drug culture; but, as the boy communicates throughout the novel, it's not just a place that one can easily leave.

The style of the writing puts the reader right in the rooms and streets of the people whose lives are on display. The reader is up close and personal, to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of living in this community. It shows the struggles, the tenderness, the heart, and the longing of the people in the neighbourhood for something that is personal to them, but mostly it is just 'more'. What more is there to this life, or do they have to settle?

It's summed up well by an exchange the boy (now grown up) has with a white man he dates. The man said he was living in this neighbourhood for his job because it was the 'real Houston' whereas the boy says if someone gave him an out, there wouldn't be time to finish the sentence.

Considering this is Washington's debut, he seems to have the lived and writing experience of someone already many years into their career. It is one of the most gut-wrenching and compassionate novels I have ever read and I can't wait to see what he does next.

  

Review: Second Sister by Chan Ho-Kei

NB: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for a review.

Nga-Yee, a librarian who lives with her school-age younger sister after the death of their parents, arrives home one day to find her sister has committed suicide. Unable to believe that her sister would do this, she vows to track down the people responsible and make them pay.

Months earlier, Nga-Yee's sister, Siu-Man, had been sexually assaulted on a busy train. With the help of onlookers, she identified the man responsible and he was sent to jail. However, shortly after, a social media post - claiming to be from the man's nephew - smeared Siu-Man, calling her a liar. Weeks of cyber-bullying followed, pushing Siu-Man to her death.

Nga-Yee tries the normal private detective route but the one she finds explains this task will be impossible for him. He, instead, puts her in touch with a hacker who, for a hefty price, takes on her case.

The scale and scope of this novel is impressive and Chan Ho-Kei sensitively handles the distressing nature of the subject material. He shows how cyber-bullying has many elements to it and there are many more players than first appear. The plot and pace tick along without a dull moment, with enough twists and turns to keep even the most savvy reader guessing. Even when one thinks all the mysteries have been revealed, more questions and answers appear.

The teenage experience is examined well here, especially with the concern to always perform well on social media, knowing that one can get digitally crucified with even a small misstep. It exposes the dark side of the internet, the uneasy knowledge that none of our digitally-stored information can be kept truly secure, and how important it is to always be aware of what we put online.

This is a brilliantly written novel, and its themes and questions will leave the reader more aware of the importance of keep not just their physical selves save, but their digital ones, too.

Review: The Treadstone Resurrection, Joshua Hood.

The main character, Adam Hayes, is an ex- CIA Treadstone operative who is trying to make a new life for himself, and convince his ex-wife that he can still be a good father to their son. However, this all gets turned upside down when assassins turn up to a house he is working on and Hayes narrowly escapes with his life. 

The cause of this is that Adam has received an email from an old colleague that would, if exposed, lead to hugely significant consequences for American foreign policy in South America and send shockwaves throughout the U.S. government. 

For a while, Adam has no idea who he is investigating or running away from; all he knows is that he needs to survive. Bringing all of his old skills to bear, the result is a high-octane reader's experience that gives Bourne fans exactly what they love but in a new way. The action hardly ever lets up - in some cases, it becomes implausible but that stands to reason within this universe. The plot is well executed with more than a few twists and turns that will leave its readers satisfied at its conclusion. 

This story is written by Joshua Hood, who is a former Airborne Division Fighter. There is plenty of technical jargon in the book, especially when it comes to the weapons, so it makes sense that it's written by someone with clear, in-depth knowledge. 

The Treadstone Resurrection is an explosive new entry in the Bourne Universe that gives an action-packed, page-turning experience that will leave readers eagerly awaiting Adam Hayes' next mission - whether the character wants it or not. 

Review: Surge by Jay Bernard

NB: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This book of poetry is an extraordinary debut from Jay Bernard. It shines a light on parts of Black British history that have been forgotten or ignored, beginning with an event called the New Cross Fire in 1981. Believed to have been a racist attack, thirteen young black people were killed at a birthday party by a house fire.

Bernard moves through history, exploring memories, cultures, and injustices that have not been made right, through to the Grenfell Tower fire and some of the awful responses to it, such as the online viral burning effigy.

The first poem, Arrival, is ambiguous in time - it could easily be the slave trade or the Windrush - but its tone is clear. Black people were seen as useful tools and nothing more - no freedom to rise, or dream, or be seen as equal citizens. It very clearly sets the pattern and tone of the rest of the poems, full of rage, despair (see, Losers), helplessness (see the poem Harbour about someone trapped in a fire), and a call to action.

There are more personal moments, as well. Poems such as Pride and Peg, where Bernard explores his identity as a queer black man.

This book of poetry is talent unparalleled. It is raw, powerful, moving, and leaves you with the kind of sadness that doesn't necessarily make you cry, but it's a deep ache.

Losers, the penultimate poem, to me speaks of the division of Britain today ever since the referendum. Bernard quite rightly points out that even the winners think they are losing - no one has won, everybody seems to have lost:

"You're either or you're not. There's no middle ground"

and

"Get lost with your truth and your news which never speaks for our lot."

The overall question for me throughout was, "who does this country work for?" Because the answer is definitely not the people in these poems.