Bookclub News May 2025

Dear Friends, an admirably orderly discussion last night, given that there were 21 of us around the table, ready to dissect "Night Watch" by Jayne Anne Phillips. 


Historical fiction, with maybe a dash of magic realism, the novel blends a series of inter-related stories of characters caught up in the aftermath of the US Civil War. Raw, often unsparing, and unafraid to reflect the racism, misogyny and violence of the times, it also offered a glimmer of hope in the empathy and enlightenment to be found in surprising places. While specific to a time and place, it was hard not to recognise the universal themes common to any conflict, especially among fellow citizens. "When the killing ends, the grief goes on."

While the author's writing style had its detractors (overwritten?) the majority of the group were impressed by its overall quality. Many felt however a falling-off when the ending appeared to wrap up too many loose ends unconvincingly. Our overall average score of 7 reflected a wide variety of individual verdicts.


Our book for June is "Creation Lake" by Rachel Kushner, a contemporary tale of a female undercover agent who infiltrates a radical ecocommunity in France. Our meeting will be a little later than usual, on Wednesday 2 July. 


And to keep us organised, we are hoping to read "The Heart in Winter" by Kevin Barry for the end of July. 

Enjoy your reading

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