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Books of 2019: Memoir

10th Dec 201920th Dec 2019Categories Round-UpLeave a Comment on Books of 2019: Memoir

Best Books of 2019: four incredible memoirs I've read this year

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Have you read Good Riddance? My review of this fab @eyelightningbooks book is up on the Buzz Magazine website, rather than in print, due to obvious restrictions. It follows the story of Daphne, who in a moment of “does this item spark joy” cleaning, decides to throw away the annotated yearbook her mother left her in her will. Only, a (truly annoying) neighbour fishes it out of the recycling bin and decides it will be the perfect centre-point for a documentary - which, naturally, makes Daphne want it back. It also leads to a few massive secrets spilling out in the process. To quote from my Buzz review: “With Austenite themes of inheritance, strong but fallible characters, a traditional conflict-resolution structure and a satisfying denouement, Lipman has all the modern understanding of human interaction, dialogue and motivation, and a refreshing grasp of the screwball comedy’s need to be enjoyable without being 100% believable.” BONUS INFO: Eye Lightening Books are running a special where if you buy one book full price, you can send another FREE to someone you know who’s self isolating. This could be that book! #haveyoureadthis #bookstagram #goodreads #bookish #bookcommunity #bookreview #goodriddance #elinorlipman #buzzmagazine #eyelighteningbooks

Have you read Such A Fun Age? This was an absolutely brilliant read. It starts with Emira Tucker, a 25-year-old graduate who babysits three times a week for Alix and Peter Chamberlain. Or, more specifically, their adorable toddler Briar, who loves learning, and chatting, and fish, and teabags, and wearing people’s glasses. After an incident at the Chamberlain’s home one evening after a racially ignorant comment made by Peter on the news, Emira is called away from a night-out to take Briar to an upmarket store to get her out the house while the police are there. As a young black woman with a small white child, Emira is accused of kidnapping Briar by bigots feigning concern, barred from leaving the store until Peter is called and steps in. A narrative is set off which includes Kelley, a man who filmed the interaction and who has a history bizarrely linked to Emira. Interestingly and vitally, though this incident at Market Depot is a starting point and the trigger for a series of events, this isn’t the focus for the rest of the novel: Emira doesn’t want the video to go public, she wants to forget about it. But increasingly it becomes apparent that what she wants and what the white people in her life think is “best” are at odds. With perfect simplicity and clarity, Emira tells Kelley that she doesn’t want him to be cross that this happened to her. She wants him to be cross that it happens. The interwoven relationships in this book are fraught and fascinating, but also shockingly unexpected, so I won’t give away more than that. But I assure you, each character is so fleshed out and complicated, so simultaneously infuriating and empathy-inducing, that after a book-full of side-taking, you realise just how believable each character is that this see-sawing of emotion was even possible. Please let me know what you think - I’m dying to talk to someone about it! #haveyoureadthis #bookstagram #goodreads #bookish #bookcommunity #bookreview #suchafunage #kileyreid #debutnovel #bloomsbury

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