Owen O’Neill, a multifaceted intellectual from Tyrone, presents his premier novel set against the backdrop of the migrant Irish experience in 1970s London. His slightly autobiographical central character, the havering Emmett McCrudden, breaks free from the oppressing environment of a conflicted Northern Ireland to find a fresh start in the English capital, eager to rediscover himself and gain a leisure period from his disorderly family. Serving as a construction worker is not out of the ordinary but reflects the genuine nature of the period. The potency of the environment, accommodation and time is wonderfully encapsulated by O’Neill. McCrudden’s true spiritual liberation comes with his decision to rename himself after Steinbeck’s character Tom Joad and his makeshift job at a music magazine leads him to the fundamental transformation in his life and the lives of many others: the awakening of 70s rock music. This tale about pursuit and desire will resonate with those who have experienced something similar.
The Revenge Club by Kathy Lette is set around college friends who are now in their mid-50s. As they reconnect over a meal, the nostalgic view of their past begins to fade. The group, typical of women’s fiction, comprises a former supermodel who sacrificed an opulent lifestyle to bring up her children, a tough political commentator facing replacement by a younger male counterpart, a once-popular author who is no longer relevant, and a Hollywood make-up artist fighting against the glaring gender bias in her profession. They have all faced restrictions due to ageism and sexism, unexpected career stalls, unfaithful spouses, and unjust shaming. They now seek to take revenge. The consequent narrative is less women’s fiction and more an exploration of mature femininity. If the theme song from Nine to Five comes to mind, sing it loud, sister.
Other notable books include I Love You I Love You I Love You by Laura Dockrill: A ‘will they, won’t they’ story steeped in the nostalgia of the 2000s, Wild Geese by Soula Emmanuel: A refreshing take on immigration and its effects on relationships, and The Body in the Library by Graham Caveney: An intense account of grappling with mortality that avoids clichés.
In “A River Dies of Thirst”, renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish responds to the 2006 Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Mahmoud’s late style in poetry is both stark and important, manifesting in poems that fluctuate between being sharp-focused and uncannily abstract. The constant presence of anxiety is depicted through metaphors, such as a mosquito symbolizing ubiquitous Islamophobia, as well as explicit acknowledgments of the danger confronting the poet and his nation. The spectral, ageless, and nameless threat is embodied as “the enemy”. The ongoing conflict dominating Darwish’s poetic themes since the first release of these poems in 2009 has further escalated, making the existential fear in the poems tangibly present and pressing. In today’s world, the relevance and necessity of these poems have only heightened. (Jessica Traynor) The book is translated by Catherine Cobham and published by Saqi Books, priced at £12.99.