R J Ellory's Ghost Heart by Susan Moore

I opened this book with some reservations. I had read that R J Ellory was British, and wondered how he could write a novel set mostly in Manhattan, and make it work. However, my doubts soon disappeared.

The opening paragraph was so descriptive; I could smell the atmosphere of Manhattan 'awakening' for another day. The sounds, smells, were tangible - 'The smoke and steam crawling like tired ghosts from the subway below' I think this first paragraph was one of the best I have ever read, on a par with 'Rebecca' by Daphne Du Maurier. I always feel that if a book 'grabs' you in that first parargraph, then it's going to be a good read.

The characters seemed totally believeable - Annie in her little dusty book shop, longing for a real romance, and thinking she had found it in David. I found myself envious of the wonderful relationship she had with Jack Sullivan, the hard-drinking journalist in the next appartment. he was always there for her - best friend, brother, father, rolled into one. (He would have been her lover I think - if he'd been younger!) A wonderful colourful character. Annie had other friends, but to me, she seemed a lost soul, and but for Sullivan, would have had a vary sad and lonely life. Her father's death when she was a child had left an empty space within.

From what initially appears to be a 'loneliness to love' story soon turns into something completely surprising and unexpected.. The stranger named Forrester who enters her shop one day claims to have known her father well. He leaves 'stories' for Annie to read in instalments, and this makes for compulsive reading. What were these stories really about, and who was Forrester? Did he - and the stories- have any real relevance to Annie?

R J Ellory beautifully describes Annies life with Sullivan, who was always there watching over her, the shop, and her romance with David. This starkly contrasts with the stories given to Annie by Forrester, which were extremely violent, ruthless and shocking in places. But like Annie, I found myself impatient for Forrester's next visit - and the next instalment of these 'stories'. Would my particular hunches about the ending be right?

From start to finish, there were twists, turns and shocks. This is a great read - brilliantly written, and full of mystery, love, crime, with a fascinating mix of characters, and an amazing finale! What more could you ask for in a book?

The vivid descriptions of Manhattan, New York, and especially the people who live and work there, were excellent, and at times, very poetic. (I noticed that R J acknowledged Anita Shreve amongst others, and I could feel her influence on his writing.) Ellory has certainly done his research very thoroughly.

I look forward to reading the rest of Roger Ellory's books - he is an author I am so glad to have found. Thanks to Manx Litfest Reading Club and the Book Club of Onchan Library!

R J Ellory's Anniversary Man by Cath

This novel opens in 1984 with the murder and attempted murder of a young teenage couple by a killer known as 'The Hammer of God'. The killer is caught, and commits suicide in prison. The action then moves to New York in 2006 where a series of gruesome killings is under investigation by Detective Ray Irving.


His investigations lead him to discover that all murders are recreations of previous serial killings carried out on the anniversaries of the events. As the bodies mount up, he comes under increasing pressure to find the killer, and enlists the help of a crime researcher attached to a newspaper. This happens to be John Costello, who survived the Hammer of God attack.


I thought this was a very well written novel, with strong characters whose lives and relationships intertwined and developed. There was a good sense of place, and the author obviously has a detailed knowledge of New York - despite being English. I found the details of the murders very gruesome though, and I wouldn't normally read such a violent novel. It was even more shocking to learn at the end that the book was based on real life serial killings .... However, it was so well written, and such a page turner, that I'd read more by this author.

Manx Litfest Reading Club - R J Ellory

Onchan Book Group have been gripped by another Manx Litfest writer this month - R J Ellory. This multi-award winning author was born in the UK, but he's completely at home writing about the USA. R J had a strange childhood, following the death of his mother when he was only 7 years old. He never knew his father, and his grandmother sent him to schools and residential homes for orphans, where he escaped into the world of American Culture through watching Hitchcock and James Cagney films, and Starsky and Hutch & Hawaii Five-0 on TV.  

His books will take you from the Deep South to California, Washington, New York and places in between. He writes tough and gritty crime, but doesn’t follow a formula, and each new book takes on a variety of different subjects. ‘A Quiet belief in Angels’ was a Richard and Judy Book Club Read in 2008.

 

Manx Litfest Reading Club
Jasper Fforde

by Roger

I have only part-read two of his books so far - yet I am hooked - and will most certainly read them all.

My mind is on 'The Big Over Easy' because that's what I'm reading right now. I laugh out loud over his one-liners and thereafter he has got me smiling for page after page. However, after a while, as in 'Carry-On' films you know what the next line will be - but it is so cleverly done. 

I loved the Toast Marketing Board, slotted into the Thursday Next series and the 'Allegro Enthusiast Club in the B.O.E. He convinces you to take this seriously because of the car's renowned 'hydrostatic' suspension gives a great 'ride' and you can always adjust the 'torque' to your advantage.

It is great fun to play around with the author's classic characters. Fforde knows that these by their nature carry the luggage of his readers preconceptions. He doesn't impose on them a different personality - and that makes the whole book work. I'm sure he purposely resists 'developing' a character such as his Inspector Jack Spratt (who cuts off all his fat from his bacon breakfast at the Police Station Canteen - 'My wife won't eat anything else.') It's all about the dialogue for Fforde.

I find that the books can be too loaded to take in a single session. Rather like too much Marx Brothers - you need something different in between. The beauty of his stories is that you get to believe in his reconstitiuted characters as real people, and that includes his Nursery Rhyme ones too, because he does them so well.

Jasper Fforde is one of the authors appearing at Manx Litfest 27 - 30 Sept.

Lost in a Good Book

Jasper Fforde

I’ve been reading Jasper Fforde for the first time for The Manx Litfest Book Club. These books are completely out of the ordinary, so if they’re new to you too, just suspend belief and dive in.

I started with ‘The Eyre Affair’ which immerses you in Jasper Fforde’s fantastical and humorous Book World. It’s 1985, but not as we know it. Characters can travel in and out of books, and a literary detective named Thursday Next finds the ability to follow them.When Jane Eyre is kidnapped, only Thursday can save her. I liked Thursday -  a sassy heroine who takes on sinister villains, and a corrupt organisation.

But her every action has consequences, which continue in the next title in the series, ‘Lost in a Good Book’. This discloses more about Thursday Next’s personal life, and her marriage to the absent Landen Park-Laine. Thursday attempts to bring him back, and needs the help of man-hating Miss Havisham from Great Expectations.

These books are a romp through the fantasic world of Thursday Next - full of clever puns, quasi situations and quirky characters.  I haven’t come across anything quite like this series, which manages to combine famous books with fantasy, humour and a detective story too.

BTW, I was fascinated to find out how Escher's famous picture of reptiles inspired  Thursday Next's car, and this real paint job. Here's a pic from our Escher pop-up book, and here's the car:

  
Visit Jasper Fforde online for everything you ever wanted to know about Book World, and his other books too.

Book of the Month

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

This month's read is a Pulitzer prize winning novel made into a film starring Kevin Spacey and Judy Dench. Don't judge the book by it's movie - it's a much better read. Comic and tragic life events have left the downtrodden character of Quoyle at the end of his rope, literally. Ties, knots and rope are a theme throughout the book, and Quoyle is named after the kind of knot designed to be walked over on a deck. Quoyle's life changes beyond recognition when he takes his daughters out to Newfoundland to start a new life there, with the help of his aunt.The pace of life is slow, and that's reflected in the book. Annie Proulx's writing style is unusual, but really draws you into the hearts of people living at the edges in this remote community.

One Day by David Nicholl

Image courtesy of Amazon

“This is me.’" He handed her the precious scrap of paper. ‘Call me or I’ll call you, but one of us will call, yes? What I mean is it’s not a competition. You don’t lose if you phone first”

David Nicholls, One Day

We chose a book about love for February, but one of our group summed up it up as "too much alcohol and not enough romance!" Dexter does alcohol to excess, and Emma has her feet too firmly on the ground to expect moonlight and roses. This isn't a traditional romance, and the story is told through events that happen to the couple on 15th July, every year, for 20 years.

We were passionately divided about this one. Some people loved it, and had even read it twice, or couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.
David Nicholls expertly captures a sense of time and place, and sums up the trends that came with the eighties / nineties / noughties. 'One Day' has become such a popular read, that it's almost a trend itself now.

It's a book that can make you feel frustrated with Dexter & Emma, but there's deadpan humour and sadness too. Some of the group gave the book 5 stars, and others just one star, so overall a 3.5 star read.