The team at Bellwoods love nothing more than hibernating with a book in Winter. We’re so lucky in Whitey Bay to be neighbours with a great independent book store, The Bound, where we get recommendations from the book selling team. Nathalie has chosen her stack of books to see her through the remaining Winter months into Spring.
1. The Little Clothes by Deborah Callaghan
This book was the last one on the shelf and I was intrigued by the bright cover (never judge a book ...) . None of the team at the book shop had read it, so I decided to take a chance on it, based on the blurb.
Audrey Mendes is a clever lawyer but has never made partner. Her weeks are filled with long hours in the office, visits to her ageing parents, trivia nights at the local and evenings at home with her pet rabbit, Joni.
When Audrey tries to buy wine at the pub she is ignored and walks out without paying. One thing leads to another, and soon she starts rebelling in small and creative ways against a world in which she is unseen – until a painful reminder from her childhood pushes her into a reckoning.
All the while there’s a potential romance and an eccentric new neighbour to deal with. And why does Audrey buy extravagant baby clothes when she doesn’t have a child?
Wry, humorous and provocative, this is an affectionate novel about sorting out the past, grabbing onto life and claiming your place in it.
I thought this would be an easy read, and for the first half of the book, with the dead pan tone of the main character who finds herself in numerous awkward situations because of the people around her, meant it was.
I wasn’t prepared for the twist in the middle of the book, which, just as Audrey suddenly remembers a trauma from her childhood, the author drops it on the reader. From here, the book and the character unravels and I couldn’t put it down, reading the whole book in just 2 days. There are a number of difficult and dark themes in the book, but the author balances these sensitively with lighter touches.
Overall, I found The Little Clothes moving, funny and at times, shocking, and was rooting for Audrey the whole way.
2. The Silence Project, Carole Hailey
This one was recommended to me because of my interest in, or maybe obsession with, cults.
On Emilia Morris's thirteenth birthday, her mother Rachel moves into a tent at the bottom of their garden. From that day on, she never says another word. Inspired by her vow of silence, other women join her and together they build the Community. Eight years later, Rachel and thousands of her followers around the world burn themselves to death.
In the aftermath of what comes to be known as the Event, the Community's global influence quickly grows. As a result, the whole world has an opinion about Rachel - whether they see her as a callous monster or a heroic martyr - but Emilia has never voiced hers publicly. Until now.
When she publishes her own account of her mother's life in a memoir called The Silence Project, Emilia also decides to reveal just how sinister the Community has become. In the process, she steps out of Rachel's shadow once and for all, so that her own voice may finally be heard.
What a read. I’m still thinking about it a month after I finished it. I immediately gave it to Amy to read so I could talk about it with someone. The book depicts a dystopia where the author cleverly blends the fictional story with events that happened in real life, making it seem all the more real. The Silence Project does a great job of showing how cults are formed and escalated. If you liked the Handmaid’s Tale, you will enjoy this book.
3. The Husbands, Holly Gramazio
I loved Really Good Actually by Monica Heisey, and was recommended The Husbands because it has a similar writing style. I keep telling people to read this book and when I try to explain the plot I’m often met with “WHAT?!”
When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.
As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realising that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?
The Husbands is a great take on modern dating apps. Get turned off by any tiny, perceived flaw in a person without getting to know them, and wonder if there might be somebody better out there. Very Thank You, Next. The writing style is light-hearted, funny and engaging, and I sped through it. A great palette cleanser to read after The Silence Project.
4. Talking at Night, Claire Daverley
A friend at one of our local Whitley Bay cafes, Rustic Cup, recommended this book to me while I was waiting for my morning flat white and I immediately went and bought it. I’m so glad I did, because I couldn’t put it down.
Will and Rosie meet as teenagers.
They’re opposites in every way. She overthinks everything; he is her twin brother’s wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer—destined to be one another’s great love story.
Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered.
But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can’t help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been.
What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can’t let go?
This book is one of the most beautifully written pieces I have ever read. It runs the gamut of emotions to show all the messiness of love - at once melancholic, poignant, gentle and raw. It doesn't just focus on romantic love, though the love between Rosie and Will is the main story, but we also explore family love, friend love, unrequited love, and the things we love, told through the two main characters and all of their flaws. This book imprinted on me in a way that not many books have, and I’ll definitely be re-reading it once my emotions can handle it.
Don't forget to support your local indie book store when looking for your next read. They're not just shops, they are community hubs, and there's nothing better than browsing amongst the books to discover something new.