My review:????

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli is an emotional journey both for a family travelling together for the last time, and for the children who are travelling to the US border, trying to make their way into the US.

The main characters are described to us either by their gender or their family role, and so we are taken on a car ride by husband, boy, girl and our point of view, the woman who is wife, mother and step mother.  The husband and wife are barely speaking to each other, and their children fill the silence.  

Meanwhile, at the border, children who have travelled a long way are being held by the border agencies.

This is a very vivid book, with emotive descriptions and has been up for several prizes.  I found this book to be strangely distant, with the lack of names of the main characters, but at the same time we’re there in their emotions, and feelings, so it’s also quite intense.  You are learning about them, but at the same time being held back from them.

Lost Children Archive was published on 12th February 2019 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Valeria Luiselli on her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins.

My review:????

Mr Wilder and Me by Jonathan Coe is the story of Calista’s youth, which she looks back on as a middle aged woman, with 1 daughter leaving the nest, and the other making a big life decision.  Calista is remembering Billy Wilder, a Hollywood director, whom she follows to Germany for the filming of his latest film, as  he is fading out of favour with Hollywood.

This was an enjoyable book, with characters that seemed vivid, interesting and a glimpse at old Hollywood.

This is my first Jonathan Coe book, and I would read more of them!

Mr Wilder and Me was published on 5th November 2020, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.

You can follow Jonathan Coe on Twitter.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House. 

My review:????

The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby is the story of Romily as she grows up.  When she is little, her father writes a book which makes her famous.  It’s a picture book about her adventures, with things hidden in the pictures, which people decide is a treasure hunt.

Romily grows up in the public eye, with her distinctive red hair, and we’re told how she and her father deal with this.  There are mental health issues and illness for some characters, and the past is a mystery that is explained.

I enjoyed the book, and the look at how people deal with fame.  The mental health and illness is dealt with well, and Romily at different ages is believable. 

The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby was published on 29th October 2020, and it’s available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Polly Crosby on Twitter and her website.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HQ.

My review: ????

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazieris about a pregnant 18 year old, who works as a pizza delivery person.  Her alcoholic father died a year ago, she lives with her mom and her boyfriend, and she’s feeling lost and alone.  She’s worried she’ll end up like her father, but still drinks alcohol whilst pregnant, whilst knowing she’s doing a horrible thing.

Then she answers the phone to a weird request, a pepperoni pizza with pickles on it, requested by a woman for her homesick son, and life changes for pizza girl as she starts to obsess over this woman, Jenny.

This was bleak, funny, heartwarming and addresses how lonely you can be even when surrounded by loved ones.  Maybe especially so.  It is a good read, but sad, and reminded me a lot of how I felt when reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Pizza Girl is released in the UK on 17th September 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones, and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Jean Kyoung Frazier on her website, Instagram and Twitter.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to HQ.

My review: ???

The Innocents by Michael Crummey is the story of  Ada and her brother Evered, who are orphaned at 10 and 12 respectively, miles from anyone, on the north coast of of Newfoundland.

This is the story of their battle to survive through the years, as they grow up.  It is very evocatively described, so you see the seasons as they come and go, and pick the berries or salt the fish.  You also see the children become teenagers, and the urges that come with that.

I found this a harrowing and heartbreaking read.  It is well written, but I found it a hard read as the siblings discover sexual urges and they are the only ones there.

The Innocents was published on 20th August, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and from your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Michael Cummey on Twitter.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to No Exit Press.