Thornhill by Pam Smy

Thornhill was a chilling tale of friendship and the sole, powerful force that is loneliness. This dark novel tells two haunting tales, one set in the present that is told through writing, the other set in 1982 when the Thornhill Institute was still a healthy business.

The style was very satisfying and dark, sticking with the tone of the story, I personally enjoyed the style and the atmosphere it transmitted. The written parts of this book are formatted like diary entries, with a date and year. This makes the book quite fast and easy to read that makes it appealing for middle-grade as well as young adult readers.

The story starts when the teen Ella moves to the small town where the Thornhill Institute resides when she starts to unpack the boxes she brought from her former house she notices a figure that is staring at him from the grounds of a wrecked building.  She becomes curious and wants to resolve the mystery that this town hides. Meanwhile in 35 years in the past in 1982 the 13-year-old Mary Baines is living in the Thornhill Institute when it was still active and lives in harshly as she is a victim of bullying and hatred. Her only hope resides in making her dolls in her small but cosy room, being inspired by the few books that she owns. However, she cannot sleep with the tapping noises that are produced from her, the person that hates Mary uncontrollably. But as these to stories intertwine the story slowly start to take a more chilling, dark form.

Overall this book was a 4-star for me, the plot was well woven and the art in this book was marvellous, as well as the dark writing in Mary’s perspective.  As well as being entertaining Thornhill made me reflect on many things, and how people that suffer bullying fell as well as what loneliness and fear can do to a young person. The writing style is quite dark atmospheric, and when woven with the illustrations it makes for a dark, atmospheric and thought-provoking read. The only thing that I will say about this book is that it is not that creepy or scary as you may desire, so if you are looking for a classic horror story this may not fully satisfy your tastes.

Being a fan of Brian Selznick, this can be associated with his books due to the format and style, however, this is marketed as a horror story when Brian Selznick’s tales are more inspirational and light. So I recommend this to all readers of Brian Selznick and people who have a will to stay up all night reading a fantastic book.

Happy Reading!

Reviewed by Lahiri Paolella (Aged 13)

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Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Convenience Store Woman manages to be both adorable and absurd and seriously addictive.

It's the perfect quick read that'll keep you uncontrollably smiling, painfully laughing and more times than one filled with disbelief and maybe even a little horror too. 

This refreshing little novel follows the life of thirty six year old Keiko, who’s never had a boyfriend and only ever worked at the same convenience store for 18 years of her life. You'll be sure to fall in love with her quirky personality, as she helplessly drowns in society's expectations and is confronted by everything a woman of her age “should” be. Her parents are after her to get a proper job, her friends desperately want her to get married, and as for Keiko…well she's perfectly happy living in the world of her convenience store! A world in which she's as much a part of the magazine racks and food displays as they are a part of her.

As strange and as peculiar as this novel sounds; it truly is a gem. A book you'll be begging others to read, just so you can discuss how weird and wonderful it really is. 

Reviewed by Vindhya Kathuria

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Notes to Self by Emilie Pine

In the first essay of this extraordinary debut collection, the author Emilie Pine, throws you head first into the harsh reality of dealing with an alcoholic parent. 

“Caught between endless ultimatums (stop drinking) and radical acceptance (I love you no matter what) the person who loves the addict exhausts and renews their love on a daily basis.” “It took years of refusing him empathy before I realized that the only person I was hurting was myself.” 

This first piece, Notes on Intemperance, is a painfully honest essay describing the despair, ugliness - and beauty - of a messy parent/child relationship, and conditioned as a reader to look for the happy ending, it is a surprise somehow to realize that there isn’t one. There isn’t a tragic ending either, it is just a sometimes sad, sometimes happy, sometimes ok, always real ending. Just like life itself. 

And that’s the common thread through all the essays. As different as the topics are (infertility, the consequences of parenting, the female body, a wild child life that would scare any parent, and how women are seen and see themselves in a professional environment) what they all have in common is a raw and radical honesty. They are beautifully written, and sometimes painful to read. It’s somehow a relief that it is a collection of short stories, so you can put it down for a couple of days to absorb what you read before going back for more. 

At times, you feel like you are along for the ride as the author tries to figure out life’s ups and (frequent) downs, how to navigate them not just externally but more importantly internally. 

“I could end the story there. I could say that education saved me, and in many ways that would be true. But it would only be part of the truth. Because there are things I’ve left out. And if I’m to tell it, then this is the part where the story turns, and where I find myself, again, asking why I’m telling it all. Let me pause, and just look out the window for a while. Let me stand up and walk away from the desk. Let me take a minute.”

The essays are intensely reflective, beautifully written and often make for difficult and raw reading. However, as personal as the writings are, they are also surprisingly universal and relevant. Emilie Pine has written a collection of essays that will leave most readers with plenty of food for thought.

Happy reading!

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The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

Lewis is one of my absolute favourite writers - he’s such a graceful writer with a dry sense of humor and an unfailing eye for a good story and the humans within it. Often, his approach to a subject is slightly off-beat, coming at it from a slightly different angle, thus unexpectedly illuminating what everyone thought they knew by forcing them to look at it through new eyes.

This one is -highly unusual for him- not about the financial markets but the Trump administration but seen through some of the key agencies (first and foremost, EPA - the United States Environmental Protection Agency - really didn’t know that it is basically home to all of the US’ nuclear stuff. But then again, neither did Scott Pruitt, Trump’s first appointee as head of the agency). If anyone is the unsung hero in Lewis’ tale it is the scientist civil servant, doing what they do, not because they have a political vested interest, nor because they earn a lot (they don’t) but because they care deeply about their field of scientific interest.

Another book which deserves to be widely read - a smooth running civil service machine is really the engine that keeps a state running. Lose or misuse it, and you’ve got “the fifth risk” of collapse.

Reviewed by Pia Eisenhardt

Happy reading! 

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