Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James

Ever had a friend who seems to be everything to you – companion, supporter  encourager? And even though they may not be perfect, you still love them because they love you with all your imperfections? Well that was Alice – a great friend but with some strange personality traits.

But Katherine likes her – she needs friends when she moves to Sydney to live with her aunt after shocking events have happened in her family. It’s just that as the story progresses, Katherine begins to doubt that the pluses are more than the minuses in her relationship with Alice.

It’s great to see a book set in Sydney. Katherine’s parents seem very realistic and Alice’s ability to twist most people around her little finger is almost scary to watch.

The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar

Apart from loving Umrigar’s writing (I’ve read everything she has put out), I find books about India fascinating – maybe because part of me wants to go there but finds it “safer” via books. The basic story is told in the cover blurb – Frank and Ellie who were the perfect couple – in love and with a gorgeous boy – who find that the loss of a child can either make or break a couple.

We are taken into the hearts and minds of these two people to see how they have coped with the situation. Ellie decides to move on with life, while Frank can’t until he finds a “replacement” for their son. Moving to India to work for a company which could be seen as an exploiter of the indigenous people, doesn’t help their situation.

My only concern is the structure – would be interested to know what others think. Why not do a straight chronological narrative? Why cut the narrative to go back in time to catch up to the present, considering that we knew most of it already.

Get ready for lots of twists, turns and surprises.

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

What I Saw and How I Lied ( written by Judy Blundell) is a novel about 15 year old Evie Spooner. It tells the story of the beginning of her life, after the end of World War II, and particularly focuses on her trip to Florida with her beautiful mother Beverley and her step father Joe, a returned soldier. Evie is a naïve young woman, wanting to be like her glamorous mother, and she soon falls for the dashing Peter Coleridge whilst away on the vacation. Joe, although a friend of Peter’s from army days, disapproves of him, and his relationship with Evie. After some unfortunate and mysterious events, Evie finds herself a the centre of an earth shattering situation, in which all her previous thoughts and conceptions about her parents, her relationships, her world views and even herself are challenged and tested.

I really enjoyed What I Saw and How I Lied, in particularly the fabulous retro details in the descriptions of clothing, music, dance and style of talk. Evie is a very interesting girl, who I think is easy to relate to. The story is written well, and the plot develops nicely. I think the cover suits this book wonderfully. If you love some retro-lit, stories about growing up, a bit of romance and lots of mystery and intrigue, then I would recommend What I Saw and How I Lived.

Love, Shelley by Kate Saksena

Shelley’s has some really big problems in her life – a younger brother to look after, the housework to do, a mum with an alcohol problem, bullies at school and her dad living with his new family. She decides to write to her favourite pop star and tell him about her troubles. His encouraging postcards keep her battling through the problems.

While you sympathise with Shelley’s problems, you also admire her spunk. Her love for her family and her good common sense make her a really likable character without being too much of a “goody goody”.

Bonjour Tristesse and A Certain Smile by Francoise Sagan.

The author was eighteen when she wrote the story of a girl (Cecile) who enjoys her life with her widowed father and his various mistresses. But then he decides to marry an old friend and Cecile starts plotting to get her old life back. In A Certain Smile, Dominique falls for an older married man, much to the concern of her lover. These were written in the late 1950’s reflecting the existential movement of the time.