I decided this year to put some real effort into Women In Translation month and I think it paid off. Of the five books I read, four fall under that umbrella. And they were all great. I’ve ended the month halfway through three different books, despite trying not to jump between books. Ah well.

It’s been one of those months that felt jam-packed and yet I struggle to think of specific things we’ve done. There was a local brewery trail and an evening watching hot-air balloons and a particularly lovely date night for our 23rd anniversary. We went to a cocktail bar and our table had a chess board on it so of course we had to play a game of chess while we drank. We are not the best players but it was really fun.

Books read

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I reread this for my work book club and then was unable to attend the meet-up. Which is a real shame as I’d have loved to know what first-time readers thought of it. I think reading it as an adult, rather than a teenager, I noticed much more of the nuance. Yes, Atticus Finch defends a Black man, and has the nerve to suggest he is innocent of any crime. But he also defends segregation and to an extent infantilises Black people.

Pétronille by Amélie Nothomb
Translated from French by Alison Anderson
I love Amélie Nothomb. As with most of her books, this short novel is auto fiction. It takes a short period in her life as its setting and the main character is a first person narrator called Amélie Nothomb. But are any of the actual events in the novel real or no? In 1997, our narrator moves to Paris and befriends Pétronille, a younger writer who proves an excellent drinking companion. The story is somehow both very simple and very weird. It’s written with a sense of humour that makes Nothomb feel both egotistical and the butt of every joke.

The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem
Translated from Arabic by Sinan Antoon
The story of two friends living in Tel Aviv, Alaa and Ariel, and the day when Alaa disappears without warning – along with all the other Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Ariel and the rest of Israel must figure out how they truly feel about Palestinians and how to move forward.

Sex and Lies by Leïla Slimani
Translated from French by Sophie Lewis
A collection of essays about women and sex in Morocco. Novelist and author Slimani travelled her native country interviewing people – mostly women – about the lack of sexual freedom there. She adds to these conversations her own thoughts and research on topics such as increasing conservatism; the disparity in freedoms for rich and poor; the historic association of Islam and erotic texts; the prevalence of prostitution. It’s a fascinating book.

Please Look After Mother by Shin Kyung-sook
Translated from Korean by Kim Chi-young
An elderly woman is separated from her husband in the busy crowds at a central Seoul subway station. This novel follows her family’s search for her and their gradual discoveries about this woman they thought they knew. A beautifully told story, often sad but not overwhelmingly so.

Roll on September I guess.