Mini Reviews of Recent Reads – January 2023

Well, life seems intent on getting in the way of reading and reviewing at the moment, and so I’m sharing mini reviews of two very different books today in some attempt to keep on top of things.

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Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Lives separated by time and space have collided, and an exiled Englishman, a writer trapped far from home, and a girl destined to die too young, have each glimpsed a world that is not their own. Travelling through the centuries, between colonies on the moon and an ever-changing Earth, together their lives will solve a mystery that will make you question everything you thought you knew to be true.

Sea of Tranquility is a time-travel novel that spans some 500 years or so, taking the reader from Canada in 1912 to one of many space colonies in 2401. It begins with Edwin who has been banished in all but name after sharing his radical (for the time) and unpopular views on Britain’s colonisation of India at his parent’s dinner party. It then moves onto 2020 where Mirella is seeking information of a former friend, before jumping forward to 2203 and 2401 where the connections between these individuals and times starts to become more obvious.

Perhaps because it’s a short novel, some of the characters didn’t fully evolve for me, and there was only Olive in 2203 and Gaspery in 2401 that I felt were fully fleshed out. Olive in particular is a fascinating character though. At the start of the 23rd century she is on a book tour, and I love the thought that books tours will still be a thing that far in the future! We see her travel to different cities and countries, the hotel rooms that she stays in being largely interchangeable. Her novel is about a pandemic, and is being promoted just as news starts to emerge of a new, fast-spreading illness… It gives her novel a sense of prescience, similar to Mandel’s own novel, Station Eleven. I’m sure I’m not the first to think this, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Olive was at least partially based upon Mandel herself.

While I enjoyed the story and the structure (which is reminiscent of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas), I have to admit that I wasn’t blown away by this novel, although I expect that the issue lies with me rather than the book as there’s nothing I can put my finger on to say why it left me feeling a bit meh. I like Mandel’s writing, and I thought that the time-travel aspect of the novel was well done, but the mystery promised in the blurb didn’t do anything for me, and if there was an overall message here, it passed me by.

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The Ghost by Robert Harris

A body washes up on the deserted coastline of America’s most exclusive holiday retreat. But it’s no open-and-shut case of suicide. The death of Robert McAra is just the first piece of the jigsaw in an extraordinary plot that will shake the very foundations of international security.
For McAra was a man who knew too much. As ghostwriter to one of the most controversial men on the planet – Britain’s former prime minister, holed up in a remote ocean-front house to finish his memoirs – he stumbled across secrets which cost him his life.
When a new ghostwriter is sent out to rescue the project it could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Or the start of a deadly assignment propelled by deception and intrigue – from which there will be no escape…

With BoJo’s memoir having recently been acquired by HarperCollins, this is perhaps a timely read.  In it, we meet a ghostwriter – appropriately left unnamed – who has been hired to finish the memoir of former British prime minister, Adam Lang.  The previous ghostwriter was Lang’s aide (although his name was not Robert, whatever the blurb may tell you) and was found dead, officially the result of an accident or suicide on the ferry crossing from mainland USA to Martha’s Vineyard.  Whatever one’s political views and allegiances, such a project carries both a hefty paycheck and the promise of future work, and our narrator leaps at the opportunity despite the reservations he has. 

The Ghost is an absolutely gripping read.  From the very beginning, I was hooked, as it seems obvious (and this is no spoiler) that there are secrets here that may have cost McAra his life.  As our narrator’s work begins, certain accusations appear in the global press about Lang, adding another element to the project, yet also guaranteeing a bestseller once the memoir is published.  There are certain topics that are, by necessity, off the table, and yet Lang turns out to be an open and charismatic individual, ready and willing to engage with the ghostwriter’s questions which will bring the memoir to life.

I found the insight into the process of ghostwriting a memoir absolutely fascinating.  Each chapter starts with a brief excerpt from a ghostwriting handbook that highlights the process, techniques, and potential pitfalls associated with that profession.  It’s so interesting, and I couldn’t help but feel for all the ghostwriters out there who produce such works with little acknowledgement or recognition.  Our ghost in this novel has his work cut out for him, having to completely rewrite the existing manuscript in a short space of time in order to meet the publication deadline.  And as he gets more involved, he starts to uncover some of the questions that McAra also stumbled across…

The Ghost builds up to a thrilling conclusion, and while I had an inkling of what was going on, I certainly didn’t expect the novel to turn out as it did. It’s a gripping read and one that I recommend for those interested in political thrillers.