Book reviews

Marina Lewycka

The bestselling author of A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian returns to page-turning form with this addictive tale of death, (a lack of) sex, and the London property market. Berthold Sidebottom is a failed actor, but at least he is in possession of a council flat via his mother's link with its deceased famous architect, Berthold Lubetkin - that is, until Mum unexpectedly moves beyond the final curtain and he must stage the performance of his life to a peculiarly attractive (if flea-bitten) housing officer. Meanwhile, Violet, the girl next door, dreams of ethical accountancy from her corrupt City desk. But drama unfolds as developers set their sights on the block's cherry orchard, and Bertie and Violet must join awkward forces with a supporting cast of Ukrainians, Roma, and dodgy council staff to fend off the chainsaws. The Lubetkin Legacy is an ode to international, multicultural London, and ultimately even the most flea-bitten come good.

Hystopia

David Means

New York-based writer David Means is usually associated with the short story form, but here he makes his first foray into the "wide-open space" that a novel offers. Hystopia is a book within a book written by troubled Vietnam vet Eugene Allen, whom we discover committed suicide shortly before the story was published. This tricksy narrative takes place in an America where JFK is in his third term in office, having survived Oswald's assassination attempt and the country is struggling with a generation of psychologically traumatised war veterans like Allen. The solution: drug-induced amnesia. When it leads to a one-man killing spree, this "solution" soon transpires to be anything but. Opening the novel with editor's and author's notes, as well as extracts from oral narratives, shows Means' ambition to push the boundaries of speculative fiction, not to mention lending an air of authenticity to the tale. Hystopia is an engaging portrait of a troubled mind, which asks a lot of its reader. At times the narrative feels disjointed and disorienting. But maybe that's the point.

The Pier Falls

Mark Haddon

This collection of short stories by the bestselling author of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time attempts to demonstrate the writer's versatility and range, with a mix of sci-fi, mythological fantasy and working class social realism to boot. Haddon's willingness to vary the genres he works in might be seen by some as brave or admirable, but collectively it's clunky. There's little evidence of theme running through the collection - which leaps from an expedition to Mars, to the confinement of a 30-stone man - other than the dark undertones each story carries, and I'm left wondering why these stories were chosen to be together and how their order was decided. Standing alone, each story would be engaging, indeed the titular story, about the collapse of a seaside pier, is first out of the gates and fresh, but when read in close succession, Haddon's present tense delivery becomes a bit too monotonous and repetitive with a whiff of tedium about it.

Animal: The Autobiography Of A Female Body

Sara Pascoe

Are we human, or animal? Well, a bit of both according to Sara Pascoe. Her literary debut takes an intelligent look at behaviour and evolutionary characteristics, and asks whether our genetic make-up or cultural background defines our gender and sexuality. It's a bold move for a comedian to release a semi-biographical memoir which offers such scientific detail - realistically we open celeb-written puff-pieces expecting fluffy, self-indulgence which aims to be the Christmas bestseller, or gather column inches (yes, My Booky Wook, we're looking at you). In contrast, Pascoe has written a truly intelligent, interesting and well-balanced 'Autobiography of a Female Body' which uses wit to soften the blow on the scientific prose. And that's a wonderful thing - however you should venture into reading armed with the knowledge that this is not the light read you might expect. It's a funny, frank exploration of human behaviour, and an absolute delight.