A MURDER AT MALABAR HILL by Sujata Massy

I have to admit I have a bias to books written by and/or about India, having lived there for a bit. Everything about India is complicated, contrary, disturbing, often impossible for Western eyes to understand or make sense of, but always intriguing and surprising with so much to discover and learn. And here is another to tempt me! This novel is the first in a series featuring a young woman lawyer in Mumbai during the 1920s. Perveen Mistry is the only female lawyer in Bombay at this time - seen as a novelty, a threat, a misfit, subject to prejudice, rudeness, spite. None of this is going to get her down, and working in her father's very established practice gives her considerable kudos and protection. Even though she is forbidden from working in court, she is a valuable asset to the firm for her investigative skills, her ability to talk with and listen to clients.

This becomes particularly handy when the firm is engaged to investigate a suspicious will on the behalf of three widows living in full purdah in a large house on Malabar Hill. The dead man, husband to all three women, was a valued client of the firm, and when Perveen notices something unusual in the will, she begins digging. Being female of course gives her considerable advantage, because she is the only person that is able to interview, meet with and so gain the confidence of the three widows. It becomes clear quite quickly that something very underhand has taken place, and we are soon in the middle of a whodunnit, with Perveen finding herself in some danger.

On starting this novel, I thought I was going to be reading something light, bit frivolous  - zealous and earnest young woman taking on the baddies - very Nancy Drew. . But  I misjudged - never judge a book by its cover, no matter how enticing and attractive. A sinister element creeps in to Perveen's life in the first few pages, we learn that she has graduated from Oxford University - a highly unusual status for any woman in the 1920s, let alone a young woman from India. Her closest friend from her Oxford days happens to the be the daughter of a very high ranking British official living in Bombay, her friendship with Perveen leading to considerable social issues with her friend's parents.

From the beginning I was wondering how does a young Parsi girl from a deeply religious and conservative sect of Indian society go to Oxford University by herself, get a degree, come back and work in her chosen field in the 1920s? As I said earlier this is a country full of surprises. The appearance of that troublesome character in the first few pages takes Perveen back some years earlier when a marriage is being arranged for her. This does not go well, in fact it goes very badly. The author has tapped into the underbelly of much of conservative religious India, highlighting the often appalling treatment that young women, seen simply as possessions of their families to be sold off, suffer from in the marriages made on their behalf. Even though Perveen's parents are educated, cultured and sophisticated in Western ways, they too fall victim to the ancient rituals and ways of doing things their religion and unique culture demands. The three widows Perveen is helping are also victims of the society they are born into.

So we have here a good story, well told, but also with considerable social commentary on the state of women in India. This may be set in the 1920s, and things have improved enormously for women in India in the decades since, but we must never lose sight of how women in many many societies and cultures continue to be suppressed and controlled by the men who supposedly love them.

I see now that there is a second Perveen Mistry novel - can't wait to read that - no more Nancy Drew for me!

WEARING PAPER DRESSES by Anne Brinsden

On GoodReads I gave this 2 out of 5 stars - 'it was OK' is what 2 stars mean. I feel ungrateful giving anything less than 3 which means 'I liked it'. But really that is all it was for me - 2stars. So why?  The blurb, as another GoodReads reviewer says, has so much going for it. 1950s Australia - glamorous, cultural and urbane opera singer Elise from Melbourne falls wildly in love with Bill, whose family owns a farm out in the middle of nowhere. Bill is a reluctant farmer and is very happy to live in the big smoke away from the dry hot climate, the impossible soil, the demands and expectations of his family, the small-mindedness of the locals. They marry, have two children - Ruby and Marjorie - the latter is the narrator. Life is great until Bill is required back at the farm. You can see this is not going to end well for Elise and Bill - the urban and rural existences just completely incompatible. Elise is a complete and total misfit, unable in any way at all to adjust to her new life and the expectations made of her as a farmer's wife. The two girls are left to fend for themselves as their mother's mental health deteriorates, and she falls apart. A tragedy occurs which rips the family apart, resulting in Marjorie running away to Melbourne where she lives with an aunt and attempts to start her life over. Her one escape while growing up on the farm is a school mate whose own home life is pretty awful too. Together these two find refuge, solace and comfort in each other, but even this is not enough to help Marjorie deal with disaster when it strikes. 

So great plot as you can see, plenty of scope. But it took a very long time for much of this to happen. The tragedy, when it finally occurs, is two thirds of the way through the book, when my eyes are beginning to glaze over because nothing continues to happen. With Marjorie and Ruby increasingly out of their depth dealing with their obviously seriously ill mother, and her husband and other family seemingly incapable of getting help for her, the constant judging and gossip from the locals - it is all just hopeless and went on for far too long. Fortunately our minds and eyes are bigger and open wider now, and I would like to think that a woman so out of place and her children would get the help and support so desperately needed. And that people would stop being so judgemental.

By the ending, things have resolved themselves to some extent, although plenty of internal agonising to get there. Time has softened the edges of tragedy and trauma. But I did wonder, as things were on the up, if this was likely to be a permanent thing. My heart tells me Marjorie may end up going down the same path as her mother...

WHEN TIME STOPPED: A MEMOIR OF MY FATHER'S WAR AND WHAT REMAINS by Ariana Neumann

Such a beautifully written story about a family and the secrets contained by WWII. Although a Holocaust story, it is so much more than that - the story of a young Jewish man, Hans, who managed to hide in plain sight in Berlin, perform essential war duties, and survived, but was haunted for the rest of his life over the fate of the rest of his family.

But this isn't just a story about Hans, the father of the author and his war time experiences - it is also about a father and daughter, about her growing up in a family where there was always something that didn't feel quite right, about resolving and coming to terms with the fall out from living and surviving in Europe during those terrible years.

Growing up in a Catholic household in Venezuela and being a curious child, there was never an explanation for her father's nightmares, or for the time she discovered an ID card with her father's face on it, but not his name. Visits back to Czechoslovakia with her father unearthed other secrets and surprises, but at no stage did her father want to go down the 'record it all for posterity' path. It wasn't until he died that amongst his papers there was the beginnings of a memoir. From this she finally began the long investigative and frustrating process of writing the story of her father and his family during the 1930s and 1940s. This becomes her story too, as she uncovers horror, amazing courage of not just Hans and his family, but also of non-Jewish people who helped them, despair everywhere, plus her own emotional processing of everything she learns, and then puts into writing.

Another extraordinary WWII story, written with love, sensitivity, sadness but above all hope, because her father survived and went onto live a joyful and positive life.

DEEP STATE by Chris Hauty

A political thriller that really will keep you on the edge of your seat, and as the pages are turned and devoured, increasingly difficult to put down. The author is a successful LA based playwright and screenwriter, and it is very clear that this story has been written to be adapted into a movie or a series at some stage. He even probably has in mind who he would have play the main parts, but don't let that eye for a commercial opportunity detract you from this excellent story.

Hayley Chill is 25 years old, the product of a tough southern upbringing, who found a place to belong when she joined the army. She is one tough, strong, kick-ass young woman. In the first chapter we see that she is not to be trifled with - enigmatic, street smart, instinctive, and possessed with a photographic memory. Chapter two opens with her leaving the army,  an excellent army record that leads her to becoming an intern at the White House. A new man is the POTUS, Richard Monroe - a divisive figure, charismatic, hugely popular with the electorate and yet for a certain section of the great and powerful in Washington too dangerous to have around. The elusive Deep State - 'a body people, typically influential members of government agencies of the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy'

Hayley is not your typical intern, putting her colleagues and others around her on guard from day one, but her unintentional closeness to the sudden and mysterious heart attack death of the Chief of Staff instantly sets her on a path of self preservation. She stays true to her reason for being instilled in her by years in the military - loyalty to the death of the office of the POTUS, with the words of the now dead Chief of Staff 'trust no one' ringing in her head. When her own life comes under threat, her instinct for survival and army training keep her alive and one step ahead of the bad guys.

Hayley reminds every much of Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. Hayley is not as much of a social misfit as Lisbeth, and does not have her extraordinary hacking and computer skills, but similar in that she is scarred by her child hood, she has been alone for a long time, and she is very very smart. The characters in this novel are very well drawn which one would expect from such a writer - Hayley's immediate supervisor is a seriously unhappy woman, frustrated in her career going nowhere and now having to deal with this unusual intern; Hayley's co-worker Asher Dennis who has aspirations of becoming the first gay POTUS; the deputy director of the CIA who by the end you even feel a little sympathy for.

The White House has also been made a character in its own right, the place where all this intrigue, danger, lobbying, back stabbing, rivalry and fear takes place. Made me think it is much like what the court of Henry VIII would have been. Not a nice place to be. Politics has always been a hideous place to immerse oneself in, I have no idea why people are drawn to it other than the narcissitic power kick and opportunity to feed from the public trough. In this novel the possible destruction of democracy is at the heart of the story, and highly topical with the current state of many governments and countries  around the world. Putting the whole political doctrine thing aside, this is an absolutely cracking read, perfect escapism for the times we currently living in. 

SAVING MISSY by Beth Morrey

This could easily be seen as a female version of A Man Called Ove - an older woman, living alone, far away from her children/grandchildren,  mourning the life she shared with her beloved husband. It has the charm, the quirkiness, the kindness of neighbours and random people in the community that helped Ove rediscover a reason for living.

Millicent Carmichael, Missy,  is the central figure in this story. It is just after Christmas, her son and grandson have just left for the long flight back to Sydney. She has a difficult relationship with her daughter, the reasons becoming apparent as the story progresses. She is desolate, sad, alone and lonely. At aged 79, she really wonders what her future is going to hold. She decides to take a walk in the park, having heard that the fish in the ponds are being moved from one pond to another. Such an odd thing to be happening, she can't resist going along to see what this is all about. By chance, following a mild fainting attack, she is taken in hand by two younger women, quite different from anyone she has met for quite some time. Their kindness is overwhelming and before long it would seem Missy has become a bit of a project for Sylvie and Angela.

Then a dog enters the mix, a friend of Angela's having to find somewhere for her dog to live while she attempts to rebuild her life after leaving a violent relationship. After a prickly start, Missy being very anti having anything to do with any dog, Bob slowly works his little dog magic. Missy has a companion, a life saver really. Missy finds herself joining a dog walking group, being sociable in the local park, she finds and makes friends, joins a community, makes connections. Her relationship with her daughter improves, and in-between chapters Missy tells her life story.

This is a deeply moving story, achingly sad at times, joyful and exuberant at others. I loved the characters, all of them, including Bob the dog - all so real. The character of Missy is a delight. She would come across to anyone meeting her for the first time as prickly, grumpy, difficult, reclusive. Yet behind that bitter and well wrapped up exterior is a loving, kind, terribly sad and lonely person. We can all think of people in our neighbourhood, our local community whom life has thrashed around a bit, for whom the happiness jar is nearly empty. This is a very timely story, with our increasingly ageing population, more people living alone. Their friends gradually die or move away, their children no longer nearby. We should all take note. 

WHAT THE WIND KNOWS by Amy Harmon

I did love this, so much. Historical fiction combined with a beautiful and unexpected love story. Reviewers have compared it to the Diana Gabaldon 'Outlander' series - a sort of time travel story with a love story thrown in for good measure, but not as steamy. Not read any of the 'Outlander' books so couldn't possibly comment. But this is something special.

Anne is in her late 20s/early 30s, a successful author living in New York city. Her beloved grandfather, who brought her up following the death of her parents when she was a child, is dying. He leaves her a box containing letters, diaries, photos and a dying wish for his ashes to be scattered in the lake close to where he was born in Ireland.

Anne feels a deep and emotional connection to the people and the land of her grandfather's birthplace as soon as she arrives in Ireland. She is captivated by the history, already looking for ways to weave it into her next novel. Things take a turn for the unknown however when she goes to scatter the ashes on the lake. A mysterious fog whips up and before she knows it, she is back in the Ireland of 1921 during its struggle for independence. These are dangerous times indeed. Anne is cared for by a local doctor, Dr Thomas Smith, whose name she recognises from her grandfather. There is also a small boy and a grandmother. What completely throws Anne is that she is being mistaken for the child's mother, presumed dead for the past few years.

It's complicated! But what a story the author tells with this concoction.  Naturally Anne knows what is going to happen with the Irish problem, and finds herself drawn into the inner circle led by the charismatic Michael Collins. The love story gradually unfolds, and Anne constantly struggles with how much she knows and what she needs to hide of herself to protect herself from those who wish her dead. Interspersed with all this is the magic and mystery of Ireland, its people, myths, stories, fairy folk. There is also plenty on the history of Ireland under British rule, the famines, the migration stories, that fatalism so part of the Irish character. The story telling is magical, the time travel thing is not at all weird culminating in a really good novel,  neither historical romance or historical fiction. 

SIXTY SUMMERS by Amanda Hampson

It is a rite of passage if you are from NZ or Australia that at some stage in your twenties (generally) you undertake your 'OE' - short for overseas experience. In the not too distant past this involved 2 years minimum based in the UK, usually London, working a badly paid job, co-habitating in squalid dumps with numerous other compatriots, living frugally, all with the aim of saving money to do the next bit of travel. Nowadays this still happens, not necessarily in London, but it still involves leaving home at a young age, alone, no organised job or income stream, but with that marvellous optimism of youth, and the world famous 'she'll be right' attitude.

So what do you think when you look back on it some forty years later as the three women in this novel do? Was this the best time of your life ever?  Do you look back fondly on your youthful self, the escapades you got up to, the lucky escapes you had. Would you do it again if you could?

Rosa, Fran and Maggie first met some forty years ago in London, each on her OE, immediately becoming the best of friends - travelling together, flatting together, picking up the pieces for each other - the best times of their lives.  Now they are approaching 60, their lives are quite different from those free-wheeling carefree days, much like what it has done for all  of us. Things have not panned out in the ways they dreamed of and planned those years ago. Still very close they all realise they need to escape for a bit from their families and work, rediscover some meaning in their lives, and so decide to meet in London where Fran still lives not very happily, and re-enact the journey through Europe that they made all those years ago.

Naturally things don't go to plan on their road trip, it is hard for each of them to escape their home lives with things at home unfolding differently because they aren't there to keep the reins under control. But as on all road trips, the challenges and 40 years of differences between the three friends are all overcome. They each find some magic to enable them to return to and rearrange their lives more satisfactorily. Every one is a winner.

This is engaging, fun to read. We can all identify with each of these women - our youthful dreams overtaken by the realities of life; is 60 to old to start again; the freedom of a road trip. It's a good story, very enjoyable, and these women are very real, which of course makes us like them even more.