SMART TRAVELLER
THE WORD THE GREAT ESCAPE
Whether it’s Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Chile, Havana or Paris, journey around the world with fictional tales that conjure a crackling sense of place. Words: Sarah Barrell
A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende Isabel Allende’s latest novel is a thumping read, following the life of a young doctor from Barcelona, forcibly transplanted to Chile during the Spanish Civil War (aboard a ship chartered by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, no less). Raised in Chile and exiled to Venezuela, Allende understands the rippling effects of being uprooted herself, and this story focuses on the lasting impact of displacement. (Bloomsbury, £16.99)
The Parisian, by Isabella Hammad A love story, of sorts, moving from Palestine to Montpellier then Paris in the decades before the Second World War, this is a tale of how global politics and cultural identity shapes individual lives. A vivid rendering of both one Palestinian life in transition, and of a vastly shiſting world order, this ambitious debut novel has been shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards. (Vintage Publishing, £9.99)
Love Aſter Love, by Ingrid Persaud The follow up to The Sweet Sop, which won both the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2017 and the BBC National Short Story Award 2018, in Love Aſter Love, Ingrid Persaud mines tender human truths from otherwise invisible, small- town Caribbean lives. The everyday family houses, back gardens and streets of Trinidad are firmly in frame, brought sharply to life with colloquial, rhythmic Trini dialect. (Faber, £14.99)
Island of Secrets, by Rachel Rhys This summer’s ebullient beach read (or, perhaps local park read) is set in 1950s Cuba, a country on the cusp of revolution. Bored Iris from the home counties happens on an invitation to Havana, where she has ambitions of becoming an artist. She soon uncovers gangsters, socialites and fated romance; the latest from the Nigerian-born multiple-pen-named- writer of mystery and crime fiction. Due in paperback July 2020. (Black Swan, £7.99)
Suncatcher, by Romesh Gunesekera Take a trip to 1960s Sri Lanka with Romesh Gunesekera, who was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction and the Guardian Fiction Prize for his debut novel, Reef. This story is set in Ceylon during mid-century political upheaval. With schools closed and the government floundering, the young protagonist has to rely on his developing strength of character. This really is a fitting read for our times. (Bloomsbury, £8.99)
The Death of Vivek Oji, by Akwaeke Emezi This second novel from Wellcome Book Prize and Women’s Prize for Fiction nominee Akwaeke Emezi offers up a chronicle of a death foretold, examining the events leading up to the mysterious demise of the titular young Nigerian. Raw, strange and packed with a contrasting cast of characters, this is a tale whose atmosphere lingers long aſter the reading is done, not least its striking account of modern day Nigeria. (Faber, £12.99)
Jul/Aug 2020 29
IMAGE: GETTY
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149
