What seems like a cute children's book for adults is in fact a dark, occasionally funny, tiny punch of a novel. It is told by M, a daughter of a traveling salesman in 1970s Chile, and she turns out to be at once the most and least reliable narrator. Things are not what they seem to M, but her frank descriptions of things happening around her make both wonder and horror much more palpable. This is a beautifully translated novel, both subtle and stark.
House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O'Donnell can be described as a slow-burning, haunting police procedural, with layers of eerie gothic tale. Although quite a bit of it revolves around death, its darkness is laced with some wonderfully witty dialogue and vivid characters. It is an incredible mix of genres, truly a perfect stay-at-home winter reading book.
Who cares about rich people living in a crumbling castle, even if they lost most of their land and have no money, right? This might occasionally go through your head as you read Hannah Rothschild's new novel, if you can manage to take a break from reading it. Rothschild does not demand you pity the characters, as she does mock their inability to make good decisions or move on with the times (Clarissa in particular is a spectacular caricature of ossified aristocracy). But the characters are vivid and very human, making this novel way broader and more interesting than just a tale of crumbling riches. And I really just want a novel about Aunt Tuffy.
