Slade House

Title: Slade House

Author:  David Mitchell

Publication Information:  Random House. 2015. 256 pages.

ISBN:  0812998685 / 978-081299868

Book Source:  I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Shelf Awareness.

Opening Sentence:  "Whatever Mum's saying's drowned out by the grimy roar of the bus pulling away, revealing a pub called The Fox and the Hounds."

Favorite Quote:  "One simply cannot discuss this with those who voluntarily amputate their consciences." 

Norah and Jacob Graynor.
1979 - Rita Bishop and her son Nathan.
1988 - Detective Inspector Gordon Edmonds.
1997 - Sally Timms.
2006 - Freya Timms.
2015 - Iris Marinus-Levy.

Atemporals. Telepathy. Lacuna. Orison. Suasioning. Slade House.

Know what these mean? Know how they are connected? I didn't, either. But these are the characters, concepts, and place of the latest creation from the imagination of David Mitchell. It's difficult to write about this story without some kind of a spoiler, for the connections between these disparate times and characters is the key to the book. I will try though.

One thing I will say about the ending - Be warned, this book reaches an ending that seems to indicate that a sequel may emerge, and the cycle may continue. If such endings are not for you, consider yourself warned.

As with David Mitchell's books Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks, Slade House constructs its story over different periods of times. Unlike the other two books, however, this book has a clear central story and a very clear connection from one section to the next.  Each section builds upon the one before to come to a dramatic, albeit unexpected, conclusion. This is also the only one of the books that, at one point, actually explains the back story and the chronology that lead to the events in the book. As such, it is easier to understand and follow than the other two, but it lacks the philosophical bent of the other two books.

This book also references, in passing, Crispin Hersey from The Bone Clocks. Other connections to the world of The Bone Clocks also come up throughout the story, particularly at the end. Knowing these connections is not necessary to following the story of Slade House, but I always love seeing cross-references in books, especially when I have read both books. It's like a secret hidden in the book. Given that the Slade House ending indicates a possible sequel, perhaps that book will be a crossover of both?

The story of Slade House is all fantasy reaching over into horror. Many of the characters, however, are present day, modern individuals, including a single mother, a child told to "act normal," a police officer, a college student, and a journalist. These characters interject a counterbalance to the oddity and horror that is Slade House. These seemingly real-life characters make this book much more approachable and much more possible than the rest of the book would appear. It makes it much easier to suspend disbelief and see where the story leads.

The shorter length of the book also makes this book immensely readable. The pace is very quick; I had trouble putting the book down. At one point, it seems that the sections are repeating a pattern, and I as the reader may know what comes next. Except that I was completely wrong. The plot takes a twist to an ending I did not see coming.

Despite the surprise ending, this book is much more of a straight line from beginning to end compared to other David Mitchell books I have read. I am not sure how I feel about the ending indicating more to come. Yet, at the same time, I cannot stop reading, waiting to see where his imagination takes me next.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Shore

Title:  The Shore

Author:  Sara Taylor

Publication Information:  Hogarth. 2015. 320 pages.

ISBN:  0553417738 / 978-0553417739

Book Source:  I received this book through a publisher's giveaway free of cost in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Shelf Awareness.

Opening Sentence:  "When news of the murder breaks, I'm in Matthew's, buying chicken necks so my little sister Renee and I can go crabbing."

Favorite Quote:  "We have to give people what they need, not what they think they need."

Rape. Child abuse. Domestic violence. Murder. Cover ups. Drugs. Plagues. These are just some of the horrors contained in this book. This book is a series of interconnected stories from the 1800s all the way to the year 2143 all set on the "shore", a group of islands off Virginia's coast. The stories center on women and girls and often involve violence against women.

The review copy I received has a place holder for a family tree. Unfortunately, the family tree that will be in the final book is not in the uncorrected proof. I understand the premise that the characters in all stories are linked as a family. Without the family tree, the two things that are common between all the stories is the setting of "the shore" and the violence. The connections between the characters are not clear in the text and become too cumbersome to keep track of. Thus, the reading of the book becomes more of a set of short stories rather than a linked, cohesive novel. In that format, it becomes difficult to get attached to or cheer for any given character. That connection might keep the violent nature of the book in context instead of it becoming the main theme. Without that character connection, the acts of violence become the center of the book.

Based on the title and cover, the "shore" itself is a connection between and an integral part of all these stories. Virginia's eastern shore has a set of barrier islands. People have long attempted to settled the islands, only to be driven back by the ocean and the weather. Today, most are uninhabited, with some offering tourist access to beaches and environmental preserves. Beaches, marshes, and dunes form the landscape of these islands and of this story. Unfortunately, instead of being able to appreciate the natural beauty, I am left with a sense of its isolation. The visions of the horrific acts described in the book loom so large that the land itself and its wild beauty is overshadowed. The book could have been set anywhere; the "shore" becomes incidental to the content of the stories.

The back copy of the book compares this work to that of David Mitchell. For a fan of David Mitchell, that comparison sets the bar pretty high. Yes, like David Mitchell's work, this book travels across a vast passage of time, telling a story from each time period with different characters. What I love about David Mitchell's work is his ability to change his writing style from section to section. Each section is like reading a completely different book - the voice, the language, the writing style, the descriptions. Even when I am not sure I like the story, his ability to weave a tale and incorporate a world of philosophy into that story draw me in.

This book unfortunately does not garner the same reaction. Although the characters and times of the story change, the voice seems consistent throughout, making it feel like the same same story in repetition. Also, I am sure the book has some overarching themes and statements; unfortunately, I did not get to that point in my understanding of the book even by its end. This was really not the book for me.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Bone Clocks

Title:  The Bone Clocks

Author:  David Mitchell

Publication Information:  Random House. 2014. 640 pages.

ISBN:  1400065674 / 978-1400065677

Book Source:  I received this book through the GoodReads First Reads program free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Quote:  "Power is the ability to make someone do what they otherwise wouldn't, or deter them from doing what they otherwise would ... By coercion and reward. Carrots and sticks, though in bad light one looks much like the other. Coercion is predicated upon the fear of violence or suffering. 'Obey, or you'll regret it.' ... Reward works by promising 'Obey and feel the benefit.' ... Power is lost or won, never created or destroyed. Power is a visitor to, not a possession of, those it empowers. The mad tend to crave it, many of the sane crave it, but the wise worry about its long term side effects. Power is crack cocaine for your ego and battery acid for your soul. Power's comings and goings ... are the plot of history. The empowered may serve justice, remodel the Earth, transform lush nations into smoking battlefields and bring down skyscrapers, but power itself is amoral."

I was introduced to David Mitchell's work through Cloud Atlas. I then went on to read The Reason I Jump, which David Mitchell did not write but did translate from the Japanese original.

Then came this book. As with Cloud Atlas, I finished reading this several days ago and have been thinking about how to describe it and what to say.

Like Cloud Atlas, this book is organized into six sections. However, this book is chronological, starting in 1984 (a nod to George Orwell, perhaps?) and progressing all the way to a post-apocalyptic world in 2043. At the heart of this book is Holly Sykes. We first meet her as a rebellious teenager who runs away from home after a fight with her mother. We meet her through all six sections in the book - at different points of her life all the way to her old age. In some sense, the reader grows up with Holly.

Along with Holly, we meet other main characters whose lives intersect with hers. Holly's brother Jacko whose disappearance alters the family forever. A young man who is a scholarship student looking to find his way to fame and fortune. A father whose career calls him repeatedly away from his family. An author whose is struggling in his career. The horologist. Some sections are primarily about these individual characters. Yet, Holly's appearance in all their lives unifies the six sections into one story.

Each section presents a philosophy of life according to the inclinations of the main character:

Holly - "What if ... what if Heaven is real, but only in moments? Like a glass of water on a hot day when you're dying of thirst, or when someone's nice to you for no reason or .... S'pose Heaven's not like a painting that's just hanging there forever, but more like ... like the best song every anyone ever wrote, but a song you only catch in snatches, while you're alive, from passing cars, or ... upstairs windows when you're lost..."

Hugo Lamb:  "Human beings ... are walking bundles of craving. Cravings for food, water, shelter, warmth; sex and companionship; status, a tribe to belong to; kicks, control, purpose; and so on, all the way down to chocolate-brown bathroom suites. Love is one way to satisfy some of those cravings. But love's not just the drug; it's also the dealer. Love wants love in return ... Like drugs, the highs look divine, and I envy the users. But when the side-effects kick in - jealously, the rages, grief, I think, Count me out."

Ed - "The world's default mode is basic indifference. It'd like to care, but it's just got too much on at the moment ... If a mass shooting, a bomb, a whatever, is written about, then at least it's made a tiny dent in the world's memory Someone, somewhere, some time, has a chance of learning what happened. And, just maybe, acting on it. Or not. But at least it's there."

Crispin Hershey - "A writer flirts with schizophrenia, nurtures synaesthesia and embraces compulsive-obsessive disorder. You feed your art your soul, and yes, to a degree, your sanity. Writing novels wroth reading will bugger up your mind, jeopardize your relationships and distend your life. You have been warned."

Marinus - "Magic's just normal you're not used to."

Holly (again) - "For a voyage to begin, another one must end, sort of."

The central conflict of this book almost occurs at the periphery of the world. It is a centuries old war. Battles have been won and lost, but the war continues. It involves old beliefs, magic, and powers - the world of fantasy mixing with the very real and gritty life of Holly Sykes. We catch glimpses throughout, and only towards the latter part of the book does this conflict truly reveal itself.

As with Cloud Atlas, each of the individual sections has its own tone and story within the context of the larger plot. Many of the characters differ; the locations differ; and the main story focus differs. For this reason, some sections appeal to me more than others; some drag on.

Because this book does have the context of Holly's story, some sections seem to veer too far off that central plot. The side plots are sometimes extraneous to that main story line. That is particularly true of the section about the author Crispin Hershey. He becomes and stays a part of Holly's life, but he has only a tangential role in the major conflict of the story. His musings about the life of an author are interesting to read and his friendship with Holly touching, but out of all the sections, that seems to be the section that does not belong with the rest of the story.

Overall, I am not sure I liked the entire book, but at the same time, I could not put the book down. That is a testament to David Mitchell's writing and his ability to weave a tale and incorporate a world of philosophy into that story. I am a fan!

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

Cloud Atlas

Title:  Cloud Atlas

Author:  David Mitchell

Publication Information:  Random House Trade Paperbacks, The Random House Publishing Group, Random House Inc. 2004. 500 pages.

Book Source:  This book is required summer reading for the Advanced Placement English class at our high school. I read it because I wanted to see what our school will be teaching.

Favorite Quote:  "Every nowhere is somewhere."

I have to admit. I finished reading this book a while ago. I have taken this time to dwell on it, reread passages, think about it some more, and really consider how I describe it. Reading this book, I feel, will be an intensely personal experience. This book will not work for everyone. For me, it did.

From its description, the book is a set of six loosely related stories. Each is set in a different time and place. Each is written in an entirely different style. The first is the journal of a traveler. The second is letters from a young musician. The third is the story of a young reporter and big business. The fourth is the adventure of a publisher institutionalized because of illness. The fifth is the tale of a futuristic world of clones and slavery. The sixth comes full circle to life on a primitive post-apocalyptic island.

The stories are not told in their entirety, instead in halves. They build from the first to the sixth and then weave their way back. The first set of sections stop rather abruptly and at a climatic moment. Only the story of the post-apocalyptic world is told in one go. As such, it forms the crux of the novel.

Based on the description, I was not sure I was going to enjoy the book. As I read the first section, I wasn't sure I would like it. Yet, I kept reading. The writing styles of certain sections appealed to me more so than others. Slowly, though, themes start to emerge in the book - statements of ideology and philosophy - and it coalesces into a whole. The book is one about human nature, power, control, and the past being redefined to suit the needs of the future. These themes repeat throughout the book:

From the traveler's journal:  "Scholars discern motions in history & formulate these motions into rules that govern the rises & falls of civilizations. My belief runs contrary, however. To wit: history admits no rules, only outcomes. What precipitates outcomes? Vicious acts and virtuous act. What precipitates acts? Belief. Belief is both prize & battlefield, within the mind & in the mind's mirror, the world."

From the musician's letters:  "Wars do not combust without warning. They begin as little fires over the horizon. Wars approach ... Another war is always coming, Robert. They are never properly extinguished. What sparks wars? The will to power, the backbone of human nature. The threat of violence, the fear of violence, or actual violence is the instrument of this dreadful will ... The nation-state is merely human nature inflated to monstrous proportions. QED, nations are entities whose laws are written by violence."

From the reporter's story:  "Yet how is it some men attain mastery over others while the vast majority live and die as minions, as livestock? The answer is a holy trinity. First:  God-given gifts of charisma. Second:  the discipline to nurture these gifts to maturity, for though humanity's topsoil is fertile with talent, only one seed in ten thousand will every flower - for want of discipline ... Third:  the will to power. This is the enigma at the core of the various destinies of men. What drives some to accrue power where the majority of the compatriots lose, mishandle, or eschew power? Is it addiction? Wealth? Survival? Natural selection? I propose these are all pretexts and results, not the root cause. The only answer can be 'There is no "Why." This is our nature.' 'Who' and 'What' run deeper than 'Why.'"

From the publisher's tale:  "Mother used to say escape is never further than the nearest book. Well, Mumsy, no, not really .... Books don't offer real escape, but they can stop a mind scratching itself raw."
[Okay, I know this has nothing to do with the themes, but I love comments in books about books.]

From the future world:  "In a cycle as old as tribalism, ignorance of the Other engenders fear; fear engenders hatred; hatred engenders violence; violence engenders further violence until only "rights," the only law, are whatever is willed by the most powerful."

From the post-apocalyptic world:  "Human hunger birthed the Civ'lize, but human hunger killed it too."

What I found amazing was how completely David Mitchell is able to change his writing style from section to section. Each section is like reading a completely different book - the voice, the language, the writing style, the descriptions - pretty much everything about the story. I feel that David Mitchell describes his own work within the book. "Spent the fortnight gone in the music room, reworking my year's fragments into a "sextet for overlapping soloists":  piano, clarinet, 'cello, flute, oboe, and violin, each in its own language of key, scale, and color. In the first set, each solo is interrupted by its successor:  in the second: each interruption is recontinued, in order. Revolutionary or gimmicky? Shan't know until it's too late, and by then it'll be too late."

I vote revolutionary. I did not expect to like this book, but I did. I expected to toil through it, and through some sections, I did. The themes and the ideas of this book will stay with me for a long time, and I can see myself periodically rereading.

The Reason I Jump

Title: The Reason I Jump

Author:  Naoki Higashida (translated by KA Yoshida and David Mitchell)

Publication Information:  Random House. 2007 (original). 2013 (translation). 176 pages.

Book Source:  I read this book based on reading a description in a newsletter from a local independent bookstore.

Favorite Quote:  "I've learned that every human being, with or without disabilities, needs to strive to do their best, and by striving for happiness you will arrive at happiness. For us, you see, having autism is normal - so we can't know for sure what your "normal" is even like. But so long as we can learn to love ourselves, I'm not sure how much it matters whether we're normal or autistic.”

Naoki Higashida is a young author of several fiction and nonfiction books. He is also an advocate for autism awareness. He was also diagnosed as severely autistic at age 5. He learned how to communicate, not verbally but through the use of an alphabet grid board. Since he could not communicate verbally, he turned to writing to let people know who he is and to offer a better understanding of his life and his world.

Naoki Higashida wrote this book when he was thirteen years old. David Mitchell (author of Cloud Atlas) and his wife KA Yoshida discovered the book in its original Japanese as another resource to use in understanding their own autistic son. They were so profoundly impacted that they decided to translate the book to make it available to a much wider audience.

The book is written in question and answer format. Questions like:

"What's the reason you jump?"
"Why don't you make eye contact when you're talking?"
"Why do you ask the same questions over and over?"
"Why do you flap your fingers and hands in front of your face?"
"Why do you repeat certain actions again and again?"

And many others.

In addition, the book is punctuated by short stories written by the author to offer a different insight.

The answers are specific to the questions. Yet, several themes and patterns emerge. What you see is the picture of an intelligent, articulate, and composed young man whose message comes across as "Please keep battling alongside us. We are the ones who are suffering the most in these scenes, and badly, badly want to free ourselves from our own chains."

This book has gotten a lot of mixed reviews. Some question the authenticity of the book, saying that it is not his words alone but rather writing facilitated by those around him. Some question the insight it offers as compared to others on the same subject matter. Some question the use of "we" by the author so as to seem to speak for all autistic people when the manifestation of autism is unique to each individual. Some question the fact that it is written not to help a person with autism but rather to offer understanding to those who live and work with an autistic person. Some question the fact that the book really offers no answers.

I am not an expert in the field nor do I deal with autism on a day to day basis. Yet, the book had a profound impact on me. Even if all the critics are correct in their interpretation, this book offers me an understanding and knowledge that I did not have before and from a perspective that I have not seen before.

The Maze at Windermere

Title:  The Maze at Windermere

Author:  Gregory Blake Smith

Publication Information:  Viking. 2018. 352 pages.

ISBN:  0735221928 / 978-0735221925

Book Source:  I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "He was trying to explain to her how he'd gotten to be where he was."

Favorite Quote:  "Here's a budding novelist's question:  Can the appearance of people suggest their reality?"

It takes a while for the realization to hit in this book. It is not about the characters or the times. This book's main feature is its location of Newport, Rhode Island, a playground of the super wealthy. Located in Narragansett Bay, Newport is a seaside community probably best known for its now historical mansions, the summer "cottages" of the wealthy including the Vanderbilts and the Astors.

Currently, Newport has three areas, including Bellevue Avenue with its many mansions, on the National Historical Landmark Districts. Many of the homes are also individually listed as Nationally Historical Landmarks and are at times open as museums to the public. The book also features Newport Casino, which is not a gambling establishment but an athletic complex now home to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The book brings this environment to life through five different time periods and five different characters from 1692 to 2011. The voices the author chooses are of characters that are at the periphery of the social elite that make up Newport society. An orphan Quaker girl. A aging tennis pro. A handsome man wanting to secure his place before age overtakes. An author at the beginning of his career.

Through the individual stories, the book reaches into conversations about race, gender equality, the taboos on sexual orientation through time, economic disparity. The book makes a great effort to present the views held at the time period relevant to each story - not an easy feat. Underlying all of that is the place which endures. It changes shapes and appearance, but it endures.

In some ways, the book reminds me of David Mitchell's work. The story lines spread over time gradually imploding onto to a central theme. However, for me, this book does not reach the same level of intensity or connection as Mr. Mitchell's work.

The "maze" of title is a literal and figurative one. One of the mansions has a hedge maze leading to the ocean. The structure of the book itself resembles a maze. From chapter to chapter, the books moves between the time periods and the characters with no visible connection. However, name and places recur, creating a sense of connection. Eventually, the books seems to fold on itself, somewhat reaching the heart of the maze.

It is this very construct that is the strength and weakness of the book. I started it and put it down. I picked it up, found myself lost, and started reading from the beginning. I put it down. I picked it up, found myself lost, and started reading from the beginning again. Finally, I went back, read the book description again and more carefully, started paying attention to the time period in the chapter titles, and began again.

After a while, two things happen. Each character and time period acquires its own unique tone, and I realize that the book is more about the place. Finally, I settle into and finish the story, but it takes work. The format is a challenge.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Dazzling Truth

Title:  The Dazzling Truth

Author:  Helen Cullen

Publication Information:  Graydon House. 2020. 336 pages.

ISBN:  1525815822 / 978-1525815829

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley and a publisher's blog tour free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "It was Christmas Eve."

Favorite Quote:  "Consider this - when you ask a child to draw you a picture, or tell you a story, they never refuse because they 'aren't creative.' We just learn as we get older whether we're allowed to call ourselves the anymore because we're trained only to invest time in what we are 'good at.' And its a tragedy - when we can't create purely for the joy it brings us. Don't be afraid to play, Fionn. It's good for the soul."

***** Blog Tour *****

Review

Tell all the truth but tell it slant

by Emily Dickinson

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind —

This poem is the inspiration for the title of this book set in a small village in Ireland. The heart of this book is about what the truth of the Moone family is and even more so what their individual truths are. To give a hint of it, a theme that finds its way into the book is the Japanese art of kintsugi or kintsukuroi. This art form takes broken pottery and repairs the breaks with gold, silver, platinum lacquer. Rather than hiding the breaks and the flaws, it celebrates them and acknowledges that the breaks are the beauty of the piece. What a lovely idea for art and what an even more beautiful concept for life.

The book begins with a tragedy for the Moone family, who lives on the small island of Inis Óg off the Irish mainland. The tragedy comes on Christmas Eve and on the birthday of the eldest Moone daughter. The family is Murdagh, Maeve, and their four children with the youngest at sixteen.

Two-thirds of the book then goes back through Murdagh and Maeve's history and the events - big and small - that lead up to the tragedy. This is a love story intensely written. It is also a story of when love alone is not enough to "save" someone. It is a story of the struggle with mental illness. It is the struggle of the one who suffers and the impact on family, friends, and community. The journey of this family is poignant and compelling.

The story winds its way back to the beginning event. The rest of the book is about the path forward for this family. At this point, the book changes directions completely. It's almost as if I read two completely different books. From an intensely personal story of a family in a remote setting, this book goes to the same family and its stance in Ireland's legal and political battle on a social issue. Stating the issue would be a total spoiler!

Given the setting, I can see the need to document history. That, in and of itself, would make an entire book. However, in this case, it really does lead to my feeling that this is two books in one - the first two thirds about a family struggling with mental illness and the last third about capturing a momentous turn in recent Irish history. The connection between the is drawn, but it is tenuous at best. My hesitation is not about the two individual pieces of the book. Both are stories that can stand on their own. It is just that they do not feel like they belong in the same book. I acknowledge the need to mark history, but I wish the book has stayed with the first two thirds and the intensity of that journey. 

About the Author

HELEN CULLEN wrote her debut novel, The Lost Letters of William Woolf, while completing the Guardian/UEA novel writing program. She holds an MA in Theatre Studies from University College Dublin and is currently studying further at Brunel. Prior to writing full-time, Helen worked in journalism, broadcasting and most recently as a creative events and engagement specialist. Helen is Irish and currently lives in London.

About the Book

Poised to celebrate Christmas Eve on a beautifully scenic island off the coast of Ireland, the Moone family’s holiday is instead marred by tragedy. So begins Helen Cullen’s stirring family saga, THE DAZZLING TRUTH (Graydon House; August 18, 2020; $17.99 USD). Maeve and Murtagh Moone’s love story began in 1978, at Trinity College. As an aspiring actress and potter respectively, the two creative spirits were drawn to each other in an intense and lasting way, able to withstand almost anything, even Maeve’s bouts of crippling depression and anxiety. For a short time, anyway.

Marriage and children are the next chapters in the Moone family story, but Maeve struggles to reconcile her old life with that of the wife and mother she is supposed to be. Until one heartbreaking Christmas Eve in 2005 changes everything. Now each member of the Moone family must learn to confront the past on their own, until one dazzling truth brings them back together towards a future that none of them could have predicted. Except perhaps Maeve herself.

Q&A with Helen Cullen

1. How did you get the idea for THE DAZZLING TRUTH?
The Dazzling Truth was initially inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi – the practise of repairing broken pottery with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. The breakage, and the repair, remains visible to show the history of an object rather than something to be disguised, and so the pots become even more beautiful than before they were broken.

As any family spans decades, both hairline fractures and critical breaks, can damage its foundations. Some tragedies seem insurmountable; we can’t go on, and yet we do. Some cracks feel irreparable, but then often reveal themselves to be the gap we squeeze through so that we can find a way to keep moving.

The Moone family of the new book are no exception and as their narrative revealed itself to me, I became more and more convinced of how powerful it can be to confront the past, to stop burying inconvenient, uncomfortable or hurtful truths. Telling the story of Maeve, an actor from Brooklyn who arrived in Dublin in the 70s, her husband, Murtagh, and their four children, Nollaig, Mossy, Dillon and Sive, I was inspired by the power of the truth – how it can give your legs the power to keep walking, your heart to keep beating. And the setting for their story is very special to me - their lives on a fictional island on the west coast of Ireland was inspired by my own time spent on the Aran Islands in Ireland and in particular on Inis Oírr.

2. Where did the title come from?
It comes from an Emily Dickison poem, Tell all the truth but tell it slant. The theme of personal truth is a very important one in the novel - and in particular, how personal truths may not always align with what can be considered universally accepted truths. Sometimes it is only with acceptance of that that we can find peace. And sometimes that truth or awareness needs to creep up on us slowly as it would be too blinding if confronted too quickly or head on. My working title as I was writing the book had been Kintsugi as mentioned above but I wanted the title to reference the truth that is at the heart of the novel. I had spent some time thinking of it when one day the Emily Dickinson line just came me as I was sitting on the London tube. In the UK and Irish edition, the title is the full quote, The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually, but in America we opted for The Dazzling Truth.

3. Who was your favorite character to write and why?
I always really enjoyed spending time with Murtagh Moone, the father of the family, as he was the first character that came to me out of the ether and where the story began for me. He isn’t based on my own father at all but his great love for his children definitely is a mirror of how devoted my own father is to his six children and so I have a huge spot for him.

4. Which character do you relate to most and why?
I think it’s true to say that I relate to all of the characters in different ways– if I didn’t I’m not sure I would be able to write them with any empathy or authority.

5. How important is music to your writing process and to the novel itself?
It’s incredibly important to me. Every day, before I begin to write, I choose a song to listen to that encapsulates for me the energy or the feeling of the scene I want to work on. Sinking into the music, the physical world around me slips away, and I am able to cross the bridge from reality to the wonderland of the imagination. I also love working out the musical tastes of all the characters and curating a soundtrack for the novel as I’m writing – there is so much music scattered throughout. The song, Moon River, is definitely the theme song for The Dazzling Truth and I listened to it on vinyl record a lot while writing the book.

6. Do you find it easier or harder to write character and dialogue for the opposite sex?
The gender of the character doesn’t really affect my approach in that way – as individual characters some just tend to evolve more easily than others for lots of different reasons.

7. Are you a pantser or a plotter?
I’m a pantser. I would really struggle to plot out a novel in advance and think if I did I would get bored with following the plan. I find the most exciting and engaging writing I do is usually a result of the narrative taking a surprising turn. At the beginning I tend to know in a big picture way what the story loosely is and what the closing image is that I’m working towards – everything else is a mystery until I discover it on the page.

8. What is your writing Kryptonite?
Anxiety – if I’m anxious about anything that is happening in the real world I find it really difficult to disconnect and focus on the writing. It would be amazing if I could use the fictional world as an escape pod but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that for me.

9. Where is your favorite place to write?
I’ve learned not to become too superstitious or precious about where I can write as those things just become excuses for me not to get work done in the end but I do love escaping on writing retreats where the only thing I have to focus on is whatever book I’m writing. I’ve been to the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annaghmakerrig in Ireland a few times and absolutely love it there – despite the fact that I’m scared out of my wits by the resident ghost Miss Worby.

10. What book have you read recently that you loved?
There are so many wonderful books coming out of Ireland at the moment that it feels like a glorious age of literature. One of my all-time favourite writers and literary heroines, Anne Enright, published a new book this year called Actress which is unsurprisingly phenomenal. I recommend it whole-heartedly but also every single book the genius has written.

The book's title comes from a line from Emily Dickinson, "The truth must dazzle gradually." What appealed to you about that quote, and how was the title chosen?

11. What are you working on next?
I’m working on what will hopefully be my third novel and preparing a commence a PhD in October at the University of East Anglia.

12. What was the first book to make you cry?
I don’t remember the first book that made me cry but the last one was probably My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout which I loved.

13. What are you reading?

I’m always reading multiple things at the same time. Recently I’ve started Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell and Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante.

Social Links

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Facebook: @WordsofHelen
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Buy Links

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