This week's literary fiction highlights include three novels that grapple with profound emotional themes. Fiona Mozley's "Awake Awake," Freya Bromley's "A Real Piece of Work," and Anna Goldreich's "The Leveret" each explore narratives centered on memory, loss, and the human experience of grief.
"Awake Awake" by Fiona Mozley features an unreliable narrator named Mary, a novelist who recounts her seemingly ordinary childhood while also acknowledging her use of antipsychotic medication and the unreliability of some of her memories. The novel delves into themes of inherited trauma, particularly concerning Mary's Jewish grandfather and his role in World War II. The book's exploration of memory and trauma is described as slippery, with its ambiguity serving as both a potential weakness and a strength.
Freya Bromley's debut novel, "A Real Piece of Work," shares thematic ground with her previous memoir, "The Tidal Year." The novel centers on Nola, a twentysomething author of an acclaimed memoir about her deceased sister. When an anonymous complaint threatens a film adaptation of her book, Nola begins to suspect those closest to her. Bromley's work is noted for its depiction of differing experiences of grief and its examination of authorial responsibility and story ownership. However, the novel is also characterized as feeling inert, suggesting a potential need for a change in setting.
In "The Leveret," Anna Goldreich presents the story of Clare, who, consumed by grief after the stillbirth of her baby, finds an abandoned baby hare. Clare, who recently moved to a rural farming community with her partner Phoebe, becomes fixated on caring for the leveret, which she names Isla. The novel alternates between Clare's perspective and Phoebe's equally grief-stricken account. Goldreich's narrative navigates themes of delusion, love, and the isolating impact of baby loss with lyrical precision.
