From a campsite in the south of France, to the stark deserts of Morocco, this month’s reads take you around the world
Words by Charlotte Griffiths
The Country of Others by Leïla Slimani
The first in a planned trilogy of books exploring her heritage, Leïla Slimani’s newest novel takes us to post-war Morocco as the country fights for independence. Young Frenchwoman Mathilde has recently married Moroccan-born soldier Amine Belhaj, but her eyes are slowly opening to the reality of her new life overseas. The inequality and lack of women’s rights incense her, much to the horror of her new family – and the blasted, sweeping panoramas of desert and unflinching locals are a world away from the exotic adventures she’d dreamed of when the couple first met. After years spent sharing space with Amine’s extremely traditional mother, Mouilala, the couple move out of the Medina to work on a remote farm owned by the family. Amine spends every waking hour trying to domesticate the wild landscape, while Mathilde does her best to raise their two children in an uncertain world. Domestic culture clashes are played out on a national scale: soon, uprisings make it difficult for the brave young woman to move around outside her new home. Attacked by the French for her dark-haired husband and pelted with stones by the Moroccans for her otherness, every day sees Mathilde questioning her choices – and yet, she endures. Bewildering, compelling and expertly drawn, this sweeping epic will draw you in immediately and leave you impatient for the next instalment in the series.
Bewildering, compelling and expertly drawn
Slug by Holly McNish
Reading local writer Holly McNish’s books is like sitting down with your closest friend, and her latest is no exception. Subtitled ‘and other things I’ve been told to hate’, Slug is hilarious, reassuring, vengeful and empathetic all at once, with a mix of poetry and essayistic prose that’s perfect for either dipping in and out of or devouring in one go. McNish signposts the best ways to read the book in the foreword – but be warned: if you only planned a quick sesh, you might look up hours later wondering where the time went. Exquisitely relatable and staggeringly open, McNish is one of the best we have – this book would be the perfect gift for your very dearest pal.
Heatwave by Victor Jestin
Anyone who spent childhood summers in Eurocamps will immediately recognise the setting for this short novel, and the heady appeal of those temporary communities that spring up on continental campsites. At these holiday destinations, all types of people mix – revelling in the heat and relaxed attitudes, with hedonism the only item on the agenda. Theoretically, this mood is perfect for a teenager like Leonard, the narrator. But when he stumbles upon another teen holidaymaker named Oscar, drunkenly hanging from a swing set with ropes coiled around his neck, Leonard’s inaction condemns him to a weekend (and lifetime) of psychological torment. Burying Oscar’s body does not make the problem go away, and we follow Leonard around the blisteringly hot campsite, internally tearing himself to shreds while externally keeping up life as a ‘normal’ teen so as not to arouse suspicion. Tense, claustrophobic and angst-ridden, the book is a real white-knuckle ride, and a fantastic reminder of how exhausting and emotional teenage life can be – even when not passively committing murder.
Tense, claustrophobic and angst-ridden, the book is a real white-knuckle ride
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Any English graduates among Edition readers who both studied and stayed in Cambridge will be familiar with the Tragedy paper: a compulsory part of studying literature at our city’s oldest university. The idea behind the course is that tragedy, and how we respond to it – whether told by ancient Greeks, Shakespeare, the residents of Albert Square or the Bee Gees – is a universal, timeless human experience. The Maidens picks up this baton and runs with it, deep into the courts of a fictional Cambridge college and the heady, academic world of classics, philosophy, history and literature. If you’re already reminded of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, you’re not wrong – and that could never be a bad thing. Author Alex Michaelides has already proven his star credentials with smash hit The Silent Patient, and his years studying at Trinity College were clearly useful research for his latest novel. The Maidens captures that intoxicating allure of society membership – being selected and held in high regard by an expert – and illustrates perfectly how that trust can be abused so easily. The ancient worlds are balanced out by a contemporary narrator, group therapist Mariana Andros – alumnus of St Christopher’s – who wrestles her demons while trying to help others with their own. At its core, The Maidens is a thrilling and timeless tale of grief, love, lust, elitism and exclusion – all veiled in the saffron, gossamer silks of ancient Greek tragedy.
