Book Chat Issue #137
Shy Creatures
Hello friends,
I’m currently writing an article about book clubs and I’m interested in your thoughts on the topic. I find that most readers either love them or hate them, so if you have strong thoughts about book clubs (either positive or negative), please share.
Are you a member of a book club? How long has it been going for? What do you love about it? What don’t you enjoy?
Whenever I mention book clubs to new acquaintances, I always get a wide range of responses ranging from “I don’t read books” (quelle horreur), to people expressing their reluctance to review or critique a book. They either don’t feel qualified to comment, or they dislike the idea of sounding like a know-all. (I don’t seem to have a problem with this. I usually have a lot of opinions and don’t mind sharing them, but I try not to be overbearing.)
I am fully aware that some book clubs operate as a forum for people to show off their literary acumen. This usually involves throwing around some big words, or generally trying to sound impressive. I don’t like this approach because it usually has quite a detrimental effect on quieter members, and in my experience it’s often quieter people who have the most insightful comments.
In the two book clubs I’m part of, we like to talk about the usual things, for example, whether the characters were authentic and how well the author was able to capture time and place, but my favourite discussions are always around feelings.
In my view, we read to learn or feel something, to be entertained or taken away from our humdrum lives, and I love talking to other readers about whether a book delivers on that promise. Were we able to immerse ourselves in the story? Could we relate and why?
If you’re new around here, you might like to know we have an online book club for subscribers. We are very friendly and meet every couple of months. Hit reply if you’d like more information or would like to join.
Book Club News
The next Book Chat International Book Club meeting is planned for August 7 in Australia (that’s August 6 in the US and Canada) and we’ll be discussing “Sleepless: Discovering the Power of the Night Self” by Annabel Abbs.
What I’ve been reading
My friend Denise chose this week's recommendation for our in-person book group, which has been meeting for about twenty years. We know each other's tastes well, which means we tend to play it safe and rarely get jolted out of our comfort zone.
To counteract this, we take turns in choosing the books and this does help diversify our reading. I was slightly apprehensive about Denise’s choice of Shy Creatures because I tried to read it a couple of years ago and gave up after a few chapters.
Shy Creatures opens with the main character about to embark on an affair with a married man, a psychiatrist as it happens. Claire Chambers' previous novel, Small Pleasures, has a very similar premise and I didn't want to read another story with the same storyline. I was tired of the trope where women are at the mercy of their own desires and can't seem to help themselves.
Once I got into the book this time around, I realised that the main storyline was not about Helen’s relationship with the handsome Gil, but about the impact of trauma and hidden family secrets. Set in England in 1964, it explores a period when attitudes to mental illness were changing. Having read about the psychiatrist R.D. Laing and his theories on mental illness when I was at university, I found this aspect fascinating. Laing argued that psychosis was a rational response to toxic family relationships, and framed mental breakdown as a journey towards self-healing.
Another aspect of the book relates to art. Helen works as an art therapy teacher in an asylum where she supervises the inmates in a variety of creative pursuits. When William, a reclusive, mute man comes to the asylum after living in isolation for many years, she becomes determined to uncover his story.
The book is based on a real-life incident. In 1952, in Bristol, UK, a man in his forties named Harry Tucker was discovered living in complete, squalid isolation with his elderly aunt. He had a five-foot beard, was semi-feral, and had lived entirely under the radar of local authorities and neighbours for decades. The real story had a sad ending and Chambers says that she wanted to reimagine his past and give him a happier ending.
Shy Creatures is worthy of your attention.
What I’ve been cooking
I made a cheats version of pork ribs for dinner on the weekend. I love pork ribs but they are very fatty and expensive, so I substituted some pork steaks and just used the same ingredients to create a flavour profile that was tasty, but didn’t involve so many steps.
Pork Steaks with Pineapple and Smoky Sauce
Ingredients
4 pork steaks (you could use pork chops or chicken if you don’t eat pork)
Marinade
Juice from one small tin of pineapple pieces (save the fruit for later)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Sauce
Reserved pineapple pieces
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato sauce (ketchup)
Knob of butter
Method
Combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and cider vinegar.
Marinate meat for one hour.
Drain the meat well, reserving the marinade, and pat dry.
Fry in neutral oil until cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Return the marinade to the pan along with brown sugar, honey and tomato sauce (ketchup) and reduce until thickened slightly. Add the pineapple pieces and a knob of butter and stir until glossy.
Plate the pork steak and pour over the sauce. Serve with rice and coleslaw.
Forgot to take a photo but it looked a bit like this!
That’s all for this issue,
Until next time, look after yourself and read as much as you can.
Marg xx
Book and recipe sound excellent. Thank you!
Hello Marg. Just checking in from the US about the upcoming International Book Club selection for August. I think it's published under a slightly different title here, but I'm assuming the content is more or less the same. Sleepless: unleashing the subversive power of the night self by Annabel Abbs-Streets.