Sharon and My Mother-in-Law - Suad Amiry

 

This was a book that I stumbled upon by chance. And, I have to admit, I was attracted first of all by the title (and I might or might not have thought it was a reference to Sharon Stone) before reading what the book was about. 

Obviously, the titular Sharon was Ariel Sharon after all, and I thought this was a good book in "general" literary terms and an excellent one considering the topic and the viewpoint. It offers a very insightful overview of the Palestinian situation and life in Ramallah (and the borderline hopelessness of the idea of a two-state solution, even before the latest bouts of this never-ending conflict). 

And yet, as one reads this book one also has to remember that someone like Suad Amiry is (and she does recognize it herself) a privileged Palestinian - highly educated, living in Ramallah, with international links, financial stability, and an ability to find ways to get her voice heard. Millions of people are in even more precarious positions. 

The Short End of Sonnenallee - Thomas Brussig

 

Cute. In the same way that Goodbye, Lenin is cute. 

This book mixes a healthy element of nostalgia - for decades past, for lives past - with a predictable critique of the Soviet bloc. The one thing that I found particularly endearing is that it shows how the memories of a child, or a young adult (or perhaps anyone?!?) will always assume almost mythical traits. And it's also a demonstration of how children, in whatever kind of situation, are often able to find a positive spin in their microcosm even when the world of the grown-ups around them goes through seismic shifts. 

Mr Loverman - Bernardine Evaristo

 

The good times when I could use my job's yearly book allowance to buy novels I enjoy rather than boring books about study skills are probably gone, but with my last work-approved trip to Waterstones I did buy this beauty of a book. 

I loved reading how the novel's main character always finds ways to justify himself and his actions, and enjoyed his very belated but still somewhat plausible redemption arc. His take on English, and being allowed to experiment (and butcher) it once you have understood its rules is also something that I very much relate to. 

And once I finished it, it actually gave me and my wife a lovely excuse to watch a (mini) TV series together.