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The Island of Missing Trees

10/19/2021

Author: Elif Shafak
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
Elif Shafak has a magical use of words. She conjures indelible pictures, she dissects issues with a rare imagination, realism and poignancy that one is left reeling from the impact of her words - a longing for more. Champion of the displaced, the disenfranchised, the unloved and the environment, Shafak is a compassionate writer whose writing will move and inform you. ‘The Island of Missing Trees’ is a beautifully crafted novel which has, at its

heart, a fig tree. In fact the tree is the narrator. You might think that strange but it works. A metaphor for the environment; reminding us that our roots and branches spread beyond the place of birth and that all things that grow are living.
Shafak’s writing is variously described as luminous, masterful and I can only echo these descriptions. She tells this story with such heart and brings the issue of identity, trauma and love across cultures into such focus that we are forced to look at our own lives, our own intolerances.
Cyprus in 1974 is on the verge of civil war, a divided island but for teenagers , Greek Christian Kostas and Turkish Muslim Defne, love has bloomed and is all consuming. They meet in the local tavern ‘The Happy Fig’ where a fig tree spreads its branches through the roof offering shade and seclusion. It is the one constant, observing, growing, protecting - witness to the developing affair, to the horrors of the war, the crumbling of the city, the disappearance of the gay owners of the tavern, the separation of the lovers.
London 2010s. Kostas is a scientist specialising in trees and his daughter Ada is a troubled teenager. Her mother is dead and she is struggling to find herself. She knows little of her parent’s country of birth, or their history. This is never talked about and for Ada, stranded on that island between child and adult, the only constant is her father’s love and the fig tree Ficus Carica in the garden. Not a native of England but brought from Cyprus and knowing the history of this family. As Kostas prepares to bury the tree for winter, aunt Meryem, whom Ada has never met, arrives from Cyprus. Memories are stirred, longings and loss are brought to the surface and at the centre of it - a fig tree.
As the narrator tells us that all trees are essential ‘You might say there is a tree for every mood and moment’ it is a reminder that every living thing has a purpose…’ to reminisce about the past, seek out a holly to sit under...then again if it’s love you are after, or love you have lost, come to the fig, always the fig’.
Shafak’s inimitable style brings us once again a simply beautiful and emotional read.

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The Tearoom

10/19/2021

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Author: Gretchen Haley
Publisher: Penguin
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
Such a delightful book! Easy to read and sprinkled with spicy titbits that bring Indian cuisine right into your home. The delicacies of a KwaZulu-Natal community whose favourite eating place is The Tearoom run by the long suffering but proud proprietor Tubby Reddy are tantalizingly revealed as one would add the ingredients to a slow cooking pot. Gretchen Haley’s novel ‘The Tearoom’ is a warming romp that will have you longing for light-as-air rotis and spicy samosas as you

turn the pages.
Meet Tubby Reddy. Strange name for an Indian but then he IS tubby and with a name like Thirapatheegadu getting your tongue around that is almost like eating a hot chilli, so more than appropriate. His life is ordered – The Tearoom is popular, his staff are reliable and his clientele loyal. But his heart is not with his hypochondriac, histrionic wife Lynette, no, it has been taken by kitchen assistant Yogi, but until now she knows nothing of this. As the countdown to his fiftieth birthday begins Tubby is determined that his life is going to change and London and Yogi – here we come. Monitoring his life and successful business through his diary – carefully kept out of Lynette’s sight - Tubby has amassed a small fortune ready for the day when he will realise his dream. Lynette seems to have taken a serious shine to the new and energetic preacher, his daughter Nell is mysteriously disappearing into the night and son Benji has plans of his own. So it seems the stage is set. Tubby’s affection and love for Yogi is spurring him on, but as in all good stories ‘ the best laid plans’ have a habit of coming unstuck as reality deals him a low blow that could change everything.
Haley brings a colourful and warming cast to her pages. The reader will delight in the gentle Tubby, urging him on, sharing his disappointments. The aromas of the Tearoom follow you as the story gains momentum and the comedic moments will have you giggling. It is of course a tragi – comedy as colourful as the characters and instantly recognisable. Haley skilfully writes of issues prevalent in any South African community but brings pathos and empathy into her portrayal. Cross cultural dynamics, simmering sentiments of staff, clientele and family are all well rounded out and she skilfully brings the tale to a close with a satisfying outcome. Just like a good meal, The Tearoom, has a way of lingering.

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White Trash: a memoir

10/17/2021

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Author: Terry Angelos
Publisher: Melinda Ferguson
Reviewer: Nancy Richards
‘Digging up my past has not been easy’. Bit of an understatement from Terry who notes that writing a book is often compared to birthing a child – and she would know. White Trash covers her descent into the ‘seedy underbelly’ of life as a 20 year old high-class call girl in London - no easy ride. Luckily, as she wrote, she had not only her husband to ‘hold her hand and wipe away her tears’ – but midwife-publisher Melinda who encouraged her to push hard – and harder, till, I would

imagine, the last drops of blood, sweat and tears were spewed and spent.
‘It’s taken 32 years to feel ready to write down my story…this is my search to understand…the origins of my deviance.’ So steel yourself. But the scabs at which she picks are not just those of champagne-fuelled sleaze and sex in the London of ’89. She also beats back the path to a town called Sinoia, 100 or so kms north of Harare where her ‘White town’ of ‘bright swimming towels on washing lines and obedient hedges’ is in gut-wrenching contrast to the ‘Black location, place of ragged clothing whimpering in the wind.’ So there’s guilt. After moving to South Africa, the daughter of two teachers, there are also guys, pimply and otherwise, and the ghastliness of being the new girl, the outsider and the loud and promiscuous rebel. And as a rebel with no real cause, she opts to go to London, which is where, like a leaf on the water, she washes up on some pretty murky banks. And where, once again she is confronted with skin-colour conflict, though in a rather different way. But in a big city, when there’s no one to guide you and money is scarce, it doesn’t take long to get in with dodgy company – and succumb to the call-girl calling.
To cut to the chase, eventually the rebel finds safety and salvation in God – and in Steve. What happens in between, in that year in London, is eyebrow raising stuff that takes us back to ‘digging up the past’ not being easy. That Terry has finally got all this off her chest is laudable – and testimony to the maxim, that the truth will set you free to move on. So now that it’s out there, hopefully she is liberated – but her story will surely have a sobering and cautionary effect on anyone who reads it.

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Bait: To catch a killer

10/17/2021

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Author: Janine Lazarus
Publisher: MF – Melinda Ferguson Books
Reviewer: Hazel Makuzeni
This book is about more than just The Norwood Serial Killer’s reign of terror in a suburb in Johannesburg. It’s also about its author: Janine Lazarus. A maverick South African investigative reporter also known as The Queen of Sleaze due to her love for exposing stories that were sensational and truly horrific in the early 1990’s.
It all begins late 1992 when Janine is a crime investigator for the Sunday Star. Chastised by her editor, Dave Hazelhurst, for not reporting

on a spate of rape attacks taking place right at her front door, Janine is devastated. How could she miss such a breaking news story? How could she disappoint Hazey, her editor and mentor? The man she worships. And so begins her relentless search for the story, and her obsession with the perpetrator. An obsession that will linger with her for almost 30 years.
This book is riveting from start to finish. Janine is living in a flat on Iris Road in Norwood when the suburb becomes the epicentre of rape and murder. Two women are raped in neighbourhood apartment blocks and the following month, another two are raped and then killed. Working closely with the Norwood Police Station and the hardened detectives from Brixton Murder and Robbery Squad, Janine learns that the killer is of blood type O and prowls on his victims between 10pm and 3am while they’re in their bedrooms. Norwood is gripped with mayhem. Terrified single women move out of the suburb to stay with loved ones.
A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. A psychopath is on the loose and our investigative reporter is consumed by what she calls “the biggest crime story of my life.” So determined was she to get the man now dubbed The Norwood Serial Killer, and be the first to break the crime story of the year, Janine agreed to let the Brixton Murder and Robbery Squad use her flat as a surveillance point. I’m hardly surprised that she didn’t hesitate to act as a decoy when asked by the detectives.
Always drawn to the darker side of life, she has covered gritty stories including: a political assassination, an infamous paedophile, and a sensational crime of passion. A toughened newshound, Janine was never afraid to get her hands dirty. She went to any length to get her story – even posing undercover as a prostitute while working for the Sunday Star. That story left me in stitches.
She left the newsroom in April of 1994. She left in a state of deep trauma. Bait takes you on the roller-coaster ride that is Janine’s life. Her mother wanted her to study law and settle down with a good Jewish doctor or accountant but that was not to be. Janine is a free spirit. I’m in awe of the things she has done and what she’s been through. There are some chapters in the book that will leave you in disbelief. The Girl Cop chapter is one. I just wanted to weep after reading this – our country is so very violent. I’m not at all surprised then that after all the brutalities she has witnessed, including scenes of decapitated and dying victims of crime, Janine crashed. The diagnosis: severe depression and anxiety.
Bait is a great crime story. The fact that it’s based on someone’s personal encounter with a serial killer makes it even more fascinating - and such a worthwhile read. I’m glad and relieved that Janine Lazarus is still here with us and free at last.

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Here Comes The Miracle

10/10/2021

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Author: Anna Beecher
Publishrer: Weidenfeld & Nicholson
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
Anna Beecher’s debut novel “Here comes the Miracle’ is an extraordinary read. One that will hold you in its palm as the story unfolds. Sensitive, exploratory and full of depth it tells of loss and love, of miracles and grief and opens a window on how simple such miracles can be.
I was captivated by her style: there is an inner conversation that she seems to be having – one that the reader is privy to. It is an intimate portrait of a family whose lives are not much different to yours and mine, but Beecher’s

skill lies in her portrayal and how the smallest joy can be never be dismissed. It is a moving testament to life, touching the reader at the deepest level with humour and power.
The book is dedicated to John, the brother she lost to cancer in 2012, obviously inspired by the journey taken through that devastating time of diagnosis, illness and death. Yet there is such hope and love in the narrative that one feels inspired. Clearly this is a eulogy to her brother, but one that lives within an intricate story. I hasten to add that this is not a morbid story. Yes, it will move you to tears but it will leave you with a glow, so movingly and beautifully written as it is.
Joe is the miracle baby, ‘a bluish scrap, too small and too early’. He is a talented violinist and composer with a bright future, close to his family, humorous and openly gay. At 24 he is diagnosed with late- stage cancer – will there be another miracle?
Through the two narrators; Emily as she talks to Joe, ‘you’ , sharing the present, past and their all too short future, and the omniscient narrator, fleshing out the other major characters, Beecher brings an evocation of these lives and the spirits surrounding them in luminous prose.
It is Edward (Joe’s grandfather) who plays a large role. As a boy discovering his love for his best friend Jack brings that miracle of feeling. Sadly he is sent away, required to bury his natural instincts, but he never forgets. Beecher offers alternative scenarios which could have changed the course of his life and I enjoyed these quirky additions. Edward follows convention, marries Eleanor and they produce two children, Ruth and Eddie. Ruth marries Mark and it is to these two that Joe, ‘the tiny scrap’, and Emily, are born.
The family relationships are not laborious; they are interesting and instantly recognisable giving context to the story, but, as in all crises, they are tested. Edward is close to his grandchildren, loving them unconditionally, acknowledging and accepting losses, past and present and a strong support. Ruth is unable to accept the diagnosis, hoping always for a miracle.
How does one walk this path? Acknowledge there will be an empty space at the table? Beecher’s rhythmic writing perfectly captures the feeling of each moment through this harrowing year. A simply remarkable story of a family faced with loss and how that in itself can bring unimagined miracles.

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The Night She Disappeared

10/10/2021

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Author: Lisa Jewell
Publisher: Century
Reviewer: Beryl Eichenberger
For all the thriller junkies out there, Lisa Jewell nails it with ‘The Night She Disappeared’. It’s the perfect weekend read and fans of this prolific author will savour every word. Set in a small, picturesque village in the Surrey Hills, there are secrets waiting to be uncovered (of course), an on-going mystery of a teenage couple who disappeared in June 2017, an elite school for drop out teenagers and some fairly dubious characters.

An innocent date night between Tallulah and Zach, the teenaged parents of baby Noah, has resulted in their disappearance leaving Kim (Tallulah’s mother) distraught. Gossipers maintain they have run away from their responsibilities, I mean who wants to look after a baby at 18 – all too much? But Kim knows her daughter better.’ Lulla is responsible and devoted to her baby. Kim frantically contacts all her friends, is led to the wealthy Jacques family in the massive house ‘Dark Place’, where apparently the couple had last been seen. Scarlett, the rebellious daughter fobs her off as does her less-than-interested mum. How did the quiet ‘Lulla come to have a friend such as the manipulative and dangerous Scarlett? Kim is learning that her daughter also has secrets. Scarlett and her coven of teenage cronies close ranks. The silence becomes heavy and within months Dark Place has been abandoned and with it the secrets it contains.
But Kim is relentless. The police find no new leads. Fourteen months have elapsed and Kim is caring for little Noah. Enter a young couple; Sophie and her partner Shaun. Shaun has been appointed head teacher at Maypole House, the private boarding school for teenagers who have flunked GCSEs and A levels. Sophie is a crime writer and within days is finding village life rather subdued after London. Her writer’s block has certainly not improved and Shaun is working long hours so she is left to her own devices. Walking in the woods behind the boarding school one day she sees a poster on a gate which says ‘Dig Here’, which of course she does, discovering a charming ring. Who does it belong to? It is Kim who knows and, as she and Sophie join forces, the layers of deception are slowly and intricately peeled back.
The reader is taken on a cleverly plotted ride as Jewell unpacks the quirks of a cast of characters who are entirely not who they seem to be. The plot is as twisted as the main perpetrators and there are many ‘hold your breath’ moments. She writes a great thriller, suspenseful and surprising. She uses the unexpected to hold the reader’s interest with mystery and drama creating an electric atmosphere. She is an astute observer, using current affairs to spin a yarn that grips and is mostly realistic. I say mostly as I felt the ending was a tad unbelievable however that’s just my take on it. You be the judge. One thing i can guarantee is that the book is un-put-downable and if you are looking for a suspenseful, weekend read, this is certainly the one.

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The Island of Missing Trees

The Tearoom

White Trash: a memoir

Bait: To catch a killer

Here Comes The Miracle

The Night She Disappeared

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