Tower and Town, April 2023

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A Good Read

A new book by Curtis Sittenfeld is always a treat. Romantic Comedy is, as her fans would expect, a mildly subversive and entertaining deconstruction of – well – romantic comedy. It’s a classic three-act story of contemporary dating and relationships, set in the world of American television comedy writing. With a wry eye the author gives us a narrator heroine who is sardonically aware of sexist double standards in the realm of attraction, talent and celebrity, and as a result self-sabotages her own romantic connections. It’s an easy, enjoyable, faintly acerbic read. Perhaps the protagonists are slightly improbably articulate about their ‘issues’ and insecurities, but what do I know? They’re American, and I don’t really know how they do love over there. I did once have an American boyfriend, but we never got beyond a bit of clammy hand-holding, we didn’t discuss emotions. Possibly because I was only seven at the time (he was eight). 

 Every so often there comes a book that sells and sells, either through clever marketing or word of mouth. Where the Crawdads Sing is one of those, and I confess I haven’t read it, but frankly so many people talked about it (and the film) so much that I almost feel as though I have. And now, if asked ‘what can I read if I really enjoyed WtCS?’ I can answer Go as a River by Shelley Read. Set in the vividly described Colorado countryside, it's the story of a young woman whose life is radically altered by a chance encounter. If described, the plot and the action would sound relentlessly depressing (and it is grim), but the story is of endurance and resilience, ultimately uplifting, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to. That sounds like damning with faint praise, sorry, not what I intended.

Please do read A Killing in November by Simon Mason. Set in Oxford it's a police procedural, swift moving, with unexpected plot turns, and darkly funny in parts. The main emphasis though is on the relationship between the odd-couple pair of detectives, one of whom you'd cross the road to avoid in real life. Simon Mason also wrote the Running Girl series of YA crime novels which I regularly recommend to young (and not-so) readers.

Anyway, can’t stop, I have a Pruimenvlaai to bake. Dark Rye and Honey Cake, about the baking and traditions of the Low Countries, is a beautifully illustrated cookery book, with informative chapters about the tremendously complicated history of Belgium (which I’m relieved to learn even Belgians don’t understand!)

Debby Guest