Messing About in Books – 03/08/2024

Dive in with Deborah Levy. Join John Cheever. Take a plunge At the Pond. It’s time to linger at the pool with David Hockney, to take to the sea, should Neptune allow it, to delve into the depths with Martin MacInnes or just roam By the River.

No need to ask Emma Cline’s creation: The Guest will be there, uninvited. I wouldn’t leave your belongings unattended if she’s nearby though. Or your wits.

We are going swimming.*

Last week I wrote about Ralf Webb’s extraordinary book, Strange Relations, examining masculinity in the art and lives of Carson McCullers, Tennessee Williams, James Baldwin and John Cheever. It is a book which sends one down all sorts of tributaries packed with more things to read, not to mention photography, films and plays. The sections on John Cheever are fascinating and it was with thoughts of him and his superb story The Swimmer that I turned to The Most by Jessica Anthony.

Set on an unseasonably warm day in November, Kathleen Beckett gets into the unused swimming pool at her temporary apartment complex. Between church and golf and reluctant childcare, her husband, overlooked by elderly neighbours, tries to encourage her out of the pool. She remains submerged. You think at first that you are reading a studied portrait of the tensions underlying a day on which not much happens. You are not. You have been reeled in and are about to be hit by The Most, the meaning(s) of which I will let you discover.

The elegance of the writing in Rhine Journey by Ann Schlee will also lull you into a belief: that you are on a romantic, gentle trip. While it is genteel, there is a lot more beneath the surface, both a personal revelation and a political revolution. It is 1851 and Charlotte Morrison is accompanying her brother and his family on a journey during which he can spread the word of God and his wife can recover from, or continue to indulge in, enduring ill-health. Charlotte is treated by her family as pitiful spinster, governess, not-quite-servant, and useful object of critique. All meant kindly, you understand. Her story and that of its setting are subtle and unexpected.   

Summer may have just begun but you do need to read The End of Summer by Charlotte Philby now. I could not predict what would be revealed from one page to the next so don’t want to say too much: it’s a literary thriller set in Hérault, Cape Cod and London. I am a little in love with the character Judy. I definitely should not be.

Blue Machine by Helen Czerski is both a history and a scientific examination of the ocean. It combines an explanation of the physics of the ocean as a heat engine with cultural stories about how the ocean has been used, making a strong argument about our misuse of the seas and how we must care for the heart of the planet.

My Life in Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler introduces some of the creatures living in that vast machine with whom you may not be familiar – or may not wish to be, yeti crabs, anyone? Dumbo octopus? – and finds in their incredible biology and strange survival abilities a personal comfort and delight in diversity.

Dipping into some exceptional children’s books:

Sea and River are perennial board book favourites. (The latter features a heron. Just saying.) The latest in the Make Tracks series, Boats offers the chance to steer along the waterways and Look What I Found By the River encourages an outdoor adventure. (Also features a heron. Just saying.)  

Rebecca Cobb’s latest picture book involves A Wild Walk to School with a twist. One may not expect this journey to involve underwater activity but life can be surprising.

As can school swimming pools, particularly if they contain sharks. Don’t panic. Maggie Sparks is more than equipped to handle this.

The Adventuremice are also ready for anything, even for Otter Chaos and a Mermouse Mystery. Taking to the seas with Pedro and the gang is excellent fun for everyone and brilliant for reluctant readers moving from picture books to chapter books.

Crime fans (that’s fans of the genre rather than actual pirates) will enjoy riding the waves of the Mysteries at Sea series, beginning with Peril on the Atlantic by A.M. Howell. It is 1936 and the Queen Mary is setting sail harbouring all sorts of secrets…  

Our upcoming events, not dry in any other sense, are scheduled to take place on dry land. Do book your ticket for the celebration of Martyn Crucefix’s translation of Rilke, Change Your Life: poetry and drinks abound on 17th August at 6pm. More events here and book groups here.

I was at A Bend in the River when the Booker Prize Longlist was published and thus the newsletter isn’t quite synchronised with that exciting news. But, what a list! Newsletter readers and customers already know how much I loved Held, Orbital, Headshot, James, (there are those single-word titles again)and The Safekeep so I am rather thrilled. You can peruse and buy the whole Booker’s dozen here.

May your weekend immerse you in all good things,

Lizzie

*I cannot stress enough that even the most Waterlogged of books prefer to be dry. In the almost impossible event that I have lent you my precious copy of Swimming Home, please don’t drop it in the pool/sea/river/nearby ice bucket.

Featured in the newsletter