The leaves are turning, evenings are darkling, the clocks yearn to go back and cool air is forecast from the north. And our Riveting Reviews this month have a chilly, or at least a distinctly northern feel.
With her review Lucy Popescu takes us into the far north, admiring And the Wind Sees All, Guđmundur Andri Thorsson’s sophisticated tapestry of tales from a small Icelandic fishing village.
A chilly Norwegian relationship is the subject of Geir Gulliksen’s The Story of a Marriage, but it is warmly appreciated by our brand-new reviewer, Aina Marti.
Fiona Graham’s pick this month is Maresi, Maria Turtschaninoff’s salutary Finnish fantasy – set on a remote imagined island in an imagined past. And a favourite reviewer, David Hebblethwaite is back, this time writing about Bird Cottage, a fictionalised account of a forgotten English ornithologist by the Dutch Eva Meijer.
Estonian man of letters Rein Raud graces us with a review once again, and he selects a writer from the lowlands too. Mokusei! A Love Story is the Dutch Cees Nooteboom’s account of culture clashes and an affair between a European and a local woman in Japan.
Our most hyperborean selection this month, though, is Brother in Ice by Alicia Kopf. While the original was written in sun-kissed Catalan, reviewer Jennifer Sarha discovers in this polar book a curious blend of historical investigation and narrative autofiction.
Enjoy the oxymoron of warming your minds on these cool literary delights. And watch out for some Riveting Reads over the coming days.
If you’d like to contribute a #RivetingReview (and it has to be #Riveting), please read the #RivetingReviews Rules and then get in touch with us via our contact page. Our next deadline is mid November.
By West Camel