What we're reading: Mari, Hession, Tóibín
Each week our wonderful staff share the books that they've been enjoying.
Baz Ozturk is reading Verdigris by Michele Mari, translated by Brian Robert Moore
Michele Mari, recognised in Italy as one of the country’s great living writers, was translated into English for the first time in 2023 with his story collection You, Bleeding Childhood, which I really enjoyed. I was charmed by Mari’s warmth, cleverness and offbeat sensibility, so when his novel Verdigris came out recently, I pounced on it.
It’s really good, beautifully and precisely written; I was seduced once again by Mari’s playful style and intelligence. It’s wonderful, nostalgic, bittersweet and funny, full of gothic elements and mystery, yet tender and with a big heart. The unexpected and delightfully strange way it ended winked at the kid in me. Mari is great for fans of the likes of Calvino, Borges and Cortázar.
Justin Avery is reading Ghost Mountain by Rónán Hession
A woman is walking her dog one morning and comes across a mountain that was not there the previous day. Soon, the sleepy nearby town is a-buzz with the news of the sudden appearance of the mountain. From a small independent publisher from West Yorkshire in the UK, Ghost Mountain is about life, relationships, kindness, fortune and cruelty. It’s about the absences in life and the ways in which people try to fill in those absences. Ghost Mountain is a modern-day fable about many things, but it’s definitely not about Ghost Mountain.
Chris Gordon is reading Long Island by Colm Tóibín
I've nearly finished reading Colm Tóibín's latest novel Long Island. I wasn't sure if I was going to read it, having been so satisfied with Brooklyn, I didn't feel I really needed to go any further with this story. Thankfully Joe Rubbo's interview with the great Irishman himself changed my position. What a joy this novel is to read!
The keen longing in Long Island is heart wrenching. Tóibín's quiet, simple prose lifts you well away from the beginnings of winter and takes you gently over to an Irish summer where the light changes and the clover smells are intoxicating. Literally, a perfect read.
