Radiant Volumes
@radiantvolumes.bsky.social
Brief book reviews and thoughts on reading
Seichō Matsumoto – A Quiet Place (1971). A 2016 translation of a 1971 Japanese novel. A man investigates the mysterious death of his wife and is drawn into committing a crime of his own. The drama is slow and repetitive in places but the novel really kicks off in the second half. #SeichoMatsumoto
February 1, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Seichō Matsumoto – A Quiet Place (1971). A 2016 translation of a 1971 Japanese novel. A man investigates the mysterious death of his wife and is drawn into committing a crime of his own. The drama is slow and repetitive in places but the novel really kicks off in the second half. #SeichoMatsumoto
Jeremy Cooper – Brian (2023). A deeply lonely man goes to watch films at the BFI on London’s South Bank. He works for Camden Council and finds human interactions difficult. It’s a desperately sad and poignant novel that also works as a book about the redemptive power of the arts. #JeremyCooper
January 31, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Jeremy Cooper – Brian (2023). A deeply lonely man goes to watch films at the BFI on London’s South Bank. He works for Camden Council and finds human interactions difficult. It’s a desperately sad and poignant novel that also works as a book about the redemptive power of the arts. #JeremyCooper
Jodi Picoult – Small Great Things (2016). Book club novel. A black nurse is blamed for killing a white supremacist’s baby. More substantial than I expected, it’s a powerful study of racism in America. Never simplistic, it explores how all-pervasive and insidious prejudice can be. #JodiPicoult
January 26, 2026 at 9:34 PM
Jodi Picoult – Small Great Things (2016). Book club novel. A black nurse is blamed for killing a white supremacist’s baby. More substantial than I expected, it’s a powerful study of racism in America. Never simplistic, it explores how all-pervasive and insidious prejudice can be. #JodiPicoult
Adam S. Leslie – Lost in the Garden (2024). A psychedelic folk-horror novel. Society has broken down as ghosts stalk the English countryside. Three friends drive to the village of Almanby, a forbidden zone of sinister pagan strangeness. Funny, unusual, creepy and highly readable. #AdamSLeslie
January 13, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Adam S. Leslie – Lost in the Garden (2024). A psychedelic folk-horror novel. Society has broken down as ghosts stalk the English countryside. Three friends drive to the village of Almanby, a forbidden zone of sinister pagan strangeness. Funny, unusual, creepy and highly readable. #AdamSLeslie
Samantha Harvey – The Wilderness (2009). A man with Alzheimer’s tries to make sense of a disintegrating reality, as he recalls fragments of his life with his mother, wife, children and lover. An ever-shifting narrative brilliantly casts doubt on itself to replicate his condition. #SamanthaHarvey
January 4, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Samantha Harvey – The Wilderness (2009). A man with Alzheimer’s tries to make sense of a disintegrating reality, as he recalls fragments of his life with his mother, wife, children and lover. An ever-shifting narrative brilliantly casts doubt on itself to replicate his condition. #SamanthaHarvey
Cathy Sweeney – Breakdown (2024). Novel. Bored and unhappy, a middle-aged woman suddenly leaves her Dublin home, husband, family and job and embarks on a trip that ends at a Welsh cottage. The idea of seeking personal freedom is more interesting than the rather prosaic execution. #CathySweeney
December 29, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Cathy Sweeney – Breakdown (2024). Novel. Bored and unhappy, a middle-aged woman suddenly leaves her Dublin home, husband, family and job and embarks on a trip that ends at a Welsh cottage. The idea of seeking personal freedom is more interesting than the rather prosaic execution. #CathySweeney
Graham Swift – Mothering Sunday (2016). In 1924, a young maid, Jane Fairchild, meets her well-to-do lover, Paul Sheringham, who is about to marry someone of his own class. But events don’t go to plan. A compassionate and beautifully written novel. Up there with Swift’s best work. #GrahamSwift
December 29, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Graham Swift – Mothering Sunday (2016). In 1924, a young maid, Jane Fairchild, meets her well-to-do lover, Paul Sheringham, who is about to marry someone of his own class. But events don’t go to plan. A compassionate and beautifully written novel. Up there with Swift’s best work. #GrahamSwift
Ali Smith – Autumn (2016). Daniel is 101 years old and close to death. Elisabeth is 32 and devoted to him. The novel tells the story of a strange friendship against the backdrop of the Brexit vote and a changing Britain, with impressionistic digressions on art, time and morality. #AliSmith
December 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Ali Smith – Autumn (2016). Daniel is 101 years old and close to death. Elisabeth is 32 and devoted to him. The novel tells the story of a strange friendship against the backdrop of the Brexit vote and a changing Britain, with impressionistic digressions on art, time and morality. #AliSmith
Ian McEwan – Enduring Love (1997). Joe’s life unravels after he witnesses a ballooning accident. He’s plagued by a delusional stalker, who endangers his safety and his marriage. An expertly constructed psychological thriller that explores human behaviour with empathy and insight. #IanMcEwan
December 23, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Ian McEwan – Enduring Love (1997). Joe’s life unravels after he witnesses a ballooning accident. He’s plagued by a delusional stalker, who endangers his safety and his marriage. An expertly constructed psychological thriller that explores human behaviour with empathy and insight. #IanMcEwan
David Szalay – Flesh (2025). Highly readable Booker Prize winner: an account of one man’s life. István grows up in Hungary and has periods in the army (Iraq) and as a wealthy property developer (London). Believable and poignant experiences rendered in a hypnotically “flat” style. #DavidSzalay
December 19, 2025 at 5:25 PM
David Szalay – Flesh (2025). Highly readable Booker Prize winner: an account of one man’s life. István grows up in Hungary and has periods in the army (Iraq) and as a wealthy property developer (London). Believable and poignant experiences rendered in a hypnotically “flat” style. #DavidSzalay
Deborah Levy – Real Estate (2022). An impressionistic and highly readable memoir (the third in a loose trilogy) featuring reflections on places the author has lived and people she’s known. Witty and beautifully written meditations on writing, growing older and the nature of love. #DeborahLevy
December 15, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Deborah Levy – Real Estate (2022). An impressionistic and highly readable memoir (the third in a loose trilogy) featuring reflections on places the author has lived and people she’s known. Witty and beautifully written meditations on writing, growing older and the nature of love. #DeborahLevy
Charlotte Philby – Edith and Kim (2022). Book club novel. Written by the granddaughter of Kim Philby, this is an account – blending fact and fiction – of Edith Tudor-Hart and her links to the Cambridge spy ring. It seems disjointed and assumes too much knowledge of actual events. #CharlottePhilby
December 10, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Charlotte Philby – Edith and Kim (2022). Book club novel. Written by the granddaughter of Kim Philby, this is an account – blending fact and fiction – of Edith Tudor-Hart and her links to the Cambridge spy ring. It seems disjointed and assumes too much knowledge of actual events. #CharlottePhilby
William Boyd – Gabriel’s Moon (2024). Book club novel. It’s the early 1960s. Travel writer Gabriel Dax finds himself entangled in a web of international intrigue, led by a glamorous MI6 handler. Many twists and turns mingle with an interesting side plot about a childhood tragedy. #WilliamBoyd
December 1, 2025 at 10:10 AM
William Boyd – Gabriel’s Moon (2024). Book club novel. It’s the early 1960s. Travel writer Gabriel Dax finds himself entangled in a web of international intrigue, led by a glamorous MI6 handler. Many twists and turns mingle with an interesting side plot about a childhood tragedy. #WilliamBoyd
Muriel Spark – The Public Image (1968). Booker-shortlisted novel. An actress obsesses over her public image above all else. She has a loveless marriage and her jealous husband finds an extreme way to ruin her career. Intriguing and sharply satirical, but somehow oddly unlikeable. #MurielSpark
November 26, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Muriel Spark – The Public Image (1968). Booker-shortlisted novel. An actress obsesses over her public image above all else. She has a loveless marriage and her jealous husband finds an extreme way to ruin her career. Intriguing and sharply satirical, but somehow oddly unlikeable. #MurielSpark
Bonnie Garmus – Lessons in Chemistry (2022). A witty, entertaining novel about a chemist who becomes a TV cook. A strong character with an amazingly intelligent daughter (and dog), Elizabeth says exactly what she thinks and battles social repression in the late 1950s/early 1960s. #BonnieGarmus
November 23, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Bonnie Garmus – Lessons in Chemistry (2022). A witty, entertaining novel about a chemist who becomes a TV cook. A strong character with an amazingly intelligent daughter (and dog), Elizabeth says exactly what she thinks and battles social repression in the late 1950s/early 1960s. #BonnieGarmus
Deborah Levy – The Man Who Saw Everything (2019). Impressionistic novel. After Saul Adler is hit by a car on Abbey Road, he experiences thoughts and memories from East Berlin in 1988 and London in 2016. It’s elegant and witty, but the shifting narrative tricks can be infuriating. #DeborahLevy
November 13, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Deborah Levy – The Man Who Saw Everything (2019). Impressionistic novel. After Saul Adler is hit by a car on Abbey Road, he experiences thoughts and memories from East Berlin in 1988 and London in 2016. It’s elegant and witty, but the shifting narrative tricks can be infuriating. #DeborahLevy
Heidi Amsinck – Last Train to Helsingør (2018). Book club read. “Spooky” short stories set in Copenhagen. Repetitive themes (objects with eerie powers, obsession, possession, ghosts, murder, abduction) and predictable endings make it a major chore to finish. Was it written by AI? #HeidiAmsinck
November 2, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Heidi Amsinck – Last Train to Helsingør (2018). Book club read. “Spooky” short stories set in Copenhagen. Repetitive themes (objects with eerie powers, obsession, possession, ghosts, murder, abduction) and predictable endings make it a major chore to finish. Was it written by AI? #HeidiAmsinck
Ben Markovits – The Rest of Our Lives (2025). Booker-shortlisted road-trip novel of mid-life reflections. A man drives his daughter to college, then just keeps on driving. A less effective version of Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe novels, although it does improve as it progresses. #BenMarkovits
October 30, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Ben Markovits – The Rest of Our Lives (2025). Booker-shortlisted road-trip novel of mid-life reflections. A man drives his daughter to college, then just keeps on driving. A less effective version of Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe novels, although it does improve as it progresses. #BenMarkovits
Jim Mowatt – From Parkrun to London Marathon (2016). Enjoyable account of a 52-year-old’s introduction to running. Overcoming apathy and injury, he eventually takes part in the celebrated London 26-miler to raise funds for Save the Rhino. An unpretentious, highly accessible read. #JimMowatt
October 21, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Jim Mowatt – From Parkrun to London Marathon (2016). Enjoyable account of a 52-year-old’s introduction to running. Overcoming apathy and injury, he eventually takes part in the celebrated London 26-miler to raise funds for Save the Rhino. An unpretentious, highly accessible read. #JimMowatt
Patricia Highsmith – Carol (1952). A brilliant novel about the love between two women in the early 1950s. Highsmith writes with huge sensitivity and is perfect on the nuances of conversation and gesture. And while it’s not a thriller, elements of that genre are expertly woven in. #PatriciaHighsmith
October 20, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Patricia Highsmith – Carol (1952). A brilliant novel about the love between two women in the early 1950s. Highsmith writes with huge sensitivity and is perfect on the nuances of conversation and gesture. And while it’s not a thriller, elements of that genre are expertly woven in. #PatriciaHighsmith
Han Kang – The Vegetarian (2007). First published in South Korea and translated to English in 2015, this is a dark and upsetting tale of obsession. Yeong-he decides to give up meat and then not to eat food at all, with profound implications for herself and her family. Disturbing. #HanKang
September 28, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Han Kang – The Vegetarian (2007). First published in South Korea and translated to English in 2015, this is a dark and upsetting tale of obsession. Yeong-he decides to give up meat and then not to eat food at all, with profound implications for herself and her family. Disturbing. #HanKang
Charlotte Rogan – The Lifeboat (2012). Book club novel. 1914. A luxury liner sinks, leaving 39 people in a tiny lifeboat. Hungry and desperate, they face moral choices about who should survive. Gripping and multi-layered, it makes wider points about gender roles and human nature. #CharlotteRogan
September 20, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Charlotte Rogan – The Lifeboat (2012). Book club novel. 1914. A luxury liner sinks, leaving 39 people in a tiny lifeboat. Hungry and desperate, they face moral choices about who should survive. Gripping and multi-layered, it makes wider points about gender roles and human nature. #CharlotteRogan
Nicola Barker – TonyInterruptor (2025). A heckler at an improvised music event sparks a discussion about honesty and artifice played out across a set of extreme characters in witty, vivid prose. Barker’s fiction isn’t for everyone, and may infuriate, but the energy is undeniable. #NicolaBarker
September 13, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Nicola Barker – TonyInterruptor (2025). A heckler at an improvised music event sparks a discussion about honesty and artifice played out across a set of extreme characters in witty, vivid prose. Barker’s fiction isn’t for everyone, and may infuriate, but the energy is undeniable. #NicolaBarker
Percival Everett – The Trees (2022). Three detectives investigate a series of brutal, race-related murders in Money, Mississippi that appear to be tied to the history of lynching. Highly readable and often very funny, the novel has too many characters but still works beautifully. #PercivalEverett
September 6, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Percival Everett – The Trees (2022). Three detectives investigate a series of brutal, race-related murders in Money, Mississippi that appear to be tied to the history of lynching. Highly readable and often very funny, the novel has too many characters but still works beautifully. #PercivalEverett
Rose Tremain – Absolutely & Forever (2023). Brilliant novel set in England in the 1960s and 1970s. Marianne is torn between exotic Simon, who she loves, and dull, reliable Hugo, who loves her. A sophisticated study of relationships and family, written with empathy and subtle wit. #RoseTremain
August 24, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Rose Tremain – Absolutely & Forever (2023). Brilliant novel set in England in the 1960s and 1970s. Marianne is torn between exotic Simon, who she loves, and dull, reliable Hugo, who loves her. A sophisticated study of relationships and family, written with empathy and subtle wit. #RoseTremain