Reviews & Discussion Papers

Mickey’s parents

Shocked and repulsed by my expression of love your virtue pervades the air like tea steeped too long always you tried to contain me in the same blue box where you live your life your neat little frock and neat little face hiding the big black pool of nothingness that exists inside you aren’t my…

The stories we tell ourselves

When I wrote this piece, I was questioning the idea that our experiences make us who we are; a belief that had, until then, provided me with both justification and reassurance. I’d come across the work of Kahneman who suggests that it is not an experience per se that we remember; what we remember is…

The pseudonymous Elena Ferrante

I recently delved into the ‘unveiling’ of pseudonymous author Elena Ferrante and the impact the revelation had on reviewers and readers alike. Perhaps not surprisingly it’s got me thinking about pseudonyms on social media but more on that coming soon. Claudio Gatti’s proclamation in 2016 that pseudonymous author Elena Ferrante was, in fact, Anita Raja,…

Summer TBR list revisited

One of my summer reading picks was Devotion by Hannah Kent. Although I finished the book some time ago, I’ve struggled to pull together a review. That’s not because I didn’t enjoy it – quite the opposite, I adored this book – but because I think it is one of those books that is best…

Language and power: Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

Today I’m going back to my academic roots to take a look at the use of language in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. I got on a bit of a roll so it is a long one. Sorry! ‘But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.’ George Orwell, 1946 Language is loaded with…

Summer TBR pile is good to go

Is there anything better than holding a new book from one of your favourite writers in your hands, anticipating the feeling of being completely absorbed into another world, whether real or imagined? Nope, I can’t think of anything better either. Needless to say that it was an absolute delight to head to my local bookstore,…

Once upon a time … truth, memory and storytelling

I was a bit late to the party with watching Sarah Polley’s 2013 documentary, Stories We Tell, but I’m so glad I eventually made my way to it. ‘Truth is often ephemeral and difficult to pin down.’ Sarah Polley, Stories We Tell (2013) At first glance, it appears that Sarah Polley’s documentary, Stories We Tell…