By Nayisha Patel, Christy Clark, Natalia Alvarez
Not to be Overlooked introduces a variety of wonderful but lesser-known books to assist readers in finding their next great reads. This week’s column covers reviews of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by Philippa Perry, Turbulence by David Szalay, and Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel.
The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by Philippa Perry
Review by Nayisha Patel
Written by Philippa Perry, The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) is a perceptive and sympathetic parenting manual. Perry discusses the emotional factors that form parent-child relationships, drawing on her vast experience as a psychotherapist while providing helpful guidance to promote happier and healthier connections.
The book is notable for its compassionate style, which emphasises the value of emotional intelligence and self-awareness in parenting. Perry urges parents to consider their childhood and acknowledge how their prior experiences have shaped their approach to parenting. This self-examination is essential to ending destructive patterns and creating a happier atmosphere for kids.
Perry writes in an approachable and captivating style that perfectly balances psychological nuggets, real-world advice and tales. She covers a wide range of subjects, including how to deal with adolescent disobedience, handle tantrums and establish trust. Her counsel is based on a thorough comprehension of both the intricacies of human emotions and child development.
The book's emphasis on the value of communication and connection is one of its strong points. Perry emphasises that developing a solid, encouraging relationship with a child requires acknowledging and valuing their feelings. To improve their relationships with their kids, she also offers parents techniques for handling their stress and emotions.
All things considered, The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read is essential reading for both present and future parents because of Perry's understanding approach and wise counsel. It provides a plethora of knowledge and helpful advice that can change the way parents interact with their kids, creating a happier, more loving family environment. This book is an important tool for anyone trying to become a better parent and create deeper, more resilient relationships with their kids.
Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel (translated by Rosalind Harvey)
Review by Natalia Alvarez
How do you decide when the right time to have children is? Or if you ever want to have children? These are some of the major questions Guadalupe Nettel explores in her fourth novel Still Born. Originally published in September 2020 and later translated by Rosalind Harvey for English readers in 2023, Still Born looks at the lives of two best friends, Laura and Alina, in their thirties as they find themselves reexamining their previous stances on motherhood.
Both women are busy, career-driven individuals who always believed they had no desire to have children, with Laura feeling so certain of this that she undergoes the surgical procedure required to prevent pregnancy. Their lives are turned upside down when Alina and her husband decide they desperately want to have children and will use whatever methods necessary to reach their goal. This leaves Laura feeling confused as this was something the two women had previously felt so strongly against.
Laura is also struggling with her realizations as she begins to assume a parental role in the life of her neighbour's troubled young son, Nico. While the boy already has a parental figure in his single mother, Laura cannot help but get involved as she begins developing an attachment to him and feels moved to assist their situation in any way she can.
This novel is full of examinations on friendship, sexuality, feminism, motherhood and more. It tackles subjects that play on emotions and asks difficult questions. Readers are sure to feel the turmoil the characters face as they undergo this trying time in their lives and make decisions that will impact them forever. I would greatly recommend picking up Still Born as I felt it was impossible to put down once I got started, and I am sure other readers will feel the same.
Turbulence by David Szalay
Review by Christy Clark
I remember when I was given a copy of David Szalay’s Turbulence years ago. For a while, it sat untouched on my bookshelf. Ironically, it wasn’t until lockdown, when flights were a no-go, that I decided to read it. The first of Szalay’s novels I’ve read didn’t disappoint.
Following Szalay’s 2016 Book Prize shortlisted novel All That Man Is (another montage of stories), Turbulence was published in 2018 just before the pandemic. Turbulence tells the story of 12 travellers as they negotiate their respective solo, sometimes intertwined, journeys. But these are not travellers explicitly in the physical sense.
Szalay includes stories of literal, emotional and hypothetical travellers, acutely knitting together narratives that in themselves feel fleeting but when tied together, they blossom into something altogether more profound.
One story tells of a gamekeeper’s repressed, illicit relationship, miles away from his true home; another tells of a woman secretly afraid of flying. Szalay never feels the need to elaborate, or over-complicate things. There is never a moment where the story drags or threatens to take up too much time. If anything, Turbulence is too short and this, along with its eclectic portrayal of modern life in all its complexities, just makes you want to read it over and over. A must-read.
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