Monday, 10 May 2021

Sofa Spotlight - That Hideous Strength, C. S. Lewis

The third in The Space Trilogy and in my opinion the best. The pace is much faster and there is more going on in terms of action, but there is still that beautiful prose which makes the writings of C. S. Lewis so excellent.

At first I didn’t think we were going to meet Ransom in this book, and I was concerned that I would never find out what happened to his foot. But all was well, he was there but came in an unexpected way. Which was only one of the things that came out of left field in this book.

On the whole I loved the idea. I think it is very true to life and C. S. Lewis was just as perceptive as George Orwell in terms of where society would be heading. This book is different to the other two in that it is the only one focused on what is happening on Earth. Earth is in the background of the other books but now it is centre stage as a battle takes place between the bent eldila and the gods of the heavens.

It’s subtle, beautifully written and exciting. It cleverly puts into a semi-plausible narrative what might happen at the end of time. The arrival of Merlin was an interesting twist that I didn’t buy entirely but it is certainly an interesting possibility.

Reading the whole series is a must in my opinion.

Friday, 7 May 2021

Sofa Spotlight - Sag Harbor, Colson Whitehead

It wouldn’t be the start of summer without reading a Colson Whitehead book. What I love most about his books is that they have the feel of poetry to them. The way he writes brings people and places to life, and you can almost reach out and touch what he is describing. And Sag Harbor was no different.

The story is about two black teenage boys as they spend the summer in Sag Harbor and reacquaint themselves with the friends that they meet every summer. I love the teenage politics and what criteria make another kid cool or what is acceptable to do or say. I honestly didn’t want this book to end, it felt so personal and beautiful. It’s fun watching a group of teenagers getting to know themselves and finding their identity in a complex, contradictory world.

I enjoyed this book a lot, I think it has a lot to say about coming of age and finding out who we are. It provokes thoughts on what influences us, and what are the factors that determine our place in the world.