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Okay, let’s try this. As November means a focus on novellas, every day this month I’m going to highlight a novella that I’ve read and would highly recommend. Perfect lockdown reading for the dark afternoons and nights ahead. #NovNov
I’ll try to include as many different styles and authors as possible. But there may be some doubling up if I run out of ideas! First up for #NovNov…
Day 1: WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson, an atmospheric, unsettling and at times quite magical read – narrated by the beguiling Merricat Blackwood, whose utterly distinctive voice will have you in its grip. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2017/10/24/we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-by-shirley-jackson/ #NovNov
Day 2: THE GIRLS OF SLENDER MEANS by Muriel Spark. A mercurial novel following the lives of a group of young women in 1940s London. Deceptively light at first sight, there are some genuine elements of darkness just beneath the surface. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/the-girls-of-slender-means-by-muriel-spark/ #NovNov
Day 3: THE STORY OF STANLEY BRENT by Elizabeth Berridge. A beautiful, melancholy novella that manages to convey a man’s life in just 75 pp. There's a real sense of poignancy here, of missed opportunities and other lives that might have been lived. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2020/10/16/the-story-of-stanley-brent-by-elizabeth-berridge-1945/ #NovNov
Day 4: GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES by Anita Loos. Smart, engaging and uproariously funny, this light-hearted novella is a really treat. Filmed for the screen by Howard Hawks, by way of the Broadway musical of the same name. What larks! https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2018/07/10/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-by-anita-loos/ #NovNov
Day 5: THE ARTIFICIAL SILK GIRL by Irmgard Keun (tr K von Ankum). A wonderfully evocative portrait of a resourceful girl about town. Written as a response to the Loos (see Day 4), this story highlights the darkness beneath the glamour in Weimar-era Berlin. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/the-artificial-silk-girl-by-irmgard-keun-tr-kathie-von-ankum/
Day 6: THE SNOW BALL by Brigid Brophy. This is a wonderful book, recently reissued by Faber in a beautiful new edition It’s playful, seductive and intelligent in equal measure. Prepare to lose yourself in the dreamlike atmosphere of a masked ball! https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2019/05/21/two-excellent-novels-by-brigid-brophy-the-snow-ball-and-flesh/ #NovNov
Day 7: THE BLUE ROOM by Georges Simenon (tr. Linda Coverdale), a taut, sensual novella in which the past and present come together to great effect. Probably my favourite Simenon so far. http://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2020/01/14/the … #NovNov
Day 8: IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK by James Baldwin. A lyrical story of love, family and the pursuit of justice. Sadly, this excellent novella remains all too relevant today. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2018/11/20/if-beale-street-could-talk-by-james-baldwin/ #NovNov
Day 9: TERRITORY OF LIGHT by Yuko Tsushima (tr. Geraldine Harcourt). I loved this. A quiet, dreamlike novella that evokes a strong sense of isolation. The narrative is full of memorable images, beautifully judged. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2019/08/06/territory-of-light-by-yuko-tsushima-tr-gillian-harcourt/ #NonNov
Day 10: A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY by J. L. Carr. A sublime, deeply affecting book about love, loss and the restorative power of art. Quite possibly the prefect novella, but who am I to judge? https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2019/07/19/a-month-in-the-country-by-j-l-carr-1980/ #NovNov
Day 11: AFTER LEAVING MR MACKENZIE by Jean Rhys. A woman cast adrift, shuttling around the streets of London and Paris. A bruising story that highlights the cruelty of society at the time. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2015/04/29/after-leaving-mr-mackenzie-by-jean-rhys/ #NovNov
Day 12: BONJOUR TRISTESSE by Françoise Sagan (preferably tr. by Irene Ash). An irresistible story of love, frivolity and the games a young girl plays with other people’s emotions, set against the backdrop of a heady summer on the French Riviera. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/bonjour-tristesse-by-francoise-sagan-tr-heather-lloyd/ #NovNov
Day 13: SUMMER CROSSING by Truman Capote. This evocative story of a doomed romance elegantly explores how the choices we make in the inexperience of adolescence may have profoundly damaging consequences for the years that follow. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2019/07/09/literary-beginnings-monday-morning-by-patrick-hamilton-and-summer-crossing-by-truman-capote/ #NovNov
Day 14: VERTIGO by Boileau-Narcejac (tr Geoffrey Sainsbury). This story of obsession and desire, which formed the basis for the Hitchcock film, is well worth experiencing in its own right. If anything, it's darker and more disturbing than the movie https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2015/12/08/vertigo-by-boileau-narcejac-tr-geoffrey-sainsbury/ #NovNov
Day 15: MR FOX by Barbara Comyns. By turns funny, evocative and poignant, this gem of a novella has a very affecting ending, perfectly capturing the opportunistic nature of Mr Fox – a man constantly on the lookout for the next lucrative deal. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2019/06/25/mini-reviews-barbara-comyns-and-e-c-r-lorac/ #NovNov
Day 16: LOOK AT ME by Anita Brookner. A lonely young woman experiences a brief period of renaissance at the hands of a glamorous couple, only to be scarred by the torrid experience. Perceptive, engrossing and wonderfully enigmatic. I loved this. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/look-at-me-by-anita-brookner/ #NovNov
Day 17: HAPPINESS, AS SUCH by Natalia Ginzburg (tr. Minna Zallman Proctor), a beautiful, wryly humorous, melancholy novella of family relationships, written in the epistolary form. This author is well worth seeking out. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2020/11/17/happiness-as-such-by-natalia-ginzburg-tr-minna-zallman-proctor/ #NovNov
Day 18: DOUBLE INDEMNITY by James M. Cain. Classic noir doesn’t get much better than this. A book that taps into familiar themes of desire, corruption and greed. The film, directed by Billy Wilder, is pretty unmissable too! https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/double-indemnity-by-james-m-cain/ #NovNov
DAY 19: LA FEMME DE GILLES by Madeleine Bourdouxhe (tr. Faith Evans). A striking novella of love, desire and duplicity. Shades of Jean Rhys here with the insight into the protagonist’s inner life. A book I still think about a lot... https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2015/08/05/la-femme-de-gilles-by-madeleine-bourdouxhe-tr-by-faith-evans/ #NovNov
Day 20: THE BOOKSHOP by Penelope Fitzgerald. Probably my favourite Fitzgerald to date, this marvellous novella is very insightful on life’s failures and disappointments. Also shot through with some wonderful flashes of sly humour. A real treat. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/the-bookshop-by-penelope-fitzgerald/ #NovNov
Day 21: THE GIRL ON THE VIA FLAMINIA by Alfred Hayes. A bleak yet beautifully-written book, shot through with an aching sense of sadness. Another novella likely to chime with fans of Jean Rhys. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2018/12/04/the-girl-on-the-via-flaminia-by-alfred-hayes/ #NovNov
Day 22: DESPERATE CHARACTERS by Paula Fox. A cat-bite sparks a crisis in this excellent novella of lives unravelling. I really want to revisit this one next year… https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/desperate-characters-by-paula-fox/ #NovNov
Day 23: LOVE by Hanne Ørstavik (tr. Martin Aitken). A mother and son embark on separate yet strangely connected journeys on a bitterly cold night in this excellent book. A haunting, dreamlike novella that really gets under the skin. http://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2020/02/18/lov … #NovNov
Day 24: IN A LONELY PLACE by Dorothy B. Hughes. The source novel for one of my all-time favourite films - interestingly, the two interpretations are very different from one another. Irrespective of that, this is classic noir at its very best!
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/in-a-lonely-place-by-dorothy-b-hughes/ #NovNov
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/in-a-lonely-place-by-dorothy-b-hughes/ #NovNov
Day 25: WINTER IN SOKCHO by Elisa Shua Dusapin (tr. Aneesa Abbas Higgins), a haunting, enigmatic novella of great tenderness and beauty. One of my favourites from earlier this year. http://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2020/05/15/win … #NovNov
Day 26: THE OLD BOYS by William Trevor. Longstanding resentments resurface in this darkly comic novella, an early work from this wonderful writer. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/the-old-boys-by-william-trevor/ #NovNov
Day 27: SPEEDBOAT by Renata Adler. Broad in scope, intimate in detail – a fragmentary novella of scenes from a woman’s life. I love the sense of fluidity in this book. Adler’s prose is sublime. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2014/08/18/speedboat-by-renata-adler-nyrb-classics/ #NovNov
Day 28: BURNING SECRET by Stefan Zweig, who was #bornonthisday in 1881. This excellent novella, translated by Anthea Bell, perfectly captures a young boy's loss of innocence. Fans of L. P. Hartley's The Go-Between would likely enjoy this. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/burning-secret-by-stefan-zweig-tr-anthea-bell/ #NovNov #BOTD
Day 29: GHOST WALL by Sarah Moss. A taut, skilfully-crafted novella in which the twin horrors of past and present-day abuse come together to devastating effect. The blend of beauty and brutality makes it a very compelling read. https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2019/10/08/recent-reads-ghost-wall-by-sarah-moss-and-vera-by-elizabeth-von-arnim/ #NovNov
Day 30: ONE FINE DAY by Mollie Panter-Downes, a subtle understated novella that perfectly captures a time of great social change. The writing here is sublime... https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2017/06/27/one-fine-day-by-mollie-panter-downes/ #NovNov
