Book Review: Good Material
February 20, 2025
Dolly has a special talent for finding unique aspects of relationships, and describing them in a way that will make you go ‘yes, so true!’
Known for his ability to gobble books at a breakneck pace, Jack has travelled the width and breadth of Scorpio’s shelves, yet he always finds himself returning to fiction. He loves fresh, snappy novels where the strange and sensual intersect with the thought provoking and topical. He is a particular champion of Pip Adam, Ali Smith and Rachel Cusk.
(Jack has left Scorpio for other adventures, but we still love his reviews.)
Dolly has a special talent for finding unique aspects of relationships, and describing them in a way that will make you go ‘yes, so true!’
It doesn’t attempt to explain the politics of the genocide but forms a touching and tragic patchwork of loss and endurance against the odds.
It’s awe inspiring and truly magnificent – highly recommended for anyone wanting to know where we came from.
Cusk doesn’t seek to create a world – instead, she creates a network that projects out into ours, requiring the reader’s own interpretation.
Many flowing plot threads weave through each other, eventually tying together in the most satisfying, incredible way.
When freed from the restrictions of the long-form novel, Woolf’s writing seems to become much looser, more experimental and fun.
Dolly has a really special talent for finding unique but true aspects of relationships that aren’t really talked about…
An excellent choice for anyone who’s interested in learning more about the Palestine conflict, but is wary of too much emotional weight.
The writing is sharp, searing and sometimes bleak, but it’s all wrapped up in rich imagery that makes reading it so thoroughly irresistible.
A complex novel tracing a century of Vietnamese history, laden with elements of horror, folklore, family legacy, love and hate.
You could easily spend three lifetimes exploring the layers of meaning in Second Place, and to be honest, I’d quite like to!
Every so often, I find novels that don’t demand reading. Instead, I can simply let the magic wash over me – this was one such novel.
So Late in the Day reads as reverential and unhurried, yet so much is packed into this economical prose…
Reflections on correction and humanity come together beautifully in this impressionist portrait of a novel!
The depth and complexity of Siberian culture is showcased here in a rambling, adventurous journey through the ages of Siberian history.
Overall, a great novel that explores what it means to be human and how books themselves can influence our lives.
The first half reads like an excellent contemporary novel, and then it melts away into claustrophobic, bizarre magic.
It describes how unhealthy friendships in your formative years can leave you scarred and vulnerable, through the most unusual imagery.
Adrift in a post-quake Christchurch, 19-year-old Eddy is searching for a purpose: odd jobs are some of his attempts to make a life