Faces on the tip of my tongue

by Emmanuelle Pagano
A really interesting book translated from the French in the Peirene press series. It tells the story of a French village from small anecdotal stories that seem unconnected apart from the odd cross reference that gradually makes the whole hang together. No names are used to add to the confusion but the stories are those of any rural setting and beautifully evocative writing 8/10

Steel Boat, Iron Hearts

by Hans Goebeler
This is life aboard a U-boat in the second world war as seen through the eyes of a crewman aboard U-505. It is a candid tale of life on board and ashore in Lorient and Brest in Brittany. Taken as a tale told with hindsight and the removal of time it is a fascinating history told by the losing side and adds some balance to the standard histories of the period. It was a miserable existence in my view but won that Herr Goebeler had immense pride in and his insistence that he was motivated by love of his homeland like most sailors the world over has a ring of truth to it. The relentless bombing of the allies on French civilian towns is as equally abhorrent as the german bombing of London and Plymouth and other cities. It was an interesting read 8/10

The Man who saw everything

by Deborah Levy
I would not recommend Deborah Levy for the pulsating plot line. What I enjoy so much is her writing and the way a story is borne along on the language and beauty of the style.
This book is about Saul Adler who gets hit by a car on the iconic Abbey Road zebra crossing in 1988 and again seemingly in 2016. Once before the Iron curtain fell and once as Britain voted to leave the EU. But this is an unreliable narrator and we slip about in time and many things are not what they seem. What a man remembers is not always truth. I really enjoyed this book and cannot understand why it did not make the shortlist. 9/10

Grand Union

by Zadie Smith
A book of short stories that was a mixed bag as all such collections are I suppose. There were a few that I really enjoyed, Parents morning epiphany, Miss Adele amongst the corsets, Kelso deconstructed, and For the King remain in the memory. Not a great fan of short stories as a type but this was ok. 6/10

This Poison Will Remain

by Fred Vargas
Commissioner Adamsberg gets called back from Iceland to solve a case in the first few pages of this book but then gets sidetracked into examining a case of poisoning by spider bite. With its normal twists and turns and eccentricities of the team this was another enjoyable read, albeit the crimes uncovered were horrific. 8/10

The Testaments

by Margaret Attwood
The last of the five Booker shortlisted novels I am reading. I did get 150 pages into Ducks, Newburyport but found it too in love with the art of novelty than with storytelling.
This was a good follow up to the Handmaids Tale but not as good as its predecessor. The story is told through three characters. One of these, Aunt Lydia, was a key character in the first novel but we get to hear her side of the story. The other two narrators are new but it soon becomes clear they have links to the previous book. The first part of the book was good but the later part had elements of an Enid Blyton adventure which seemed out of keeping. Still a good read 8/10
I know while typing this that this book won the Booker Prize last night jointly with Girl, Woman, Other. Given Lanny had already been eliminated I can't argue with that decision.