What I Read This Month - December 2023

Amputation Capital - Neil Gibson and Raymond Tyler

Meeting the author, Neil Gibson himself at Comic-Con, we discussed my interest in reading comic books - and my lack of experience reading comic books. Browsing the titles he had to offer, I noticed a bleakness surrounding each theme. The premise of Amputation Capital caught hold of my intrigue tight enough to secure a purchase. Revolving the topic of social media influencers and the impact public attention has on society, Amputation Capital holds a narrative that proves the lengths celebrities will go to in order to restore their fame and become a conversation topic again - including selling their body parts.

With an eerie nature throughout, this graphic novel gripped my attention from the start and latched onto it until the very end. Inducing both humour and shock, I regarded the reading escapade of Gibson’s work highly. To discuss a topic so honest, and almost taboo, in a disturbing way, I found brilliant.

All The Lovers In The Night - Mieko Kawakami 

No book has taken me through a character’s journey of self-discovery quite like Mieko Kawakami’s All The Lovers In The Night. With poetic execution, the narrative follows a woman who works as a freelance proofreader - unable to navigate the flaws in her own life.

I found the contrast of dialogue styles between the narration of the main character, Fuyuko Irie and her inebriated speech greatly interesting. In most novels I have read, the narrator expresses their authentic emotions to the reader, but not the fictional character in which they are conversing. However, due to Fuyuko’s ambiguity of her own self-awareness and identification, her inner thoughts are projected through intoxication and conversation.

The human rawness of this prose is something that I believe will hold a part of my mind for a while.

Conditions of Love, The Philosophy of Intimacy - John Armstrong

Topics surrounding desire and infidelity have heavily played on my mind as of late. The way I have grown to view modern romance has warped my understanding of where the longing for love should be placed in life. John Armstrong’s Conditions of Love discusses the unrealistic expectations we hold for a partner and why we cannot ever be satisfied. The ways in which we sacrifice healthy relationships in the hopes for something more, impact each relationship that follows. Armstrong eloquently puts,

“It is as if each person actually belongs to several jigsaws at once and hence fits perfectly into none.”

Understanding the concept of infatuation and desire, where it places our morals, was an intention I owned for the completion of this book. I am somebody who wants answers. Though I must reach the conclusions myself, I feel reassured to be presented with a depiction of what is wrong and what is right. Conditions of Love does not spoon-feed you the answer to your questions. Instead, it presents philosophical theories from a variety of viewpoints. Some sentences connected with me and encouraged me to settle my questions from an unfamiliar perspective. In fact, half of a page was underlined in black ink due to the poignancy of its contents and the way it provoked my thoughts about the future.

Abroad In Japan - Chris Broad

Listening to the author himself, Chris Broad, recite his adventures when moving to Japan from his book, Abroad In Japan, was an incredibly warming experience. Though each time I pressed play, I was guaranteed to audibly laugh, the novel is intensely rich with educational content surrounding the country. I found that the narrative read as the mindset of the narrator. By this, I mean that the beginning of the story reveals a first impression of Japanese culture. As the story progresses, and the narrator becomes acclimatised to his new home, his attention focuses more on the tragic occurrences in the country and the people living in it. Abroad In Japan is an enjoyable read, while subtly, though effectively, provoking important thoughts of the reader.

Family of Liars - E. Lockhart

There is not a writer quite like E. Lockhart. Poetry fuels each and every sentence in ink. Not one word is wasted. Family of Liars is a prequel that follows one of my favourite books, We Were Liars. Set on a private island, the narrative uncovers the secrets buried deep within the lives of the wealthy and the beautiful. It is a story of family. Of darkness. Of lies and of truth.

Christmas Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella

The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella is one that I have now completed. When you continue to read the existence of characters you have grown fond and familiar with, there is a sense of comfort that is brought. Personally, I am not a festive fanatic. So, I saved Christmas Shopaholic to read only a few days before the big day. Genuinely, I do not recall a book to make me laugh this often. Each chapter had a sentence to make me chuckle. It is the lead character’s innocent and creative imagination that I find so entertaining. I am almost saddened that I have completed the series. Perhaps I will have to read them all again!

Nasty Women - Laura Jones

I adore an essay. A piece that is seemingly simple but rich with purpose. In Nasty Women, females tell their stories of the injustice that they have experienced and witnessed in the 21st century. These powerful accounts are difficult to read, or listen to in my case. Covering gender inequality throughout each, some stories involve other pressing issues such as racial discrimination and homophobia. The book intends to create further “nasty women”. To have women speak up. To not be silenced. To share their stories. It is devastating and empowering.