By Brian Toal
Breathtaking by Rachel Clarke
Although this was first published in 2021, it has been rereleased to coincide with the recent major TV drama. Clarke takes us through her terrifying journey from palliative care nurse, which you may have read about in a previous review – ‘Dear Life’ – to a frontline doctor in the fight against the pandemic. It was all hands on deck in hospitals with more or less everything else, from cancer treatment to elective surgery, cancelled to make way for more ICU beds. She is damning in her indictment of Boris Johnson’s leadership. ‘I’m distraught that this opening salvo in a major public health campaign has just been undermined by the man purporting to lead it.’ She is critical of the way in which Downing Street tried to spin the deaths of NHS workers.
‘There is nothing inspiring about these doctors’ deaths, those of nurses, paramedics, porters, cleaners or any of the other frontline staff who put their lives at risk by doing their jobs. Already, the government has enthusiastically taken to describing us all as ‘heroes’. But accolades will not keep anyone safe. For that, we need proper PPE.’ She is incandescent at the way in which the government were Machiavellian in their reporting of statistics. ‘…the government boosted its numbers by counting the individual gloves in one pair as two separate items of kit.’
And in the aftermath?
However, there are plenty of positives to come out of the pandemic, according to Clarke. ‘Communities coming together, the young and healthy offering to shop for those shielding, restaurants delivering mountains of takeaways to overworked hospital staff, everywhere the desire to be useful, to do something, to make it better, to help out. It startles and thrills me. There is, it turns out, such a thing as society. We do have more in common than that which divides us.’ I saw this throughout the pandemic.
Basic acts of kindness abounded, simple pleasures were enjoyed, and the most miniscule relaxation of Covid measures was welcomed by most, albeit nervously by some, and rightly so. And the final message is one of hope. ‘Whatever else we may learn from this pandemic, here is what I know now. That in the preceding month I have seen purer and more concentrated human decency than I ever dared to believe was possible. That this worst of times has brought forth our best. And that people, fundamentally, are good.’ So, enjoy your summer holidays, guys. But also cast your mind back to that time when we couldn’t go anywhere, and appreciate the freedoms we are enjoying again. Reflect on the basic humanity and decency in our society, and let’s learn what can be learnt from that awful time.
The Maiden by Kate Foster
Winner of the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year, Foster’s novel is set in 17th Century Edinburgh. The Maiden is the guillotine used to behead the nobility for heinous crimes, the plebs having to make do with hanging, burning and drowning. The story follows the fates of two women of very different standing: Christian Nimmo is the wife of a wealthy merchant and niece to Lord James Forrester of Corstorphine; Violet is a prostitute working in Bell’s Close, a notorious brothel off the High Street.
When Christian is arrested for the murder of her uncle James, her lover, it seems like an open and shut case. The testimony of Violet, her madam, the maid and the local vicar all help to condemn Christian to a gristly death. However, it’s the backstory which is really intriguing. How much agency did Christian have? How much agency did any woman at that time really have? Wealthy men of that time could take advantage of almost any woman they fancied.
The rampant sexism and misogyny of the time are artfully exposed by Foster in her clever reimagining of this true crime. Foster used as a reference point a scathing account of Christian Nimmo’s life from a contemporary manuscript, in which she is described as living a ‘godless’ life. Foster didn’t believe that, and instead imagines what may have led a woman at that time to have an affair with her uncle and eventually take a sword to him.
Burning Crowns by Catherine Boyle and Katherine Webber
(Reviewed by Iris Martin, P7 Jordanhill School)
What’s better than one great author? Two! Catherine Boyle and Katherine Webber have combined their love of Irish myths and legends to create the mythical world of Eana in their Twin Crowns series.
In Burning Crowns, the third and final instalment of the series, Boyle and Webber tell the incredible tale of twin queens, who rule side by side as their sly, ‘undead ancestor’ Oonagh Starcrest is threatening their beloved kingdom. Queen Wren, a reckless and fearless leader, has been trapped by a curse that binds her and the king of Gerva together. A deadly curse they must break before it kills them. Queen Rose, a kind and just leader, must voyage to find a witchmade weapon, if she has any hope of defeating Oonagh and saving Eana. Rose has a complicated relationship with Shen Lu, King of the Sunkissed Kingdom, while Wren must choose whether her heart lies with Captain Tor Iversen, Captain of the Gervan Royal Guard, or King Alarik, the obnoxious King of Gerva.
It has twists and turns that will surprise and shock you. This story gripped me from the very start with its fearless, wild, exciting, and chaotic adventures of Wren and Rose. One thing I really enjoyed about the book was the excitement and thrill of the adventure the twins had to go through. It had such a great storyline that at the start I was hooked with anticipation but when I finished, I didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Books available from Waterstones Byres Road
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