Last March, I started a foray into the works of female writers in commemoration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (March 8). It has also been a while since I hosted Women’s Literature Month. It was a literary journey that, without a surprise, filled me with wonder and excitement. It was a magical journey, as always, that took me across the world. It also made me revisit writers whose bodies of works are already familiar to me while, at the same time, introducing me to writers whose oeuvre I have yet to explore and experience. However, toward the end of the month, I felt like I still have a lot more of reading to do. As a result, I decided to extend my journey this April

As always, it was a riveting journey. I was transported across time and space because of the books I read. This back-to-back literary adventure was also instrumental in ticking off several books from my outstanding reading challenges. As early as now, I have already completed nine of the books on my 2024 Top 24 Reading List! I usually cram toward the end of the year. I am also done with four of the books on my 2024 Beat the Backlist Challenge. There are still several books I wanted to read but time does fly fast. Before I knew it, a new month was already knocking. But before I transition to a new literary journey, here is a peek into how my April reading journey shaped up. Happy reading!

Maame by Jessica George

I resumed my foray into the works of female writers with Jessica George’s debut novel, Maame. It was at the start of 2023 when I first encountered George. Maame, was a familiar presence in several most anticipated 2023 book release lists. The book then made it to my own 2023 Books I Look Forward To List but unfortunately, I was not able to obtain a copy of the book until this year, hence, its inclusion in my foray into the works of female writers. The book’s title Maame is a Twi word – George is of Ghanaian heritage – which means woman or a mother. It was also Madeleine “Maddie” Wright’s mother’s nickname for her daughter. She was the primary caretaker of her 57-year-old father who was afflicted with advanced-stage Parkinson’s disease as her mother spends most of her time in Ghana running her family’s business. When we first met her, Maddie was already twenty-five but she felt like she never lived. Her life was also starting to unravel. She had an unfulfilling work and a non-existent social life because of her circumstances. Meanwhile, her peers were living life to the fullest. Maame, at its heart, is the story of a young woman experiencing the so-called quarter-life crisis. On top of this, Maddie had to confront her culture and her equally tumultuous relationship with her family. Her story is one that many young adults can relate to. Maame was an accessible read that was enriched by cultural touchstones.

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The Wondrous and Tragic Life of Ivan and Ivana by Maryse Condé

Nestled in the Caribbean is the tiny island of Guadeloupe. It was from this French territory that Maryse Condé, long-considered a dame of Caribbean literature, originated. It was through discourses for possible Nobel Prize in Literature awardees that I first came across her way back in 2018. She is yet to be recognized by the Swedish Academy but she has piqued my interest, so much so that in the span of three years, I am already reading my fourth novel by her. The Wondrous and Tragic Life of Ivan and Ivana charted the story of a pair of twins, the titular Ivan and Ivana who were born to Simone in Dos d’Âne, a “godforsaken hole” in Guadeloupe. Named after Ivan the Terrible, they grew up without knowing their father and in squalor in a countryside village detached from the comforts of the modern world; the story was set in the 21st century. Ivan seems to be upholding the reputation of his namesake; it was a foreshadowing of some sort. He was semi-hoodlum and dropped out of school. He also resented the inequities that he experienced and had a cynical view of life. It was his radicalization that was the heart of the story; Ivana remained mostly in the background. The heritage of colonialism also reverberated throughout the story; it is a recurring theme in Condé’s oeuvre. Overall, the story was a predictable story but it also showed a different dimension of Condé’s storytelling.

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Variable Cloud by Carmen Martín Gaite

From the Caribbean, my next read took me to mainland Europe for the first time since I started reading exclusively works written by female writers. It was through an online bookseller that I first came across Spanish writer Carmen Martín Gaite and her novel, Variable Cloud. I had no inkling about her nor have I heard any of her works before. This did not preclude me from obtaining a copy of the book. Gaite, I have learned, is one of contemporary Spain’s leading female writers. Her 1992 novel Nubosidad variable chronicles the story of Sofia and Mariana who once were close friends at school. They inevitably grew apart but a chance encounter during a party they both attended in their middle ages helped rekindle their friendship. Sofia was now a wife and the mother of three children. However, her marriage was falling at the seams. Mariana, on the other hand, was a successful psychiatrist who was incapable of forming stable relationships with men. This was until she met Raimundo, a depressive man. Through their correspondences – the story was primarily epistolary in form – Gaite captured the intricacies of the feminine mind and female friendships. They confided in each other their views on a plethora of subjects such as sex, marriage, politics, and even literature. Variable Cloud was a unique experience brimming with commentaries on the intricacies of family life, marriage, and even feminity.

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Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

I first encountered Jodi Picoult when I was still in university. Her works were ubiquitous. However, it has nearly been a decade since I last read one of her novels; before Sing You Home, I already read three of her works, with My Sister’s Keeper being the most recent. When I encountered Sing You Home through an online seller, I was reluctant to buy it but I eventually relented because I had been meaning to read one of Picoult’s works. At the heart of the novel are the Baxters, Zoe and Max; as can be expected from Picoult, the novel examines family values and dynamics. They have been married for nearly a decade. However, they never had a child but it was not from lack of trying. They miscarried and Max also had infertility issues. As a last resort and because they were already in their late thirties, they tried in vitro fertilization. It offered a glimpse of hope until it didn’t, prompting the end of their marriage. Max felt like he was no longer Zoe’s priority as she had been too preoccupied with the idea of having a baby. A tiny detail in their divorce was the crux of the story. They have not specified who the owner of their last three embryos will be, prompting Zoe and Max to battle it out in the legal system. Zoe, now married to Vanessa, still wanted to have a child. Max, backed by his church, wanted to get the embryos to avoid giving them to a couple with a “deviant” lifestyle. Plot twists toward the end of the novel caught me by surprise.

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The Age of Goodbyes by Li Zi Shu

From North America, my reading journey transported me to a more familiar territory, Asia. It was just recently that I came across Li Zi Shu when I came across the Malaysian writer’s novel The Age of Goodbyes during one of my not-so-random trips to the bookstore. The book immediately piqued my interest despite not having never heard of Li before. Besides, I want to expand my foray into South East Asian literature. The Age of Goodbyes is an unconventional novel, to say the least. The novel starts on page 513 (I thought it was a misprint). Apparently, this is a nod to the deadly race riots that broke out in Malaysia on May 13, 1969. The story charts the story of an eclectic cast of characters, starting with Du Li An, the daughter of a street vendor who marries a gangster named Steely Bo following the riots. A second thread follows the son of a sex worker who lives in an otherworldly brothel called Mayflower. He was also reading about Du Li An’s love affair in the novel titled The Age of Goodbyes. The third narrative is framed through second-person narration with the subject being a literary critic referred to as the Fourth Person. Fourth Person had a fixation with the works of Shaozi, a pseudonym for a woman rumored to be named Du Li An. Because of its unusual structure, the novel can be disorienting; these three narratives were related alternately. Nevertheless, this experimental novel is a compelling read.

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The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak

I stayed in Asia for my next read although I had to travel across the continent, to Turkey with Elif Shafak’s The Architect’s Apprentice. Since discovering the Turkish writer in 2019, Shafak has become one of my favorite writers. In fact, The Architect’s Apprentice is my fifth by Shafak, making her one of my most-read writers in the past decade. The titular architect’s apprentice is Jahan who, at the age of twelve, fled from home because of his abusive stepfather. He then found himself on a ship en route to Constantinople captained by Captain Gareth. Also onboard was a young white elephant, a gift to Sultan Suleiman I from Hindustan; the novel was set during the Ottoman Empire. As part of Captain Gareth’s scheme to steal from the palace, he sent Jahan to be the elephant’s mahout (keeper). However, the scheme did not go as planned as Jahan found himself under the tutelage of Sinan, the Chief Royal Architect. Jahan became his apprentice while, at the same time, the young elephant’s mahout; he named the elephant Chota. As he was fitting into his new role, the Ottoman Empire was flourishing. Mosques, aqueducts, and other architectural and engineering feats were rising, showcasing the Ottoman’s ingenuity, power, and growing influence. Overall, The Architect’s Apprentice is a compelling story that I liked, perhaps the best among Shafak’s works I already read. It transported me back in history and yet again, Istanbul was prominently featured.  

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The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie

In the past decade, my second most-read writer is Agatha Christie. The A.B.C. Murders was her twelfth book I have read since 2014; it was also my 32nd novel by Christie, making her also my second most-read writer overall. Only Haruki Murakami (14 in the past decade) and Danielle Steel (42 overall) bested her, respectively. I was not planning on reading The A.B.C. Murders but hey, this is the Queen of Suspense we are talking about. The A.B.C. Murders reintroduces Hercule Poirot, easily one of the most recognized literary sleuths. The story, however, was narrated by the Belgian detective’s friend and chronicler, Arthur Hastings. Shortly after returning from South America, Hastings met with Poirot who showed him a mysterious letter. Signed A.B.C., the letter detailed a crime about to take place. The letter was also challenging and mocking Poirot’s sleuthing skills. On the set date, the lifeless body of Alice Ascher was found in her tobacco shop in Andover. It was succeeded by a new letter and a second death, that of Elizabeth “Betty” Barnard who was found lifeless on the beach at Bexhill. A third death ensued:  Sir Carmichael Clarke, a wealthy man, was killed at his home in Churston. Linking the murders was an ABC Rail Guide left beside the victim. Just when you thought Poirot was at his wit’s end – to even think of it is blasphemy, to be honest – Poirot pulls a trick off of his sleeves. The A.B.C. Murders is classic Christie.

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The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker

It has been years since I read my only novel by Alice Walker. Honestly, I was not a fan of The Color Purple even though it earned Walker several accolades. The book’s liberal use of colloquial wedged between my appreciation and understanding of the novel. Nevertheless, I still wanted to pursue exploring her oeuvre, hence, my purchase of The Temple of Familiar. I included The Temple of Familiar in my 2024 Beat the Backlist Challenge and also my 2024 To 24 Reading List. Widely considered a companion to The Color Purple, The Temple of Familiar charts the fortunes of an eclectic cast of characters: Carlotta and her mother Zedé, Suwelo and his wife Fanny, and Arveyda, among others. It commenced with Zedé who was born and raised in Latin America but fled to the United States with her young daughter to escape poverty and the communist regime. In San Francisco, they met Arveyda who marries Carlotta. A devastating twist of events left Carlotta betrayed. Then entered Suwelo, a history professor having a eureka moment. Meanwhile, Fanny also used to teach but was now running a massage parlor that Carlotta frequented. Their individual threads diverged and converged in a multifaceted story that probed into a plethora of subjects such as the feminine experience, and the legacy of colonialization. I must say I prefer The Temple of My Familiar over The Color Purple. Or maybe it is time to revisit the latter.

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The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing

It has been years since I first encountered the Nobel Laureate in Literature, Doris Lessing although back then, I barely had any iota about the Nobel Prize. Nevertheless, her novel The Golden Notebook piqued my interest but I have yet to obtain a copy of the book. However, I was able to obtain copies of her other works such as The Grass is Singing and The Good Terrorist. The Grass is Singing, I learned, was Lessing’s first published novel, making it a good springboard for exploring her oeuvre. The novel is set in 1940s Southern Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe). It opened with a newspaper clipping about the murder of a white woman named Mary Turner. The wife of Dick, a farmer, Mary’s lifeless body was discovered on the veranda by Tony Marston, the assistant of Charlie Slatter, their neighboring farm’s owner. At the crime scene, the Turner’s black houseboy Moses confessed to the crime. The story then transports the readers to the past as it traces the Turners’ backstory, particularly on Mary who used to be career-driven. She was reluctant to settle down but pressure from her peers made her reevaluate. Dick was also reluctant to get married because of his poverty. However, life had other plans. What ensued was a less than idyllic life. The novel seemed simple but its slenderness belied a complex story examining the legacy of colonialization and racism. Although it was slender, it was a good introduction to Lessing’s body of work.

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The Appointment by Herta Müller

In the history of the Nobel Prize in Literature, only a handful of women were awarded the distinction. Among them is Romanian-born writer Herta Müller whom I first encountered during the pandemic through online booksellers. I was impressed by The Hunger Angel despite its dark and heavy subjects. The Appointment gave me an opportunity to explore her oeuvre further. Set in Romania during Nicolae Ceauşescu’s communist regime, The Appointment opened with an unnamed woman. She was on the tram on the way to the titular appointment. She was about to be interrogated by Major Albu, an officer of the secret police. The anonymous woman worked as a factory seamstress and was cognizant of her offense; she sewed notes into white suits destined for Italy. These notes contained her name and address and asked anyone who found them to marry her. For the secret police, it was a form of prostitution. On her way to her appointment, the woman reflected on her past. Her flashback examined the factors that led to her current situation. She ruminated on the men she was involved with and her friendship with Lilli. All over the story, the atrocities of the regime were vividly captured. Censorship, violence, and invasion of privacy were prevalent. It was a good read with solid writing. Reading it, however, entails focus in order to wade through the horrific images of daily life in communist Romania.

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A Girl’s Story by Annie Ernaux

Somehow, I feel that in order for female writers to be lauded with the Nobel Prize in Literature, their body of work must be extraordinary or a notch above everyone else. Take the case of French writer Annie Ernaux who was lauded for her masterful integration of autobiographical elements into fiction. Her works straddle the blurred lines of nonfiction and fiction, from my understanding. Memory is seminal in her oeuvre, as can be gleaned in her memoir A Girl’s Story. Originally published in French in 2016, A Girl’s Story backtracks to Annie’s teenage years. The year was 1958 and Annie Duchesne was just eighteen years old. Following her high school graduation, she joined a summer camp as one of the group leaders. It was the first time she was staying away from her family, particularly, from the clutches of her overbearing mother. She yearned for some semblance of freedom and wanted to experience love and passion. At the camp, she was swept by H, a head instructor. On the precipice of adulthood, Annie lost her innocence and virginity at the summer camp. In a way, the memoir reflects Annie’s attitude toward sexuality and how, with time, her view has become generally accepted. Occasionally, the Annie of the present interjects, providing a different vantage point. It was an interesting and welcome experience. There is a fictional quality that reeled me in and the author’s quandary kept me hooked.

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Reading Challenge Recaps
  1. My 2024 Top 24 Reading List: 9/24
  2. 2024Beat The Backlist: 4/20; 42/60
  3. 2024 Books I Look Forward To List: 2/10
  4. Goodreads 2024 Reading Challenge: 44/80
  5. 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die: 3/20
  6. New Books Challenge: 2/15
  7. Translated Literature: 12/40
Book Reviews Published in April
  1. Book Review # 502: The Great Divide
  2. Book Review # 503: The Bride Price
  3. Book Review # 504: Maame
  4. Book Review # 505: Vagabonds!
  5. Book Review # 506: Far From the Madding Crowd
  6. Book Review # 507: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
  7. Book Review # 508: The Rose and the Yew Tree

In terms of writing book reviews, February and March were both record-breaking in their own ways. In this stretch, I published a total of twenty-two book reviews, twenty book reviews more than my January output. It was also the first time in a while that I published at least ten book reviews in a month, back-to-back at that. However, things slowed down this April. I was idle most of the time because the heat had been oppressive. Further, things got busy at the office. Nevertheless, I am happy I was able to complete seven book reviews. It is still a decent number. I have also recently completed all my February pending book reviews; I published my review of Brooklyn last May 1. Now, my focus is on my pending reviews from March 2023. Upon checking, I have ten pending reviews from this month. I have a lot of catching up to do. I am crossing my fingers that I get to complete all of these pending reviews this May although my mantra is still to take it one step at a time.

For May, I have decided to explore the works of European writers. I have a lot of books from this part of the literary world that I have included in my reading challenges. I have already started this journey toward the end of April; the last three books I read were written by European writers. For now, I am focusing on the works of Nobel Laureates in Literature. I just completed my first novel by Hermann Hesse in over five years. I have also read my first novel by Patrick Modiano and currently, I am reading World Light, the second novel by Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness I read. I still have a lot in line. Among them are Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks, Knut Hamsun’s Hunger, a book by José Saramago, and hopefully a book by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

How about you fellow reader? How is your own reading journey going? I hope you enjoyed the books you have read. For now, have a great day. As always, do keep safe, and happy reading everyone!