I have bookish confession this month: October’s Bookish Escape Crate book – A Spark of Light – is the first book I have read by Jodi Picoult! I used to read mostly fantasy books, and if I was reading something contemporary it was probably young adult. Then I had my daughter and was too scared of my feelings to read about the kinds of issues Jodi often covers in her books. Having now read this one, I’m still not quite sure what to think of her work – whether I’m a ‘fan’ or not. I’m looking forward to talking to people who love her work to find out how A Spark of Light compares to her backlist, and whether it’s representative of her usual writing style.

When Vonita opened the doors of the Center that morning, she had no idea that it would be for the last time. Wren has missed school to come to the Center, the sole surviving women's reproductive health clinic in the state, chaperoned by her aunt, Bex. Olive told Peg she was just coming for a check-up. Janine is undercover, a pro-life protester disguised as a patient. Joy needs to terminate her pregnancy. Louie is there to perform a service for these women, not in spite of his faith, but because of it. When a desperate and distraught gunman bursts into the Center, opening fire and taking everyone hostage, Hugh McElroy is the police negotiator called to the scene. He has no idea that his fifteen-year-old daughter is inside. 

 I thought the writing itself was wonderful - I found it descriptive without being laboured, and I could really picture what was happening so clearly in my mind as I read. I also really liked the range of characters in the book, and the fact that we get to see the story unfold from so many different points of view. I was surprised though that I never really felt closely connected to any character in particular. I’m not sure whether this is because there are so many people, or because of the way the narrative is structured.

A Spark of Light is told backward through the hours of the day. I think this is probably to try and focus the reader on each of the character’s backgrounds and how their beliefs and life experiences had led them to be in the same place for difference reasons on that day, rather than focussing on what happens to them through and after the siege. While this is a clever idea, I didn’t really think it quite worked for me. I think I missed the suspense and tension that you would usually get from this sort of story and maybe already knowing pretty much how things were going to turn out for the characters kept me a bit removed from them. It also meant that the characters didn’t get an opportunity to really learn from each-other or get a better understanding of each-other’s beliefs.

Overall, I enjoyed this in the kind of way that I would enjoy an episode of something like Law and Order on the TV. It was a pretty easy read, but perhaps a bit flat and didn’t really leave a big impact on me or make me think about the issues it deals with afterwards the way I expected it to.

I gave this 3 stars and I think I would probably recommend it as a good summer read for someone who is looking for something a bit serious but not too heavy (or murder/crime-y). It would also be a good read for someone who wants to learn more about both sides of the pro-life/pro-choice debate, since the writing is quite balanced, and it is clearly well researched.

I knew pretty much nothing about the September Bookish Escape Crate book – Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black – when I first picked it up, except that it was on the 2018 Man Booker longlist (and has since been shortlisted), and the cover is divine (I adore a foil detailed cover!) This is one of my favourite things about a subscription book like this – that it often means I’ll read a book that I probably wouldn’t have picked up otherwise. And in the case of Washington Black I’m so glad I did! I really enjoyed this one! The book follows the journey and adventures of Washington (Wash) Black as he tries to escape the brutality of slavery and discover who he is without it.

When two English brothers take the helm of a Barbados sugar plantation, Washington Black - an eleven-year-old field slave - finds himself selected as personal servant to one of these men. The eccentric Christopher 'Titch' Wilde is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor and abolitionist, whose single-minded pursuit of the perfect aerial machine mystifies all around him.
Titch's idealistic plans are soon shattered and Washington finds himself in mortal danger. They escape the island together, but then then Titch disappears and Washington must make his way alone, following the promise of freedom further than he ever dreamed possible.
From the blistering cane fields of Barbados to the icy wastes of the Canadian Arctic, from the mud-drowned streets of London to the eerie deserts of Morocco, Washington Black teems with all the strangeness and mystery of life. Inspired by a true story, Washington Black is the extraordinary tale of a world destroyed and made whole again.
I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it was about this one that I loved, but here are some of my thoughts…

It had a similar vibe to me as Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad (which I also loved), although it felt perhaps less tense to me. I think this was probably because of the use of the first-person past tense, which gives the sense of this being told as kind of a memoir and makes us feel like in the end it will work out for protagonist Wash. Similarly, while there was some brutality in the book it felt less impactful – maybe because the use of past tense removes the reader from it a bit?
On the topic of tense, I’m not always a fan of writing in first person, especially in present tense, but when it is past tense like in this case I feel like it can be so beautiful. I thought it totally worked in this case - the writing was wonderful, and almost haunting, and reminded me a bit of the writing in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, or Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead.
Apart from clearly being a total sucker for a beautifully written ‘memoir’ novel, I really enjoyed the adventure and science aspects of this one. ‘Discovery’ was a strong theme through the book, both in terms of Titch’s inventions and the marine science Wash becomes involved in later in his story, but also in Wash’s discovery of the world, human nature, and himself. The combination of these gave the story a classic adventure/sci-fi Jules Verne kind of feel.

On a more serious note, I felt like Washington Black gives us a lot to think about in terms of privilege and what it means to be ‘an ally’ from a place of privilege. Titch clearly does not support the brutal treatment of the slaves on his brother’s plantation, but there are some really important and clever passages in the book that question his motivations and feelings – did he take Wash in to ‘save’ him? Or for his own benefit? And is his opposition to slavery about helping the m=people themselves, or about his own discomfort? Similarly, the effect of this change on Wash is also really interesting - he has been removed from the fields to a ‘safer’ life, but what does that mean for his identity? And where does he belong, when the rest of the world views him differently than Titch does?
So, that was my take on Washington Black: A bit of Colson Whitehead, meets Marilynne Robinson memoir-iness, with a twist of Jules Verne adventure, but also plenty to think about in relation to racism and privilege in today’s world. I definitely loved the writing and am keen to check out Esi Edugyan’s other work, and to see how this goes when the Man Booker winner is announced next week!

Would you recommend this to someone?
Yes! I gave this one 4 out of 5 Cloud-Cutter balloons and recommend it for fans of The Underground Railway, old school adventure, and gorgeous haunting prose.

Similar authors/titles:
The Underground Railway, Jules Verne, Colson Whitehead, Marilynne Robinson