Books I Read in November 2023

Nine Pints by Rose George is a non-fiction about “the mysterious, miraculous world of blood”. The title refers to the approximate amount of blood we have in our bodies, and George explores various blood-related topics across nine chapters covering disease, cultural attitudes and medical breakthroughs. George‘s global tour includes HIV education in South Africa, the taboo of menstruation in Nepal, the infected blood scandal in the UK and a controversial plasma clinic in Canada. There are also more positive stories about pioneers such as Oxford scientist Dame Janet Vaughan who set up the world’s first mass blood donation system during the Second World War and Arunchalam Muruganantham who helped develop low-cost sanitary products in India. George is an engaging popular science author whose thorough essays combine historical research and field reporting and are crammed with facts. It’s probably not the ideal book for anyone who is particularly squeamish, but at least there aren’t any illustrations.

Broken Heartlands: A Journey Through Labour’s Lost England by Sebastian Payne details the Gateshead-born political journalist’s road trip through the “red wall” seats in the Midlands and north of England, which were previously Labour strongholds but voted for the Conservative Party in the 2019 general election for the first time in several decades. Payne interviews past and present MPs and other political figures and locals to understand how the Brexit referendum and Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership caused such a dramatic swing to the right in these areas. Published in 2021, some of Payne’s predictions about the future haven’t aged too well (“The Westminster parlour game of ‘who will be the next Tory leader’ is likely to be some way off” p. 283), but his analysis of the reasons why the Labour Party polled so badly in 2019 remains pertinent reading ahead of the next general election. He is also right to highlight the diversity of the red wall itself and that deindustrialisation and demographic change have been felt more keenly in some areas than others. The bonus chapter in the 2022 paperback edition looks at the equivalent “blue wall” of Conservative heartlands in Surrey. Payne didn’t seem too convinced at the time of writing that the Tories faced extinction in these areas. However, recent by-election results suggest otherwise, so perhaps there is potential for a sequel about the aftermath of the next general election. Recognised as a Book of the Year by both the Guardian and the Daily Mail, ‘Broken Heartlands’ is worth reading whatever your political views.

Normal Rules Don’t Apply by Kate Atkinson is a collection of interconnected short stories. Particularly for authors best known for their long-form work, short stories are often a means for experimentation and Atkinson certainly covers a wide range of genres here including some unusual dabbles in science fiction and folklore whimsy. The opening story set in 2028 where a type of darkness known as The Void descends for five minutes and kills anyone who was outdoors during that time may sound grim but is still full of her trademark dry humour. Some of the stories feature a recurring character called Franklin, and this made me wonder if he was supposed to be a protagonist in a novel which didn’t quite work out, or if Atkinson might revisit him properly in the future. Overall, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, as short story collections usually are, but still full of Atkinson’s inimitable style.

All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow was longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize. Sicilian-born Sunday Forrester is autistic and lives with her 16-year-old daughter Dolly in rural England. Their glamorous new neighbours, Vita and Rollo, quickly become involved in their lives, disrupting Sunday’s preference for stability and routine. Debut author Lloyd-Barlow is also autistic, and her lived experience informs her portrayal of Sunday’s preoccupations with food, other people’s word pronunciations and unravelling social etiquette cues. When Dolly starts becoming more influenced by Vita and Rollo, the story offers a unique and more complex perspective of a mother-daughter relationship, particularly when revelations about Sunday’s past come to light. ‘All the Little Bird-Hearts’ is a quietly affecting and empathetically written novel and I’m glad that its Booker Prize longlisting will help it find a wider audience.