Blame My Shelf

Lullaby, also known as The Perfect Nanny, is another novel that has been particularly lauded this year. The short narrative centres around aspirational lawyer Myriam on her return to work, where she and her husband Paul thrust their two small children Mila and Adam into the care of Louise. Louise, as titles may suggest, seems to be the perfect nanny. She is motherly and cares for them as if they were her own, and to Myriam and Paul’s surprise and embarrassment, and later, reliance, cooks their meals and cleans their tiny “stifling” Paris apartment before Louise creeps back to her own, cold and decrepit apartment to savour limited hours of sleep before she starts the cycle again. Inevitably, Louise and the families’ lives become entwined, working hours become blurred and job description thrown aside to help them out in any way she can. The crux, as we find in the first sentences of the book, is that Louise has killed the two children in her care. The writing style is simple – ...

Celeste Ng – Little Fires Everywhere Be wary of a narrative that switches perspectives between numerous characters, for sometimes, it is darting wildly trying to conjure an interesting story because the writer is unable to do so with limited characters. Frustratingly, Little Fires Everywhere is not one of those. Whilst the narrative focuses on several characters and darts between their perspectives, the characterisation is unrivalled in anything else I have read this year. Central to the story is Shaker Heights, a middle to upper class development and community of perfectly designed houses and roads that were designed so children didn’t have to cross them on their way to their over-performing schools – “the underlying philosophy being that everything could – and should – be planned out.” Our focus is on the Richardsons, a family who seemingly embodies the Shaker spirit and values. Trip, the athletic older son, Lexie, the lithe and attractive girl to be feared, arty outsid...