These five books took me from Japan and South Korea, to Cyprus via Iraq. I love reading books about life in different countries. However unusual the culture, history or geographical setting it makes me realise how similar we all are.
This list includes my favourite book of 2024, which has earnt itself a permanent space on the bookshelf!
6. Dallergut Dream Department Store – Miye Lee
Set in Korea. A book about a department store that sells dreams. I really wanted to enjoy this book as it had great reviews and I love quirky books. However it wasn’t for me, it was just too whimsical and I got bored with the concept halfway through.
Sense of place: 6/10.
Plot: 4/10.
Readability: 6/10
Characters: 7/10.
Overall: 6/10
7. Frankenstein in Baghdad – Ahmed Saadawi
Set in Iraq in 2005, after the American invasion. Frankenstein (or Whatitsname) is created from body parts retrieved from suicide bombs and murders. A series of murders are attributed to the murders; we learn more from a wide cast of characters.
Whilst an entertaining book I found it difficult to keep track of the various characters and points of view.
Sense of place: 8/10
Plot: 7/10.
Readability: 6/10
Characters: 7/10.
Overall: 7/10
8. Whale – Cheon Myeong Kwan
My favourite book of 2024. Set in South Korea from the 1950s onwards, this tells the story of Geumbok and her daughter Chunhui. Some of my favourite authors are John Irving, Haruki Murakami and Gabriel Garcia Marquez and this book feels like a combination of all three. It mixes magical realism, tragedies, strong characters and a story that span generations.
Sense of place: 9/10
Plot: 8/10.
Readability: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
9. The island of missing trees – Elif Shafak
A love story, set partly in Cyprus in the 1970s and partly in London in the 2010s. This book has fantastic reviews and was shortlisted for the Costa novel award. That said….it just didn’t enthuse me. I enjoyed learning about the partition of Cyprus, but, despite my love of both trees and magical realism, I wasn’t keen on the fig tree that narrated part of the story.
Sense of place: 8/10
Plot: 6/10
Readability: 7/10
Characters: 7/10.
Overall: 7/10
10. Before the coffee gets cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi
A story about a Japanese cafe where people can travel back in time, as long as they adhere to the rules. The book revolves around four time travelling customers, who revisit their family and marital relationships. The stories are sentimental and the premise a little repetitive, but I enjoyed the concept.
Sense of place: 7/10
Plot: 7/10
Readability: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Overall: 7.5/10
Challenge partly completed, fifty more books to go. Click here to see books 1-5 in this challenge.
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