The Oasis

In The Oasis by Ann Buist and Graeme Simsion, trainee psychiatrist, Hannah Wright, is working at the outpatient clinic of The Menzies Hospital. While there, she meets many patients with a variety of issues and conditions, including some she had treated at the hospital when doing medical rounds there.

Much of the book also concentrates on issues faced by the staff professionally in their work with patients as well as understanding their own mental health. Hannah is dealing with events that occurred during her childhood when her parents fostered children over many years. The reader also learns of the extensive training undertaken by trainee psychiatrists in order to be fully qualified.

This is the second book in the Menzies Metal Health series - three books so far. The books provide a human and sometimes slightly humorous account of life working in the mental health field.

The Shock of the Light

Tessa and Theo are twins and thus have always experienced a close relationship. They live in Cambridge, England, but as their mother is French the twins, especially Tessa, have learned to speak French and have visited that country. Their father is a professor at the university. When the twins complete their secondary education the plan is that they should both study at Cambridge. Although the university accepts female students they are not entitled to graduate with a degree so Tessa decides to go to France and study for a degree at the Sorbonne. This is the first time that their lives take separate paths.

While in Paris Tessa becomes friends with an artist named Luc. Then something happens to break that friendship which Luc does not understand. Tessa returns home. When war breaks out Theo enlists in the RAF. Tessa has a secretarial job but is then told to go for an interview allowing her to help in the war effort. Her family is not to be told what she is doing.

After training Tessa ends up working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and is parachuted into France to assist members of the Resistance and to report  secret messages back to London. It soon become obvious that someone is attempting to sabotage the mission.

The first part of The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis Hall is Tessa's story. Part two is told from Theo's perspective. Part three is set in London in 2003 where a PhD student, Edie is writing a thesis on the SOE and she makes contact with Theo to find out what happened to Tessa. Edie also wants to know why Tessa's story was never made public.

This novel provides a study of the women who worked in the SOE but also examines the effect of war on members of families, especially when a family member disappears without a trace. This book provides a compassionate study of the effects of war on families, especially when they are attempting, without success, to discover what happened to their loved ones.

The Glass House

The Glass House by Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion is the first book in the Menzies Mental Health series. Recently I read The General Hospital which is the third book in the series. The books can be read individually as stand-alone titles but if you plan to read the series it is best to start with the first volume to fully follow the development of the characters of the hospital staff and their work with the patients, many of whom appear in more than one book including Chloe, Junjie and Max.

Doctor Hannah Wright is a trainee psychiatrist at The Menzies Hospital. Although she has previously worked in General Emergency she encounters even more challenges in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. With other registrars in the department Hannah encounters a range of patients and medical conditions. The young doctors hold regular meetings to share their experiences with the patients and medical staff. Hannah is also facing traumas from her past with which she must come to terms.

The Glass House by Annie Buist and Graeme Simsion takes the reader into the world of a busy hospital and the daily challenges faced. The novel also introduces us to a range of sometimes complex characters as they attempt to counter the challenges of daily life. However, although there are dark issues at times, the thread of humanity is at the forefront along with humour. 

Anne Buist is the Chair of Women's Health at the University of Melbourne. With her husband, Graeme Simsion, she has written three novels in the Menzies Mental Health series. Graeme Simsion is best known for The Rosie Project and other books in that series.

This Book Made Me Think of You

It is 2 January and when Matilda (Tilly) Nightingale receives a phone call from Book Lane bookshop asking her to come and collect a book that was ordered for her she is mystified as she knows that she does not have any outstanding orders. When she goes to the bookshop she is greeted by the shop owner, Alfie, who tells her that before he died, her husband, Joe, had asked Alfie to have a new book ready for Tilly to collect at the beginning of each month for twelve months.

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page traces twelve months of Tilly's life as she gradually comes to terms with the loss of her husband, helped by reading the books that he had selected for her. Although one theme of the book is dealing with grief, the novel also deals with the value of friendship and the forming of new relationships. Tilly gradually learns that other people are also grieving the loss of a loved one and not everyone knows how to be there for someone who is grieving. This does not mean that they are not thinking of their friend or family member who is attempting to readjust to a different life.

At the beginning of each chapter the author provides a list of the titles of four books on a particular theme. Titles of books are also often referred to throughout the novel as much of the action revolves around the bookshop, the value of reading and the enjoyment of reading books, plus a slice of romance. If you enjoy books and reading you should enjoy reading this book.

The Last Mandarin

Having read and enjoyed all of Louise Penny's Armand Gamache mysteries I was not sure about reading a different style of book where she is joint author with Melissa Fung, but I am glad that I did. Melissa Fung is a political journalist who has worked in various parts of the world and is particularly interested in human rights. 

The Last Mandarin is a fast paced thriller set in the USA and China. Life changed dramatically when every alarm suddenly sounded causing confusion, fear and accidents throughout the world. Then they stopped. What was happening? How had someone gained control of so many devices simultaneously? What would happen next?

When Alice Li receives a message from Liam, a fellow food blogger currently in Hong Kong, she realises that the message does not make sense. Then she learns that Liam has died. What is going on? Alice also learns that her mother, Vivien, is very different from the person she thought she knew as they team up on a frantic adventure travelling through parts of America, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China in a race against time to prevent further disaster that they know is planned. But who can they really trust?

As well as being a page turning adventure this is a novel about relationships, particularly the relationship between mother and daughter. Part of the back ground story refers to the legacy of the first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shi Huang who created the Terracotta Warriors to guard him in the afterlife. The novel also looks at the ways governments throughout the world may react to impending disaster.

If you are looking for an exciting, tense, crime thriller to read, The Last Mandarin could be the answer. 

What you need to know about China's terracotta warriors and the first Qin emperor - Smithsonian Magazine 19 April  2024

The General Hospital

Dr Hannah Wright has returned to the Menzies General Hospital where she began her practical studies as a medical student. As a Psychiatry Registrar she spends her day gaining experience working in a variety of departments in the hospital. Hannah is part of the Consultation Liaison  team which she discovers, on arrival, initially in the basement of the hospital. Not that it really matters as the doctors spend most of their time working in the hospital wards.

The General Hospital by Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion explores the busy life and challenges of a group of hospital staff and their patients. Cases that Hannah works with include Nova who was injured in a car accident where her husband and daughter died, Gareth who is diagnosed with a brain tumor, Max who is bi-polar and suffers from kidney failure, Junjie who suffered an injury that could destroy his aim of being a diver, Ishani who is suffering from burns to part of her body and lives in a controlling family environment, Chloe who has an eating disorder,  Meredith who has a terminal illness and Christina who is upset that the doctor who delivered her baby would not look at her birth plan before the child was born. Hannah's role is to discover the links between physical and mental health.

But Hannah's challenges are not just with the patients. She also has to contend with complicated family relationships and has also entered into a relationship with fellow Psychiatry Registrar, Alex, who has his own issues to work through.

Anne Buist is the Chair of Women's Health at the University of Melbourne. With her husband, Graeme Simsion, she has written three novels in the Menzies Mental Health series. Graeme Simsion is best known for The Rosie Project and other books in that series. Together, in The General Hospital, they have written a compassionate and often amusing account of hospital life assisting patients with mental as well as physical issues. I will now have to read the first three books in the series - The Glass House and The Oasis.

Son of Nobody

When Canadian scholar, Harlow Donne, has the opportunity to continue his studies at Oxford University he grabs the chance though it means leaving his wife and eight year old daughter, Helen, at home in Canada. When carrying out his research in the library he discovers an excerpt from an Ancient Greek manuscript which appears to be part of an account of the Trojan Wars that differs from Homer's account in The Odyssey and The Iliad. This account appears to be provided from the viewpoint of an ordinary soldier -  Psoas, Son of Nobody. Donne spends the rest of his time in England looking for other clues in order to investigate this alternative version of the story.

 In Son of Nobody, Yann Martel has structured his novel so that the excerpts of the story that Donne discovers are gradually revealed to the reader on the top of some of the pages of the book. A horizontal line divides each page and, in the section below the line, Donne adds footnotes providing explanations and additional information to some of the content. Notes in this section also reveal the deteriorating relationship between Donne and his wife as well as his relationship with his daughter to whom he dedicates the Greek poem he is discovering.

Son of Nobody is a story of parallels illustrating the effects of separation due to war and work plus family relationships as Donne investigates a new telling of a mythical world.

Some reviews: 

Son of Nobody (review) - The Guardian  (20 April 2026)

Ancient texts and marital breakdown: Yann Martel's Son of Nobody descends into implausibility (review) - The Conversation 

 Son of Nobody (review) - Open Letters Review

Normal People

Normal People by Irish author Sally Rooney is a study of adolescent relationships. Connell and Marianne are students in their final year of school in a small town in Ireland. Connell is one of the popular students at the school while Marianne is mainly ignored by her fellow classmates. Marianne comes from a well to do family that hires Connell's mother to clean their house twice a week. Her mother would never approve of Marianne having a friendship with the son of their cleaner. Despite this, Marianne and Connell do become friends but it must be kept a secret. Both Connell and Marianne do very well in their final exams and gain places to study at Trinity College in Dublin.

Normal People traces the on again / off again relationship between Marianne and Connell from January 2011 to February 2015. They both have encounters with other people but they continue to have a strong connection resulting in them reforming their partnership from time to time. Whatever happens there appears to be a bond between them that cannot be permanently broken. When problems arise they are quick to support each other though obstacles continue to occur to stop their relationship becoming a lasting one. At one stage Marianne observes to herself that it would be good to be normal people.

Two Islands

Niko and his family experienced many horrific experiences during the Balkan wars including the death of his father. His mother approached the Australian Embassy in Zagreb hoping to gain approval for the family to move to Australia. Shortly afterwards Niko was approached to see if he was prepared to tell his story as war crimes were being investigated. This led to Niko meeting Anita, an Australian working for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. As Niko was prepared to identify in court one of the Serbian leaders he was granted protection and moved to England until the trial. Then he disappeared.

On the west coast of Scotland are many islands including two small isolated islands, Skarnsey and Thorkil's Isle, and it is to these islands that Niko fled to try and find safety. Niko is not the only damaged soul seeking refuge on the islands. Fergus had served in the British army in Ireland as well as in a peacekeeping regiment in the former Yugoslavia. Incidents that he witnessed continue to torment him. Ronnie returned to the islands after service in the Second World War and well understands the traumas affecting the new arrivals.

Two Islands by Ian Kemish is a work of historical fiction that, as well as providing information about recent conflicts in the twentieth century, examines the long-term trauma of those involved in such conflicts. The novel contains the stories of Anita who is searching for Niko, Niko himself, Fergus and Ronnie. This is a story of relationships as the villagers come to understand the strangers who have arrived on their shores. Everyone has a past but everyone should also have a future. It is therefore also a story of hope.

Two Islands is definitely one of the best books that I have read so far this year.

Balkans war: a brief guide - BBC 

Atonement

It is 1935 and thirteen year old Briony Tallis is spending time with her family at their country house in England. As three of her cousins have joined them, Briony decides to organise them to take part in the performance of a play she has written. This plan is easier said than done.

Part one of Atonement by Ian McEwan deals with events occurring in the Tallis household in1935  including a secret relationship between Briony's older sister, Cecelia, and  Robbie Turner. Briony, who loves writing, observes events as they occur around her and makes assumptions about what she notices. Unfortunately she jumps to incorrect conclusions that destroys relationships between family members and friends.

Part two deals with the the horrific experiences of British and French soldiers endeavouring to reach the north coast of France for the Dunkirk evacuation between 26 May and 4 June, 1940.

Part three provides us information about Briony's experiences during the war when she working as a nurse in London hospitals and witnessing the often severe war injuries of rescued soldiers. On a day off she also visits the wedding of two of the protagonists from part one of the book and later that day has an encounter with her sister and Robbie. She is looking for a way to make amends for her past behaviour.

The plot then jumps to 1999 when Briony attends a celebration for her birthday in a hotel which used to be the family home. By this time she has become a successful author but her last novel will not be able to be published until after her death and the death of two of the protagonists in the book. The reader also becomes aware of a twist that occurred in part three of the novel.

Atonement is a book about family relationships, class, impact of war, guilt and the need for atonement as well as what is really required to become a writer. The novel, published in 2001, was nominated for many awards, winning some, and was made into a film in 2007. It is one of Ian McEwan's best known novels.

This Novel Had Everything - Penguin Books 

Atonement by Ian McEwan is a meditation on creativity in later life - The Conversation

Dunkirk evacuation - Britannica

Atonement (novel) - Wikipedia

Cat's People

This is a story about a black cat and the people he befriends - Núria, Collin, Omar, Bong and Lily. The cat has a variety of names - Cat, Gatito and Itim. He lives on the street but each day is fed by Núria who feeds a number of cats in the neighbourhood each morning before going to work. As Núria likes wearing bright clothes Cat thinks of her as the Rainbow Lady. Then there is Collin who builds Cat a shelter near the back door of his home. Cat's name for Collin is Awkward Neighbor Guy. Omar (Cheery Mailman) delivers the post to local residents and Cat often accompanies him on part of his journey, especially when Omar stops at Bong's small grocery store and purchases Cat a treat. Then Lily (Bright-Pink Person) arrives in the neighbourhood looking for the sister she never knew.

The story in Cat's People by Tanya Guerrero is revealed via the viewpoint of Cat and his five people. We learn not only of the challenges and fears they face but how their individual care for a stray cat brings this small community together helping them make decisions impacting on their future. Once you start reading Cat's People you will want to continue reading until the story ends.

The Performance

Three women attend the performance of the play, Happy Days, by Samuel Beckett. Meanwhile bushfires rage in the state threatening lives and property.

Margot, an older lady, is a professor of literature. She lives with her husband whose health is failing and has outbursts which end with her covered in bruises. As the prospect of retirement approaches, Margot is concerned about her future.

Ivy attends the play with her lifelong friend, Hilary. Ivy is a philanthropist and is making a donation to the Theatre Company producing the play. But Ivy has had problems with relationships over the years and is concerned as to how to relate to her son and his family.

Summer is a drama student who works for the theatre company. Once the play begins she is allowed to watch the play. Summer is very concerned about the bushfires, especially as she knows that her partner will have attempted to drive to meets her parents who will be trying to escape the fire.

Throughout the book we have visions of what is happening on the stage as the play unfolds. However we are also shown how concerns about their own lives affect the viewing of the play by the women. At interval Ivy recognises Margot as she was once one of Margot's students and Margot, Ivy and Hilary attend the function organised in the break. Meanwhile Summer goes to the staff room to check her phone for phone calls about the fires and manages to make contact with Alice who is safe.

 By the end of the play the three women have a greater understanding of their lives beyond the theatre.

Happy Days By Samuel Beckett - Wikipedia

Pamela Rabe shines in this hypnotic revival of Samuel Beckett’s classic play Happy Days - The Conversation May 12 2025

Happy Days - SparkNotes 

Iluka

When Paddy, their grandfather, dies, Helen, Sylvie and Brendan agree to spend a few days together cleaning up the family home and deciding what to do with the property. But all does not go according to plan.

Iluka was built by Paddy and his friends when he and Iris were married. Not only was it a home for their daughter, Margaret, but also for Margaret's three children when their mother had trouble looking after them. The children were told that their mother was dead and it was only after reading a pile of letters that Iris had kept that they learned the truth.

In Iluka written by Cassie Stroud, the reader encounters the family dynamics between the three siblings as they come to terms with their past and what they should do in the future. Helen's daughter, Tegan, also visits Iluka and spends much of her time filming events for a university assignment. 

The novel deals with a variety of topics including grief, sibling rivalry, challenges of being a lone parent, addiction, and family secrets. The setting of the novel on the outskirts of a coastal New South Wales town adds to the atmosphere of the story.

The Slap

Hector and his wife Aisha invite family and friends to attend a family barbecue. All is going well until Hugo, one of the young children present, loses his temper and lashes out. His parents do not discipline him but eventually peace is restored. Later on the child has another break-down and when one adult, not related to the child, intervenes the child kicks him in the leg. Unfortunately the man slaps the four year old boy causing horror and a variety of reactions from those present, as well as bringing an early end to the barbecue.

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas examines the aftermath of the slap from the perspective of eight of the adults present at the barbecue including, a family friend - Anouk, Hector's cousin - Harry, Connie who works with Aisha, Hugo's mother - Rosie, Hector's father - Manolis, Connie's friend - Richie, as well as Hector and Aisha. The novel deals with many topics including family relationships and values, parenting, discipline, respect, marital relationships. It also provides a glimpse of multicultural Melbourne at the beginning of the 21st century.

Awards and commendations for The Slap: Australian Literary Society Gold Medal 2008; Commonwealth Writers' Prize - best book - 2009; Shortlisted for Miles Franklin Award 2009; Winner of Nielsen BookData Booksellers' Choice Award 2009; Victorian Premier's Literary Awards - Winner of Vance Palmer Prize for fiction 2009 and long listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2010.

The book was the basis for an eight episode television series made in Australia 2011. The series was remade for an American audience in 2015.

 

Dirt Music

Dirt Music is a novel by Tim Winton published in 2001. Set in locations in Western Australia it is a study of three characters who have had a complicated past and are trying to readapt their lives. As with most of Tim Winton's books the setting where the action takes place is an important feature of the novel.

Georgie Jutland has been living in White Point with a local, well to do, fisherman, Jim Buckridge, whose family has a reputation in the community's past. Georgie feels that she doesn't belong until she meets a local poacher, Lu Fox, who was a local musician until his family members died in a car accident. He now lives alone keeping away from the local community.The relationship between Georgie and Lu grows with Georgie considering leaving Jim to live with Lu. Then Lu disappears up north. 

Meanwhile we learn more about the former lives of Georgie and Jim and how they deal with memories of the past. Eventually Jim decides that he and Georgie should head to northern West Australia to locate Lu who retired to a small island where he is trying to survive. 

Dirt Music is about people attempting to gain redemption from past events and deciding on possible changes that may shape their future lives and relationships.

Dirt Music was a 2002 Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel and winner of the 2002 Miles Franklin Award. It was a film in 2019.

The Painted Veil

The Painted Veil by W Somerset Maugham was first published in 1925. Kitty Fane lived with her husband, Walter, in Hong Kong. He was a bacteriologist dedicated to investigating, often exotic diseases. Kitty did not love Walter but had married him because her mother was convinced that Kitty would become an old maid. It was when Doris, Kitty's younger sister, announced that she was getting married that Kitty decided to marry Walter and travel with him to Hong Kong before her sister's wedding.

It was in Hong Kong that Kitty met Charles Townsend and their romantic relationship began. When Walter discovered what was going on he convinced Kitty to accompany him to a village in China where there was an outbreak of cholera. If she did not come with him he would divorce her. Kitty eventually decided to go to China with her husband.

In the novel vivid pictures of life in a Chinese village after the First World War are portrayed, especially when a deadly disease has invaded the village. Kitty soon forgets Charles and becomes involved in trying to help nuns in a local convent look after abandoned children. Meanwhile Walter spends hours from home treating patients with cholera during the day and investigating the causes of the disease in the evening.

Kitty made many bad decisions but eventually she gained an understanding of what really matters in life and relationships with people, including family. Much of the book is about the economic and social standing of members of a family or community. 

When first published, The Painted Veil caused an outrage among some readers for its portrayal of social attitudes at the time and descriptions of infidelity. Today this is unlikely to be a concern but the author's constant derogatory remarks about the Chinese and their lives in the village will concern many readers in the twenty-first century.

The title of the book, The Painted Veil, comes from a sonnet by Percy Byshee Shelley with the same name. The poet suggests that people hide their true selves under a veil of superficiality. A veil is not mentioned in the book. The sonnet begins:

Lift not the painted veil which those who live 

Call Life; though unreal shapes be pictured there, 

And it but mimic all we would believe 

With colours idly spread,—behind, lurk Fear 

And Hope, twin Destinies; who ever weave 

 Their shadows, o'er the chasm, sightless and drear. 

W Somerset Maugham has written a work about characters dealing with the challenges of life including duty, sacrifice and working out what is important in life.

The Painted Veil by W Somerset Maugham was one of the three short listed books for Monash University Alumni Book Club for May 2026.

Book review - The Painted Veil - Marjorie's Musings 

Book review - The Painted Veil - henry.kisor.com 

Book review - The Painted Veil - Roof Beam Reader

 

On Chesil Beach

July 1962 and Florence and Edward, who had been married in the morning, arrive to spend the beginning of their marriage at Chesil Beach in Dorset. Looming over both of them are fears involving the consummation of their marriage that evening. Florence and Edward come from different backgrounds, from very different families. They have become good friends and love each other but are they really ready for marriage?

In On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan provides an account of the thoughts and actions of the young couple on this important night in their young lives. Meanwhile the  reader discovers the back story of their different lives and how they accidentally met. 

The 1960s saw many changes in society, especially for younger people, but for Florence and Edward this was a future still to come. Decisions made at Chesil Beach would affect their lives, not just on that day but permanently. On Chesil Beach was published in 2007.

What We Can Know

The year is 2119 and much of England is flooded. Those who survived the Inundation and Derangement in the mid twentieth century have retreated to higher ground. Disaster occurred with the accidental dropping of a nuclear weapon into the ocean causing tidal waves flooding much of a world already threatened by rising sea water. Travel between the small islands was by boat and on land by bike. Before this catastrophe countries continued their wars, further developed nuclear weapons and climate change was imminent. Millions of people died and those left struggled to live a very different life.

Professor Tom Metcalfe works at the University of the South Downs where he attempts to interest students in history and literature, especially in the time period 1990-2030. He is also interested in discovering what happened to the only copy of a poem, A Corona for Vivien, written by Francis Blundy in 2014. He has set out to study all available sources about the poet and his wife.

In part one of What We Can Know by Ian McEwan we learn of events that led to the writing of the poem and the the party where Francis read the poem to the guests. We also get to know Tom Metcalfe and the extent to which he has researched the lives and work of Francis and Vivien Blundy.

In part two the reader has access to a copy of a manuscript written by Vivien Blundy where she provides an account of her life and relationships and reveals what happened to the poem. Tom Metcalfe had edited Vivien's manuscript for publication.

Much of What We Can Know is about how we treat history and evaluate life that occurred at other times. The author questions what we really know about the past, how much don't we know and how reliable are the sources. Many people are reluctant to learn about the past and accept how knowledge of past events may affect what happens in the future.

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan is a social commentary on life and how current events may affect our future. This is a novel that readers should set aside uninterrupted time to read.

A Slowly Dying Cause

Checking this blog I found a post I wrote in 2022 for Something to Hide by Elizabeth George. In the final paragraph of the blog post I made the statement - I can now say that I have read a novel by Elizabeth George but it is highly unlikely that I will read any more. Unfortunately I have repeated the mistake made in 2022.

A Slowly Dying Cause by Elizabeth George is number 22 in her Lynley novel series. The murdered body of Michael Lobb is found in the family tin and pewter workshop. The case is investigated by Detective Inspector Bea Hannaford and her team and as the investigation proceeds it is realised that this is not a straight forward case, though they eventually make an arrest. Much later, detectives from London, Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers, become unofficially involved in the investigation.

A large part of the book involves an employee of a mining company trying to convince Cornish landowners to sell or lease their property. At each visit we read the same spiel which becomes monotonous after a while. The sexual activities of a variety of characters feature throughout the book. The fate of the roof of Thomas Lynley's family home also takes up many pages. Throughout the novel pages from the journal of the murdered man are inserted, providing additional information. 

Elizabeth George, an American author, has made her name creating books within a perceived English setting. With a series of 22 books, obviously many people enjoy reading her novels. I almost gave up reading the book but then the author returned to the investigation, so I finished reading the 640 pages of the novel.

The Long Night

After meeting a new friend Em is kidnapped on the way home and so begins a night of terror. At the same time her mother, Jodie, is also attacked and is told that her daughter will be safe provided that Jodie does as she is told. Jodie has assistance from a friend who helps her hunt for her daughter. Neither of the women knows why they are targeted.

In The Long Night Christian White has written a fast paced thriller describing the ordeal of the two women as they try to escape the terror they are faced with. As the story progresses the novel inserts events in Jodie's life that occurred twenty years previously into the present action. For part of the book the two stories are meshed together as the women attempt to escape from their ordeal.

The Long Night is another Australian crime thriller that demands that the reader keeps reading to discover whether / how the women survive their ordeal of one long night.