Disability Fiction – Emma's Biblio Treasures

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOK: Monstrum by Lottie Mills

Published May 16th, 2024 by Oneworld
Horror Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Disability Fiction, Medical Fiction

It’s a little late, but today I’m finally sharing my review for the eerily beautiful, haunting and unnerving Monstrum, which was a SquadPod Featured Book in June. Thank you to Oneworld for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

What does it mean to be different in a world that values perfection, at any cost?

‘Lottie’s writing is a superb flight of the imagination’ A.S. Byatt, author of Possession

‘Haunting, luridly beautiful, and at times shockingly, deliciously gruesome’ Jenn Ashworth, author of Ghosted

A ‘Best Book for May 2024’ according to Cosmopolitan

From Lottie Mills, the winner of the BBC Young Writers’ Award in 2020, comes this beautifully crafted collection of stories.

A father and daughter build a life for themselves on an isolated beach. But the outside world is pressing in. It’s only a matter of time before their secret refuge is discovered.

A young disabled woman opts to receive a perfect, pain-free body. Soon, however, she finds herself haunted by the one she cast off.

A travelling circus master discovers the ideal addition to his cabinet of curiosities: ‘damaged’, ‘grotesque’, gifted. He plans to make her the star of his show; she plans to take her revenge.

Monstrum captures the experience of characters excluded by a society that cannot accept their difference. Eerie, fantastical and hugely ambitious, this collection announces the arrival of an outstanding new literary voice.

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MY REVIEW:

What does it mean to be different in a world that values perfection, at any cost?

Haunting, lurid, twisted and unflinching, Monstrum is a buffet of deliciously dark delights. Debut author Lottie Mills has crafted a thought-provoking collection of short stories that are eerily beautiful, exquisitely macabre, and deeply unnerving. I don’t read short stories often, but I was excited when this was picked as a SquadPod Featured Book for June (yes, I’m late with my review, sorry), and it is without a doubt the best short story collection I’ve read so far.

Lottie Mills is a refreshing and unique new literary voice. Her writing is sublime, feeling melancholy, sinister, witty and full of deep yearning all at the same time. The stories have an otherworldly and bizarre quality, but Mills also makes them undeniably human, allowing the reader to connect to her characters. It is easy to see why she was the winner of the BBC Young Writers’ Award in 2020 and I am sure there are many more remarkable stories to come from this sensational new voice. In this collection Mills explores topics such as disability, ableism, prejudice, domestic abuse and identity, illuminating the darkest corners of our society and the experiences of those who are born different in a world that can’t accept them. As a disabled person I found myself relating to many of these stories on a personal level and I am sure they will strike a resonant chord in many readers.

The opening story, The Changeling, sets the tone well. It is harrowing, heartrending and haunting, bringing the pain felt by these characters to life in achingly vivid detail. The Bear Children was a deeply moving portrayal of disability and ableism while The White Lion was sweet karma and beautifully brutal. She even manages to make child abuse and neglect horrifically beautiful in the moving The Toymaker’s Daughter. There were a couple of stories I didn’t understand but they were still an enjoyable read that made me feel like I was seeing the world through the eyes of someone that I needed to see. The stories that I personally related to most were The Pain, The Selkie and The Body. The Selkie felt like she’d put my first marriage on paper and I was reading my own life, while The Pain and The Body are ones I felt on a visceral level. I’ve often joked that I wish I could have a new body, so when I first began reading The Body I was excited and a little jealous that this person had the opportunity to cast off their broken body for one that worked properly without pain. But as it went on I was reminded to be thankful for all my body can do and no longer sure I would switch out my body if given the chance. Meanwhile, The Merman was so moving, and probably my favourite story of all, ending the collection on a high note.

An outstanding collection of stories that will simultaneously send shivers down your spine, tug at your heart strings, and make you think, Monstrum is not to be missed.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lottie Mills was born in Hampshire and grew up in West Sussex, Hertfordshire, and Essex. She studied English at Newnham College, Cambridge, and contributed to Varsity and The Mays during her time there. In 2020, she won the BBC Young Writers’ Award for her short story ‘The Changeling’, having been previously shortlisted in 2018. Her work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 4, and she has appeared on programmes including Look East, Life Hacks, and Woman’s Hour to discuss her writing. Monstrum is her debut book.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

BLOG TOUR: Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life by Helen Fisher

Published July 18th, 2024 by Simon & Schuster UK
Humorous Fiction, Disability Fiction

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this heartfelt and mesmerising story. Thank you to Sara-Jade at Books and the City for the invitation to take part and for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘Extraordinary’ Heidi Swain
‘Life-affirming’ Hazel Prior
‘Big-hearted’ Caroline Day
‘Beautiful’ Julietta Henderson
‘Heartwarming’ Daily Mail
‘Unputdownable’ My Weekly
‘A joy’ Good Housekeeping

Joe loves predictability. But his life is about to become a surprising adventure.

Joe-Nathan likes the two parts of his name separate, just like his dinner and dessert. Mean Charlie at work sometimes calls him Joe-Nuthin. But Joe is far from nothing. Joe is a good friend, he’s good at his job, good at making things and good at following the rules, and he’s learning how to do lots of things by himself.

Joe’s mother knows there are a million things in life he isn’t prepared for. While she helps guide him every day, she’s also writing notebooks full of advice about the things she hasn’t told Joe yet, things he might forget and answers to questions he hasn’t yet asked.

Following her wisdom – applying it in his own unique way – this next part of Joe’s life is more of a surprise than he expects. Because he’s about to learn that remarkable things can happen when you leave your comfort zone, and that you can do even the hardest things with a little help from your friends.

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MY REVIEW:

Oh, my heart was not ready for this book. Tender, moving, funny and uplifting, this is one of those books that will strike a resonant chord in the heart of every reader. Exquisitely written and emotionally astute, Helen Fisher has crafted a delightful story filled with joy, humour, heartbreak and hope in equal measure.

Joe Nuthin’s Guide To Life is a story about love, life, friendship, community, and self-discovery. It follows Joe-Nathan, who lives at home with his mum, Janet, and works at The Compass Store. He has OCD, and lives his life governed by his routines such as going to the pub every Friday evening, and getting a takeaway on Saturday nights. To help Joe live an independent life, Janet has put together a blue notebook that is filled with all the things Joe might need to know and any time he doesn’t know what to do in a situation, he consults the book. But the most important thing to know about Joe is that he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. Unfortunately, others do. Mean Charlie at work has nicknamed him Joe Nuthin while Owen is even nastier. Thankfully he has some good friends, such as Chloe and Hugo Boss, who always have his back.

Joe is a special character unlike any other you have read. He stole my heart and I loved living every moment of this story alongside him. One of the things I liked about Joe is that although he lives a simple life according to strict rules, he is actually a very nuanced character whose black and white view of the world offers gems of wisdom that many of us could learn from. I loved his relationship with his mum, Janet. She’s a fantastic mum and I loved that she created this beautifully written manual to help him through life. She wants her son to embrace life and enjoy independence, and although it is Joe and Janet against the world at the start of the book, we soon discover he has so many others in his life to also encourage him as he bravely stepped outside of his comfort zone to experience new things. The love and camaraderie radiated from the pages and the characters were so much fun to read. I had a real soft spot for Chloe, his fiery and loyal work colleague. But it was his relationship with Charlie that I found most touching as Joe discovers Charlie is hiding dark secrets, showing incredible kindness as he tries to help him in his own unique way.

Thoughtful, heartfelt, mesmerising, and achingly human, Joe Nuthin’s Guide To Life is a must read that will warm you from the inside and restore your faith in others.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Helen Fisher spent her early life in America, but grew up mainly in Suffolk where she now lives with her two children. She studied Psychology at Westminster University and Ergonomics at UCL and worked as a senior evaluator in research at RNIB. She is now a full-time author.

Helen’s debut novel, SPACE HOPPER, was published by Simon & Schuster UK in Feb 2021. Her upcoming novel, JOE NUTHIN’S GUIDE TO LIFE (Simon & Schuster) was published in 2023.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.