Crisis Zone
Crisis Zone by Simon Hanselmann is a witty, outrageous, disgusting, and saucy telling of the COVID crisis—as it happened. You may recognise Megg & Mogg… They have been twisted from casting spells in kid’s books to the housemates from hell. Simon Hanselmann’s online installments of his beloved characters during the mess that was 2020 was truly a light in the dark for me. I’m so glad this has been released in print because this is certainly one for the history books.
Happy Endings by Bella Green—Bella Green has gone by many different names—Verona, Ally, Apple, and Chelsea, to name a few. Starting out in sex work at the age of eighteen she did not envisage a long term career. Now in her thirties, she proudly calls herself a lifer. Happy Endings gives us a very generous and vulnerable look into her private life and work, both in sex work and stand-up comedy. If you’ve ever wondered about the intricacies of the sex industry in Australia this is a thoroughly compelling read.
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha is a debut novel following five women who are all struggling to make ends meet in contemporary South Korea. For them plastic surgery is the norm, if not an expectation, and if you are ugly it is only because you cannot afford beauty. Faced with misogyny, discrimination, and the weight of tradition, we are given a slice of each woman’s life. The characters are so vibrant and complex I felt certain their story continued long after I turned the final page.
Happy Endings by Bella Green—Bella Green has gone by many different names—Verona, Ally, Apple, and Chelsea, to name a few. Starting out in sex work at the age of eighteen she did not envisage a long term career. Now in her thirties, she proudly calls herself a lifer. Happy Endings gives us a very generous and vulnerable look into her private life and work, both in sex work and stand-up comedy. If you’ve ever wondered about the intricacies of the sex industry in Australia this is a thoroughly compelling read.
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh— Do not read this book if you fear growing old. Moshfegh is back again with a new twisted tale. This time we follow Vesta Gul through her dull but dreamlike twilight years. When she comes across a cryptic message in the woods, her slowly deteriorating mind struggles to comprehend her past, present, and future. An interrogation into the lies we tell ourselves and how they come back to haunt us.
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris: Harris draws on her own experience working at a publishing house in this genre-defying debut. Our protagonist Nella is anticipating solidarity when newcomer Hazel joins her office—finally Nella is not the only Black person there. Instead, a nightmarish sequence of events unfolds leaving Nella questioning Hazel’s true intentions. This is a chilling and deeply unsettling examination of being Black in white spaces.
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor: I once heard the process of editing a book described as trimming away the tendon and sinew to get to the “muscle” of the story. Inspired by true events, Hurricane Season is a strong beating heart concerning the townspeople of a remote village in Mexico. Melchor’s writing is intoxicating, taking you on a brutal journey and barely giving you time to breathe. On this book Ben Lerner has said ‘most recent fiction seems anemic by comparison’ and I wholeheartedly agree.