A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa

 
A compelling & circular tale set during the years from Angola declaring independence from Portugal & the ensuing decades of civil war but told from the viewpoint of an agoraphobic woman who barricades herself in her apartment for 30 years.

The story is a fantastic one and yet it has so much detail, recounted in the form that almost resembles journalism and feel real. However,  I wasn't sure about the interwoven stories of other characters - it did all fit together at the end but at times I found it confusing!

The Four Books by Yan Lianke

  
This story I found harder to get into it.This book is set at a re-education camp during the Great Leap Forward. It's a period of history that I know essentially nothing about, so it made for fascinating reading.

 The premise of the book is clever - the narrative chops and changes between three different "books" (the fourth book referred to in the title appears almost as an epilogue), each with a very different purpose. One is The Author writing a novel based on his experiences at the camp. One is the Author writing what's almost a religious story about The Child, the innocent despot who runs their camp. And one is the Author reporting to The Child and the higher ups on the actions of his former prisoners. However, at times I found it hard to discern enough difference among the four narratives.

In the middle the story took a bizarre turn which really drew me in where the Author goes off on his own to plan crops, and suddenly the crops are growing like crazy because he's feeding them his own blood. So that was bizarre, but clearly a metaphor for the Great Leap Forward and how it was ultimately a disaster. Then the book focuses on the great famine and how ultimately the residents of this camp start to die of starvation, leaving those still alive to contemplate just how hungry they have to be before they resort to cannibalism. 

None of the characters have actual names, they are called by the profession that landed them in this no mans land.

The Vegetarian: A Novel by Han Kang

 

I am so glad I am not a judge for the Mann Booker International Prize because I have loved all of them and this one is no different - although a complete contrast to the previous 2 books! 
This tells the story of Yeong-hye. Having recently had a dream that has convinced her to cease eating any meat whatsoever, and finds that such a decision is affect nearly all aspects of her life. It is a beautiful account of mental illness and societies perception of it - it is quite dark in places. Again not a long book  I read it easily in a couple of nights!

I liked how despite being a story that is explicitly about Yeong-hye, it is actually never told directly from her perspective. Instead, we are give about 60 pages a piece from her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister. The oddest part about this formatting is the perspectives do not overlap. It is interesting to read about their personal issues, prejudices, and obsessions!

A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler

I loved this book - it is not a long book I read it easily on a Sunday afternoon! It tells the story of the life of Andreas Egger, an unremarkable man who ekes out a simple existence in an Austrian mountain valley. He is a thoughtful, gentle soul and though he encounters great hardship and misfortune, he never fails to appreciate and be thankful for the smaller things.

I love the treatment of time - years pass in a couple of pages or even paragraphs, or a day may take pages to describe.
It is full of wisdom and stunning imagery which results in a heartbreaking, humbling and inspiring story.  
It makes you think about the things which make you YOU and the coincidences which silently lead you through your life. 

A Strangeness in my Mind by Orhan Pamuk

       

It is the story of boza seller Mevlut, and his life in Istanbul set over four decades which is basically a history of Istanbul through main character, Mevlut Karatas between 1969 and 2012. Mevlut works a number of different jobs on the streets of Istanbul and observes a large number of changes.

Pamuk's title is taken from Wordsworth's poem, The Prelude

"I had melancholy thoughts ...
a strangeness in my mind,
A feeling that I was not for that hour,
Nor for that place."

I loved the  detail given creating a set of characters and a sense of place that I felt I had got to know intimately
The story moves forwards by seamlessly shifting from one character’s viewpoint to another and adding gradually new viewpoint which I initially didn't like but I quickly found to be effective and interesting! 
It felt like a Dickensian saga.

At Hawthorn Time by Melissa Harrison

This is a fiction novel by the author of Rain. 

I loved the variety of characters from young to old and all are utterly believable.
I also enjoyed the slowly disintegrating marriage of Howard and Kitty is beautifully done - maybe hints of green shoots or maybe a separation and divorce - we are left wondering.
She also beautifully writes descriptions of the English countryside.

The ending was totally unexpected and slightly shocking - and it felt really unfinished, like she has just got bored with writing.
Also I did find the switching between characters confusing.

All That Man Is by David Szalay

This is a story of nine seemingly unconnected stories about nine men each of them at a different stage in life. 

They are all linked by theme where various men come together to produce an exploration of male vulnerability.

I preferred some stories to others.
I think Szalay relies too heavily on its themes to give it the unity of a novel.