The Unputdownable Books That Kept Us Up All Night
There’s nothing like a book so gripping that, when the world comes knocking, you push it away. Here, the Tonic team nominate the books that kept them hooked until the last page. We’d also love to know what books you couldn’t put down – let us know over on our Facebook page.
Losing Eden by Lucy Jones | Chosen by Megan Morton
This was like a silent sledgehammer. On first appearances it seemed another well-researched book, a call for our times. Once I hit midway with the line, “students spend less time outside than prison inmates”, there was no turning back. I neglected dishes, duties and dog walking to race to the end, breathless to hear my fate and that of my fellow man – only to realise it’s all in my own hands.
Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre | Chosen by Marina Go
From the first page to the last, I couldn’t put this 2003 Booker prizewinner down. I still think about it often. The story centres on teenager Vernon Little who lives a normal life in Texas until his best friend murders their schoolmates and commits suicide, igniting a series of events that are a combination of Vernon’s naive trusting of others and their betrayal of him. Ultimately this path leads Vernon to death row. Vernon God Little is pure satire and its fast pace nearly gave me heart palpitations. Each page exploded out at me, as Vernon dodged the bullets fired his way, including almost becoming the star of an execution lottery in a reality TV show. In 2003 it felt like a comment on the fast food, reality TV world we were living in.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote | Chosen By Carlotta Moye
I read In Cold Blood more than 20 years ago and I still think about it now. I love the way Capote paints such a poetic picture of what was a horrific murder of the Clutter family in Kansas in 1959. But the family are not the centre of this book, it’s the two killers Capote focuses on. He interviewed them and became close to them over the years, right up to when they were hung. This book was my introduction to middle America. I loved the way he described the countryside and the townspeople. You could tell he did his homework getting to know every minute detail he could about this murder. I love crime novels, but Capote’s captivating writing style made me dive deep into this story. His way with words created striking visuals for me and the story played out like a movie, be it a tragic one.
Circe by Madeline Miller | Chosen by Ute Junker
I can be a cynical reader. The more praise is heaped upon a book, the more I deliberately lower my expectations. So when I picked up Madeline Miller’s Circe, which several friends had recommended and which had been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize For Fiction, I was prepared to be disappointed. Instead, I raced through the book in a little over a day, staying up late to discover how the story ended. In the Greek myth of Odysseus, Circe is a bit player, a witch who turns Odysseus’ men into swine. In Miller’s capable hands, Circe is a daughter of the sun god who struggles with limitations and challenges that many women will recognise, from the search for love to the pains of motherhood. Not that this is Bridget-Jones-meets-The Odyssey. Miller knows her Greek mythology, and her imaginative reinterpretation stays true to the wider web of stories to which it belongs. Whether you approach this as a fan of Greek myth, as a lover of a good story or as a feminist in search of inspiration, you’ll find yourself cheering her on.
Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Chosen by Rachelle Unreich
I bought Leave The World Behind when I saw it on Megan Morton’s Instagram story. When I told her I was reading it, she replied, “You’ll need therapy afterwards. I’m here for you.” What did she mean? Was it disturbing? Upsetting? The book actually starts out like a modern fairytale: a couple rent a beautiful home in the countryside where they can get away with their kids and switch off. Their holiday fulfils all its promises at first. The family cook delicious meals, the parents reconnect. But one night, a knock on their door changes everything: a couple are there, claiming to be the owners, and there are signs elsewhere that all is not right in the world. Are they paranoid? Are they about to be robbed or killed? Or is something larger at play? The book is like a steep drop from a high hill: it keeps rushing towards the end, and you don’t know what’s quite going to happen when you get there. I didn’t need therapy, but I was glad to learn that this is being turned into a movie starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.
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