Vas James recommends
Vas James is the Head of Programmes at The Eve Appeal, a national charity funding research and raising awareness on the five gynaecological cancers. The charity’s workplace wellbeing programme, Every Woman Promise, has recently been funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, and MTG was one of the first organisations to sign up.
Read on to find out which six books Vas recommends, and why…
“Given that The Eve Appeal is focused on empowering women to take charge of their health, I thought my book selections should focus on amazing female writers. I’m part of a wonderful ‘book gang’ of women who meet monthly to eat, drink and discuss books - these are some of my favourites that we have read.”
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
Olga Tokarczuk
Olga Tokarczuk won the International Booker Prize in 2018 for this powerhouse of a novel. Despite its ominous title this book is funny, clever, thought-provoking. It has a wonderfully different main character at the heart of the story: an eccentric, middle-aged woman with a love of William Blake’s work. It touches on a number of philosophical questions, including our difficult relationship with nature and animals, but in a captivating, accessible way.
All My Puny Sorrows
Miriam Toews
Another sad title from a brilliant Canadian author (I am Canadian, and felt compelled to share some Canadian content!). This book covers some profoundly sad themes, including how depression can affect a whole family. Mental illness is a difficult subject, and Miriam Toews treats it with dignity, grace, and even humour. It is also an achingly heartfelt story about the power of family, and more specifically, the bond between sisters.
Do Not Say We Have Nothing
Madeleine Thien
Another Canadian title - this an epic tale spanning three generations of a family, and how music (and in particular the wonderful JS Bach and The Goldberg Variations) brought them together in times of extreme hardship. This book opened my eyes to the extreme brutality of China’s Cultural Revolution. It is a beautiful portrayal of a difficult period of history that stays with you long after you read the last sentence.
Girl, Woman, Other
Bernardine Evaristo
This won the Booker Prize in 2019, and it kept me company during the pandemic summer of 2020, as we processed the murder of George Floyd. The book is a series of interconnected stories, following a diverse group of Black, British women. It’s all in there - the complexities of identity, race, gender and the intersectionality between these - it challenges stereotypes and offer a vibrant perspective on the diverse cast of characters from different generations and backgrounds. Her style of writing uses a mix of poetry and prose in a unique way, as it celebrates womanhood and the strength of female bonds.
My Brilliant Friend Elena Ferrante
I read Ferrente’s ‘Days of Abandonment’ first, and was surprised at how brutally honest she was about the female experience. ‘My Brilliant Friend’ is a more accessible story, but still carries the honest, multi-dimensional portrayal of womanhood, acknowledging the flaws, vulnerabilities and imperfections of the main characters. This is also a story of the intensity of female friendships, and the harsh realities for women in a patriarchal society. I love that the author has kept her true identity a secret, and I’m happy for her to keep her anonymity!
Oh Caledonia Elspeth Barker
This is a little gem of a book. It is an gothic, quirky coming-of-age story about a misunderstood Scottish girl at odds with her family, who seeks refuge in books and animals. It is so beautifully written, and portrays a strong young woman who refuses to bend to the stereotypes and societal boundaries set for good little girls. It also painfully lays out how the world can be cruel to those on the outside. It starts with a murder, and goes back in time - some might struggle with this topsy turvy beginning - I know my husband, Rupert Ticehurst, didn’t get beyond the first few pages, but it is worth persevering!
If I had to pick a favourite book by a male writer, it would be The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov!