How I bloomed out of the Epiphany slump, one book at a time

By Tobi Tobias

Content Warning: mention of eating disorders

In traditional Durham fashion I came out of Epiphany term a burnt out shell of my former self – and 6 books behind on my Goodreads reading goal. With summatives to complete, I told myself I simply didn’t have the time to commit to something so indulgent as starting a novel. The truth is, it took one look at my phone to expose this notion for the falsehood it was – with a shocking average of 3 hours screen time, the time I could have spent using to pursue my favourite hobby was instead being squandered doom scrolling.

Determined to reclaim my time I went into the holidays determined that any time I did not spend revising for my upcoming exams would be used to gain a better headspace and catch up on the 6 books I needed to be back on track.

Sunrise on the Reaping – Suzzane Collins

The much anticipated prequel to a series that kick started my bookworm beginnings (today’s kids have Tik Tok – me and my friends played pretend at the arena) seemed the perfect easy read to restart my reading obsession. After the heartbreak that was A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, when my pre-order arrived I made sure I was tissue ready.

The book did not fail to provide me with a much needed crying session, a new favourite character in Maysilee Donner and background that shedded light on Haymitch’s story in the original trilogy.

That being said, I question the number of prequels Collins should pursue. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes provided a huge amount of insight to a character who readers had little background on, as well as the underexplored capital, rebellion and the inception of the Hunger Games. I cannot say the same for Sunrise on the Reaping. The characters and plot feel slightly recycled from the actual trilogy, and there were times it came across as a very well written fan-fiction.

It was still a brilliant novel from Collins, and you can be sure I will be watching the new movie in cinemas, tissues at the ready.

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism – Sarah Wynn Williams

“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

This quote has spanned the 100 years since The Great Gatsby, and has now been deployed by Wynn Williams as probably the most apt quote to describe the tech imperium which spiralled from funny cat videos to controlling elections. Any book Mark Zuckerburg has been throwing his weight into censoring is probably worth a read and this exposé captures not just damning verbatim emails and conversations, but also the juvenility of Facebook’s senior team. As opposed to coming off a evil megalomaniac, I come away from the book with my perception of Zuckerburg being that off an overgrown toddler: no sense of permanence, empathy, but with a multi-billion dollar company and a team who are all afraid to beat him at Settlers of Catan.

It was still a brilliant novel from Collins, and you can be sure I will be watching the new movie in cinemas, tissues at the ready

A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini

One of the classics that everyone tells you you ought to read, and now a full paid up member to this fan-club and ready to join in the chorus. This is an absolute must read. With a simplistic writing style but multifaceted and empathetic characters I was completely immersed as I followed the story of two women from the period prior to the Soviet occupation, the Mujahideen, the rise of the Taliban and post 9/11.

This book had me in tears, but its overarching message was one of hope. There’s a reason this book is on all the must read lists.

Piglet – Lottie Hazell

With increased discussions on eating disorders in the media, I felt excitement picking up this debut. But in all honesty I came away disappointed. Whilst the writing style itself flows beautifully and the descriptions of food were delicious, I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters, and felt there was little substance to any of them.

The storyline that should have been further developed was the class difference between Piglet and Kit’s families – Piglet’s family perceiving her moving down south and her richer in-laws as a rejection was one of the more interesting dynamics of the book. I only wish Hazell had explored this further as opposed to Piglet’s binge eating scenes. I came away from these scenes feeling they lacked nuance and were instead a trendy plot device: what is Piglet’s relationship with her body, food and her mental health? The reader gets no exploration of these crucial elements and instead gets a surface level detached impression of a binge eating disorder: Piglet’s sad, Piglet orders everything on the menu.

Finally to be completely blunt, books that have a key betrayal or secret which is never told to the reader infuriate me. Authors may feel they are using cutting edge literary devices, but all you’re doing is isolating your reader who will not be able to focus wondering what it is!

This book had me in tears, but its overarching message was one of hope. There’s a reason this book is on all the must read lists

Educated – Tara Westover

A memoir in a similar vein to Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Raised by Mormon parents, including a father who believed the apocalypse was imminent and had a deep mistrust  of the Federal Government, formal education and healthcare, Westover’s memoir is so far removed from the average academic beginnings it makes an important and insightful read. Not attending school before the age of 18, Westover and her siblings work an extremely dangerous job on their fathers scrapyard. Through self study, Westover manages to attend BHU and eventually Cambridge University, all whilst struggling with finances, an abusive brother, and parents who believe her desire for education make her destined for hell.

Whilst perhaps the wrong area of focus for a memoir filled with poignant and important moments for such an extraordinary story, it’s also excellent exam motivation. If Westover can make it to Cambridge with no schooling until the age of 18, you can make it through your finals.

Circe Madeleine Miller

Circe lives in exiled solitary on a beautiful island whilst having the occasional dalliance with a legendary Greek hero. Whilst I cannot deny that this doesn’t sound like a bad life by any means, it makes for a slow moving plot.

The beginning definitely has the ideal plot rhythm as we explore the reasons behind Circe’s exile from her not so loving family. As the book moves into her exile, there’s a definite lull and all of the stories that come by Circe’s Island feel too short, clunky and undeveloped. In all honesty Circe’s relationships, including romantic and those with her son and brother, felt underdeveloped and slightly boring. I felt most invested in that of her and her lion (as it should be for every woman).

Where Miller shines is her characterisation of Circe herself –  ironically she feels very human (the irony being she is an immortal nymph). The prose – as always with Miller – is beautiful, and whether a classics student or just grew up on Percy Jackson, this is well worth the read.

Image credit: Sara Thwaites