Book 73 - Tom Watson "Metronome"

Tom Watson "Metronome" (Blooomsbury)




Initially, it started very well with an interesting poem eyes and also a feeling of something very different. This felt like good suspenseful near future dystopian fiction. However, it loses its way partially around about the midpoint to 2/3 through and I don’t think it really recovers from that stumble. I’m not sure that the ending is particularly satisfying, but then again, it’s also not a cursory warning. I think the characters were well drawn out and I think that their ploys and motives were entirely believable. I do however feel that it lacks something.

Book 74 - Kang han "Greek Lessons"

Kang Han "Greek Lessons" (Penguin)



Originally published in Korean in 2011 it has finally been released in early 2023 in English with a translation from Deborah Smith.

In Greek Lessons, the nameless narrator finds the echo of words in her mind so overwhelming, that she loses her capacity to speak. She signs up for a for ancient Greek language course to see if she can communicate in a language other than her native Korean.
Her instructor is captivated by the silent woman since he himself is slowly going blind.

Soon the two discover a deeper pain binds them together. For her, in the space of just a few months, she has lost both her mother and the custody battle for her nine-year-old son. For him, it’s the pain of growing up between Korea and Germany, being torn between two cultures and languages, and the fear of losing his independence when his sight finally fails him completely .

Greek Lessons is the narrative of an improbable friendship between these two people, as well as a beautiful discourse on human closeness and connection. Greek Lessons is a remarkably deep book for such a short tale.