Book Review: A New Map of the Universe by Annabel Smith

Grace dreams of designing a house for her lover, Michael, a place where they can begin their life together. But before she can step into her future with Michael, Grace must journey into the past to confront its crippling legacy of silence and secrets.

This lyrical, engaging novel spans two generations and both hemispheres as Grace navigates her new map of the universe. It is a story about grief and passion, architecture and astronomy, but above all it is a story about finding yourself.


I read Annabel's Smith literary novel A New Map of the Universe as part of the AWW2013 Challenge. I came across a review of this book from last year's AWW Challenge and it sounded like a beautiful piece of writing. I decided to check it out for myself.

This novel is literary fiction at its finest. The story is entirely character-driven; the heart of the narrative is the emotions of each of the main characters - Grace, Peter and Madeleine. But that doesn't mean there is no plot. Quite the contrary - a lot happens as this story spans two generations and two countries. Smith writes with brevity and lyricalism to highlight the major events that advance the plot forwards, while never losing touch with the most important element - the characters.

A New Map of the Universe follows Grace as she attempts to understand her life and the people who have influenced her - namely her parents Peter and Madeleine. Like the blurb says, it is a story of grief and passion. There is a lot of loss, sadness and regret in the story and for that reason it was very emotional to read. But there is also a lot of love, hope and awakening for the characters.

The novel is broken up into four parts - two from Grace's point of view, and one each from her parents'. I liked this as it enabled me to see deeply into Grace's family history, to see how lives can be forever changed by the things that are left unsaid. It reminded me that we are all a product of our personal family history, of the way our parents were treated by their parents and by the heartaches that hurt those we're close to.

A New Map of the Universe is a touching story about family legacy and the long-ago secrets that threaten to hold us back. Told in sensual language, the narrative explores the depth of human relationships and the impact grief can have on generations. It's a beautiful novel.  

Book Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

For the Eclectic Reader challenge I needed to read a dystopian novel. I chose Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go because I heard about its science fiction element and was intrigued to see how its dystopian world would be created on the page. 

Never Let Me Go follows the lives of three children - Kathy, Tommy and Ruth - as they grow together at an English boarding school and then on into adulthood. They do not live normal lives, however, as a terrible fate awaits them. The book is narrated by Kathy and slowly reveals the sci-fi element that shadows, influences, and ultimately destroys these young people.

The book is one long run-on memory. Kathy looks back over her life and the events that have stayed with her, the ones that influenced who she turned out to be, the moments that saw her shift from a child to a teenager to an adult. It's a book full of Kathy's inner life; it's her reminiscing and coming to realisations that she missed the first time around because she wasn't mature enough or knowledgable enough to see things clearly when they happened. We meet the rest of the characters only through Kathy's memory. Tommy is thoughtful and kind, but I did not like Ruth at all. She is manipulative and it infuriated me that Kathy herself seemed to hardly notice Ruth's true nature.

I found reading this book hard going, and not just because of the dystopian subject matter. The book is written in a strange style - it's an entire narrative of introspection. It does get a bit repetitive at times as Kathy is constantly trying to make sense of everything that happened to her and she often goes back over events in far too much detail. Ishiguro does succeed in portraying the oppressed and restricted life of Kathy, but I wasn't a big fan of his style of writing.

The sci-fi element of the book was quite subtle, even though it was always hanging around in the background. It soon becomes obvious that Kathy and her friends are little more than lab rats, but I never really came to understand the gritty details of how this process works. Ishiguro's narrative is so focussed on Kathy's thoughts and her perspective on the actions of herself and others, that the science behind their lives takes a backseat.

The book's blurb mentions a love triangle which does occur, but the book is actually about a lot more than that. It's about human rights. It asks the question - if your life is predestined should you be allowed to live a normal life up until your destiny is fulfilled? Never Let Me Go is a complex story with a harsh theme on the fragility of life and the power that others can hold over us. It's also a tragic story of lost opportunities. All in all, a very sad book indeed.

100 Questions for my 100th blog post

To celebrate my 100th blog post here on Healing Scribe, I wanted to do something different and special. I wanted to share some more of who I am and my truth, so I've trawled the internet to find 100 interesting questions to ask myself. Answering the questions has been enlightening for me. :-)

So here's 100 random things about me...

1. Favourite word? Love

2. Favourite drink on a hot summer's day? Pimms

3. Favourite drink on a cold winter's night? Tea

4. Favourite movie of all time? Dirty Dancing

5. Favourite book? The Time Traveler's Wife

6. Favourite colour? Purple

7. Favourite artist? Jackson Pollock

8. Favourite song? 'Let Go' by Frou Frou 

9. Favourite pastime? Reading

10. Favourite birthday, and why? My 28th in 2010, the day my husband proposed

11. Favourite natural landscape? Rainforests

12. Favourite flower? Tulip

13. Favourite paid employment ever? Proofreading a manuscript for a small publishing house

14. Favourite dessert? Chocolate brownie

15. Favourite household chore? Washing

16. Favourite shiny object I own? My engagement ring

17. Favourite perfume? White Musk from The Body Shop

18. Favourite dinner my mum made?  Roast Chicken

19. Favourite item of clothing? Polka dot dress

20. Most treasured book in my collection? My signed copy of Eat, Pray, Love

21. One item I would take to desert island? My hubby :-)

22. Best sporting event ever attended? ATP World Tour Finals 2012 - Federer vs Murray

23. Favourite ice cream? Ben & Jerry's Half Baked

24. Favourite environmental sound? Thunder

25. Musician I admire? Adele

26. Favourite famous person who I admire, living or dead, who I'd like to meet? Oprah

27. Best time I've had playing with a pet? Making our dog jump over a line of cushions

28. Favourite board game? Scattergories

29. Favourite TV re-run I could watch 50 times? Any 'Friends' episode

30. Experience of the supernatural? Feeling the presence of an angel while giving a Reiki treatment

31. Nicest thing I've ever done for a little kid? Teaching a girl how to write her name

32. Was I named after anyone? No

33. When was the last time I cried? Today, watching a movie

34. Do I like my handwriting? Yes

35. Do I use sarcasm a lot? Yes

36. Would I bungee jump? Never!

37. Mountain hideaway or beach house? Beach house

38. Summer or winter? Summer

39. If I was a fruit what kind would I be? Blueberry

40. If I could time travel what time would I go to? Ancient Egypt to watch the Pyramids being built

41. If I won the lottery what would I buy? A house

42. If I could have any five people to dinner, living or dead, who would they be? Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Roger Federer, Oprah, Robert Downey Jr.

43. Earliest memory? First day of pre-school

44. What would my superpower be? Time travel

45. Favourite animal? Horse

46. Do I believe in reincarnation? Definitely

47. If I got a tattoo where would it be? Foot

48. Favourite beer? Corona

50. Favourite day of the week? Saturday

51. Favourite number? 3

52. Favourite comedian? Ellen

53. Favourite childhood book? The Big Honey Hunt

54. Favourite outdoor activity? Walking

55. What sound do I love? Laughter

56. If I had to change my first name what would I change it to? Lily

57. If I could be any fictional character who would it be? Harry Potter

58. What did I do growing up that got me into trouble? Slamming doors during a tantrum

59. What do I do if I can't sleep at night? Toss and turn

60. What is the strangest thing I believed as a child? The world was once black and white (I got this idea from seeing old B&W TV shows/movies)

61. Which animal scares me most? Spider

62. Where's my favourite place to take out-of-town guests? South Bank, London

63. When do I find myself singing? All the time; I love to sing!

64. Dog or cat? Dog

65. Coke or Pepsi? Coke

66. Batman or Superman? Iron Man ;-)

67. Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes

68. Santa Claus or The Easter Bunny? Easter Bunny brings chocolate! :-)

69. Do I believe in life on other planets? Yes

70. 3 of my best personality traits? Compassionate, loving, helpful

71. Celebrity crush? Robert Downey Jr

72. What would be my last meal of choice? Chicken Burger

73. Favourite memory from teenage years? First kiss

74. If my shoes did the talking what would they say about me? This woman likes to sit down a lot ;-)

75. Sports I played in high school? Tennis and Netball

76. What is my pet peeve? Singers who mime

77. If I could meet anyone in the world who would I meet? Ellen DeGeneres

78. If I could be famous for one thing what would it be? Something I'd written

79. Where have I visited that I'd like to go back to? Cat Island, Bahamas

80. Do I believe in God? Yes - universal energy, not a man in the sky

81. Favourite movie quote? "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads"

82. Do I remember my dreams? Sometimes

83. Have I ever won a trophy? Yes, 'most improved' tennis trophy

84. What's under my bed? Boxes

85. How far away from my birthplace do I live right now? The other side of the world!

86. Can I touch my nose with my tongue? Yes

87. How many rings before I answer the phone? Two or three

88. Do I like my name? Yes I love it

89. What do I do when driving alone in a car? Sing!

90. The one cause I feel strongly about? Equality

91. Do I play an instrument? I can play the piano, but haven't done so in years

92. An activity I think is really romantic? My hubby pulling me to him for a kiss

93. Would I like to build or design my own home? Yes

94. Favourite swear word? F**k

95. Blue or black inked pens? Black

96. Is the grass greener on the other side? Usually not

97. If I could have three wishes what would they be? Inner peace for me, world peace, and equality for all

98. If I could ask my future self one question what would it be? Will I have kids?

99. If I had one hour to live how would I spend it? Hugging my loved ones

100. What inspires me? Love