Sleepless Nights Reviews

Despite the tough discipline, the students at the International School in Moshi are free to run wild. For this motley cohort of ex-pat Europeans, Indian Tanzanians and wealthy Africans, it’s all about getting high, getting drunk and getting laid.

Samantha is tough on the outside, but underneath it all she’s lost. Her parents don’t get on, her teachers hate her and she’s at that age when boys only want one thing. She has lived in Tanzania since she was three. Her father is a mercenary, her mother downs gin and tonics under the midday sun. Ignored and misunderstood, Samantha learns quickly that affection comes at a premium, however hollow the “love” on offer. Before long, her reputation precedes her, losing her friends as quickly as it wins her admirers.

Exile is the first of three powerful and gritty novels about growing up as an ex-pat in Tanzania in the ’80s, where the ordinary teenaged pressures are magnified by post-colonial tensions and the easy availability of drink and drugs.

I started reading Exile on the plane to Melbourne, something I don’t normally do. Usually I’m not prepared to take the risk of being stuck with a book that I’m not that into while being interstate. However, the synopsis had intrigued me and I didn’t have anything else to read that I hadn’t read before.

It was interesting, as it had been translated to English, and so the first few pages were me getting used to the writing style and the slightly choppy nature of the sentences. That said, the shorter sentences really suited the story and I found myself invested in the characters really quickly. Knowing that this book is part of a trilogy I had high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed at all.

Having to wait until 2012 for book two and 2013 for book three have me ever so slightly annoyed however. I like to read trilogies all at once, because I am terrible at waiting for the next book in a series. Forever impatient, I want to know RIGHT NOW.

Argh.

Samantha is a great character and I really enjoyed reading the book from her perspective. She is beautifully flawed and I found myself invested in her story.

I can’t say much more without giving too much away, but parts of the book are totally unexpected and as the reader, it kept me on my toes. A great book, and I really hope that book #2 continues with the same quality and intensity. Now to chew my fingernails while I wait.

Exile will be published on November 1st 2011. RRP $32.99

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Nourishment is nurture. That’s what Andie learned from her grandmother and what she’s always believed about cooking. But somehow, since marrying Ross, she’s allowed her love of food to take a back seat and given up her dream of becoming a chef.

Lately she’s been craving more. And when her marriage falls apart, she’s determined to find herself again and take back control of her destiny.

The first step is taking a job in the kitchen of renowned chef Dominic Gerou. The brooding Englishman is more than Andie bargains for, but the new Andie is ready for anything,even a bad-tempered chef who makes it clear he won’t tolerate mistakes.

That is the basic synopsis of Diane Blacklock’s new book The Secret Ingredient.

I read the book in an evening and it was a quick easy read. I’m not sure what I was hoping for, but I felt that the synopsis and blurb weren’t quite adept at summing up the book. It isn’t about cooking so much as it is about Andie (the main character) and the relationship she holds with the people around her. Not that there is a thing wrong with that (and it made the book quite enjoyable actually) I just felt like the blurb was setting readers up for false expectations.

It feels like quite an introspective book and I was a little startled to find that real cooking and the “guts” of the story didn’t actually happen until midway through the book. Not that it is a slow story by any stretch of the imagination, just that there are other things happening within the first half of the book and other threads being tied together.

I like that Andie and her supporting cast of characters are believable and they feel fully fleshed out and the writing of the book in itself is great. I didn’t get bored and put the book down and wander off, I read through steadily and enjoyed it, which when you’re as easily distracted as I am, is a good recommendation.

A little predictable in places, it is the kind of book I would recommend for holiday reading. It’s pleasant and enjoyable and doesn’t require too many brain cells.

The Secret Ingredient is Diane Blacklock’s eighth book and will be released on November 1st. RRP $25

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