2010 in Books: Philip Ellis

The year is coming to a close, and what a year it's been.  Facebook got its own movie, Lady Gaga took over the world, Sarah Palin tried to take over the world, somebody took a huge WikiLeak, two BBC radio presenters said the C word on air (on the same day), Wills and Kate are getting hitched, and snow has brought our country to a standstill once again.

But I'm not interested in any of that.  What I want to know is - what have people been reading this year? 

My personal choices for 2010 have consisted mostly of horror.  Here are a few of the best.

Duma Key by Stephen King

(Read in Gran Canaria, 1st-8th March)

I was dubious about taking this one on holiday with me, as it clocks up over 600 pages and the other most recent King epic that I'd read had been the largely overwritten, dragging Lisey's Story.  But I wasn't disappointed with this one.  Drawing on his own personal experience of surviving a car accident, King creates a hugely sympathetic character in his protagonist, Edgar Freemantle.  A huge chunk of the novel's plot comes from Edgar's recovery after losing an arm, a process which leads him to convalesce in a handsome beachfront property in the Florida Keys.  This house, like so many in King's works, has a rather colourful history, as does the entire island.  Edgar soon meets Jerome Wireman, a neighbouring resident who is the carer for Elizabeth, an elderly woman with the island's many secrets buried deeply within her fragile mind. 

There are so many elements in this book that contribute to the vivid and compelling plot; Edgar's newfound artistic talents that transform him into a local virtuoso, the complicated relationship he shares with his ex-wife, the menacing ghost ship that keeps appearing on the horizon, and the increasingly frequent flashbacks that ultimately reveal Duma Key's tragic legacy.

I don't want to give away much more, for fear of ruining the story for anybody yet to read this book.  It was a pleasure to read, a welcome return to form for Stephen King in my opinion.

Tokyo Cancelled by Rana Dasgupta

(Read on the train over a weekend in June)

Referred to by many as a novel, this book of connected tales has more in common with the storytelling tradition of the Decameron and Canterbury Tales.  Dasgupta has taken this concept and updated it, transforming Chaucer's pilgrims into stranded airline passengers, grounded by a blizzard.  To pass the time, each traveller tells a story.  The highlights for me were:

The Billionaire's Sleep, a fairy tale set in modern Delhi, which features insomnia, cloning, and trees that come to life.

The House of the Frankfurt Map Maker, a 21st Century 'Bluebeard' with telepathy and monkeys.

The Doll, a sinister and beguiling love story about a Japanese businessman and his artificial mistress.

Horns by Joe Hill

(Read at home over Easter weekend)

I thoroughly enjoyed the first of Joe Hill's novels, Heart Shaped Box, without realising he is the son of Stephen King.  This fact has no bearing on my opinion of him as a writer - he is bloody good, with a very different style to his famous dad.

Horns opens with the main character, Iggy, waking up with one hell of a hangover, and a pair of devil horns sprouting from his forehead.  The odd thing is, nobody seems to notice them.  The even odder thing is, the horns have an incredible power; they compel people to confess their darkest sins to Iggy, who has become a figure of hatred in his hometown since most people believe him to be responsible for the murder of his girlfriend, Merrin. 

The novel follows Iggy as he sets out on two quests: to find out where the horns came from, and to use their power to catch Merrin's real killer. 

Horns is full of dark humour, great writing and numerous rock'n'roll references.  I am already looking forward to Hill's next offering.

Let The Right One In by John Aljvide Lindqvist

(Read on a beach in Bulgaria, July)

For those who don't know, Let The Right One In follows young Oskar, a bullied adolescent in a Swedish suburb, whose new neighbour is the furtive and mysterious girl Eli.  Sick, slick and incredibly well written, I don't really know what can be said about this book that hasn't already been said in so many reviews, its film adaptation and subsequent American remake.  Just read it, alright?

On my reading list for next year: A Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, A Clockwork Orange, The Handmaid's Tale and Apartment 16, to name a few. 

What about everyone else?  What are you reading?  And what, if anything, are you writing?

Philip Ellis (author of Sweet Tooth)