Currently Reading : The Mussel Feast

This book was a Christmas mystery buy from BookDepositary, written by Birgit Vanderbeke and translated by Jamie Bulloch, published by contemporary European publisher Peirene Press.

The Mussel Feast wanders into the inner workings of a middle-class family to explore the issues tearing the characters apart. Wonderfully written with a somewhat fuzzy ending that I detest as it suggests a continuation. What I really love about this, is it's the first musical book I have read. The memories and mood are set to classical music, through suggestion of composers and their musical compositions. This had me playing my old classical music CDs and you would do well to have a collection on standby too. From the mother's favourite Schubert piece Winterreise that she plays on the piano to calm her nerves, to the opulent Verdi operas the father blasts every sunday morning, it's a different way to immerse yourself in a book.