BOOK REVIEW: ALL THAT REMAINS

Title: All that remains: a life in death 

Author: Sue Black

Publication: 2018

Genre: non-fiction, autobiography, memoir 

Pages: 339

My Rating: ★★★★

What if death is just the beginning of a different phase of existence? 

As morbid as it sounds, I've always been fascinated by death. I think it's a topic that deserves more positive discussions within our western culture. When I discovered this book on forensic anthropology it piqued my curiosity, so I knew I had to give it a read.

Dame Sue Black is one of the world's leading anatomists and forensic anthropologists. Her area of expertise is identifying people from their mortal remains and her extensive career has covered some significant discoveries in modern history. 

Rather than focus on specific cases, the narrative in this book explores death in all its guises and through a range of situations that Black has experienced in personal and professional circumstances. 

The author takes us through her life —starting with a Saturday job in the butches and then soon onto university where she spent a lot of her time in a lab dissecting a cadaver. She recalls criminal cases she's worked on, her upsetting involvement in identifying children's bodies in Kosovo and the Tsunami-ravaged Thailand, the different ways of disposing of the dead (my favourite chapter), the latest development of embalming techniques and considers her own thoughts on death.


Black is a formidable writer. She gives us just enough levity to ease the difficult subject matter and her attitude towards death is fascinating to read. She is open and honest with personal experiences of grief and trauma, and she discusses some of the more harrowing aspects of her career with frankness. The emotional strength and resilience Black has are admirable and she seems to genuinely embody an incredible healthy approach to the mental health issues associated with any profession which deals with traumatic incidents.

I thought this book would be quite a hard one to read due to the sensitive and grave topic of death that many of us struggle to talk, let alone read about, but to my surprise, Black eases us in with her quirky sense of humour and wit. In many books that I've read, gallows humour is either ignored, alluded to, or employed simply to shock the reader. Black, however, manages to bring us into the fold without being insensitive or inappropriate. She incorporates humour whilst maintaining the reality of humanity and sensitivity and I found myself smiling and laughing along with her, seeing the lighter side along with the dark. 

From the get-go, Black establishes a clear voice. Her Scottish matron, no-nonsense persona comes through so clearly, and it's such a contrast with the subject matter that I couldn't help but find it amusing. The book's alive with her own down-to-earth personality and it's one of the things I love about this book.

Some parts are of high comedy—her great Uncle dropping dead in his bowl of tomato soup, for example (what a way to go) and others are extremely poignant—her work in Kosovo and Thailand. For me, these are the most gripping chapters of the book. 

I must admit, I struggled at times due to some of the disturbing and emotional content which could be a little graphic. In particular, the chapters about the author having to identify the copious bodies of children during the war crimes and genocide. It's heartbreaking and intense, but extremely interesting. The dedication Black showed to such distressing work is admirable and I think it should be an inspiration to us all. It is certainly a job that Black has stepped up to and in her telling, she provides a commendable service to those dead and alive with such dignity and respect.

Despite the challenging content, I enjoyed reading about the author's warm approach to death. Something that will always stick with me is her saccharine personification of death. Seeing death as an omnipotent female is just that little more comforting, and for me, it eliminates the fear of dying and death a little bit more.


The only reason why this book lacks five stars is because of a slight factual overload. Black tends to heap a load of scientific facts and statistics together in some sections of this book and I felt like these particular sections lacked momentum. At times, it felt like I was reading a paragraph from a report and the clump of information went straight over my head. Ultimately, I lost interest and found myself skipping over these parts. Unlike myself, you might love reading declarative sentences about scientifical statistics and figures but for me, I found it a little dry. That's the only negative thing I have to say about this book!

Overall, All that remains is an honest, thought-provoking and fascinating insight into the world of forensic anthropology. Sue Black has a beautiful way of looking at death and is not only incredibly accomplished with her work, but has done so with grace and tact. This book lets you enter into the world of anthropology in a way that is accessible and comprehensible. The science is lucidly explained and Black's personal reflections are as touching as they are stimulating. As expected from a book like this, it can be a little disturbing and emotional to read but Black never fails to give us that compassion, understanding and warmth. 

This book and the author's wisdom have stayed with me long after I finished reading it. I'm filled with admiration and honour for Dame Sue, anatomy professors and their students and not forgetting those who have donated their bodies to science. 

I cannot recommend this book enough and perhaps like me, you'll close the last page becoming a little wiser, more knowledgeable and less fearful about death herself when she comes to take us away. (Plus, you get to find out the careful way to cut off someone's limbs and the 17th-century approach to making human blood jam, so I suppose that's always a bonus, right?)

A SIGN OF THE TIMES- "THE HYPNOTIST" BOOK REVIEW

Title: The Hypnotist

Author: Laurence Anholt

Publication: 2016

Genre: Historical Fiction

My Rating: ★★★★

Favourite Quote: "[...] she simply said that a sense of curiosity was a commendable thing and if more young men took the trouble to understand the natural beauty of the female form, there might be a little more respect and lot less stupidity amongst them."

"In the dead of night, Pip is plucked from an orphanage and hired as a farm hand. But Pip is black. The farmer and his wife are white. And this is 1960’s America, where race defines you.          

Jack Morrow has left his native Ireland dreaming of a new life in the American Deep South. He has certain skills that he mostly keeps hidden. Skills in hypnotism and mind control...

Pip and Jack’s lives become inextricably linked as the heat of racial tension builds to a terrifying storm.”

Set in the 1960s, the story follows three characters: Pip, an African-American orphan; Hannah a Native-American maid and Jack, an Irish immigrant and hypnotist. Between them, there are three different forms of narration: a third-person account of Pip and his experiences; the first-person reflection from Jack who addresses the readers directly; and a series of original poems/songs from Hannah. The book pieces together their experiences on a farm in deep southern America and the shift between their voices add a wonderful texture and a variety to the reading experience. 

When Pip is bought and paid for at an orphanage, he's worried about his future.  But the worn, skinny old man called Mr Zachary who 'adopts' him is kind and explains to Pip he chose him because he can read to his bed-ridden wife, Lillybelle, seeing as the Zachary's are illiterate. On the farm, Pip meets another teenager- the mute and mysterious  Hannah, who Pip thinks is the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. They meet Jack, their neighbour, who tutors them and he strikes up a fatherly relationship with the children due to his empathy and respect for them and soon enough they earn each other's trust and they all become friends.

Life on Dead River Farm, however, isn't all sweet. The Zachary's have a son called Erwin- an angry racist, Vietnam veteran who's also the leader of the local Ku Klux Klan. Pip, Jack and Hannah face the prejudice, danger and violence of the racist, ignorant people they encounter. Jack delivers a kind of therapy and escapism for the children through his hypnotism. Together, the three of them open up to one another, exploring their pasts and working towards finding a way to make a future in an environment that doesn't offer them much.

"That's th' way it should be," said Lillybelle. 'Folks livin' together in harmony like spoons in a drawer."

Something I love about this book is that Pip is inspired by Dickens' Pip from Great Expectations- Pip's favourite book in the novel which he always carries around with him. Elements from the original text flow through the book: from his parentless childhood; meeting the modern Miss Havisham, lying obese in her bed surrounded by decaying food and the tempestuous Hannah who lives in the house and with whom Pip promptly falls in love with. Though modern versions of classics can be really awesome to read about, I'm glad Anholt doesn't mirror Great Expectations too rigorously. There's room in the novel for a new, deeper and darker story to emerge.

"My mind was in turmoil and fear [..] this fear was something far darker and sinister. It was the realisation that the world I thought I knew did not exist at all- the word 'justice' had been torn from the dictionary."

The Hypnotist lays out the political and social context of the time, plotting insignificant moments of the civil rights struggle and other events, crucial to the 1960s.  One of the reasons why I love this book and have chosen to acknowledge it in my blog is because it reflects a contentious contemporary environment, which is very worrying seeing as this book takes place 60 years ago.  It's horrible to see the parallels between then and now. No we don't have segregation anymore and yes, the race relations are better than they were but they're far from perfect. There's still a number of issues with racism, ignorance and interrogation. Whilst reading some of the racist rants in the book, it sounded all too familiar to the stuff being said today, particularly in post-Brexit Britain. The Hypnotist shows the awful consequences of when these dangerous views go unchallenged. 

"Colour prejudice would indeed be comical if it were not subjugating, dividing and murdering to this very day."

 The book has a strong moral objective which demonstrates that hate in all forms should be rejected. The past shines a light on the present and hopefully, the exploration of the past in literature can help us not to repeat our indiscretions again. Anholt is adamant that we be aware that discrimination and its injustices can occur anywhere at any time and his novel articulates this sentiment, particularly the dark side of human nature. The inclusion of an afterword from Anholt also makes this read a particularly timely warning from history.

Overall, The Hypnotist is a compelling, vivid and powerful look at a turbulent period of American history that will have you weeping in frustration at the injustice in the world. It will shock you and educate you but will leave you believing that even in the most brutal and vulnerable environments, no matter how alone you may feel, there's still room for the discovery of kindness and friendship. Pip, Hannah and Jack are such a powerful unlikely trio who somehow defied the odds in their own way. 
I can't recommend this book enough! 

"THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME" - BOOK REVIEW

Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
Publication: 2003
Genre: Mystery
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Favourite Quote: "In life, you have to take lots of decisions and if you don't take decisions you would never do anything because you would spend all your time choosing between things you could do." - Christopher Boone

 "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective and narrator is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Aspergers Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down."

This book had been staring at me in the face for a few years now, yet, despite its amazing reviews, i'd always dismiss it on the bookshelves, turning to other novels instead. I'm not sure if it is Haddon's intention to purposely mislead his readers into thinking his novel is about a dead dog because it's really not. At the very beginning of the novel, Christopher stumbles upon the murdered dog, and like a detective, he attempts to solve the case. The dog is merely a starting point to what the book is about. What does unfold, however, is something far more shocking.

The plot itself is very simple: a boy's discovery of the outside world. This is a moving story about a boy's inability to connect with people, his need to understand the world and the effect autism has on the people around him. For him, it's not about the satisfaction of finding out the murderer of his next door neighbour's dog or even a personal discovery, it's a quest for the truth- an opportunity for Christopher to break the chains that bind him and dispel some of the lies that have been told to him in order to protect him. 


"I don't like proper novels because they are lies about things which didn't happen and they make me feel shaky and scared. And this is why everything I have written here is true."

Told from the child-like point-of-view of Christopher, Haddon provides a very personal and immersive reading experience. Christopher's autism affects every aspect of his life and small details are slipped effortlessly into the story, providing the reader with a true understanding of the way Christopher's mind works.

Here are a few things about Christopher Boone:

1. He knows all the prime numbers up to 7, 057.

2. He can solve logic puzzles quicker than the average person.

3. He hates the colours yellow and brown, refusing to eat yellow and brown things.

4. He hates food touching on his plate. 

5. He does not like metaphors as they are essentially lies (which confuse and trouble him)

6. He lives a very routine-driven life and has very little experience outside of his home, school and the street that he lives on.

"Siobhan says that if you raise your eyebrow it can mean lots of different things. It can mean 'I want to do sex with you' and it can also mean 'I think that what you just said was very stupid.'"

In this novel, there are no detailed, flowery descriptions, but instead fine details as Christopher records everything around him in an attempt to understand it all. 

 Haddon does an excellent job of demonstrating Christopher's comfort in his surroundings by having him write about them in great detail and his discomfort in unfamiliar surroundings. Christopher refuses to engage with most things that are new to him if he finds them overwhelming or upsetting. This jump from comfort to discomfort is something i'm sure many of us have dealt with and we feel all sorts of ways about it, so it's easy to identify with Christopher. As the plot thickens and his life turns upside down, things get difficult for him.

"I rolled back onto the lawn and pressed my forehead to the ground again and made the noise that Father calls groaning. I make this noise when there is too much information coming into my head from the outside world."

Christopher's blunt way of approaching the world around him is completely disarming and he takes you along with his narrative, despite little happening in the plot for significant periods. Throughout the novel, it feels as if you are listening to a talkative child but with a highly logical and rational frame of mind, chattering away and going on about the negligible details, overlooked by most people.

This novel is different from most books we read due to the absence of emotion. Christopher's straight-forward, emotionless style of narration can be incredibly affecting, particularly when he tells the reader information which should be laced with emotion: 

"Father was standing in the corridor. He held up his right hand and spread his fingers out in a fan. I held up my left hand and spread my fingers out in a fan and we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. We do this because sometimes Father wants to give me a hug, but I do not like hugging people, so we do this instead, and it means he loves me."

The lack of emotion somehow makes his statements more poignant for the reader. I think Haddon lets us see beyond Christopher's limited perspective, and we recognise a sense of feeling in the smallest of acts like the one above. What Haddon does so well is maintain the consistency of Christopher's voice and I admire how he didn't sacrifice the integrity of his character in order to make him more likeable. I mean, there were times when I wished I could snap Christopher out of his insensibility, but I suppose those moments made the book more realistic because perfection isn't always present. 

"Sticks and stones can break my bones and I have my Swiss Army Knife if they hit me and if I kill them it will be self defence and I won't go to prison."

 Autism comes in so many forms it's hard to say that any particular representation of a fictitious character is an accurate account. However, Haddon has created a believable character who offers an insight into the mind of a person with autism, in particular, Aspergers. This book truly breaks down any preconceptions people may have about Aspergers, and it taught me so much about this form of autism.

There are reasons as to why I gave this book three stars though. What I found less successful was the whole "curious incident" itself. I went into this book believing this was a murder mystery about a dog and wanted to read about this murder mystery, but this enigma was resolved within the first few chapters and it goes on to be some sort of family drama and so this annoyed me quite a bit.

The prose isn't that graceful, and I get that it's not supposed to be. Haddon intends to strike the reader with its stiltedness and makes you think about how Christopher's thought processes differ from your own. Yes, this is an effective technique but I don't think this is the best narrative choice for an entire novel. For example, Christopher tells the reader how to solve a math problem and his workings run over three pages and then he states how he came to get these results. I hate maths. If I wanted to know about formulas and algebra and all of the other mathematical references Haddon includes, I would've read a maths textbook instead. I often found myself skipping these pages due to this lack of interest. It's not only maths though, sometimes he'll talk about something and then he'd quickly digress into something else and linger on it for a few pages and I found it quite annoying, like, let's get back to what's happening in front of you Christopher, come on now. Like I said, it's quite a personal insight into what goes on in his mind.

One of the biggest issues I have with this book is the actual story. Though I was disappointed in the sudden change in genre, I think the storyline had the potential to be great. I felt like I didn't get to appreciate it enough, though, because Haddon rushed through it. The story actually comes to a rather abrupt finish in the last twenty pages or so. The hast of it seems like Haddon got tired of generating the story and wanted to put his pen down. I know this probably isn't the case but that's how it looks. The stuff Christopher discovers (which I will not spoil) would be pretty intense for him and anyone else for that matter, so it would have been nice to see how he deals with this rather than read about what makes Sherlock Holmes so great, maths problems and graphs.

This isn't to say that I didn't like it, though. I think The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is raw and honest. I think Haddon deserves all his awards for writing a book that delves deeply into the mindset of someone who doesn't quite fit into society. It's a novel about facing reality, in whatever form it takes, and breaking out of your comfort zone in order to discover the truth. 

Despite being positioned as a young adult book, I think this novel can be read by just about anyone. If you enjoy reading about complex relationships within families and you enjoy unusual narratives, this novel is worth your time!