The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim by Jonathan Coe

Another Coe epic as Max heads on a ludicrous car journey northwards to the very tip of Britain he is also rediscovering the hidden history of his own family.

On this journey Max we feel is struggling with his own sanity and drawing parallels between the trip and a fated round the world sailing trip. We can but hope that for our hero Max the outcome is more pleasant.

Coe is a genius of yarns.

The Storyteller by Mario Vargos Llosa

A Peruvian in Florence chances about a photo-exhibition in which he spots an old friend. Or is it? Has his friend become the mythical storyteller of a lost tribe or is it just a case of mistaken identity.

More magic realism from Senor Llosa but for me this story is just a bit too disjointed unfortunately. I am going to reread The War of the End of the World and this will not put me off though as this is a great classic.

The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

A journey by a father and son to Greece to search for a mother and wife. The aim is to bring her back. It is complicated by a history of a shipwreck, a castaway on a desert island and a pack of cards that somehow comes to life.

The book is full of twists as you might expect if you are a Gaarder fan, but how it is all pulled together and intertwined is the genius of the man.

A great read.

Also by Jostein Gaarder is Sophie’s World.