I have just finished another of my summer reads. Cracks in my Foundation (2005) is a collection of short stories and essays by Irish author, Marian Keyes. It follows up her first compilation, Under the Duvet (2001) and has been released with the title Further Under the Duvet in some places. Proceeds of the hardback sales in Ireland go to the charity Keyes is patron of, To Russia With Love, and one of her essays explains her connection with this charity.I borrowed this book from someone who described Keyes's novels as "like a warm bath". I have to say I agree. Keyes has a way of tackling even the toughest issues with humour and humility and her novels are strangely comforting. She has no problem poking fun at herself, yet does it in a way that is sure to bring any reader onside. The reader gets a sense of truly knowing each of the characters, without them being turned into caricatures. That's not to say that their features are not often exaggerated; however, any exaggeration is portrayed in a truly humorous way. Most of the essays in this book had been previously published elsewhere; they are easy to read and, for me, seem to fill out the wider picture Keyes reveals of herself through her novels.
Also on my 'to read this summer' list is This Charming Man (2008).
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I locked myself out of the house the other afternoon (clever I know) so to fill the hour and a half til my partner got home from work, I walked to the little Tirau library. I think I own as many books as are in their collection! Anyway, the first book that jumped out to me and which I am now trucking through is Marian Keyes "Under the Duvet." I'm a Marian fan (although I found "This Charming Man" disappointing) and really enjoying it.
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