Book – The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
This is one of the most moving stories I have ever read.
The Red Tent is historical fiction, following Dina, daughter of Jacob, who appears briefly in the book of Genesis. It is a retelling of her story, focusing largely on the relationship between herself and the women in her family. It is a beautifully vivid and emotional read.
It is also a great representation of the culture and customs in ancient Harran before the introduction of monotheistic religions, and demonstrates the importance of female bonds and connections in such cultures.
Short Story – The Thing in the Forest, A.S. Byatt
“The Thing in the Forest” is a 50 page short story which explores the blurred line between reality and fantasy. The story follows two young girls being evacuated from the city in the second world war as they are sent off to a grand house during the evacuation and encounter a living horror in the woods nearby. The story then jumps ahead to the two girls later in life, when they run into each other when revisiting the house as adults.
I really enjoyed this on a surface level as just a weird little short story, though looking into it deeper it is an interesting exploration of the trauma of war and innocent loss. It was also beautifully written, with quite rhythmic and lyrical prose, although not so much as to distract from the story itself.
Poem – The Orange, Wendy Cope
“The Orange” is a wonderful poem and Wendy Cope is a phenomenal poet.
I don’t think there is much else I can say about this poem, you just have to read it.
Podcast – The Left-Right Game, QCODE productions
This was my most recently listened to podcast and I genuinely enjoyed it. “The Left-Right Game” is a cosmic horror audio drama, so not your typical podcast. Only 10 episodes long, I found the story of “The Left-Right Game” to be very intriguing and I have a new love of horror audio dramas; I think it is a great medium for the genre, as it doesn’t let the creators rely on jump scares and creepy visuals.
Though it isn’t the best that I have listened to, it was an impressive feat in terms of production and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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