Penny Feeny reviews 'The Incident' set on the BALTIC COAST

 Penny Feeny by 
Stephanie de Leng

We are so pleased to welcome Penny Feeny as our guest blogger, author herself of two terrific novels set in Italy. She reviews The Incident by Kenneth Macleod, set on the Baltic Coast of Germany.

Penny has worked as a copywriter, editor, and radio presenter but her real love is writing fiction. Her short stories have been broadcast by the BBC and appeared widely in magazines and anthologies (Her Majesty, A Little Aloud, and Bracket among others). The story she wrote for Bracket subsequently grew into a novel,The Apartment in Rome, which has just been published by Tindal Street Press. Her debut, That Summer in Ischia, reached Amazon's number one spot and was their best-selling title in the summer of 2011. She's been settled in Liverpool with her family for many years now, but previously lived in Italy and will always been drawn to that most seductive of countries!



The Incident by Kenneth Macleod

Until recently much of the Baltic has been inaccessible to the West. Perhaps this is the reason we’ve been lured to the heat, colour and sophistication of the Mediterranean.  But the Baltic has its own charm:  a glorious coastline of long sandy beaches and warm shallow waters, with a fascinating history to be read in its abandoned buildings.  In Heiligendamm, for instance, where the G8 summit was held in 2007, there is a magnificent crescent of grand Edwardian villas from  the resort’s heyday, lying empty and shuttered for decades.

Heiligendamm is in what used to be East Germany. Kenneth Macleod’s The Incident takes place near Grömitz which faces it across the sea from the West. The novel is set in the mid-80s when the Berlin Wall still divided the country, and the machinations of the Stasi feature prominently.  Macleod  also begins his tale with the image of a seaside structure: a lifeguard tower  – ‘the Germans call a tower like this a tomb’ – which for the narrator, Craig, is haunted by the ghosts of two children.

Craig, a young Scots student, is working as a lifeguard at a summer holiday camp. Macleod is a master of graphic detail and gives a vivid rendition of the ritual of Craig’s day, the sense of claustrophobia in the tower besieged by wasps, the freedom of the sea, the atmosphere of playfulness on the beach, his German colleagues’ sense of humour. He also, very slowly and deliberately , creates a mounting tension.  You know from the start that by the end of the day two children will die – but you don’t know which two, or how or why. The details of the setting and the suggestion of menace are extremely well-crafted, but then the novel takes a sudden swerve into another story, that of East German Gerd, who was recruited by the Stasi.

In the first section Craig gives us a tense account of his grandfather’s experiences during World War 2 when, as a merchant seaman, he survived a torpedo attack from a German U-boat. This is harrowing stuff but justifiably included to illustrate the author’s theme and explain how, through a subsequent connection of his grandfather’s, Craig finds himself working in Germany. Gerd’s account of his recruitment makes gripping reading, like a Cold War thriller complete with horrific torture and disregard for life, but it doesn’t really cohere with the rest of the narrative.

All three stories consider the randomness of fate: of being in a particular place at a particular time, of trying to perform a duty and, almost by happenstance, falling short. Towards the end of the novel, a new character is introduced, whose only function appears to be to emphasise these points  and clarify the role of a tragic hero. When the rest of the writing is so compelling this episode seems intrusive and a little patronising.

There’s no doubt, however, that this is a highly ambitious literary novel, with a very strong sense of place and wonderfully detailed descriptions. Today the Baltic is as serene a destination as you will find, but The Incident is a reminder of a period when things were very different.

Thank you to Penny from Tina and the TripFiction Team. Click on the bookcovers of Penny's novels if you would like to find out more and to purchase. And if you would like to find more books set in and evocative of Germany, then click here 

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Covers, lovers, and luxury labels

"There are no good girls gone wrong - just bad girls found out" (Mae West). This novel is a homage to the Wicked Women in this world... think Madonna, Joan Rivers, Lady Gaga, Alexis Colby and the polyglot character in this novel, Loretta Fiorentino.

This post can now be found on the new TripFiction website here

A family on the edge - YORKSHIRE

Novel set in Yorkshire. This blogpost can now be found here

Crime, Race and Politics - SOUTH AFRICA

‘7 Days’, published in 2011, is the third book by Deon Meyer in which detective Benny Griessel is the lead character. The other two are Thirteen Hours (2009) and Devil's Peak (2004) – although Benny had made a first cameo appearance in Dead Before Dying (1996). The base character was created very quickly by Meyer as Benny was not a main protagonist in ‘Dead Before Dying’ – and this very possibly explains the cliché of yet another alcoholic detective in the mould of those who have been so popular with crime writers over recent literary history (perhaps Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole is the best known current example…).

‘7 Days’ is a very well written fast moving detective thriller. Good characters, good characterisation, and a great plot. Deon writes in Afrikaans, and the book is excellently translated into English by K.L. Seegers  - though it would have been good to have advance notice of the Glossary at the very end of the book…might have saved some guessing :). The literary quality is clear to see – perhaps a little simpler in construct that some of Meyer’s earlier novels, but that does not detract at all from the read. It is a page turner, but it is a literary page turner. The story has twists, turns, and false leads – just as you would expect. It is, as with all Meyer’s books, extremely well and thoroughly researched – and you can, for example, easily appreciate the respect he has for the elite HAWKS detectives with whom he spent time in Cape Town before he started to write the book – his appreciation of their dedication and professionalism comes through very clearly. Meyer, too, very precisely researches locations in which to set his characters – Hanneke’s apartment and van Eeden’s mansion are based on real properties in Cape Town.

The geographical setting of ‘7 Days’ in South Africa is not a key factor in developing the storyline – although, for me, the comment that the completion of the NI highway had not been a priority once the World Cup was over (a criticism made of more than one delayed infrastructure project…) – and the passing reference to the Radisson Blu in Sandton - both rang true. I have driven down the first – and visited the second – quite recently.

But the post-apartheid reality of South African business and politics is very certainly a key part of the storyline. Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) drives the plot of ‘7Days’…The BEE Act was brought in during 2003 to speed the move in South Africa to greater black representation in what had been (and still is) a predominantly white business society. By general consent, BEE has worked – up to a point. But it has also imposed an enormous administrative and logistic burden on small business – quite often it is hard to hire the best person for a position if that person is not black. BEE has also made a significant number of people, such as van Eeden in the book, seriously rich. The deals to set up major BEE compliant enterprises are extremely complex (and, again, extremely well researched by Meyer). The fixers, the merchant banks, the lawyers, and the advisors all make money – often to the tune of millions of rand. As do the number of elite black businessmen who ‘front’ some of the purchasing organisations (in the book there are those with ANC, Communist, and Trade Union backgrounds – this is not unusual). Greed often finds ways round both the letter and spirit of commercial law. South Africa has developed a new business and political elite who have great wealth. But that wealth does not filter down either to the general black population or to the increasingly unemployed and rejected Afrikaans’ working class. I am sure that is what Meyer was hoping to communicate to an audience both in South Africa and beyond.

All in all ‘7 Days’ is an excellent and thought provoking book. An exciting and well told story line – and also an eye-opener for anyone whose view of the new South Africa is limited to Cape wines, safaris in the Kruger National Park, or lazing on the beaches of the Eastern Cape. Apartheid may be long since dead – but it has not been replaced by nirvana.

If you want to read more books set in and evocative of Cape Town, then click here 

Tony and the TripFiction Team

The Amber Room - GERMANY/THE CZECH REPUBLIC

This is the story of the 'eighth' Wonder of the World, the looted Amber Room, in novel format. THE AMBER ROOM by STEVE BERRY

This blogpost can now be found on the new TripFiction website, here

'The yellow book, with the yellow woman on it' - set in Martha's Vineyard

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann set in Martha's Vineyard, USA. This post can now be found on the new TripFiction website here

A Voyage to VALENCIA

If you love Spain and all things Spanish, then this is definitely a novel for you! We were enchanted by the style that pulls the reader in and the wonderful evocations of Valencia both during and post Spanish Civil War and in the modern day.

Emma has just lost her Mother, Liberty, the founder of Liberty Temple perfumes. Emma has taken over the enterprise with now ex Joe, who has been ensnared by the third business partner Lila.  A novel with depth, that explores relationships, life and family both present day and issues of legacy from past generations. It also brings the horrors of the Spanish Civil War to life. The chapters alternate between The Civil War Years and the early 2000s as Emma abandons her life as a perfumer, and settles in Valencia to search out her roots and her history.

Valencia is the "land of flowers, light and love" which is a perfect backdrop for a character like Emma to explore her story. The novel is very sensory, you can feel the flowery notes as she dabbles and combines natural fragrances... neroli.... orange blossom.. and more....

If you know the city well, this novel will transport you right back there, as the plot moves from Emma's newly restored finca, to the Torres de Quart or across the Plaza Mayor or the Plaza del Ayuntamento. Enjoy a  chocolate con churros, roscón de reyes cake or let your taste buds savour the full flavours of paella as the characters enjoy the cripsy layer of socarrat at the bottom of the pan; perhaps go on to enjoy a natillas pudding.

The ending was perhaps the weakest part of the novel - a fireworks ending that somehow jarred with the thoughtful writing in the rest of the book.

See the city beautifully captured through the author's eyes as Emma begins to explore: "There was a voluptuousness to the city, a softness in the light that had entranced her immediately. A little further up the street she saw a young  woman sluicing the pavement with a tin bucket outside a café as a man set out tables and chairs ready for the morning rush. Emma  wandered  along the square, taking  in the baroque architecture and the virile bushy palms. She paused outside a religious icons shop. Serried ranks of identical madonnas gazed out at her, eyes full of melancholy understanding." As a reader you can almost visualise this in your mind's eye.

The art of perfumery features fairly prominently in this novel, and this has inspired us to bring together several novels that are strong on perfume - look out for the post in the coming weeks.

And if you would like to read more books set in your chosen part of Spain, click here for the full list and drill down by town or area. We will now hand over to author Kate Lord Brown, who has agreed to answer our questions. Enjoy!

TF How did you first come to writing?

KLB Like a lot of writers, I've always written - diaries, short stories and plays as a child, and then a lot of editorial and travel writing as an adult. I started writing novels over ten years ago, and my debut was published in 2011. I've just finished a MA in Creative Writing, which has been a great experience, and now 'The Perfume Garden' is being published in eight countries this year.

TF How did the idea of combining a love triangle, perfume and a great location come about?

KLB The book was inspired by living in Valencia for three years. I was so curious about Spanish history, and fragrance is tied up with my memories of living there (orange blossom in the groves where we lived, incense in the churches, saffron and sea food cooking over open fires ...). We were living there, and I was expecting my first child, when 9/11 happened so that side of the story has personal resonance too. All the elements of the story - and the idea of creating something redemptive from such sadness - came together organically.

TF You clearly know Valencia really well and the city just comes to life in your writing. We understand that your family moved there - what lay behind that choice of destination for the family and how did it pan out for you?

KLB Well, I was living happily in London, helping to run an art gallery in Chelsea - we'd just got married, and had renovated our dream home ourselves. Then one day my husband announced he wanted to leave his job in the city, and follow his dream of being a pilot. Much soul searching followed, but let's face it - you want the person you love to be happy! We sold up, travelled around the world for several months, and then he learnt to fly in Spain. They were three very happy years - our daughter was born there, and I did a lot of writing (there were few distractions living in the orange groves with no TV or internet and a radio phone!).

TF Do you have any top tips for visitors to Valencia?

KLB If you love drama and fireworks, go during the March Fallas festival. If you love contemporary architecture, head out to Calatrava's futuristic City of Arts and Sciences. One of the most beautiful parts of the city is El Carmen - and don't miss the great IVAM contemporary art museum there, a real treat. For paella, take a drive out to the Albufera - the little coastal villages sell the absolute best (and try the black Arroz Negro - delicious). In town, don't miss seeing the Holy Grail in the cathedral - and the Mercado Central is an absolute must. One of my favourite parks is the tucked away Monforte Gardens - the perfect place to take a picnic from the market. Valencia is still seen as Spain's third city, but it's the perfect destination for a city break.

TF The character of Emma is that of a particularly feisty and independent minded woman. Where did you find your inspiration for her?

KLB I like strong independent female characters! (My debut novel 'The Beauty Chorus' was about the Spitfire girls - women pilots in WW2). When you're writing a lead character, it's like gradually bringing a camera into focus. To begin with, you have a vague idea about them - how they look, talk, their goals. Then all the details come together. My heart just went out to all the families involved with 9/11 - and Emma's character was really inspired by that feeling of empathy. I knew Emma was having a tough time at the start of the book - she's just lost her Mum, her partner's having an affair, and she's pregnant, and working hard ... but as her character defined itself, she showed her strength and warmth. I like her - and hope other people will too.

TF How does your typical writing day pan out?

KLB We live in the Middle East, so I'm up at 5.30am each day for the school run. I'm normally back at my desk by 7.30am and write until 12.00. Then the afternoon is taken up with family, and I'll work again in the evening, reading through the morning's work.

TF What are you working on at the moment and will location feature heavily?

KLB I'm working on a new story, about a forgotten American hero - it's set in Flying Point (my favourite beach in the Hamptons), and the South of France. Again, I've chosen locations I love and I hope that really brings the story to life.

TF What do you do to celebrate completion of a book?

It depends - finishing the first draft is all 'woohoo', so exhilarating that you've finally pinned down the story. I always liked Annie Dillard's comment that walking into a room with a raw manuscript is a bit like being a lion tamer - you go in waving a chair in front of you saying 'Down Simba!' After all that adrenalin, I usually take a couple of weeks just catching up on real life, and reading, or take a trip somewhere (I'm married to an airline pilot, and we travel a lot). The second, third and other drafts are different - editing is when you put your creative head aside and get tough with the manuscript. When you send back the final copy edited version to your publisher ready for printing, that's always a champagne moment - it's a huge relief. Then of course you are satisfied for - oh - about a day, and you find yourself thinking about the next story ...

Thanks for having me on Trip Fiction!

And thank you to Kate for appearing on the TripFiction blog! We are already looking forward to reading her next book!