Hungry

 

Hungry by Grace Dent (2021 Mudlark softcover 292pp)

 

It’s been a week or so since I finished reading Grace Dent’s Hungry – some details of the text have faded already but the main themes remain in my thoughts - food, family and the long road to fame & fortune.

Grace Dent is a minor celebrity in the UK now days. I personally hadn’t heard of her really even though I’d probably already seen her appearances on TV programmes like “Master Chef” etc. She writes a widely-read restaurant review column in The Guardian and is increasingly in demand to comment on matters of food and popular culture. This book was recommended online and then I stumbled across her excellent podcast “Comfort Food” which sealed the deal for me.

There are three main threads to the story told in this book. Firstly, Dent’s somewhat deprived childhood in insular Carlisle and how the introduction of Supermarkets and discount stores changed the local lifestyle. The novelty of previously exotic foods and products - how they didn’t always change things for the better. Intertwined is the story of her family relationships, in particular with her father who she discovers has been keeping several secrets. The father-daughter dynamics are strong and makes her reaction to his later health struggles all the more harrowing to read. The third main topic covered is that of Dent’s writing career. She seems to have done everything from the lowliest tasks on student magazines all the way up to fashion magazines to national newspapers. Many tales of job-related excess and debauchery are told.

She writes with a light touch and a twinkle in her eye. Even during the most serious, dark sections you are only ever a page or two away from something that will make you smile or chuckle. I enjoyed reading this book and can heartily recommended it if memoirs are your thing.

A Master of Djinn

 

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark (2021 Orbit softcover 392pp)

 

 

Its not often you get to see an author’s imagined world under construction but with “A Master of Djinn” you can do just that. After reading a review of the book in the venerable Locus magazine a couple of months back I was able to track down and read the shorter fiction set in the same world which Clark had written over the past few years before committing to a full-length novel. Those works are “A Dead Djinn in Cairo” (2016), “The Angel of Khan el-Khalili” (2017) and “The Haunting of Tram Car 015" (2019). All are easily available online and although not essential before reading the novel they do include important developments, concepts and events frequently referred to in the longer work. I recommend all of them, “A Dead Djinn..” introduces the main character and follows her in an adventure which more or less acts like a dry run for the later book. “The Angel...” is a much shorter snippet which acts as an introduction to the mendacious ways of the beings that call themselves Angels. “The Haunting..” is a more knockabout, light-hearted caper which introduces more characters and settings that will be used later but at the same time lets us witness the pressure for social change in Clark’s fantastical world.

P. Dejeli Clark is a pseudonym for a serious historian who has decided to dabble in the world of fiction. He uses his knowledge of historical politics and social movements to create an alternate world where all sorts of things have become possible.

Put simply “A Master of Djinn” is a police procedural that follows the investigations of Fatma el-Sha’arawi, an agent of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments & Supernatural Entities in an alternate 1912 Cairo. 40 years earlier a mysterious mystic called al-Jahiz had caused magic and supernatural creatures to come back into the world. The powerful Djinn had allied themselves with the Egyptians and had brought about a magical-industrial revolution. Mechanical computers and robotics designed by the Djinn allowed the country to kick out its European oppressors and become a super-power in its own right.

Fatma is a rare female agent of the ministry and also draws attention to herself by being foreign educated and dressing in western clothing. Against her will she is assigned a partner, another recently-graduated agent, Hadia Abdel Hafez.

The members of a secret society have been murdered by magical means and the pair begin investigating the crime. Soon it becomes clear that something bigger is going on. A caped and masked figure claiming to be al-Jahiz himself is stirring up class divisions in Cairo and seems to have unlimited powers.

In between the twists and turns of the central mystery, the author really spares nothing in describing the world he has created. Everything from the short stories is expanded and examined. The Djinn and other supernatural beings are described in detail and given important roles. The city of Cairo is brought to life as we move from wealthy suburbs to the squalor of the poorer sections of town.

The are several major set-pieces as Fatma and her allies confront the supposed al-Jahiz. Things move back and forth as the investigation continues. Surprising revelations about friends and acquaintances come thick and fast. The reader is given several clues about who is really behind the mask of the antagonist, I guessed it a couple of chapters before the big reveal. In the end the identity is not as important as the how (a clue is in the title) and why. I felt the big finale was perhaps a bit too ‘action movie’ and a bit cheesy.

There is perhaps too much crammed into the novel, its fun visiting the world and seeing its wonders but it seems like the author wanted to show us everything and make the stakes as high as possible. More stories about simple day-to-say investigations by the ministry and its agents would be most welcome if the series is to continue, not everything has to involve the potential end of the world.