Estimated reading time:4 minutes, 1 second
Every bit of Islington has a story. Three new books published in spring 2024 use Islington as the backdrop for the action including Caledonian Road, Old Street (Hoxton) and Regent’s Canal. Reviews by Nicola Baird (in a shameless plug for her own funny novel, Not That Deep, which is centred on the canal’s paddleboarding community). However at least regular readers of Islington Faces will hopefully be pleased that I’ve now got time to do more interviews of the amazing people who live and work in Islington.
CALEDONIAN ROAD by Andrew O’Hagan
This is a massive hardback with a large amount of invention that has been described as Dickensian. It is very different from O’Hagan’s bestselling novel (and subsequent TV series) Mayflies which looked at Glasgow friendships over four decades and felt very close to being autographical with its focus on gigs, music and friendship. I didn’t love Mayflies, but everyone else in my Islington book group did. Now we’ve got Caledonian Road, published in April 2024, which looks at class, money and the desperation some growing older folk feel in a bid to keep their ideas fresh.
The research must have taken O’Hagan many lost posh dinners and close study of Islington people, but it’s effortlessly weaved into the novel, so I ended up with a good knowledge of… Actually I can’t tell you as it would be a plot spoiler.
The story focuses on Campbell, and his fall from grace, but it is Islington’s Cally Road and Campbell’s big house in Thornhill Square, N1 which are the stars. Like Dickens some of the characters are caricatures but they feel no less believable, and help the reader keep turning the page. I loved the way Caledonian Road mentions loads of local landmarks including Ethiopian restaurants, bus routes and the Pirate Castle watersports community centre just out of the borough at Camden. This is a book for people who love dealing with the big question – what are we here for, especially in a time of climate crack up. Although to be fair Campbell doesn’t worry too much about that.
ART by Peter Carty
This bills itself as a novel about fine art and low life in Hoxton. It’s set almost exclusively around that bit of Shoreditch that became trendy after the YBA artists moved in. Carty, a former Time Out reviewer, has done an amazing job inventing art. There’s a lot of sex and parties in Art, which is narrated by an outsider desperate to be an insider. Don’t give it to under 18s but definitely have a read, especially if you want to imagine the Old Street area before the developers arrived. I loved it.
- If you are up for a tamer version of Islington art, then go to the Islington Art Society Spring Art Exhibition 2024 which runs from 24 May – 2 June at the Original Gallery, Hornsey Library, Crouch End, N8 9JA.
NOT THAT DEEP by Nicola Baird
I can’t review my own novel, but I can quote from some people who’ve read it. I can also share that it is set in Islington on the Regent’s Canal and focuses on the extraordinary canal characters and paddleboarders that you may see if you take a stroll along the towpath. The book was launched at the book barge, Word on the Water in King’s Cross in early May 2024.
First reviews for Not That Deep, a splash and tell novel set on Regent’s Canal, Islington.
More feedback for NOT THAT DEEP
“I’m enjoying the first few chapters.”
“Literally laughing out loud.”
“Funny and touching. I enjoyed the familiarity of the London setting.”
“Conveys your passion for paddleboarding.”
“Lots of the text chuckleworthy. Mansplaining Jack was very funny and will be relatable for some.”
Plus YOU ARE HERE by David Nicholls
This Islington-based author (and friend of Islington Faces) is probably best known for his novel (film and Netflix series) One Day. Published in 2009 One Day has sold a staggering 6 million copies and been translated into 40 languages, so rather proves that it speaks to a lot more than a generation of late 1980s university graduates growing up.
And now we have You Are Here, a glorious story of Michael and Marnie dealing with feelings and the reality of an often very wet Coast to Coast walk. The Coast to Coast is the route created by Alfred Wainwright that takes you 313km (195 miles) from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire. You are Here is my book group’s June book choice. David Nicholls has also given talks to readers at local independent bookstores, Ink@84, Highbury Park, N5 and Book Bar on Blackstock Road, N4.
- Enjoy your summer reads!
