Jackie: Some reflections on recent works of non-fiction

Looking back over the past few months, it feels wonderful to have been able to attend, online, a dizzying array of author events, from the Hay and Edinburgh festivals to our very own inspiring bookshop discussions. I have realised how truly exceptional writing can change the way we think and, alongside the fiction I have been reading, some of the most thought-provoking and exciting books I have read recently have been non-fiction.

I have just finished Zadie Smith’s short volume of essays, Intimations, which is a series of beautifully written, personal reflections on this year. I loved her literary approach and her examination of her own self-doubt as a writer (and as a person). She negotiates the last months very much as the rest of us have and it made the book feel very intimate and important. The people she writes about, from those she encounters on the streets of New York to old acquaintances she meets when she returns to London, are brought vividly to life. There is a political vein which runs through the book but there is far more of a feeling of an author seeking to make sense of things for herself. As she says early on, ‘Talking to yourself can be useful. And writing means being overheard.’

It was interesting to read these essays alongside Elif Shafak’s recently published How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division. Shafak’s writing seems almost effortless – universal in scope, and her words are always compelling – she is a wonderful storyteller and believes in the power of stories. She offers a way forward, with ‘a blend of conscious optimism and creative pessimism’ and her vision is, ultimately, optimistic, if we are careful about the media we absorb and the words we listen to. I found it inspiring.

I am now looking forward to continuing The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste, one of the books shortlisted for the Booker Prize. I am also excited to see the arrival of The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, which has just been published – it is a beautiful book, both in its illustrations and its message, and one which I am already recommending to everyone.