Conor Bateman @norbateman.co · 03/02/2025The Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo: didn't do much for me. Cinematic pretensions saddled with distractingly florid description and clunky dialogue. Seems to want to be a literary mesh of On Dangerous Ground and Leave No Trace, doesn't touch either. Neatly designed (and very tense) ending. 100
Conor Bateman @norbateman.co · 04/02/2025My first Nicola Barker and already it's very clear why she and Ali Smith are mutual (and mutual Muriel) admirers. Funny, often visceral, and shot through with a multitude of abandonments, not least our attachment to a sense of self. 100
Conor Bateman @norbateman.co · 11/02/2025Sarah Hall's Madame Zero: Mrs. Fox and Evie are worth the price of entry alone, the former absolutely floored me. Less sold on the future dystopia stories (though the wind one landed). 100