Harper Lee has recently announced that she is releasing a sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird, fifty five years after the book was first published. The novel is studied by many students at GCSE level, and I can remember reading the novel, 10-12 pages at a time, in a classroom. Unfortunately, this stop-start mechanical consumption caused the excellence of the book to be lost on me at the time, as I’m sure it was for many other students also. It’s only when I re-read the novel, six years on, that I fully appreciated its poignancy as a piece of literature.
In the Middle has decided that those books you’ve buried at the back of your bookcase, and show you that away from your teacher’s penetrative gaze, they actually are worth a read.
Plays
The perceived barrier to fully appreciating Shakespeare’s work is the language, and it is the hurdle at which most people fall and give up. However, the saying ‘no pain no gain’ applies here and the perseverance is definitely worth the reward. An absolute must is Hamlet – the story of a young Prince’s quest to avenge his murdered father. Hamlet’s sanity gradually deteriorates as he is tortured and possessed by the gravity of his task.
An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestly is a gripping and gloomy snippet into the lives of the privileged, and underprivileged, in the early 20th century. The Birling house is visited by the ominous Inspector Goole one night regarding the suicide of a young women. It’s highly entertaining, not too lengthy and easily consumable – definitely worth a (re-)read when you have a few hours down time.
Novels
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is essential to this list. A dark philosophical novel which explores beauty and morality in the infamous character, Dorian Gray. It is a timeless piece which becomes more enjoyable every time you read it.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea are a brilliant couplet. Bronte’s novel is an absolute classic and Rhys’ prequel is a brilliant interpretation of events prior to Jane Eyre.
Poetry
After studying A Level English I’m also quite partial to a Shakespearean sonnet – short, sweet and affecting. I highly recommend A Lovers Complaint – not quite so short and sweet – but a beautiful reflection on love, beauty, deception and the wiles of time.
Along a similar, but much more sinister, vein is Porphyria’s Lover by Robert Browning; a tale of the murder of a woman by her lover. For anyone who enjoys a darker read, this poem chills to the bone.
In the realm of more contemporary poetry, I recommend the works of welsh poet Owen Sheers, which is accessible, unpretentious and relatable. In particular, Keyways Unlocking and Skirrid Hill are very touching.
Sarah Lamb