The Twin by Gerhard Bakker

Helmer's twin has died many years before and now Helmer is living on the family farm with just his dying father.

I felt this was beautifully written (translated?) and compelling but I am not sure I liked it that much. I finished it with so many unanswered questions and I was not convinced by the behaviour of either of the women but it did provoke a lively discussion of what it all meant.

Nella Last's War by Nella Last

Nella Last wrote a diary for the Mass Observation Archive which was then published in 1981. Her diary details her day-to-day life during the second world war. As a group we loved the detail she gave of how she coped with rationing and bombing. We had a long discussion about whether she was depressed before the war and is this what "nerves" means in fiction of that era. Her changing relationshiop with her husband also intrigued us.

All in all we thoroughly enjoyed this book.