Venetian canals are the clearest they have been in living memory after Italy’s coronavirus lockdown stopped boats from bringing sediment to the surface. In a rare welcome side-effect of the health crisis, the usually murky waterways are clear enough to see the schools of fish under the water. White swans are also roaming the canals … Read more
MEMOIR DEAR LIFE by Rachel Clarke (Little Brown £16.99, 336 pp) Growing up in the 1970s, Rachel Clarke loved hearing her father’s tales of his career in medicine. But one story, — from his days as a naval anaesthetist — lingered uncomfortably in her mind. He was only a young man himself when an explosion … Read more
MEMOIR MY PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY by Zeba Talkhani (Sceptre £9.99, 200pp) Zeba Talkhani’s mother was preparing for one of her many extravagant dinner parties when her daughter heard a scream. ‘Mama’ had caught her hand in the blender. Blood spattered everywhere. She was taken to bed, where her body began to convulse. Zeba … Read more