Surreal and dream-like tale of transformation ‘Foolish Heroines’ by June Wentland follows multiple interweaving narratives with a surreal, dream-like logic that sees Janina, a translator who is drifting apart from her husband, finding solace in a dead spider, Lily’s whose husband’s death free up her time for new philosophies and a former Czech Republic President make an appearance in cat-form. I thought ‘Foolish Heroines’ was an interesting read, it’s definitely one for fans of the weird and wonderful. The writing style is lyrical and lulls you into the story, gradually introducing the magic and absurd so that, like a dream, you accept it as completely usual. Each of the characters travel through a wonderland that is the forest that sprouted in Lily’s dining room as they work through their troubles. The varied cast have their own quirks and are all on their own journey of liberation and self-discovery. There is humour within each irreverent thought as well as poignancy and moments of reflection as each character navigates the issues in their life, whether that’s relationships, mid-life crisis or bereavement. The plot is filled with unexpected twists, turns and loop-the-loops that will keep you entertained and guessing as to what will happen next. This is a fun piece of magical realism that takes you on an adventure that is somehow both wonderfully surreal and wholly relatable at the same time.
This is a feminist take on surrealism set in contemporary urban Britain. Janina, a translator of Arabic and Asian texts, is hardly communicating with her husband and talks instead to a dead spider, who she’s named Gladys. Lily’s husband dies in a strange accident with a milk bottle and, finding herself with only half the amount of ironing to do, she embraces new philosophies that crave action. When the late Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, lands – in cat form – on the book she’s reading, the pace of change speeds up further. Bill Gupta is depressed by a dream that suggests that his ability for establishing friendships is imprisoned, forever, in the haberdashery department of human relationships. Even Zosia – whose most daring act, so far, had been to replace the usual jelly and ice-cream with biscuit-based lemon meringue pie – runs off to Delhi with the Asian Women’s Sewing Group. Inexorably drawn towards each other by the unobserved liaisons of the neighbourhood cats, the characters meet in the forest growing in Lily’s dining room. There, they decide to re-educate the Deputy Chief Planning Officer of the City Council. Plans go awry when their captive escapes and Janina thinks her husband is having an affair. However, with the help of fortune teller, Monica and amnesia sufferer, Bryan (a victim of the joy riding privatised ambulance service) a new, more exciting, normality is crafted and the local authority machinery starts to dance to a different beat.
