This book is a historical fiction based around Durga who is returning home during Diwali. The book promises family secrets will be revealed and unravelled in hopes of enticing the reader. The issue I had with this book was that it was extremely slow paced - which is something I expect of a historical fiction, however I did hope to see it pick up in certain places.

The interactions between the family members and Durga didn't feel too authentic and at times, it felt like there was some distrust and disapproval between them all. The blurb gave an impression that there might be more of a development between Durga and her grandmother but this did not seem to happen.

Despite this the writing style was beautiful and I did enjoy the references to Malaysian culture and history. It's definitely a historical fiction I was pleased to pick up so that I could expand my knowledge of different cultures and locations more thoroughly.

This was an interesting read
I loved the historical setting and the background to the story
The characters were well developed
It did however take me a while to get into it

Wanted to really get into this book, because the subject matter is fresh and not an angle that's often seen/shown in the world of fiction. But the writing put me off. I just couldn't settle into it with all the head hopping, the constant jumping between characters - it never felt like I could settle with one long enough to hear their part of the story at that point before someone else interjecting and taking the focus away. This omniscient POV might work for many, but unfortunately, it was a turn off for me

fascinating story about grandmother relationships. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

Fragile monsters follows the often fraught relationship of Durga and her grandmother (Ammuma). In a tale as old as time these two women fail to see their similarities creating a rift in their relationship. As Durga returns home to Malaysia after 10 years working away in Canada as a mathematics professor, both women are forced to confront the trauma, secrets and ghosts that haunt them. Split out over two timelines WW2 Malaya and "modern" day Malaysia (80s) the story unwinds the history of how these two women came to be how they are.

This was well written book with an interesting concept of truth being woven with fairytale. The setting only added more to the almost gothic and haunting atmosphere. Both women haunted by their mistakes and the people they have lost. There were a few times where I felt a little bit lost and even had to reread passages to grasp what had happened however I do think this was intentional. The truth and clarity of the situations clouded by heartbreak and the unwillingness to face the truth.

This book did take a while to get going but hooked me in when it picked up pace. The open to interpretation ending is something that will be turning in my mind for days to come too. Would definitely recommend.

A dark and enchanting story, I really enjoyed Fragile Monsters. Catherine Menon sets a captivating hook that unfolds slowly at first, teasing out snippets of Mary's life that you didn't realise was what you were really interested in. We start out thinking Durga is the main character in this story, but as we progress through this multi-layered and evocative novel we are reading for the grandmother, for Francesca, for the Mother Agnes and for the beautifully, heart-wrenchingly devistating story between them. Once it got going, I couldn't put it down. Relatively easy read, not to ditract from the spellbinding story.

Fragile Monsters has left me with mixed feelings. I enjoyed the exotic setting which is a world away, and I thought the descriptions of Malaya/Malaysia were beautiful. I kept getting confused between the different characters though and thought that although events in the two timelines seemed to mirror one another (history repeating itself and all that), nothing was ever delved into in any depth. Big events were mentioned and then that was that, on to the next thing, with chunks seemingly missing and very little proper detail. It felt like I was skim reading someone’s life story whereas I would’ve preferred to stay in each situation a little longer and really feel it.
I feel it would make a good film but for me as a book it didn’t go deep enough.
Side Note - I listened to the audio version and the narrator was excellent!

A story of strong women and a family saga. I enjoyed the book especially the descriptions if Malaysia which is a country I have visited and loved. The different timelines worked well but I did feel a bit disjointed at times. Good storyline and interesting book

"They're fragile monsters, these nothings of ours."

The narrative of this book is split across two eras. One is 1985 when mathematics professor Durga returns to Malaysia after a 10 year stay in Canada and is visiting her grandmother and only family member during Diwali. The other is between the 1920s and 1950s when Durga's grandmother, Mary, is growing up and coping with love, marriage, friendship, the Japanese occupation and the war for independence from the British.

Catherine Menon can write well and I will be curious to read what she comes up with next. But as noted by other reviewers, this novel is too much of a meandering, rambling, repetitive story for it to be enjoyable and it felt much longer that its 256 pages. Some aspects of the plot and characterisation just felt forced (e.g. how the hell did someone as bland and unlikeable as Tom manage to attract all these women??), some points and themes were overworked and overstated ad nauseam and the use of mathematics as scaffolding was not well integrated.

Menon though effectively created a world and an atmosphere for this reader and there is evidence of talent in her form:
- "I start to dislike him, with the kind of irritation that innocent objects provoke when they get themselves in the way. Tables in the dark. Chair-legs. Good intentions"
- "Taken by a crocodile, was the verdict, and Mary and Cecelia shivered with a delicious, squirming horror whenever they slipped down the banks of the Jelai to look for fighting fish"
- "She drops a dry, hard kiss on my cheek then pushes me away. She's on edge. Wanting to get going. Wanting me out so that she can settle down and miss me."
- "Left alone, the devils have uncorked themselves from inside his head and sauntered about the house poking."

I can't help but thinking that Menon, as a debut novelist, could have been better supported in bringing this story to us, as in its current state the book feels prematurely published.

2.5 rounded up to 3 in light of the above.

Many thanks to Penguin General UK and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One of those books where the author never gets straight to the point. The premise of the story was promising but the writing style was cryptic confusing.
It is in the 1980s that Durga visits her grandmother Mary in rural Malaysia. The story then flips back and forth from Mary's early life to Durga's present life.
All the characters in this book were unlikeable. The story became hard to follow and there were many times where the writer just seemed to ramble on endlessly about things that didn't lend anything to the story.
The ending lacked impact as there was no sense of actual closure.

I've left my review a little too late to be truly thorough but I did really enjoy this story. It took a lot of turns that I wasn't expecting and that meant the second half I spent with an undercurrent of dread... but in a good way? It got a little bogged down in places (no pun intended) but worth pushing through those little spots for the overall story. I love how even with what we're told is the truth, we still can't be completely sure that anything we learned was completely honest. Mary keeps her mysteries to the end.

A very interesting and compelling read that had me hooked from the first chapter. Also, that cover!! Beautiful!

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK, Viking, and the author Catherine Menon.
I'm not really sure what to say about this book! I enjoyed parts of the story and was particularly interested in the historical events in Malaysia around the time of the second world war (and before), however it didn't really leave me with any overwhelming feeling or impression.
I enjoyed how the book jumped back between generations and timelines, but this may have contributed to the slightly disjointed feeling of the novel. 3 stars.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me this advanced reader’s copy in return for a fair, frank, and honest review.

This book started rather slowly which made it difficult to focus on, however, the descriptions of Malaysia made me feel like I was there. What I especially enjoyed was that the book follows 3 strong women and those women helped me to carry on with this book and at the end of it I really enjoyed it. It definitely has issues but the story telling was good and I liked the women and was rooting for them throughout.

I had mixed feelings about this one. The way it's told is beautiful and vibrant - I can imagine the places, smell the scents, hear the sounds.
What I struggled with was two things; one being the lack of characters I felt attached to, and two being the storylines. It was somewhat a slow burn in terms of getting to points where you feel that things are coming to a head, but often these threads of the overall tapestry unraveled and didn't really get finished. I liked that it spanned decades and painted a real picture in my mind's eye, but ultimately felt there was a bit too much going on to fully land a powerful impact for me.

Durga has left her life in Canada to return to Malaysia, for a semester, as a Math lecturer. She arrives for the weekend to stay with her ageing and angry grandmother, Mary Aunty. Durga herself is sad and angry and thinks it is about the loss of her best friend when she was a teenager. We are aware of the tension in the relationship between Durga and her grandmother who took on the role of her mother from birth.

The novel tells us the stories of Mary Aunty's childhood and Durgar's own in parallel. As the story unravels we see how secrets, trauma, loss and betrayal have shaped both their lives.

I wish this book was paced a little faster and the characters were a bit more likable. The cultural representation felt half-baked too. DNF!

I was really excited for this book; the premise sounded interesting and I do enjoy inter-familial generational dramas. Unfortunately, it ended up falling a bit flat for me. It read very slowly, and I don't always necessarily mind that, but I found it hard to motivate myself to continue reading at times. I liked the dual timeline and perspectives switching from Durga and Mary, her grandmother. I also liked that it was set in Malaysia, as it's a country I don't know much about. Both women deal with an important loss, and it was interesting to see just how intertwined their lives were, despite being completely different people in their personalities. I personally connected more to the character of Mary, a grumpy old woman, so I don't know what that says about me! There were aspects of the book I didn't care for, like Durga and Tom's relationship, and I also think that the big reveal at the end didn't really work for me. Overall, a bit disappointing.

I have mixed thoughts about Catherine Menon's debut novel that traces one family's story from 1920 to the present. Here Dr. Durga is back from Canada to rural Malyasia. Her ammumma Mary is unwell and keeps asking for Durga's mother who died shortly after D's birth. The story alternates between the past and the present — 1920 and 1985.

Read it if you are interested in the historical premise of the novel. The Emergency situation, aftermath of WW2 and Japanese occupation, Floods of 1926 are explored. There are heart breaking real life situations (such as villagers being banned from helping Malaysian soldiers). This family saga also explores secrets, betrayals which affects the characters in present day.
The relationship between the characters could've been better written. I did not feel interested enough to know more about them or their shared history. I would've liked to read more emotion and warmth between characters. The progress of the story does not keep you invested in the storyline and characters (Some subplots could've been done away and a tighter plot would've been more enjoyable). But if the historical premise excites you, you will enjoy the read.

‘The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there’, said LP Hartley and this book strikingly underlines that message. The central character, Durga, has gone back to the village in Malaysia where she was brought up, to visit her grandmother, Mary – also known as Ammuma. She takes fireworks as a present and the fireworks quickly turn into flames as bits and pieces of her past life and the truth about her upbringing slowly emerge. Durga is a mathematician with an interest in category theory and there are lots of things about her early life which simply do not add up!

As an adult, Durga has been successful in the university environment and in mathematics but in her personal life it is clear that finding her place and forming relationships is difficult. Her grandmother is a great character but an unreliable witness to the past, partly because of her age and partly because she is keeping secrets. Back in the village, Durga meets up again with Tom, a childhood friend who along with Durga was closely involved in the sad accidental death of Peony, one of their teenage friends. There’s a lot to resolve.

Most of this is accomplished through the back story of Mary and Durga’s mother Francesca although the events are sometimes more owned up to than happily recounted by the old lady. Mary has been injured in a fire, (remember the fireworks) and is in hospital and increasingly feeble. Her story covers the years of instability in Malaysia, the Japanese occupation, the Emergency and, finally, independence. Its powerful how these events are covered from the perspective of the village.

Even as the past shifts and blurs so does the impermanent landscape of rivers, banyan swamps and tropical trees. And, just to confuse reality even more, there are spirits and ghosts in the jungle. Catherine Menon holds this together so that the novel becomes a kind of crazy detective story as she tries to make sense of what people tell her, what she finds out and what emerges from scraps of paper and photographs of the past.

It’s an impressive debut and a really good read full of twists and turns as the truth, very dark in places, slowly comes into the light.