(A not very) Bitesize: Antonia Fraser's The Wild Island (1978)

This was intended to be a bitesize episode, half the size of our usual episode, but it hasn't turned out that way. In bitesize episodes, I take a look at one area of a book, a prequel or anything else that breaks the normal structure of an Out of Order Book Club episode.

This (surprisingly long!) Bitesize episode just asks one question about 'The Wild Island' by (Lady) Antonia Fraser. The novel 'The Wild Island' is part of the Jemima Shore series, she is a fictional investigative journalist, who has her own TV show called 'Jemima Shore, Investigator'. My copy of the novel has 'A Jemima Shore Investigation' at the top. So, after reading this novel, I had just one question about this series - Is Jemima Shore really an investigator?

I thought this would be a quick episode, I was wrong. If you listen to this episode, you'll hear me talk about being bamboozled, befuddled and I'll call a character a 'tit'. I definitely ramble a bit, but my bitesize episodes are a bit more self-indulgent, so please excuse me.

Content warning: Contains swearing, mentions suicide.

Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com

New website: outoforderbookclub.com - This is where you can read my blog and listen to my podcast.

Useful Sources and Helpful links:

Maureen T. Reddy's 'She done it' article: This 1986 article is worth reading if, as I say in the episode, you're a fan of crime fictions and/or female detectives. It's a whistle-stop tour no doubt, and you may disagree with her point of view in some cases, but I'd strongly recommend it.

Erika Munk's 'Deadly Delights' article: This 1992 article may be about a particular short story collection, but it has the same historical perspective as Reddy's article. Once again, you may not agree with her review, especially if you have read these short stories, but it is worth engaging with it. It has certainly introduced me to a lot of authors that I didn't know about, and they are going on 'the list'.

Larry Horton's 'The Enduring Animal Issue': OK, so this one is used because it illustrates my argument rather than connects to fiction. However, it is a fascinating late 80s argument that animal activism is doing irreparable harm to the biomedical community.