Lisa Nicholas heads to the seaside, visiting Storytellers, Inc. in St Anne’s, where she and mother-daughter team Carolyn and Katie Clapham discuss Vivian Dies Again by C.E. Hulse
Minutes from the beach in this pretty seaside town, Storytellers, Inc. has its own story to tell. Beginning life as a children’s bookshop, this charming shop moved into adult books and created a very special community book club. Katie Clapham explains: ‘The book clubs have become a real staple of our business – it’s incredibly heartening to think that some of our 50 members have been with us for more than 10 years. An independent bookshop is a way to access the wider world, even from a small town like ours,’ says Katie.
From beautiful, illustrated children’s books to every genre of adult fiction, Storytellers, Inc. is a Lancashire gem to treasure. Readers will always discover something new and exciting. A warm welcome from two very knowledgeable and friendly women awaits. You might even want to join the book club – I know I do.
@storytellers.inc
uk.bookshop.org/shop/storytellersinc
THIS MONTH’S TITLE
Vivian Dies Again
by C.E. Hulse
It seems Vivian can’t get anything right these days – even her own murder, which she is reliving in a time loop at a family memorial party on a museum roof terrace in Manchester.
She’s mid-thirties, no husband, no kids, and about to lose her job. While her friends are growing up, Viv continues to get drunk at parties and offend the hosts. Her family have had enough too, but she is determined to put things right this time. Except, one member of her family really hates her – enough to keep pushing her from a balcony to her death. Eighty-four lives in, and Viv’s only hope is sleep-deprived waiter Jamie who is stuck in the time loop too. Between them, they must solve Viv’s murder before it happens or risk living this grisly day on repeat forever. A sharp, witty, and original take on the modern murder mystery, with lots of laughs and clever observations on family life.
Katie’s verdict
3/5
Vivian Dies Again will get compared to Fleabag for its messy heroine, and to Netflix’s clever time loop series, Russian Doll, which also features a main character who dies time and time again at a never-ending party. Granted, being stuck in a time loop is a frustrating scenario for any character, but walking-disaster Vivian has less of the charm than the other characters this story echoes.
I must admit; she was a consistently tough pill to swallow, and while I felt for her exasperated companion Jamie, I couldn’t warm to our anti-heroine even throughout her 84 lives. Sorry, Viv!
Lisa’s verdict
4/5
My take on this novel and main character Vivian is quite different to Katie’s, as I found her inner life and relentlessly disastrous interactions funny and charming. Frequently misunderstood with a penchant for poor life decisions – a smart woman dealt a tricky hand with an innate urge to rebel – I was rooting for Viv from the start. I found the time loop concept engaging and the writing well-paced, entertaining, and littered with pithy dialogue. A fun read set in a fictional Manchester museum, this murder mystery delights with lovely details and a wicked sense of humour.
Want to get involved? If you’d like to read along or share your verdict, we’d love to hear from you. Tag us on social using #LLBookClub.
