![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() If you could read minds, would you really want to? Is psychological manipulation justifiable to protect others? Still, you can’t help cheering Bernie on as she turns the tables on the patriarchy, liberating herself from isolation and self-doubt. And the conceit raises timely questions about influence and responsibility. In Broken Light, she asks readers to swallow the premise of mind-reading, a tall order if you struggle to suspend your disbelief. Harris, who made headlines last year in her role as chair of the Society of Authors, is prolific and genre-bending, incorporating elements of magical realism and fantasy into her work. Weaponising the inconspicuousness of middle age, she channels her menopausal anger into preventing sex crimes and abuse by manipulating the minds of creeps, which – surprise, surprise – has unforeseen consequences. Then the murder of a local runner unlocks a gift that has lain dormant since her schooldays, and she turns vigilante. Getting pregnant aged 19 trapped Bernie in domesticity. Joanne Harris, of Chocolat fame, is the latest writer to tackle midlife transformation, in Broken Light, the magical tale of a woman, Bernie Ingram, whose childhood superpower – the ability to enter and alter the minds of others – returns with her hot flashes. The menopause is hot right now, judging by a slew of non-fiction books from authors including Davina McCall and Mariella Frostrup, and novels such as Georgie Hall’s Woman of a Certain Rage and Ciara Geraghty’s Queen Bee. ![]()
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