SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION: BURIAL RITES/HANNAH KENT

It is claimed that every person on this planet is linked to any other in six or fewer steps.  But what about books?  Can we link them together too? Find out in the 6 Degrees of Separation book meme.

This month’s book is Burial Rites by Hannah Kent.

I have yet to read Burial Rites. Given its profile, I feel it’s something I should have read by now. So, I don’t know a lot about this book (other than I should read it) but the title made me think of …

Sinful Folk by Ned Hayes: In this novel set in 1377, five young people are murdered and angry villagers set off across England in midwinter to demand justice for their children’s deaths. It’s too cold to bury them and they heap the bodies on a wagon; their decision not to follow through expected burial rites soon lands them in grave danger. This led me to a book I’m reading now …

The Kept by James Scott: This book is also set midwinter, though 500+ years later and in upstate New York. Midwife Elspeth Howell returns home to find her husband and four of her children murdered. A family broken, but as the novel reveals, there are more fractured lives in this book than first seems. This led me to …

Fractured by Dawn Barker: From a midwife birthing (and taking) babies in The Kept, to a mother suffering post-natal psychosis after giving birth, Fractured is a heart-breaking story about a missing baby that leaves a family shattered. An emotive story with key scenes set on an ocean cliff top, this led me to …

Elemental by Amanda Curtin: A minor character falls off a cliff top, a son is buried before his time … just two of the scenes in this beautiful, atmospheric novel. The seaside settings in Scotland and Western Australia led me to …

Stella’s Sea by Sally Ann Jones – a mother mourning the loss of a daughter moves to a coastal Perth suburb. A subtle novel.

From Burial Rites I’ve formed a chain to Stella’s Sea … interestingly all of the novels I’ve chosen have something to do with burials, death and loss. I wonder what meme creators authors Emma Chapman and Annabel Smith came up with.

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Want to join in?

6 Degrees of Separation is a monthly bookish meme, created by authors Emma Chapman and Annabel Smith. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Go to Emma or Annabel’s blogs (see links above) to find out what the book of the month is (chosen on the first Saturday of every month).
• Write a post linking the book to five other books (of your choice) to form a chain.
• Post a link to your chain in the comments section of Emma and Annabel’s blogs. If you don’t have a blog, you can still share your chain in the comments of their posts.
• Visit other blogs to see what their chains look like – leave a comment to say hi.
• Check out the rules here if you need more information or examples.