Book review: Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkin

There have been a few books this year which have been unlike any I have read before, and this is certainly one of them.

Somewhere between an essay and a meditation on themes ranging from a grandmother’s ill-fated love for her grandchildren to the young survivors of the Holocaust, it is clever and beautifully and sensitively written.

One story is about the after-effects of suicide on families and school communities. It feels like Tumarkin delves into the heart of the issues in intimate conversations with parents and siblings of those who have died of suicide.

I read Axiomatic over a long period during my commute to work, interrupted by Normal People and Reckoning, so even though I thought it was clever and moving, I feel it would be better consumed in a more dedicated way.

This book is no easy read, but it will make you think about the marginalised and traumatised, and to go some way in understanding the realities and complexities of their circumstances.