February 25, 2020

Richard Harrington & Njambi McGrath

28 minutes

Richard Harrington (Hinterland, The Crown, Death In Paradise) and Kenyan born comedian Njambi McGrath choose the books they've loved reading. Richard's choice is Unreliable Memoirs by the late Clive James, stories of his childhood in rural Australia. Fond memories of laughter at home as a child hearing his father reading extracts of it aloud to his mother brought Richard to the book as an adult. Njambi McGrath says Chigozie Obioma's chilling tale of two young Nigerian brothers in his debut novel The Fishermen made the hairs on her body stand up, and she could "feel the words on my skin", it was so engrossing. The Fishermen was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2015.

Harriett's choice is The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre. Translated from the French by Stephanie Smee, it won the European Crime Fiction Prize and is the story of Patience Portefeux. She's a 53 year old translator for the French police, earning a pittance for translating drugs squad intercepts of North African gangs. She has bills to pay and an elderly mother in a very expensive care home. So when she gets the chance to switch sides and deal drugs herself, the temptation is too great. Richard likens it a little to the TV series Breaking Bad and Njambi says never before has she rooted so much for someone about to commit serious crime.

Tell us what you think of the books on instagram @agoodreadbbc

CLIVE JAMES- UNRELIABLE MEMOIRS

CHIGOZIE OBIOMA - THE FISHERMEN

HANNELORE CAYRE - THE GODMOTHER

Producer: Maggie Ayre

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