Cressida Connolly

Something sensational to read in the train

Sophie Ratcliffe’s The Lost Properties of Love is full of interesting questions. What, for instance, was Anna Karenina reading on the train?

Any memoir is a form of double-entry book-keeping, in which what has been lost is reckoned against what has been gained. It’s always easier to fill in the ‘lost’ column, since boasting is discouraged; sadness gets more attention, too, as it’s generally supposed to be more interesting than contentment.

Sophie Ratcliffe includes an actual list of her losses in this wonderful and highly individual book.

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