Florence Adler Swims Forever

The Barnes & Noble Book Club selection for this month was Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland. It is actually based, in part, on a true story about the author's family and that really piqued my interest in wanting to read this novel. Every summer the Adler family rents out their house in Atlantic City to tourists and moves to the apartment above their bakery. The summer of 1934 begins tragically when Florence Adler drowns while training to swim the English Channel. Her devastated mother, Esther, makes the decision to keep this information from her other daughter Fannie because she is nearing the end of a high-risk pregnancy after losing a baby a year ago and the entire family, as well as other people in the community, is complicit in this deception. This dramatically impacts her husband Joseph, Florence's swimming coach Stuart, Fannie's husband Isaac, Fannie's seven year old daughter Gussie, and Anna, a Jewish refugee brought to the U.S. by Joseph. The narrative alternates between the perspectives of all of these characters and their secrets and motivations are eventually revealed. I was particularly struck by Fannie's POV because she is so upset by the fact that Florence has not visited her in the hospital that her blood pressure becomes dangerously high, thus causing this elaborate plan to almost backfire. I also really enjoyed the character of Gussie because she is a bit of a pill (with a crush on Stuart) and she is so confused by the fact that all of the adults in her life are lying. After reading the description of the story I was really surprised that Florence's death happens within the first few pages but, in retrospect, the novel isn't really about Florence.  Her death sets off a chain of events that take the characters on a journey of discovery and this technique works really well. The period details are absolutely brilliant, particularly the descriptions of the opulent hotels along the boardwalk, and I was drawn into Anna's plight as a Jew trying to escape from Nazi Germany. It is a sensitive exploration of the lengths people will go to protect the ones they love but I was a bit disappointed in the abrupt ending. A scene that I was anticipating throughout the entire novel didn't even take place! This omission was the subject of the virtual discussion with the author last night and, to some extent, I understand Beanland's reasoning. She asserts that the reader already knows how that scene will play out and she wanted to end the book with a more hopeful resolution between Esther and Anna. The discussion last night was fantastic and I really enjoyed hearing a perspective about Joseph that I had not considered before. I really miss the members of my local book club but I have to admit that interacting with the authors during the virtual discussions has been quite enlightening and enjoyable! This compelling novel is a great summer read and I highly recommend it.

Note: The next selection in the Barnes & Noble Book Club is The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue.  This book was announced much earlier than usual and I have already started reading it!  There will be another virtual discussion with the author on Facebook and YouTube on September 8 (go here for more information).

The Vanishing Half

The Barnes & Noble Book Club selection for this month was The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. I love a good generational saga and I found this to be a fascinating exploration of identity. Identical twins Stella and Desiree Vignes live in a small town called Mallard in Louisiana. It was founded by a former slave who was given land after the Civil War by his former owner and biological father. Each generation is lighter than the last and the Vignes twins have creamy skin, hazel eyes, and wavy hair. However, they still experience acts of discrimination and are traumatized when their father is forcibly taken from their house and lynched. They run away to New Orleans at the age of sixteen and, even though they are inseparable, their paths diverge in dramatic fashion. Desiree marries a dark-skinned man who abuses her and she eventually returns to Mallard with her daughter. Stella gets a job in an office by passing for white. She marries her boss and moves to California with him without telling her sister. She lives a life of luxury and privilege but is terrified that her husband and daughter will find out the truth about her past. Their paths converge again when their daughters meet twenty years later. Desiree's daughter Jude, who has been ostracized as a dark-skinned girl in a town that values light skin, is attending UCLA on a track scholarship with the hopes of becoming a doctor and Stella's daughter Kennedy, who has had every advantage, is adrift and acting in a low-budget production at a local theater. Both sisters must face the consequences of their actions and come to terms with how their choices have affected everyone in their lives, especially their daughters. I found it interesting that while both sisters are trapped by their choices, Desiree has limited opportunities in her hometown and Stella is plagued by loneliness and fear, only one sister finds happiness. The narrative is told from multiple perspectives and, while I didn't like some of their actions, I found all of the characters to be incredibly sympathetic. There was a virtual discussion with the author last night via Facebook which was fantastic (although I really miss the interaction with my local book club members and can't wait to see them again). We talked quite a bit about the title which, at face value, is about the fact that the twins lose a piece of themselves when they are separated but Bennett also spoke about the fact that almost every character loses part of themselves as a result of racism, classism, abuse, gender, and even disease. Many also asked about the ambiguous ending and, although it really bothered me at first because I wanted more resolution, I can now appreciate the fact that these characters must continue on the path that they have chosen. It is a profoundly moving and thought-provoking story that couldn't be more timely and I highly recommend it!

Note:  Next month's selection is Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland.  It sounds really interesting and I am excited to read it!  There will be a virtual discussion (have I mentioned that I miss interacting with my local book club?) with the author via Facebook on Aug. 4.  Go here for more information.

All Adults Here

This month's Barnes & Noble Book Club selection was All Adults Here by Emma Straub and, while I didn't absolutely love it, I enjoyed it much more than I did Straub's previous novel, The Vacationers. Astrid Strick is a retired widow living in the small town of Clapham with three grown children and three grandchildren. She has been conducting a relationship with her hairdresser Birdie in secret for years. When she witnesses an accident that kills a former friend, she realizes that life is short and that she needs to reveal her secret to her children and make amends for her perceived shortcomings as a mother. All three of her children are also struggling with their own lives. Her oldest son Elliott, who has felt disapproval from her his whole life, struggles to make a name for himself in business and to form a bond with his own twin sons. Her daughter Porter, about to have a child on her own, worries that she will make the same mistakes her mother made. Her youngest son Nicky, a free-spirited former actor, ships his teenage daughter Cecelia off to live with her at the first hint of trouble. Astrid sees Cecelia as a second chance to get motherhood right and it is Cecelia's problems at school that bring the whole family together. There is a lot to unpack in this novel (maybe too much) with themes of motherhood, parental responsibility, sibling relationships, birth order, mortality, drug abuse, infidelity, friendship, bullying, sexuality, gender, and even gentrification which are explored superficially, almost as if Straub was ticking boxes for every social issue without giving any of them much development. However, I really loved the message that parents are just doing the best they can and that children will survive because everyone is ultimately responsible for their own happiness. There are a lot of quirky characters behaving badly, much like in The Vacationers, but I found them to be much more sympathetic and I enjoyed their antics. It is also very interesting the role the small town of Clapham plays in the narrative (Straub mentioned in an interview that her inspiration for Clapham was Stars Hollow) because everyone knows everyone else and people can't really escape their childhoods. It is a light and easy read without consequence that I wouldn't have picked for myself but I found it entertaining.

Note:  Next month's selection is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. There will be a virtual discussion with the author via Facebook on July 7. Go here for more information.

Conjure Women

The next selection for the Barnes & Noble Book Club was Conjure Women by Afia Atakora. Unfortunately, my group was not able to meet yet again because of the current situation but there was a live chat with the author yesterday on Instagram that was very interesting and informative. This novel takes place on a sprawling and isolated cotton plantation before, during, and after the Civil War (described as slaverytime, wartime, and freedomtime). In freedomtime Rue is a former slave who has reluctantly taken the place of her mother May Belle as a healer and a conjure woman after the latter's death. Her status in the community is threatened by the birth of a baby with a caul on his head and unnerving black eyes, the arrival of a charismatic preacher who espouses a belief in Christ rather than superstition, and a strange sickness that is killing all of the children. However, the status of the entire community is threatened by the secrets of the past, especially a spell created by May Belle connecting Rue and the master's daughter Varina. This is an incredibly compelling story about a group of people during a tumultuous time that I, a student of history, didn't know a lot about. Because Reconstruction is usually painted in such broad strokes, I didn't really realize what happened to the former slaves who were left behind on plantations after their masters were killed or were abandoned by them in the immediate aftermath of the war. It was really interesting to me to read about the lengths that Rue goes to in order to keep the community safe from both the master's relatives in the North as well as a new threat from those who resent their freedom. I also really enjoyed Rue's character development, particularly her journey from a scared girl who feels that she will never live up to her mother's expectations to a woman who is able to save the people she loves. She is so complex and resilient. I also found the relationship between Rue and Bruh Abel to be fascinating because they distrust each other's methods (using spells or working miracles) but once they realize that they are both essentially frauds they become friends. Even though many of the events described in this novel, such as torture and rape, are very brutal the prose is incredibly beautiful and I loved the symbolism, particularly the fox. This novel is epic in scope and so mesmerizing that I was transported to another time and place. I absolutely loved it and I am so glad that it was included as a Barnes & Noble Book Club selection because I don't think I would have chosen it if left to my own devices. Don't miss it!

Note:  The next selection for the Barnes & Noble Book Club is All Adults Here by Emma Straub (go here for more information).  I did not especially care for Straub's The Vacationers but I am willing to give this the benefit of the doubt.  There will be a virtual discussion via Facebook on June 2.

A Good Neighborhood

I have been under a two week quarantine because a student at Hunter High tested positive for Covid-19 and, while some aspects have been difficult, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to read without feeling like I am neglecting other obligations. I actually read A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler in one day because it is absolutely riveting! The modest suburban neighborhood of Oak Knoll, North Carolina is slowly becoming gentrified as developers tear down the existing houses and cut down trees that are hundreds of years old to build extravagant mansions. The narrative revolves around Valerie Alston-Holt, a black professor of ecology and forestry, and the Whitmans, a nouveau-riche white family who moves into a mansion next door to her. They judge each other before they even meet but soon their uneasy rapprochement is tested by a series of events. Valerie decides to sue Brad Whitman for damages caused to an oak tree in her yard. She contends that building such a large house and an in-ground pool has damaged the root system of the tree causing it to die. The Whitmans are enraged when Valerie's son Xavier begins a relationship with their sheltered teenage daughter Juniper. This reads like a Greek tragedy with the neighborhood itself acting as the chorus foreshadowing the events to come. The narration provided by this chorus reveals background information about all of the main characters and offers commentary on the action taking place.  This is an incredibly effective device because the slow accretion of details makes the tragic events seem inexorable. I read this book in one sitting because there is such a sense of urgency and I had to know what happened! While I found the final resolution to be deeply upsetting on a personal level, this is a very thought-provoking look at race in America right now and I really appreciated the fact that multiple perspectives of people who think of themselves as "good" are explored. Even though A Good Neighborhood is ultimately heartbreaking, there is a redemption of sorts and I highly recommend this cautionary tale.

Note: A Good Neighborhood was this month's Barnes & Noble Book Club selection but, sadly, the meeting was canceled. Even though there was an interesting Facebook Live chat with the author, I would have really enjoyed discussing it with my group!

American Dirt

Last night I went to a meeting of my book club to discuss our latest selection, American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. It is one of the most thought-provoking books I've read in a long time and we had a very stimulating discussion about it. Lydia Quixano Perez is a middle class woman living in Acapulco with her husband Sebastian and their eight year old son Luca. She owns a bookshop and Sebastian is a journalist who writes about narcotrafficking. When he writes a critical piece about the leader of a drug cartel, he and fourteen members of Lydia's extended family are gunned down while the family is celebrating a quinceanera. She and her son are the only ones to survive but, because she knows the cartel will come looking for her, she makes the decision to flee Mexico and become one of the many migrants who try to come to the United States illegally because she feels she has no choice. She and Luca are forced to travel by La Bestia, a network of freight trains that run the length of Mexico north to the United States, which they board while the train is in motion. They face many other unspeakable dangers while riding the train before they give all of their savings to a coyote to take them across the border. This novel was deeply upsetting to me because I could feel Lydia's terror and desperation every step of the way. Intellectually I knew that it was dangerous to cross the border but I had no idea of the horrors involved, particularly for women and children who are attacked, beaten, and raped repeatedly. It was also very enlightening to learn than most migrants are not merely searching for a better life in the U.S. but they are literally fleeing for their lives. This book is very controversial because many have accused Cummins, who identifies as white, of cultural appropriation and have called her out for her stereotypical depiction of Mexicans. We had a great discussion, with an amazing moderator who is Mexican, about the fact that this story made all of us feel more sympathetic towards the plight of migrants and any book, regardless of who wrote it, that shines a light on a dark subject and gets people talking about it is a good thing. This book is a work of fiction that may have some inaccuracies but we didn't think that they detracted from the importance or relevance of the story.  I found it to be incredibly compelling, suspenseful, and heartbreaking and I highly recommend it.

Note:  The next selection for the Barnes & Noble Book Club is A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler.  Go here for more information and to sign up.  As always, if you are local consider joining us on April 7 at the Layton Barnes & Noble.  We are a small but lively group!

Dear Edward

Last night I went to a meeting of my book club to discuss this month's selection, Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. Because I was really sick in the middle of January and then busy with the Sundance Film Festival I didn't actually start reading this until a few days ago but, once I started, I couldn't put it down and I became completely absorbed in Edward's story. Twelve year old Edward Adler boards a plane from Newark to Los Angeles with his parents, his older brother Jordan, and 183 other passengers. When the plane crashes in Colorado, Edward is the only survivor and is taken in by his mother's sister Lacey and her husband John who have had their own heartbreak. He must deal with the devastating loss of his family, the fact that he has become a figure of national interest, and the well-meaning attempts of his aunt and uncle to shield him from anything that might upset him.  Ultimately, he must come to terms with what happened to him and find a way to live again. The narrative alternates between Edward's perspective after the crash and the perspectives of several passengers during the flight leading up to the crash. This device is incredibly effective because part of what keeps Edward from moving on is his refusal to think about the moments leading up to the crash. The crash actually happens just when Edward is forced to remember it when he gets a letter from one of the first responders. It was also really effective to have all of the passengers spend most of their time during the flight thinking about what they are going to do once they land in Los Angeles not knowing that their lives are about to end and that they won't have the time to do all of those things. Living in the moment is an important theme of the novel and something that Edward must embrace to move forward. As always, we had some great discussions! We talked about the fact that Edward's aunt and uncle try to shield him from anything relating to the crash and they keep the letters that the family members of the victims send him hidden away. It is just human nature to want to protect someone you love from pain but it is the letters that give him a connection to the other passengers and his decision to help the families anonymously gives him the motivation to live again. We also had a great discussion about Edward's relationship with his next door neighbor Shay because, throughout the novel, is appears that she is saving him from despair but at the end of the novel she tells him that he has saved her.  Our facilitator mentioned that our discussion was really depressing but all of us felt that the book was incredibly uplifting and hopeful.  I found it to be a beautiful and moving story about resilience and I highly recommend it.

Note:  Next month's selection is American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. Apparently there is a bit of controversy surrounding this book so it will definitely be interesting to read.  Go here for more information about the Barnes & Noble book club and to sign up at a location near you.  As always, if you are local, join us at the Layton Barnes & Noble on March 10.  We have a small group but we are lots of fun.

The Family Upstairs

Last night I went to a meeting of my book club to discuss the latest selection, The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. We had a very lively discussion with a great moderator and I enjoyed it so much because I discovered many new insights that I had not thought about while I was reading it.  This riveting psychological thriller begins when Libby, who was adopted as a baby, turns 25 and discovers that she has inherited a large mansion in a highly desirable neighborhood in London. She also discovers that her birth parents and an unidentified stranger died in the house in an apparent suicide pact and that she has two siblings who have not been heard from since. She enlists the help of a reporter who once covered the case to help her find the truth and what she discovers is far more sinister than she could have imagined.  The narrative alternates between Libby's search for the truth, her brother Henry's recollections from the past about a charismatic man named David who moved into the house with his family and turned their lives into a nightmare, and her sister Lucy's struggle to survive in the present after the trauma of her childhood. All of the narrators are very compelling, especially Henry because he is so unreliable, and I read well into the night because I had to uncover the mystery of what happened in that house (which is almost a character in and of itself). It is incredibly suspenseful and there are quite a few twists and turns, some of which I wasn't expecting, My only complaint is that there are a lot of main characters to keep track of as well as quite a few secondary characters that are not as developed and do not add much to the story. This, along with alternating between the past and the present, sometimes makes it a bit confusing. As I mentioned, we had a great discussion about the themes of manipulation and how easy is it was for David to gain control of the vulnerable Lamb family, of trauma and how it continues to affect Lucy's decision-making even after leaving the traumatic situation, of identity and how learning about the past impacts Libby's perception of herself, and obsession with the past and how it consumes Henry's life. Almost everyone in the book club really liked this one (two women sitting near us who were listening in on our discussion came over and asked the name of the book because they thought it sounded so interesting) and I would definitely recommend it.

Note:  Next month's selection is Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano.  Go here for more information and to RSVP at a Barnes & Noble near you.  If you are local, consider joining us at the Layton Barnes & Noble on Feb. 4 because we have a fun and lively group!

Ninth House

I have really enjoyed the Barnes & Noble Book Cub and I was particularly looking forward to last night's meeting because I absolutely loved the October selection, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. This novel presupposes that the members of the eight secret societies at Yale University (Skull & Bones, Scroll & Key, Book & Snake, Wolf's Head, Manuscript, Aurelian, St. Elmo's, and Berzelius) use magic to achieve success in politics, business, and entertainment. After one of the rituals ended badly, a fictional ninth society (Lethe) was created to have oversight over the other societies and to ensure that the rituals are performed correctly.  Daniel Arlington III, or Darlington as he is known, is the student leader of Lethe and he is responsible for training his replacement. Galaxy Stern, or Alex as she is known, has been chosen to replace him but he considers her to be entirely unsuitable because she has a troubled past. When a murder happens on campus, Alex can't shake the feeling that one of the societies is involved. Against the orders from everyone in Lethe, she uses several of Lethe's magic rituals to investigate (forming an alliance with a ghost) and discovers a connection to another unsolved murder from the past. I must admit that I had a difficult time getting into the story at first because it begins right in the middle of the action with the narrative alternating between the past and present. There are so many people, places, and events that I couldn't figure out what was going on. However, once I did figure it out I found the story to be incredibly compelling and I couldn't put it down. One of the things that I really liked about it is that, while this is a story about the supernatural, it seems very plausible. No one really knows what goes on in these secret societies and, because so many real-life members have achieved wealth, power, and success (George H. W. Bush, George H. Bush, John Kerry, John Ashcroft, Bob Woodward, Jodie Foster, Anderson Cooper), it makes you wonder! I also really enjoyed Alex as a character because she is a fish out of water at Yale but still manages to hold her own and I admire that. The relationship between Alex and Darlington is very dynamic because they each make assumptions about the other that prove to be false and they come to rely on and then respect each other. I also liked the murder mystery aspect of the story. The resolution took me completely by surprise, which is rare for me. We had a great discussion last night and one of our topics was which society would we most want to belong to. I would definitely want to belong to Aurelian because they have power over language and one of their magic rituals involves having words literally enter your body (it is painful but worth it) so that you can become a best-selling author! I highly recommend this book (with the proviso that it is quite dark and there are a few very disturbing scenes).

Note:  The next selection is The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. I am quite excited to read this because I found her last novel, Then She Was Gone, to be incredibly suspenseful. Join me on January 7 at the Layton Barnes & Noble if you are local or at any other participating location (go here for information and to sign up) to discuss it!

The Testaments

The TV series on Hulu has made The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood extremely popular again but I remember reading it as a teenager when it was first published in 1985.  I also had the opportunity to hear Margaret Atwood speak about it at the University of Utah when I was in college. The dystopian story about the subjugation of women in the totalitarian society of Gilead affected me as no other book has before or since so I was beyond excited to learn that this month's book club selection was The Testaments, Atwood's long awaited sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. More than anything I wanted to know the fate of Offred and this book answers that question...sort of. Offred is a powerful and integral part of the story but she is not an actual character. Instead, the narrative alternates between the perspectives of Aunt Lydia, a young girl living in Gilead named Agnes, and a young girl living in Canada named Daisy. Aunt Lydia is a villain in The Handmaid's Tale but, fifteen years after the events in that story, we learn that Lydia has been creating an illegal document recounting her life before Gilead and how she had to overcome many obstacles to become a respected judge, how she chose to accept her role as an Aunt as a means of survival, and her attempts to undermine the patriarchy. Agnes is a privileged young girl who is being prepared for marriage to a Commander. She is content with her role in society until she is allowed to read the Bible for herself and realizes that she has been lied to her entire life. Daisy has never been told that she was smuggled out of Gilead as a baby, that the people who have raised her are really members of the Resistance, and that she is now an important symbol to the people of Gilead. When she learns her identity, she decides to work for the Resistance and infiltrate Gilead society. What I loved about this book is that you never really know what any of the three main characters will ultimately do until the final resolution because the stakes are so high for them. It actually felt like a suspenseful thriller more than a manifesto. My book club last night had some great discussions about the corrupting influence of absolute power and how the oppressed will always find a way to rise. We also talked about the dangers of fundamentalism and how the narrative seems to echo many events in the world today which is truly frightening.  Finally, we discussed the important role that reading (we are a book club with members who love reading, after all) played in toppling the totalitarian regime. As a huge fan of The Handmaid's Tale I really enjoyed this sequel (I finished it in two days because it is so compelling) and I would highly recommend it.

Note:  Next month's selection is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.  The early reviews of this book are great so I am eager to start reading it.  Go here for more information about the Barnes & Noble Book Club and join us for a lively discussion of this selection on Nov 5.

Inland

For the past couple of months I have been thinking about joining another book club.  I missed being challenged to read books that I wouldn't necessarily choose for myself and I have recently made a goal to be a little bit more social (I really struggle in this area). I eventually decided to join a book club that is held monthly at a Barnes & Noble bookstore near me. I went for the first time last night and, even though I stressed about it all day yesterday, I had a lot of fun.  The selection for this month was Inland by Tea Obreht and, while I didn't love it, I found the writing to be incredibly beautiful. Set in the Arizona Territory in 1893, the narrative alternates between two complicated characters fighting for survival. Lurie is an outlaw who joins the Camel Corps of the U.S. Army in charge of surveying the Southwest. He is doggedly pursued by Marshall John Berger because he committed a murder as a young man so he eventually takes a camel named Burke and wanders aimlessly on his own. Nora lives on a homestead plagued by a severe drought. She is left to fend for herself after her husband leaves to find water and her two older sons leave after an argument. She also gets into a squabble with a few locals about moving the county seat to another town which will almost certainly mean the end of her homestead. There is an interesting juxtaposition between the two characters because Lurie is unable to stay in one place for long and Nora cannot seem to leave a place no matter how inhospitable. The connection that ties them together is their ability to speak to the dead.  Lurie is followed by the ghosts of people he knew as a child and acquires their negative characteristics (which gets him into trouble).  Nora speaks to the daughter who died as an infant as a way to assuage her guilt over her death. The two are also connected by the common theme of water and how the lack thereof affects them. However, I had a very difficult time getting through the story because it meanders so much and so many characters appear and disappear without resolution.  I kept picking it up and putting it down, impatient for the two narratives to converge which doesn't happen until the final pages.  If you can make it to the end, both characters do find some redemption and are left with hope for the future but I'm not entirely sure I understand the point Obreht is making.  As previously mentioned, the prose is quite stunning, especially in the vivid descriptions of the Southwest, and there were many times when I went back to read a particular passage again because it was so poignant.  While I can appreciate Obreht’s brilliant writing style, I wouldn't recommend this book.  I would, however, recommend the Barnes & Noble book club because the facilitator asked some interesting questions which stimulated a great discussion (I was not the only one to struggle with this selection) and who can resist the delicious cookies from the cafe!  Go here for information and to find a book club near you!

Note:  Next month's selection is The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid's Tale).  I can't wait to read and discuss this book!

Summer Reading: Then She Was Gone

The final selection on my summer reading list (where has the summer gone?) was Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. Fifteen year old Ellie Mack is a vibrant girl who enjoys spending time with her boyfriend Theo while earnestly studying for her exams with a math tutor named Noelle Donnelly. She is optimistic and excited for her future but one day she goes missing and is never heard from again. Her mother Laurel is completely devastated and doesn’t believe the police when they conclude that she must have run away.  She spends a decade obsessively trying to find her which destroys her marriage and her relationship with her remaining children. When Ellie's remains are eventually discovered, Laurel tries to put the past behind her and move on with her life. She meets a handsome and charismatic man named Floyd Dunn at a cafe and begins a relationship with him. However, she is soon haunted by a series of coincidences that lead her to suspect that Floyd might be connected to Ellie's disappearance. This novel is incredibly suspenseful because the narrative alternates between Laurel's perspective in the present and Ellie's in the past. Even though Ellie's death is revealed early on, I kept reading well into the night because I had to know what happened to bring it about. You know what happens to Ellie but you don't know why and the answers make for a pretty dark psychological thriller. The characters are very well developed and I found them all to be quite sympathetic. Laurel, especially, is incredibly poignant in her despair over not knowing what happened to her child. Even the characters who are deeply flawed are portrayed with a certain humanity and it is fascinating to see how these damaged people impact those around them. There are some very disturbing elements that I found difficult to read but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this novel. I highly recommend it as a suspenseful character study that will keep you guessing until the end.

Note:  Have you read Then She Was Gone or any of the other selections on my summer reading list?  What did you think?

Summer Reading: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Ruth Ware has become one of my favorite authors (I read In a Dark, Dark Wood as part of my summer reading list a few years ago, I read The Lying Game in one day while I was camping in Hanna, and I am currently reading The Woman in Cabin 10). These books are all intense psychological thrillers involving vulnerable young women isolated in dangerous locations and I find them to be incredibly suspenseful. This is especially true of The Death of Mrs. Westaway, the next selection on this year's summer reading list. Ever since her mother died in a tragic car accident, Harriet "Hal" Westaway has been living a hand-to-mouth existence reading Tarot cards at her mother's stall on the pier at Brighton. She has more bills than she can possibly pay and is threatened by a loan shark wanting the money she owes. Soon she receives a letter from a solicitor informing her that she is a beneficiary in her grandmother's will. She knows that this cannot be true as she was told by her mother that her grandparents died before she was born, but she is so desperate that she decides to travel to the funeral and use her Tarot reading skills to pretend to be the heir. She finds herself at Trepassen House, an imposing and somewhat menacing estate, with all of the rightful heirs, who have dangerous secrets, and discovers that she herself is part of the biggest secret of all. Hal is one of Ware's most vulnerable characters (although I really appreciated the fact that she is not an unreliable narrator) but she has a powerful instinct for survival so she is one of her most interesting characters. I found her situation to be very compelling and I was very invested in the resolution which I found to be quite satisfying. I loved Ware's descriptions of Trepassen House. The atmosphere is so ominous and mysterious and the tension builds and builds until the dramatic final confrontation. The use of Tarot card readings adds to the sense of dread. There are lots of twists and turns and, just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was completely thrown off by the ending. This is an incredibly suspenseful Gothic thriller that I enthusiastically recommend!

Note:  Have you read The Death of Mrs. Westaway?  What did you think?

Summer Reading: The Witch Elm

The next selection on my summer reading list, The Witch Elm by Tana French, is an intense psychological character study that challenged me to think and that is the best kind of book, in my opinion! Toby Hennessy has always thought of himself as lucky. He is good-looking, intelligent, and charismatic enough to talk himself out of any tricky situation. He has a group of loyal friends, a devoted girlfriend, and a supportive extended family of means. However, after a night of drinking with his mates, his luck changes because he is attacked during a burglary attempt on his flat and suffers a catastrophic brain injury. He takes refuge at his family's ancestral home on the outskirts of Dublin with his uncle Hugo and cousins Leon and Susannah to care for him. While he is recuperating there, a body with connections to everyone in the house is found buried in the wych elm tree in the garden. As the murder is investigated, Toby comes to question everything he thought about himself, his family, and his upbringing. The narrative starts very slowly as Toby struggles to overcome the physical and psychological trauma he has endured but this becomes very relevant as the murder mystery unfolds. It was difficult to plod through the beginning but once the action gets going I was absolutely riveted. Toby is the ultimate unreliable narrator because his charmed existence made him oblivious to events surrounding the murder of his former classmate and his brain injury makes his own memories suspect. This adds greatly to the suspense. French's writing style, in this particular novel, is very cerebral with long meditative passages so it might not be for everyone. I enjoyed it because it made me think about how we view ourselves compared to how others view us, what role memory plays in our view of ourselves, and how our actions have consequences that reverberate far more than we imagine. It is a brilliant character study that takes some effort to get thorough but is ultimately worth the trouble.

Note:  Have you read The Witch Elm?  What did you think?

Summer Reading: Sometimes I Lie

I have a confession. I read every book on my summer reading list within the first three weeks of summer break! I have really enjoyed having uninterrupted time for reading and I have been staying up way too late (it's nice that I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn for school). When I started to write this review for Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney (which I finished weeks ago), I could not remember a single detail about the plot and I had to find a summary online to remind myself about it. That says all you need to know about this book! Amber is in a medically induced coma after a catastrophic car accident which she cannot remember. Even though she is paralyzed, she can hear voices all around her, including her husband Paul and her sister Claire, as she tries to piece together what happened to her. The narrative alternates between when Amber is in a coma, the events leading up to the accident which suggest that her relationship with her husband is troubled, and diary entries from her childhood which suggest that her relationship with her sister is troubled. Amber is an incredibly unreliable narrator so it is very suspenseful trying to figure out what happened to her.  Feeney also does a very good job of portraying Amber's claustrophobia at being trapped inside her own head. However, I did not enjoy the diary entries because I thought they were quite boring. They involve a huge plot twist that seemed to come out of nowhere and I had a very hard time suspending my disbelief for it. After this revelation and the events that follow, both Amber and Claire become very unsympathetic and I wondered why I bothered to care about either of them. There is an incredibly ambiguous ending which contradicts previous events so it is included merely for shock value. I hate it when authors throw in twists just for the sake of having a twist.  I found this book to be very unsatisfying and, obviously, forgettable.

Note:  Have you read Sometimes I Lie?  What did you think?

Summer Reading: Something in the Water

I enjoyed Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman, the next selection on my summer reading list, very much. Perhaps I am beginning to sound like a broken record but I couldn't put this one down either! The novel begins very dramatically with one of the characters digging a grave to bury another one and I just had to know what happened to bring this about! Erin is a documentary filmmaker working on a project about criminals reintegrating into society after being released from prison, including Eddie Bishop a notorious crime boss. Her fiance Mark is a successful investment banker but he has recently lost his high-profile job. This necessitates a much more modest wedding than Erin had planned on but their extravagant honeymoon to Bora Bora is already booked so they decide to go any way. While they are scuba diving, they find something in the water which turns out to be a duffel bag containing enough money and diamonds to solve all of their financial woes. They decide to keep it and they set up a Swiss bank account to launder the money and attempt to sell the diamonds through Eddie Bishop. Of course, this decision brings about unexpected consequences and a few twists and turns along the way. After such a dynamic beginning, I found the first third of this novel to be a bit slow with a lot of details that didn't seem to be relevant to the story. Then the action becomes incredibly compelling and the seemingly random details, such as the minutiae surrounding Mark's job in investment banking, what it is like to fly first class, and Eddie Bishop's involvement in organized crime, become important and the tension escalates. I was very intrigued by the premise of the story, especially how easy it is to rationalize dishonest behavior and how easy it is to succumb to greed. It made me think about what I would do if I found myself in similar circumstances! Finally, I really enjoyed Erin's voice in the novel. At first I thought the writing was very haphazard but I eventually came to see Erin as an ordinary person in over her head and that made the dialogue seem more believable. I enjoyed her as a character as a result. This is an intriguing read that will keep you turning the pages until the end and I recommend it.

Note:  Have you read Something in the Water?  What did you think?

Summer Reading: Bring Me Back

The next selection on my summer reading list, Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris, is very suspenseful but it didn't quite grab me as much as the previous selections did. Twelve years ago Finn and his girlfriend Layla are driving home from a holiday in France. They stop at a gas station so Finn can use the restroom and when he returns to the car Layla is gone and is never heard from again. The two of them have a very dysfunctional relationship and there is more to the story of Layla's disappearance than Finn is willing to disclose to the police. Just when he is finally ready to move on with Layla's sister Ellen, he begins seeing signs that she may still be alive. Now Finn must confront his past with Layla if he is to have a future with Ellen. This novel has a very interesting premise and I enjoyed the exploration of guilt and its manifestations. As I mentioned, it is highly suspenseful and I kept reading well into the early morning hours because I wanted to unravel the mystery but I guessed the big plot twist before it was revealed and I thought it was incredibly far-fetched. However, my biggest problem with this novel is that Finn is such an unsympathetic narrator and, unfortunately, he is the most developed character. Layla, Ellen, Henry (Finn's business partner), and Ruby (his ex-girlfriend) are basically peripheral characters who only exist to show the extent of Finn's psychological distress. This is not necessarily a bad plot device but I didn't really like Finn as a character. He is controlling, manipulative, and makes very questionable decisions. I didn't understand why either Layla or Ellen would ever want to be in a relationship with him let alone the motivation for their actions later on. I understand the mood Paris is trying to create with her characterization of Finn and the theme that actions have consequences but by the end of the novel I didn't really care about what happened to him. I didn't hate this novel but it wasn't as satisfying as the previous ones on my list.

Note:  Have you read Bring Me Back?  What did you think?

Summer Reading: The Broken Girls

The next selection on my summer reading list was The Broken Girls by Simone St. James and, like the previous books on this list, I couldn't put it down! Journalist Fiona Sheridan's entire life has been overshadowed by the murder of her older sister twenty years ago. The murderer was caught and is serving a life sentence but she has always felt that there was something wrong with his conviction. She compulsively visits Idlewild Hall, the old abandoned boarding school where her sister's body was found, over and over again. When she discovers that the school is going to be restored, she thinks it would make a good article for the magazine she writes for and arranges a tour with the new owners. When the body of a former student is discovered during the excavation, Fiona is drawn into the history of the school. In the 1950s, four young girls were abandoned and forgotten by their families at Idlewild for one reason or another. They are united against the repressive atmosphere of the school and they bond over the ghost they believe haunts the grounds wearing a black dress and veil. After one of the girls goes missing, everyone assumes that she ran away but the other girls believe something far more sinister happened. Solving the mystery of the past might give Fiona the answers she seeks about her sister's murder. The narrative alternates between the events of the past and Fiona's investigation in the present and I found both timelines to be extremely compelling. I was impressed by the way in which St. James was able to weave the two seemingly disparate stories together in such a cohesive manner using the theme of injustice against powerless women. The characters are very well-developed and, because I wanted to discover all of their secrets, I kept reading well into the night. The school is as haunting and atmospheric as any of the settings in my favorite Gothic novels by the Bronte sisters and the supernatural aspect of the story is extremely well done. In fact, there were a few scenes that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end! The mystery kept me guessing until the last chapter and the resolution is quite satisfying. I highly recommend this suspenseful thriller!

Note:  Have you read The Broken Girls?  What did you think?

Summer Reading: The Last Time I Lied

The next selection on my summer reading list, The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager, is another book that I simply could not put down! Luckily I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn during the summer because I have spent far too many nights reading into the wee hours of the morning! While spending the summer at Camp Nightingale, Emma and her older and more sophisticated bunkmates Vivian, Natalie, and Allison, enjoy playing a game called Two Truths and a Lie. One night Emma wakes up to find the three other girls gone, never to be heard from again. The negative publicity forces the camp to close and in the aftermath Emma has a nervous breakdown. Fifteen years later, still tormented by their disappearance, she is a successful artist but she is only able to paint disturbing portraits of the three girls disappearing into a dark and terrifying forest. She is contacted by Francesca Harris-White, the wealthy socialite whose family owns Camp Nightingale, and offered a job as an art instructor at the newly reopened camp. She is also informed that many of the former counselors and campers will also be back. She takes the job, thinking of it as an opportunity to find out what really happened to the girls and confront her demons so she can finally move on. But when she gets to Camp Nightingale, she must figure out who is telling the truth and who is telling a lie about that fateful night. This novel is incredibly suspenseful and, as I mentioned, I could not put it down because I had to know what happened! Sager does a masterful job of creating a sinister atmosphere and I felt a tremendous sense of dread as the events of the past come to haunt the present. I loved the fact that every single character has something to hide, including Emma who is a very unreliable narrator. The mystery is so clever because the clues are all there if you can piece them together (this may be a book that I need to read again). There were multiple times when I thought that I had figured everything out, but Sager took me in a completely different direction right up until the final page! I highly recommend this riveting story but do not begin it if you have to get up early the next morning. Trust me on this!

Note:  Have you read The Last Time I Lied?  What did you think?

Summer Reading: The Woman in the Window

I have been reading a lot this summer! At least once a day I will sit in one of the three reading areas that I have in my house, grab one of the books on my summer reading list, and then not even notice that two hours have suddenly gone by! It makes me so happy to have time to read what I want! I actually read the second book on my list, The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, in less than two days because I could not put it down! Anna Fox was once a renowned child psychologist before a mysterious accident derailed her life. She is separated from her husband and daughter and now lives alone in her New York brownstone suffering from severe agoraphobia and a drinking problem. She spends her days counseling others in an agoraphobia chat room, playing chess online, learning French, watching classic black and white noir films, and spying on her neighbors through the window. She becomes obsessed with watching a new family, the Russells, across the park and eventually she sees something violent happen to one of them. She reports the incident to law enforcement but the Russells deny it and no one believes her. Police officers reveal a huge plot twist which, along with her abuse of prescription drugs and her excessive drinking, discredits everything she says. Even she begins to doubt what she saw, thinking she might be remembering the plot of one the films she was watching. But what if what she saw actually happened? The chapters are extremely short which makes the action move quickly and the tension builds and builds to a conclusion I honestly didn't see coming. Anna is a very compelling character (she reminds me of the unreliable narrator in The Girl on the Train) and Finn does a great job of showing her claustrophobia and frustration, especially when she begins to doubt her own reality. As a classic film aficionado myself, I really enjoyed the references to all of the noir thrillers, especially Hitchcock's Rear Window, Shadow of a Doubt, Vertigo, Spellbound, Suspicion, and George Cukor's Gaslight, because they mirror events in the narrative. In fact, this novel feels a lot like a Hitchcock film with characters who cannot be trusted, escalating tension, and a climactic plot twist! It is a brilliant psychological thriller and I highly recommend it!  Incidentally, I cannot wait for the movie version which is due to hit theaters in October!

Note:  Have you read The Woman in the Window?  What did you think?