**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Peter Nichols for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**
THUD.
No, that isn't the sound of a large chunk o**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Peter Nichols for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**
THUD.
No, that isn't the sound of a large chunk of granite being hurled into a harbor. (And yes, though that has little to do with this book, that IS one of the images that came to mind when I first heard this title.)
I'm sad to say that instead, that THUD heard round the world....was the sound of my head slamming into the wall after finally (and I mean FINALLY) finishing this book.
The premise of Granite Harbor is quite simple, albeit not that unique: a serial killer has ravaged a small coastal town (yes, you guessed it: Granite Harbor) and the denizens of the town are desperate to get the maniac off the streets. In a historical landmark known as The Settlement, where reenactments take place, a body has been hung for all to see...with a cryptic message INSIDE, spilling out. (Ick.) With such a small population, there aren't many who are willing (or ABLE!) to take on the case...save for the town's only detective, Alex Brangwen. As a former novelist, he's feeling more than a bit shaky and insecure about being able to suss out the killer...but with no other volunteers, he bravely steps up to the plate to give it his best shot.
Meanwhile, the mother of one of the murder victim's friends, Isabel Doerr, might be living the single parent life...but she's more than willing to try to assist Alex in finding the perp. Her child wasn't the only friend of the victim that's close to the investigation: Alex's DAUGHTER is also part of this former trio, making these two fast allies against the evil that is lurking in the shadows of Granite Harbor. Could these two have just the insight needed to get to the bottom of this bizarre and disturbing case? Is anyone inside - or outside - of the Settlement safe? Or is the first murder only the beginning -- and perhaps an ominous warning -- of the horrors to come?
I'll be honest, it's been a minute since I had the pleasure of putting this book in the rear-view mirror...and even after the WEEKS that have passed and time to reflect and step away...I have to admit that of ALL the adjectives that come to mind?
'Pointless' is probably the first.
The story starts with a long, plodding description of some characters interacting at the Settlement before the body is found, leading me to believe that reenactment was going to be a MAJOR part of this story. Well...it isn't. I suppose it served as atmosphere (?) to put our characters here, but they could just have well been hanging out in someone's backyard for all of the effect they had on me. What authors like Stephen King do SO well when describing places like Maine is to set the scene and allow what is already a creepy environment sort of get under your skin and function as another character - always lurking, menacing, in the background. Nichols instead worked so hard to try to make this book sound Literary with a capital L that any chance for this sort of brooding creepiness to take center stage got lost amidst a sea of clipped sentences and 'fancy sounding' words.
And trust me, there is PLENTY of that to go around. We spent so much time randomly diving into backstory (like the mostly irrelevant backstory of Alex's wife, for example) that I figured it just had to be leading somewhere, and all of the attempts at highbrow wordsmithing would SOMEHOW pay off. Nichols gives us gems like "His dour, mordant Mancunian wit" AND phrases like "He noticed the play of pronounced but firm buttocks beneath the flapping vent of her jacket."...on the same page. The writing is truly all over the place, and I had a hard time keeping pace with what the 'tone' of the book was supposed to be throughout. I kept waiting for things to get scary, or interesting...but they were just sort of off-putting and strange. There's nothing wrong with a literary book that weaves a mystery in, but I'm not even sure I can call this THAT...I truly just don't know WHAT to call it.
Nichols also needs to take a page from the psychological thriller writers of the world and figure out HOW to end a chapter. The number of times this book sort of randomly trails off, seemingly mid-thought, felt like he just decided he was done writing for the day and said, "Eh, I'll just start a new chapter in the morning." I honestly just didn't get it. I'm not saying each chapter's ending needs to feel like a punctuation mark on everything preceding it, or even necessarily be leading somewhere specific...but I think most readers would agree the reading experiences FEELS much better when this happens. I didn't find the 'twists' (if you could call them that) that surprising, the perp that surprising or interesting, and the number of times I thought "is this ever going to end" was innumerable.
There is also a bit of animal cruelty that is pretty horrible (even for me, and as much as I adore animals I usually am able to stomach reading fictional stories about such things) and yet AGAIN...I just questioned WHY. There is a fine line between disturbing and distasteful, and Nichols all but steamrolled that division here. I think what bothers me most about it is that most of the ickiest parts of the book felt sort of gratuitous and frankly, didn't serve the plot at all. There is even a section of the book where characters have bowel movements on another character's face in order to degrade them...so you've been warned....more
**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and Ursula Villarreal-Moura for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 3.26!!**
Can you imagine how it wou**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and Ursula Villarreal-Moura for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 3.26!!**
Can you imagine how it would feel to get close to your favorite author...to consider them a friend, a mentor...or even something more?
It's been many years, but Tatum is still reconciling her feelings about JUST such a situation. Years back, in New York City, she had the fortune/misfortune of building a relationship of sorts with the enigmatic, 'brilliant', Mateo (also known as M) Dominguez...and the two had a bond she still can't fully explain. Although life has taken her to Chile, and she is happily dating a woman named Vera, there's just something about the unfinished business of her past that pulls her back into her memories...and to leads her to reflect the messy, complicated nature of the relationship that helped to shape the woman she is today.
But when a reporter comes a-calling, asking for Tatum's corroboration on #MeToo related charges being filed against Dominguez, her reminiscing takes a different turn...and she's forced to revisit the complex, beautiful, and sometimes dark nature of the relationship between 'teacher' and student...and just HOW MUCH of what went on between them had an air of impropriety about it. How much was manipulation...and how much was pure affection? How could what started as a simple fan letter from adoring reader to adored writer turn into something impossible to deny? Was Tatum blind to her OWN manipulation then...AND will she still allow herself to gloss over the true nature of Mateo...even now?
Grooming, #MeToo, and stories of inappropriate relationships between teacher/student, fan/idol, and mentor/mentee are nothing new, but have certainly seen a resurgence in the literary landscape as of late. The exploration of power dynamics, and perhaps the even more sinister power of gaslighting and manipulation is not only a hot button issue in society, but is ripe for exploration on the page, as authors look to peel back the curtain on the dynamics between the manipulator and their prey, and of course to illuminate how EACH of these situations is far from black and white...at least, in the eyes of the characters. Books like the absolutely stunning My Dark Vanessa and others I've read in the past year or two, including My Last Innocent Year, have done this beautifully.
But when it came to this novel, it felt more like reading an essay that COULD have been really interesting...but was unfortunately missing a thesis sentence; I just couldn't fully grasp the point.
Villareal-Moura structures most of the novel as a letter from Tatum to Mateo, revisiting the events of their past in great detail, while cutting back to the present day in Chile intermittently. To be honest, I'm not really sure why much of the present day narrative was needed at all: we don't learn enough about Tatum's current partner, Vera, to be too invested in her, and the general #MeToo conversation and allegations with the other victim sort of play out in the background as well. Although it seemed clear from early on (at least, to me) that Mateo is Not the Greatest Guy, Tatum is just SO obsessed with his writing that she basically ignores all of his character flaws and leans into the hero worship.
At first, I assumed this was going down the (somewhat obvious) path toward romantic entanglement, and it did...but only to an extent. This sort of incongruity made it very confusing as a reader to understand the conflict: it almost just seemed like Mateo was a friend that Tatum had an unhealthy amount of admiration for, rather than a participant in a 'leading' relationship that wasn't going to go anywhere...so it made it hard for ME to grasp why she couldn't just let it go.
This book is also on the slower side, which is always tough for me anyway...but throw in a plot with an ending that didn't seem to 'fit' the whole tone of the story, and it just felt like I'd spent a lot of time waiting to exhale rather than to breathe a sigh of satisfaction. I kept hoping that along the way something was going to happen to make me feel more connected to Tatum, but aside from her love of The Bell Jar, I didn't feel like we had too much in common...and frankly, the years didn't seem to have made her much wiser either. By the end of the book, I honestly didn't care if Mateo faced the consequences of his actions when it came to her or not. Outside of his literary prowess and blatant manipulation, there wasn't much there to like, and he didn't quite have the balance of likable-yet-detestable that is necessary for a character like this to be BELIEVABLE...and this left the third act conflict (and predictable behavior) unsatisfying.
And though I'd hoped to come out of this read feeling something 'like happiness'...I think what I felt was a lot more 'like' disappointment.
**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and Meg Kissinger for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 9.5!!**
Meg Kissinger grew up in a veritable **Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and Meg Kissinger for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 9.5!!**
Meg Kissinger grew up in a veritable whirlwind of uncertainty: as one of EIGHT children, life was always an adventure. Though she had two loving parents, the duo presented one side of their personalities to the outside world, and an entirely DIFFERENT side to their family. Meg's mother recognized the presence of nascent mental health issues prior to their marriage, but perhaps didn't realize the severity until several years later...at the same time her husband's hot temper turned their home life upside down.
In the meantime, a couple of Meg's siblings started displaying symptoms of mental health issues, including bipolar disorder and suicidal ideation and everything begins to escalate. When Meg actually LOSES one of her siblings for good, the situation reaches a fever pitch. Meg pursues a career in journalism, desperate to uncover the truth behind the nature vs. nurture of mental illness and to make a difference in the way it is handled in our country. Can she finally urge her siblings to break their silence and help one another cope, all while having the bravery to share her story...with the world?
As a staunch advocate for mental illness awareness, education, and acceptance, I was very intrigued by the premise of this memoir and hoping for an emotional and impactful experience reading this book. Things were a bit slow at the start, with a VERY exhaustive family history, including discussions of the background of Kissinger's grandparents (which I'm not sure was very relevant) but I hoped after this initial info dump, things would pick up. The introduction mentions the information included in the memoir was compiled from interviews and the like, so what I was hoping to read WERE excerpts of interviews and the like to help get me into the minds and hearts of the members of this family.
But instead of feeling like I could CONNECT with Meg and her family members, I very much felt like an outsider looking in. The detail in the first half of the memoir was just TOO much for me. Instead of opening a window into her past and the thoughts and emotions that helped to shape her, I felt like I was reading very exhaustive, long-winded stories with details that didn't necessarily make an impact. I felt very sad for Meg and the situation she was in, but this was based more on the straight facts of her life than writing that showed any emotion. I'm not sure if this is just because of KIssinger's background as a journalist, but as a huge feeler, I was hoping to connect to the tales she was telling...but I felt the age gap rather dramatically. Though I'm certainly not as young as she was experiencing some of these events, I was very aware of the author's age at the time she penned this book, and in this case, it wasn't a good thing.
At the beginning of the next part however, there was a dramatic flip: Kissinger went into pure journalist mode, and I felt like I was reading a different book. Her exploration of the background of the trajectory of mental health programs in this country and the roadblocks that popped up along the way was engaging AND infuriating. We had such a potential for change in this country many years ago, and instead of moving away from mental health institutions in a pragmatic way, so many of these people were instead funneled from institutions into the prison system, or ended up on the street. THIS was my great takeaway from this book, and rather than a memoir, I was inspired to check out some of Kissinger's journalism pieces on this very subject.
While I applaud using this forum to work through the pain that Kissinger dealt with over the years, as a reader, I was missing the emotional connection I was so hoping to find, especially dealing with such sensitive subject matter. I think a book focused on her decision to WRITE this book would have been more interesting: how did she get from there to here? When I read a memoir, I tend to have the best experience as a reader when I feel as though I know the author far better after reading it. But after reading this particular memoir, much like a therapist at a withdrawn patient's very FIRST session, I felt like I had been left with FAR more questions than answers.
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Henry Winkler for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 10.31!**
"I wasn't trying to be better than anyone else. **Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Henry Winkler for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 10.31!**
"I wasn't trying to be better than anyone else. I was just trying to be my best self. Which in itself was problematic, because I was, in my head, always a little boy. Without any real handle on who my adult self was.
What a strange secret to be carrying around when you're supposed to be the coolest guy in the world."
There are very few actors who can say they developed and portrayed a character that literally became its own archetype, the epitome of cool itself: but Henry Winkler can. But do you know the man BEHIND the effortlessly hip, chill, and commanding Fonz? Henry's here to tell you his life story...and he isn't afraid to peel back the curtain.
Growing up under two strict parents who demanded nothing short of perfection from their children, Henry's journey towards self-actualization was a long one. Henry has severe dyslexia, but in his younger years this affliction helped to color his parents' opinion of his intelligence (they even called him a nickname in his childhood years that translates to "Dumb Dog"...which was so heartbreaking to read! ...more
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and @AlexMichaelides for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 1.16!!**
"I know what I will do is wrong. But stronger**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and @AlexMichaelides for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 1.16!!**
"I know what I will do is wrong. But stronger than my conscience is my Fury." -Euripedes, Medea
Meet Elliot Chase. He's about to tell you a story about his life...but he's going to tell it to you his way, in his time, and on his terms...and it's up to YOU to decide if he's leaving anything out...or if he's even telling you the truth. This tale involves a cast of characters you might think you already know, with glamorous, A-List movie star Lana Farrar at its center. Lana lives a bit of a reclusive life, but every year around Easter, she invites some of her nearest and dearest friends to her private island in Greece for respite and camraderie.
On this particular year though...the privacy this island affords turns out to be deadly...and once a body turns up, this formerly tight-knit group wonders who they can truly trust. With so many suspects in one place, and lies and secrets swirling furiously around them...who will end up dead? Who will live to tell Lana's tale? And by the time the 'final curtain' comes crashing down...will ANYONE be left standing to take that final curtain call?
First of all, I have to say aside from novellas, graphic novels, and perhaps a short story or two, it has been TWO YEARS (prior to the birth of my lovely and wonderful son) that I have finished a thriller in ONE DAY. The fact that I picked this up on a Sunday morning and COULD NOT go to bed at night that evening until I'd finished it speaks to the absolutely compelling nature of this one. Where Michaelides fell down with the Maidens, he bounced back with a VENGEANCE in The Fury! Unlike his last effort, The Fury's formatting and pacing is SPOT on. I never felt compelled to read a chapter just because it was short, but because I just HAD to know which way the narrative was going to turn next. There is a certain alluring nature about this read, a sort of sinister charm that oozes from Elliot...you never know QUITE where he's going with his story, but when he begs you to remain on your metaphorical bar stool while he buys you another drink...you feel compelled to DO it.
And that brings me to the second reason this novel was so successful: it is a love song to the theatre, where Michaelides presents the story as a play, with all of the gravitas and panache you'd expect from a Henry James or Arthur Miller...but with a touch of Greek tragedy AND a gentle nod to Agatha Christie thrown in. The book is even split into Acts, blurring the line even further between fact and fiction, theatricality and practicality. There's no doubt that your journey is being curated by Elliot, and presented in a certain way for a certain purpose...but should you envy him? Fear him? Pity him? Trust me when I say you'll be changing your mind over and over again with each revelation...and a week after finishing this one, the jury's STILL out in my mind! ...more
**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and Tracey Lange for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 8.1!!**
"Because he was hoping to save Tara, j**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and Tracey Lange for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 8.1!!**
"Because he was hoping to save Tara, just like in Mom's fairy tale. But in the fairy tale they had all saved each other."
Tara is finally free: she's done her time in a prison called Taconic, and is aching to get back to the real world outside the walls of confinement. But Tara knows that with a drug charge and prison time on her record forever, finding a new way of life won't be easy. She was formerly an art teacher and has kept her skills sharp by making drawings for the kids of some of her fellow inmates...but with a criminal record, teaching art is out of the question. Will anyone take a chance on her...or will she be forced to take a job befitting of her troubled past?
Aside from her employment woes, going back home means moving back in with her family: high strung accounting whiz Geraldine, who has always kept the family together but may finally be in a BIT over her head, and Eddie, Tara's brother who suffered a traumatic brain injury years ago. Despite his limitations, Eddie still gives his all at his construction job AND tries his hardest be a good father to his adorable son, Connor. While Tara looks at her nephew as though he were her own son, Connor's real mom Andrea is still in the wings of the Connelly's lives also...meaning her drug dealer isn't far behind.
But when the handsome cop who initially arrested Tara offers to drive her home from prison...and keeps showing up on her doorstep...what could he possibly want now? Is he simply trying to get more information about the misdeeds in Tara's past and figure out the secrets that bind the Connellys together? Or is he on a quest to really KNOW Tara ...even better than she knows herself?
Though I had the misfortune to miss out on Lange's debut We Are the Brennans, after reading countless rave reviews, I considered Lange a must-read author and was VERY excited to get the chance to read an early copy of this one...and now I see what the hype was all about! The first couple of chapters in this one felt a bit slow and wordy to me, while Lange was establishing character...but by the end of chapter 3, I was COMPLETELY hooked! There are plenty of thriller-esque just-one-more-chapter endings to Lange's chapters...so consider yourself warned! ...more
**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and M.T. Edvardsson for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 6.13!!**
The posh town of Lund is buzzing..**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and M.T. Edvardsson for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 6.13!!**
The posh town of Lund is buzzing...Steve and Regina Rytter are dead. But who would take down this wealthy and powerful couple...and WHY were BOTH of them targets?
Bill is feeling lost and desperate, clinging on to hope and trying to make ends meet after losing both his wife Miranda and his job as a ticket-taker at the movie theater. Struggling to pay bills and to keep a roof over his young daughter Sally's head, he decides taking in a lodger will be a quick source of upfront income. The lodger, Karla, is a student aspiring to become a judge, and she is thrilled to live off-campus and have somewhere quiet to rest in the evenings.
Karla also takes a job working as a cleaner...for a VERY wealthy client: Steve Rytter. Karla tries to talk to Steve's wife Regina, but Steve warns her that Regina is very ill and disoriented often, and needs to stay upstairs in bed often due to heavy doses of her medication....but is his warning just a cover to shield Karla from what REALLY goes on in this marriage?
Meanwhile, Jennica has started dating a rich, charming, and older man. He is a far cry from her usual round of Tinder suspects AND a welcome reprieve to spending lackluster nights at home with her cat named Dog. As their feelings blossom, Jennica starts to wonder if she has finally met the one, and why all of this seems too good to be true...and what this man could be hiding. Is he ACTUALLY single...and could this debonair stranger have a dark--and DANGEROUS--side?
It's been a while since we've heard from Edvardsson, but after the way I FLEW through A Nearly Normal Family, I was eager to get my hands on this book. Edvardsson has a way of writing characters that are so morally grey that it is hard for the reader to determine who to root for...or who is telling the truth! This was even more intriguing in his last book, with all of the characters being part of one very strange family. Luckily, ties are present here too, and though the narrative jumps from Bill to Karla to Jennica, each character was fully formed and had unique struggles, so it was never a struggle to keep track of the plot threads as we moved around.
Although I wouldn't call any of these characters LIKABLE, listening to them was enjoyable enough...but at the same time, this plot felt both a bit slow and a bit contrived. This book doesn't tread on any sort of new territory, but rather mixes aspects of a few tropes and leaves you to piece them together to reach a conclusion. The chapters were a bit long, but Edvardsson at least had the sense to add in some interstitial news article clips and police interviews between chapters to keep things chugging along, and this device was VERY needed.
Since Edvardsson truly seems to thrive in this space, I almost think he'd be better off writing a legal or crime thriller rather than this sort of 'character driven mystery with a crime center'. Edvardsson's bio says he is a teacher in Sweden, and I'm curious if his subject is philosophy. His background could very well inform many of the choices he makes in writing especially in terms of the moral/philosophical bent his stories seem to sneak into the pages.
Although the writing is far from flawless, this is a very enjoyable novel and one that's easy enough to read on a sunny afternoon, especially if you love a good chewy candy...with a CRIME-Y nougat center....more
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Laura Spence-Ash for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 3.21!**
"Somewhere beyond the sea She's there watching **Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Laura Spence-Ash for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 3.21!**
"Somewhere beyond the sea She's there watching for me If I could fly like birds on high Then straight to her arms I'd go sailing
It's far beyond the stars It's near beyond the moon I know beyond a doubt My heart will lead me there soon"-"Beyond The Sea", Bobby Darin (written by Charles Trenet)
This heartbreaking, touching, tender and wistful novel manages to capture the same hopeful sentiment conveyed in this song...and the captivating narrative driven by the pen of Spence-Ash will carry you away!
1940: Bombs are falling in England and parents Reg and Millie Thompson feel like they stand to lose everything in this time of uncertainty...but they cannot fathom losing the one thing they hold most dear: their 11 year old daughter, Beatrix. After some initial resistance from Millie, they make the heartbreaking choice to send their daughter to live abroad with an American family, safe from their war ravaged homeland.
Beatrix doesn't know quite what to expect when she arrives at the Gregory household. With a father she can't quite read and a pair of brothers, Gregory and William, to contend with, Beatrix feels uneasy about her place in the family and a bit wary. All of that changes quickly, however, as the family embraces her and Beatrix (now affectionately called 'Bea' by the whole of the Gregory clan) falls in love with the beauty of the Gregory's life, particularly on the lovely Maine island they call home during the summer months. Bea learns to swim and often feels that the world is now at her fingertips, her old life in London feeling further and further away.
The war, however, doesn't last forever, and eventually Bea has to leave her second family behind...but a powerful and emotional last summer with the Gregory brothers leaves her second guessing that choice...and wondering if fate brought her to them. As she returns to London, forever altered by her experiences abroad and with lingering pangs of longing pulling at her heart, is her future destined to be determined by the past? Will she gaze beyond the sea once more...and find what her heart truly desires coming straight to her? Or have time and distanced truly turned the tide?
I tend to stray from reading WWII fiction on a regular basis; not because I don't enjoy the time period, but because so often these sort of stories feel redundant and center around similar themes. Being a pacifist of sorts, it's also always a struggle to read about the ravages of war, especially when it comes to the nitty gritty details of violence. However, what Spence-Ash accomplished in this novel is nothing short of extraordinary...she employed two devices that I tend to associate with my favorite THRILLER novels, and utilized both brilliantly. This book consists ENTIRELY of short chapters and has several, fully-fleshed out POVs. I'm not sure exactly why this felt like such a breath of fresh air, but after reading this book, I honestly wish more authors in the genre would consider using this style!
I never felt encumbered by too much extraneous detail, long descriptive passages with little substance, or 'expected' plot points. Getting to know each character in such a real and visceral way, through their unfiltered thoughts (and at times, deepest yearnings and fears) helped slowly and carefully build dramatic tension over time, and especially since the novel covers so many years, it was beautiful to watch Beatrix and the Gregory boys grow from preteens to young adults and beyond.
Despite one character who only factors into the third part of the book that I could have lived without, I enjoyed the passing back and forth of the POVs in piecing together different bits of the story. There is such a frank honesty in the pages that at times I truly felt like I was reading diaries from real people who lived during this era and all credit is due to the author for bringing this level of authenticity to the text. Spence-Ash also is one of those authors who knows how to end a chapter: SO many of them had ending lines that you'll want to stop and savor along the way (so have your Post-It notes or pen handy! ...more
**Many thanks to BookishFirst, @CeladonBooks, and Alex North for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 2.28!!**
Have you ever taken a GOOD look a**Many thanks to BookishFirst, @CeladonBooks, and Alex North for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 2.28!!**
Have you ever taken a GOOD look at the famous MC Escher staircase?
It seems somewhat basic and aesthetically pleasing at first, without feeling complicated. The longer you stare at it, however, the more you begin to realize just HOW intricate it actually is...and that the staircases essentially lead you in a dizzying path that doesn't actually lead anywhere at all.
With a winding and multi-layered plot, this creepy tale from Alex North delves into the paranormal, the mind of a serial killer, and plays with the notion of time and predestination with not one but two families tied together...in ways they could NEVER imagine!
Kate will never forget the day she couldn't protect her younger brother Chris from a terrible attack, and the memory haunts her. With a family of her own to protect, she feels partially responsible for the path he has taken and when she gets a call that Chris has gone missing, she feels like this is her chance to right some wrongs. But when her daughter is threatened and Kate can't quite SEE the threat, can she convince her husband that the violence threat from long ago has now resurfaced...and has some unfinished business to attend to that threatens everything Kate holds dear?
...Perhaps it's Detective Page who is about to find out. Hobbes, a former professor, has been found dead at his home and seems to have been aware of his imminent passing prior to its occurrence...but this was no cut-and-dried suicide. Remnants of documents found in his home lead the detective back to an old serial killer named Jack Lock who supposedly could see the future...and ALSO have some bizarre ties to one Christopher Shaw. Can the detective work through this complicated jigsaw before the grisly events of the past repeat themselves?
My best advice with this book is to go into it well-rested and with a clear mind: the mental gymnastics alone will tucker you out, PROBABLY before you hit 50%. I was warned of this going in from some other excellent early reviews, and at first, I didn't feel burdened. North's writing itself is smooth and enticing, and doesn't waste time on side plots that go nowhere or overly descriptive passages that are in the long run irrelevant: he cuts right to the chase most of the time, and even with several POVs (usually a red flag), I was eagerly flipping pages during the opening 40% of the book and loving all of the backstory and philosophizing going on.
UNTIL it started to get overly convoluted...and I started to feel as though I must have missed about 60 pages somewhere along the way.
The great thing about a thriller that moves backwards and forwards in time is all of the nuance and backstory that can make the present day action that much more intense. However, North takes this to another level in Angel Maker, with characters predicting the future...in the past. And in the present.
Confused yet?
With so many timeline jumps (even mid page sometimes!) it became increasingly difficult as time wore on to know what year we were in, who was narrating, or what was even going on. He starts many segments with "It is 2017. (insert action here)" then on the same page "It is 1986." (insert paragraph here) and then back again. Sometimes we even jump character midpage, and it began to feel like an elaborate house of cards that could take a spill at any moment...and this is where North started to lose me.
Despite these hiccups, there was something about this narrative and the overall concept that was compelling, and I couldn't wait to reach the end to watch the pieces click into place. And they did...for the most part. I still feel that with some retooling, the story could have played out as clearly for the reader as it did in North's mind, because it IS evident he thought this one through...I just wish we all could have been along for the ride.
When you buy an old house or a fixer-upper, one of its main selling points might be that it needs work, but it has "good bones." And when it comes to the Angel Maker, this is one book that, despite a need for some work, truly has those same sort of unique, sturdy, AND good bones....more
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Stephen Amidon for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 1.17!**
When I think of locusts, I think of a giant swar**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Stephen Amidon for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 1.17!**
When I think of locusts, I think of a giant swarm of ugly bugs, ready to reign destruction down wherever they land.
And sadly, when I think back on the three days I spent wading miserably through Locust Lane, I have pretty much the same disgusted feeling.
The wealthy town of Emerson, Massachusetts is known for its hushed tones, unabashed wealth, and suburban spoils...and now it's known for one other thing: a young girl, Eden Perry, has been murdered. Last seen with three other teens (Hannah, Christopher, and Jack), there are several suspects and all of the parents of the aforementioned teens have some dirty laundry of their own (surprise, surprise). With stories changing as time passing on and fingers pointed in every direction, which one of the teens is guilty? And are the rich and powerful able to make ANY problem...or person...disappear, without a trace?
I had such high hopes for this book. I came in KNOWING it would be a slower read and about more than the murder and the surrounding drama.
AND YET...the writing took what could have been a halfway decent premise and brought it crashing down, almost immediately.
I'm not sure what aspect of it bothered me the most or hit me first, but here were some of the 'highlights':
*Unlikable characters...but more specifically, misogynistic writing. I'm not sure why this is, but in certain books, male writers have a REALLY hard time both a) writing a convincing female voice and b) not having the female characters end up in wild stereotype land. These are the sort of women who kowtow to men without even realizing it, and even when they act like they actively dislike the men in their life, still somehow seek their approval and are desperate for male attention to prove their worth. I won't get into specifics so as to not spoil anything, but the behavior was often eye-roll worthy.
There are also some culturally insensitive moments in the book, including something along the lines of "Pfft. Must be Central American." (That's not an exact quote, but close). Even if these were simply supposed to be the viewpoints one of the CHARACTERS held, the way they were written just felt very...*off*, to say the least.
*Cheesy dialogue. There were SO MANY instances where I just laughed out loud reading the dialogue in this one...it just didn't play well. I know much of it was meant to be dramatic, but I had a hard time believing the characters would speak to one another that way.
*REPETITIVENESS. If I had a dime for every time the same plot points were discussed by different characters...well, I'd have a lot of dimes. This got to be not only distracting, but so monotonous it felt like rehashing events over and over was just page filler, almost as if the author assumed the reader wasn't paying any attention. Especially when it comes to a murder mystery, most fans of the genre are going to be looking for clues and paying attention to these details...we don't need to be beat over the head with them.
*Very bizarre writing, by way of similes, metaphors, etc.
One example of this: "She looked at her wine. It brought to mind a urine sample. She left it where it was."
**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and George Dawes Green for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 7.19!!**
When you step outside of your g**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and George Dawes Green for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 7.19!!**
When you step outside of your genre comfort zone, one of two things normally happens:
1) You are pleasantly surprised, intrigued, and grateful you took a chance on something new
OR
2) you retreat back to your Comfort Corner, feeling a bit lost and disappointed...and wondering what on earth is WRONG with you?
When it comes to Kingdoms of Savannah, all of the genre bending and some pesky pet peeves popping up landed me solidly (and somewhat unsurprisingly) under option two.
It's just another night at the local tavern, Bo Peeps (referred to as simply 'Peeps' for most of the book) until tragedy strikes: a murder has occurred. Society debutante Morgana get swept up in the mystery, much to the chagrin of her children. As the book dives from locale to locale throughout Savannah, can the bizarre mystery of these 'Kingdoms' be uncovered and will the killer be unearthed? Or is Morgana the next to be 'disappeared'?
I can't remember the last time when I felt such a strong disconnect from a book as I did with this one. After a strong and interesting start, I then realized the entire book only has FIVE CHAPTERS.
Five.
This is purposeful, for reasons of exploring the different areas/Kingdoms, but if there's one thing that bothers me, long passages with little break is probably at the top of that list. Then I realized that not only was the book set up this way, but there is character upon character upon character...another personal pet peeve. So many of these people were completely irrelevant, yet new ones kept being introduced all the time. SO frustrating when you already feel a bit lost and just want to feel grounded...and I was in desperate need for this for the entire book.
Perhaps it's over my head, but I have to be honest and say that for about 70% of the book, I felt like all I was doing was reading a mishmash of Savannah history juxtaposed against characters 'gossiping' or telling old stories about people from the past. Since I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction unless it's interesting or small town talk, well, ever, I did not connect with the plot at all. I felt some of the atmosphere was there, but each time I tried to get lost in that feeling, a character would pop up and go on a rant about something or someone else.
Sad to say, but the only aspect of this book I'll probably remember after this week is that a character actually referred to one of the World's Best Candies as "Reese's Butter Cups."
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Jean Hanff Korelitz for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 5.31!**
It's time for another pop quiz!
What do The **Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Jean Hanff Korelitz for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 5.31!**
It's time for another pop quiz!
What do The Latecomer and an invisible pencil have in common?
...Give up?
In both cases...I just can't see the point.
The Oppenheimer family are a rich, NYC-based Jewish family with a similarly 'rich' history. Father Salo, an art dealer, can't escape from the memories of an accident he caused as a teen, and the ramifications of this incident linger on...but also led him to his wife, Johanna. The two begin a courtship, but when they attempt to have children, Johanna's infertility struggles lead the couple to the path of IVF and embryos, which eventually give them triplets: Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally. Although multiples are always said to have that unspoken kinship, these three don't get along and don't feel that innate closeness. As time marches on and they head to university, their lives become entangled in ways nobody could have expected, and secrets begin piling up from the past and present, ready to spill over. When Johanna informs the family that a FOURTH embryo, Phoebe, is entering the mix, what will this Latecomer do to the Oppenheimer family dynamic? Is she the link that could change everything...or does fate have an even deeper twist in store?
Jean Hanff Korelitz's last novel, The Plot, focused on well, just that. If this one was similarly named, I'd have to call it The (Unlikable) Character Study. The breadth of this book was intimidating from the off, but Korelitz's writing is so smooth and effortless, so Literary with a capital L, that it makes you stop and say "Wow, she can write." And I got that same feeling from this book as her last, so I hoped with some time and patience, I would get past the set-up and the initial grating personality traits and become fully invested in all of the Oppenheimers...and then would be DAZZLED by the plot.
But unfortunately...this book does not possess any of the 'wow' moments I felt while reading the Plot. On the contrary, much of the happenings are simply the pedestrian aspects of each Oppenheimer's life, and they aren't much to talk about at times. Harrison in particular is insufferable (granted, he is one character that is DESIGNED to be awful) but each time I got to one of his chapters, I groaned and tried to grit my teeth until it was over. Phoebe is not even introduced into the narrative until the book is nearly over, so unlike the others, I felt that her character was solely based around "Wow, I wasn't one of the original three. What if I had been?", which is interesting for her to explore...for about 5 pages, and then it got old.
There is also what I consider a completely out of left field and somewhat arbitrary plot twist. Sure, it caught me off guard, but I don't think it needed to be in the book at all and simply seemed to be added for shock value and to make one part of the plot work. This is also the sort of book where each plot thread is somehow stuck or tangled with another...UNTIL the end where magically, everything comes together conveniently. For a writer as brilliant with plotting as Korelitz, I was disappointed with some of the choices she made, because she took realistic writing and plot into the realm of unlikely for me and sort of nullified the positive aspects of the reading experience. I'm not a huge fan of an ending that feels contrived, and this one most certainly did.
It's so hard for me to give this book less than 4 stars, based on writing quality alone, because despite these issues Korelitz is so STRONG as a literary author. Being a bit long-winded and plotting that reads like this would normally deter me much more, but I still came out of this book with a great respect for this author. I just would love to know the WHY behind this book, since that was the largest and most glaring missing piece for me. I'm sure she had a reason for telling this particular story in this particular way...but maybe that too, was simply written with invisible ink.
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and @judgecordell for an ARC of this book!**
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"-Martin Luther Kin**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and @judgecordell for an ARC of this book!**
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"-Martin Luther King Jr.
As the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court of Northern California, Judge Cordell has seen it all---and has the stories and the proverbial battle scars to prove it! This book opens with a court case where Judge Cordell's knowledge of African American hair played into her ability to make a truly just and informed decision, one that a white male judge would NEVER have been able to adequately make with their limited exposure to cornrows and the ins-and-outs of haircare. What does this prove?
Much like in our education system and our police force...equal representation is not some sort of pipe dream, but needs to quickly become a reality in order to ensure liberty AND especially justice for all.
From this attention-grabbing intro, Judge Cordell moves through several facets of the law and gives anecdote after anecdote from her experiences in the courtroom, explaining everything from sentencing hearings, estates cases, probate, divorce filings, juvenile cases, custody hearings, name changes, mental health cases, judge appointments and jury selection. It's incredible how she manages to pack SO much into less than 300 pages, but after reading this book, I have a basic understanding of how so many of these laws and cases work, which for material that can be heavy, is quite impressive.
The beauty of this memoir is that it is incredibly informative without feeling dry, and all of the snippets of Cordell's career are thoughtfully selected for maximum impact. The role of money, race, bias, and the somewhat bonehead archaic laws that Cordell had to uphold at times (through gritted teeth) are all explored thoroughly here, and there are plenty of emotionally charged moments with different plaintiffs and defendants throughout as well to keep both your mind and heart engaged.
Cordell also takes the time to sum up her thoughts at the end of the book in a neatly titled chapter "The Fix" where she summarizes the main point of each preceding chapter, tackling the problem and then the solution. All of her ideas, from judge training (which I couldn't believe isn't really a thing!) to abolishing the three strike rule all play well in context, and her justifications are based not only on experience, but on wisdom. She also peppers this book with facts that blew my mind, such as the fact that 1 in 3 adults in the United States cannot read above a sixth grade level, which made my bibliophile heart cry a bit. Rather than a bunch of platitudes and outright criticism of the system, however, the fact that Judge Cordell's memoir ends with the positivity and focused thinking needed to make REAL change in the system was uplifting, encouraging, and all I needed to know to help do my part as a citizen!
I am not a law professor, but I would think this book would be FANTASTIC for an intro to law course, as students could move through each chapter while learning about different facets of the law as they appear here. I applaud Judge Cordell for her extraordinary career and her reasons for stepping down from the bench when she did are also admirable. Although law books are stereotypically as dry as the Sahara, this memoir manages to deliver the facts, the heart, and the avenue forward our justice system needs to follow to make REAL and lasting change!
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and @JaneGoodallInst for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 10.19!**
Although it seems like eons ago now, a presid**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and @JaneGoodallInst for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 10.19!**
Although it seems like eons ago now, a presidential contender began his campaign with one word:
HOPE.
He not only captured the attention of the nation, but our world. What was so special about this message? How could such a small word make such a monumental impact?
Cut to 2020, where Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams take their own crack at defining this abstract concept in a time where Hope is needed more desperately than ever before...and they absolutely succeed!
The Book of Hope is one of many in a Global Icons series started by Abrams, where he has spoken with such prolific minds as the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu to explore the concept of Joy, and here turns to the world's most famous naturalist to break down the components of what makes hope function. You may know Jane best for her work with chimpanzees, but after reading this book, you will be shocked, stunned, and thoroughly inspired by the breadth of Jane's work throughout the world, from her charity Roots and Shoots, to her fascinating arsenal of stories from all corners of the globe and all walks of life. She is able to sum up her thoughts by exploring her Four Reasons for Hope and breaks this book into four neat sections:
*The Amazing Human Intellect: We all have the power and potential to think, change, and adapt to our circumstances. Scientists learn and grow every day, and our potential is limitless.
*The Resilience of Nature: As much as we have put this planet through, it is still standing (for now). Concerted efforts have brought species back from the brink of extinction, reforestation can help to regrow trees that have been lost, and a focused determination to eliminate factory farming globally could have a tremendous impact on how our world functions. Like it or not, we are all part of a global ecosystem and what hurts the smallest of us, hurts all of us.
*The Power of Young People: Children aren't born cynical-we make them that way. Greta Thunberg might be the best example of how one voice speaking out against climate change and simply stating it is unacceptable and bringing unflinching determination to make a change even by 'striking' against the generations that let her and all of our children (and grandchildren) down. She is but one example of the change possible by allowing our youth to embrace their innate optimism and belief in a better world.
and last but not least...
*The Indomitable Human Spirit: This last piece of the puzzle is probably the most important in light of the seemingly endless COVID pandemic. To truly LIVE hope and be messengers of hope, we must rely on our inner strength, the fighting spirit that keeps people holding on when it would be easier to give up and give in. We can overcome ANY adversity, and life CAN be better, if we only put the faith back into ourselves where it truly belongs.
I could go into more detail about these sections, but Goodall's words are worth the read all on their own. She is a soft-spoken yet articulate storyteller, telling tales of her childhood, her introduction to working with chimps, and anecdote after anecdote about the fascinating animals and people she has met through her 80+ years on the planet. Though her conversations with Abrams got disrupted, first due to the pandemic, and later when Abrams suffered the tragic loss of his father, her message never wavers.
If you care at all about the future of our planet Earth (and let's face it, you should...it's the only one we have!) and are searching for a sign, consider this it!
In the words of Jane and Doug:
Doug:"...But doesn't it feel like a drop in the ocean, given the overwhelming autocracy or tyranny that people are facing around the world?" Jane: "But millions of drops actually make the ocean."
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and @abestreep for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 9.7!**
A band of brothers brought together by basketball, th**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and @abestreep for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 9.7!**
A band of brothers brought together by basketball, their reservation, and their joint cause take on the world...one championship at a time!
The Arlee Warriors are a basketball team out of Montana's Flathead reservation and their story starts small. We get a more in-depth look at stars Phil and Will as they lead the team and their various trials and tribulations as they grow in size and strength as a team, and defiance in the face of odds. Many of the men have been impacted by the effects of suicide in one way or another, as suicide clusters have sprung up in this and nearby communities. The team uses their collective voice to try to bring light to this issue, garnering national attention, and journalist Abe Streep is at the center of this storm, collecting data and giving a national megaphone to the inhabitants of this small indigenous community after many years spent with these boys, their coaches, and community members.
Abe Streep is a Journalist, first and foremost. You will never forget this while reading. This book is meticulously detailed, from each pass on the court from game after game, to pages and pages of in-depth commentary on the indigenous communities involved here, their history, references to bits of their language, etc. This made the first 40-50% read more like cross between a textbook and a play-by-play sportswriter's transcription with various bits of interviews thrown in. There are also probably about 50-60 people mentioned throughout the book, and keeping track of them was incredibly difficult. To make things even more ironic, Streep mentioned in his author's note that the people of the reservation didn't like when they felt the narrative focused on one person (like Will) over others...but this would have helped with investment on my part.
I am not really a sports fan on any level (save for hockey) but what drew me to this book was the mention of suicide clusters and how they affected the boys of the team. I was hoping Streep would pull back the layers and investigate the 'why' of the clusters...but that discussion was sorely lacking. It didn't even make much of an appearance until the boys hit the national stage and even then was mentioned in a 'this is tragic' sort of sense, without a full-blown exploration of the issue at hand. Sure, it was nice to hear about every pass and blurb after blurb from everyone under the sun about these boys, the team, their community, etc., but it didn't move me emotionally at all. I wanted to know more about their hearts and minds rather than their 'game' and at the end of this book, I don't feel like I do.
This project started as an article, and although there was certainly enough potential and research done by Streep over the years to MAKE this into a book, I could see this subject material sitting more comfortably in the realm of a weekly series in a magazine such as the New Yorker, or perhaps as a series on a news-magazine show such as Sunday Morning or 60 Minutes, where you could SEE the action. Reading about it just didn't grab my attention or hold it for long. I have nothing but admiration for this community and the Arlee Warriors themselves, but I think a short and sweet version of their journey and mission would have suited me better as a reader. However, if you are a sports buff, into Native history, or looking for a unique tale from the West, I would certainly recommend this read!
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Erin French for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 4.6!**
A moving and inspiring journey, away from home and b**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Erin French for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 4.6!**
A moving and inspiring journey, away from home and back again, with a tinge of rustic charm!
Erin French is currently the owner and operator of the Lost Kitchen, an incredibly successful restaurant which imbues all of the quality of fine dining in a down-home country setting: a renovated old mill with the lovely sounds of a rushing waterfall in the background. Reservations are SO hard to come by, in fact, that French had to leave them to chance and random draw rather than utilize an online system...since a prior attempt to use a similar system was SO successful that it actually crashed the computer servers!
Far from this bountiful success, though, Erin's life as a young girl growing up in the tiny town of Freedom was shaped by the sky high expectations of her parents, living in her sister's shadow, and her father's cold and absent demeanor, further exacerbated by his struggles with alcohol. The one exception to this distance between father and daughter came in the form of food, as Erin's father begrudgingly incorporated his daughter into the family diner. From here, Erin takes us through changing expectations, an unplanned pregnancy, and a whirlwind and tumultuous marriage, and even takes the reader through a harrowing journey with addiction and her time in a facility, reminiscent of Girl, Interrupted. At the brink of self-destruction and with limited options, Erin's journey eventually takes her back towards her own liberation, fittingly---right back where she started---in the town of Freedom.
Though I am far from a foodie and was not familiar with Erin French or her restaurant prior to reading, this memoir was captivating from page one. French's use of language is as thoughtful, delicate, and artful as her culinary creations themselves. Her passion for food simmers from the page, and at times I could almost hear the pots and pans whistling and clanging behind me. Not only does Erin imbue her passion for food throughout the pages, she also explores the concept of personal freedom--freedom from the expectations of others, and the chains we assign ourselves through the burdens we bear, and how good it feels to shrug them off and live life fearlessly, arm in arm with family and the friends who have become family.
I have certainly added The Lost Kitchen to my restaurant bucket list after reading this wonderful memoir, and applaud Erin French for her courage, resilience, and creativity. Be sure you pick up this memoir---and although it goes ENTIRELY without saying, do NOT read on an empty stomach!
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Alex Michaelides for an ARC of this book! Now in paperback!**
The dreaded sophomore slump claims another...
Maria**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Alex Michaelides for an ARC of this book! Now in paperback!**
The dreaded sophomore slump claims another...
Mariana, head of a therapy group, studied her craft at Cambridge and found her way as a professional ever since. The tragic and untimely demise of her husband Sebastian, however, still haunts her and she can't shake the feeling that one of the patients in her group sessions may have a bit of a deadly obsession with her. All of these fears get put on the back burner when she receives a panicked phone call from niece Zoe, now also a student at Cambridge--there's been a horrific murder.
Compelled by her familial duty and loyalty to her alma mater, Mariana returns to Cambridge to play detective and hones in on Edward Fosca, the debonair and brooding Greek Tragedy professor who has a gaggle of young female devotees known as the Maidens. Mariana's curiosity and suspicion of Fosca leads her to stick around her old stomping grounds, determined to get to the bottom of these mysterious circumstances and prove that Fosca is the mastermind behind the crimes. But when a curious and threatening postcard with a Greek inscription begins making an appearance and the body count rises, Mariana finds herself in possession of one of the cards marking her as a potential victim---and running out of time. Could she be the next female to fall?
The good: *Yet another page-turning book from Michaelides. In this case, I think that might have more to do with short chapters and less to do with a compelling narrative, however. *Michaelides is still enthralled (and heavily inspired) by Greek tragedy of all sorts. References abound here, and fans of that genre will certainly enjoy all of the nods. I don't consider myself well-versed in any respect and my basic knowledge of some of the mythology mentioned was enough to keep me interested---especially in the group of the Maidens themselves. *The final twist is solid enough where I didn't guess it--at least not entirely. A multi-layered approach is what saved this one, or I think the twist would have been somewhat transparent based on the evidence. *tie-in to Michaelides' first book. Fans always appreciate a call back. Can't say it necessarily added anything to the plot here, but I still enjoyed the references.
The not-so-good: *This book, pretty much from start to finish, felt very far-fetched. The opening section focuses almost entirely on Mariana's therapy group, but afterwards, we heard very little from any of its members. *I also found it hard to believe that everyone in the Cambridge community was instantly entranced and intrigued by Mariana. Not only that, all of the characters didn't find it strange that she returned to play detective and everyone was eager to spill any secrets they had to help her investigation. (view spoiler)[I also found it odd she had so many romantic suitors, or potential suitors, especially Fred. It might have been convenient for the plot, but honestly? Seemed hard to believe. (hide spoiler)] *The dialogue came off a bit corny at times and had me rolling my eyes a bit. I didn't have that feeling whatsoever while reading Silent Patient, so I am hoping it was specific to this book since Michaelides is normally a solid writer. *For a book that should have felt like it moved at a breakneck pace, I struggled to stay engaged and it took me far longer to finish than I would have liked.
What do many plot threads make?
…A giant knot.
While I appreciated the nuance, references, and some of the aura surrounding the Maidens, in this case the bad outweighed the good. I wholeheartedly believe, however, that Michaelides has carved a specific niche for himself in the thriller genre and will hopefully stun us back to silence with his next book!
**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Jean Hanff Korelitz for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 5.11.21 and now available in paperback!**
ANYONE ca**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Jean Hanff Korelitz for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 5.11.21 and now available in paperback!**
ANYONE can be a writer.
At least, that's what the students at Jacob Finch Bonner's seminar believe. Although Jacob has been slogging along since the publication of his first book, desperately searching for the next great idea and for purpose in his life, teaching this band of misfits wasn't exactly what he had in mind. One aspiring writer in particular, Evan Parker, has too much 'tude and not enough talent...at least, at first glance. Once he reveals the plot of his novel-to-be, Jacob is stunned, baffled, and knows a winner when he hears one. This plot has NEVER been executed before, and for a literary aficionado like Jacob, the very essence of this story crawls under his skin and never fully goes away. Years later, stuck in another hardly-literary-but-it-pays-the-bills job at a hotel, Jacob discovers that Evan Parker has tragically passed away.
But that story. That one-in-a-million PLOT. Does IT really need to meet a similar fate?
Jacob decides the world needs to hear it, and quickly crafts a best-seller called Crib. As his popularity explodes, he finds himself name dropping celebrities, a member of Oprah's exclusive pantheon of authors, and with a Spielberg development deal. All of this newfound glory, however, comes screeching to a halt, however, when Jacob receives an anonymous message from online from "TalentedTom" (a nod to Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley) saying he knows Jacob has stolen the plot and that this wasn't his story to tell. Jacob is desperate to keep his secret safe, and enlists the help of his publisher and relies on his own detective work to draw him closer to the informer so he can prevent his own ruin. But has Jacob become so caught up in trying to furiously tie up his own loose ends that he has bypassed the glaring truth entirely?
Korelitz is a Literary writer (with a capital L!) and this was evident from the very first page of this fantastic book. This book is rife with commentary on the literary world, what it means to be a writer, what it means to be a TRUE original, and literary references GALORE (including one very overt Charles Dickens reference that made me smile!) I always love a book that can serve several functions, and this one absolutely fits the bill. Aside from all of this book talk, Korelitz also manages to weave an incredibly compelling and suspenseful narrative that starts slow, but by about 50% is going full-throttle. I had such a hard time putting this book down, even for a minute! I have to be honest and say that I did figure out the ending partway through, but surprisingly, this almost made me want to finish the book even faster because I just wanted to see everything play out---and WOW, did it ever! The hidden double meaning of the title is just the icing on the cake for this one and proof positive that Korelitz really DID think of everything! (If only all of her characters were so astute!) ...more
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