There’s nothing like a mad woman What a shame she went mad No one likes a mad woman You made her like that And you’ll poke that bear ‘til her claws come o
There’s nothing like a mad woman What a shame she went mad No one likes a mad woman You made her like that And you’ll poke that bear ‘til her claws come out And you find something to wrap your noose around And there’s nothing like a mad woman - Taylor Swift, mad woman
Was it possible he understood why a woman would do this? That she was no madwoman at all, but a Mad Woman, a for-years-and-years abused woman? - Chelsea Bieker, Madwoman
Mothers and daughters and the devastating, resonating effects of abuse and trauma are at the center of Chelsea Bieker’s new novel, Madwoman. And it is, simply put, a masterpiece.
After a childhood and adolescence filled with violence and dysfunction, Clove is determined to make a life completely different from the way she was raised. She lives in a lovely home with her mild, kind husband and two young children; she meditates and does yoga and takes supplements and drinks green smoothies and posts photos of it all (no faces) for her 10,000 Instagram followers. But when she receives a letter from a women’s prison, her carefully constructed façade begins to crack, leaving Clove to reckon with a past that won’t stay buried.
In an emotionally resonant, evocative, unflinchingly intimate narrative that almost reads as autobiographical, Bieker takes us back in time from Clove’s peaceful life in Portland, Oregon, to her fraught youth in Waikiki, Hawai’i. The layers of Clove’s past are peeled back slowly, in horrifying detail, while we simultaneously watch her self-destruct in the present day. Clove is not necessarily a likeable character, but Bieker has written her so intricately that it’s easy to understand why she makes the choices she does. Readers should be aware that this book deals, overtly and on the page, with domestic violence: the act itself as well as its long shadow. Certain passages are incredibly difficult to read because Bieker writes with so much emotion and urgency: You can feel the rage, the desperation, and the fear so palpably.
Madwoman is being classified as a mystery/thriller, but it didn’t read to me like either of those genres. Instead, it’s a deeply psychological and suspenseful literary character study about motherhood, grief, and the complicated process of healing from trauma. It does have some twists, which are easily predicted – and the more I think about it, the more I think that Bieker wanted the reader to predict them. Because we see what Clove doesn’t, it further illustrates the effects of the trauma that she endured for so long, turning her so far inward that she isn’t aware of what’s happening around her, what should be obvious.
Madwoman shines a spotlight on the ugliest, most devastating aspects of domestic violence, in a narrative that is as enthralling as it is upsetting. It’s profound and affecting and raw, cementing Bieker’s status as one of our most dynamic contemporary writers. Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for the early reading opportunity. ...more
Haunt Sweet Home is cute and quirky, which I realize is a strange way to describe a horror novella, but I think it fits in this case.
Mara is feeling Haunt Sweet Home is cute and quirky, which I realize is a strange way to describe a horror novella, but I think it fits in this case.
Mara is feeling adrift and aimless in her life when her cousin offers her a position as a production assistant on the set of his haunted house renovation reality TV show. Mara’s job will be to work the night shift, orchestrating elaborate haunts to frighten the homeowners. But after a series of unnerving events on set, Mara begins to wonder if maybe the haunts aren’t so fabricated after all.
Haunt Sweet Home is light on the scares, instead focusing on Mara’s apathy and ennui as she approaches her mid-20s with no ambitions for her life. Sarah Pinsker really zeroes in on the uncertainty and anxiety of early adulthood, especially when you have a family who isn’t entirely present or supportive, like Mara’s. This story is mostly about Mara attempting to cope with all of that, doing some self-reflection and trying to motivate herself to make some big decisions about her life. The way Pinsker gets Mara to her self-revelations is so clever, but I don’t want to get specific for spoiler-y reasons.
The reality TV show aspect is well-done and entertaining. Audio is definitely the way to go with this one, because not only does Jess Nahikian provide the perfect bored, nonchalant voice for Mara – there are also excerpts from the reality show itself, read by other narrators, which makes for an immersive experience. Creative and weirdly endearing, Haunt Sweet Home is the perfect not-so-scary horror novella to add to your Spooky Season reading list. Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the early listening opportunity. ...more
I couldn't wait to get my hands on Tiny Threads after reading the blurb. Social horror set in the world of high fashion?! Yes please! I wanted it to rI couldn't wait to get my hands on Tiny Threads after reading the blurb. Social horror set in the world of high fashion?! Yes please! I wanted it to read like The Devil Wears Prada as directed by Guillermo del Toro. Unfortunately, though, I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I'd hoped I would.
Tiny Threads is about a young Cuban American woman named Samara, who travels across the country to start her dream job with renowned fashion designer Antonio Mota. But she can't quite stand up to the enormous pressures of her new career, the demands placed on her as an important fashion show draws near. She begins hearing strange noises and experiencing unsettling events she can't explain. Are they a sign of her unraveling psyche, or is something more sinister going on deep in the halls of the house of Mota?
Thematically, Tiny Threads is so interesting as it delves into issues of race and class and explores the ways that the few succeed on the backs of the many -- hiding ugly truths behind glitzy, glamorous lies. It's set in the "exclusively industrial" city of Vernon, California, which really opens the narrative up for Lilliam Rivera to explore these themes. But overall, this was a frustrating reading experience because I could clearly see what Lilliam Rivera was trying to do, the connections she was trying to make -- but the execution just wasn't quite there.
All the way through, it feels like the book isn't exactly sure what kind of story it wants to tell. The pacing is uneven, spending a lot of time on Samara's self-destructive tendencies and the day-to-day minutiae of her job. Is it a character study about a woman hallucinating and having a psychotic break? Is it a commentary on how young people cope in stressful careers? Is it a supernatural horror novel? By the time a decision is made, the book is over. It could have been all of these things, but it never quite came together. And there's not nearly enough build-up throughout the book to support the conclusion.
Tiny Threads is a book that has a lot to say, but for me, it could have said those things more effectively. Thank you to Del Rey for the early reading opportunity....more
To love and be loved was more than could ever be expected, more than enough for a thousand ordinary lifetimes.
All the Colors of the Dark is an amb
To love and be loved was more than could ever be expected, more than enough for a thousand ordinary lifetimes.
All the Colors of the Dark is an ambitious, sprawling novel that is at once a family drama, a love story, a police procedural, and a complex, coming-of-age character study. The plot is too intricate to sum up in a few sentences, so I won’t even try. But rest assured that this is one of those immensely satisfying novels that you can just sit back and let wash over you, appreciating the layers of the story as they unfold and immersing yourself in all the nuances of the plot and the characters.
Chris Whittaker has a special way of writing that reminds me a lot of Cormac McCarthy: a simplistic style that still says so much, that evokes rich emotion and deep meaning that goes beyond the actual words on the page. For me, his writing does sometimes cross the line from “poignant” to “overwrought,” but it’s undeniably affecting nonetheless. He evokes a strong sense of place and time as he weaves the threads of a tale about friendship and love, fate and faith and found family, as he explores the long-lasting effects of trauma and how it can both forge and break bonds.
All the Colors of the Dark is a character study more than anything else, and Whittaker definitely knows how to write characters that are complex, flawed, and authentic. These characters, especially Patch and Saint, got under my skin in the way all the best characters do. Their journeys, together and separately, are full of tragedy and beauty, heartbreak and redemption – with lots of unexpected and emotional surprises along the way.
I do think there were sections of the narrative that could have been tightened up a bit, but I still enjoyed every word of All the Colors of the Dark. I’m certain that future scholars will consider Chris Whittaker to be one of this generation’s Great American Writers – and I’ll read every word he writes. ...more
First of all, the synopsis for Eye of the Beholder gives too much of the plot away. If you’re interested in this novel, I encourage you to avoid readiFirst of all, the synopsis for Eye of the Beholder gives too much of the plot away. If you’re interested in this novel, I encourage you to avoid reading the full synopsis and steer clear of reviews that summarize the plot in a lot of detail.
Even if you do go into this book completely blind, though, I’m guessing that you, like me, will see the twists coming from a mile away. And I’m guessing that you, like me, will be pretty annoyed about the suspension of disbelief that this entire book requires.
Don’t get me wrong, Eye of the Beholder isn’t all bad. Set in the Scottish Highlands, it’s intensely atmospheric, with vivid descriptions of the remote, gloomy landscape, which serves as a contrast for the trendy modern home where much of the book takes place. I like how Emma Bamford plays with the idea of perception throughout the novel, from the title on down. She also laces the narrative with a pervasive sense of unease, which works well for the story she’s telling. She provides some thought-provoking commentary and insights about the beauty industry. And I appreciate her efforts to re-work Vertigo for a modern audience – although I’m not sure she went far enough with it or said anything new or worthwhile.
Almost everything else about Eye of the Beholder, though, did not work for me: the slow and uneven pacing, the repetitive nature of the plot, the insta-love, the painfully obvious twists, the outlandish reveals that felt more suited to something from Scooby Doo. There was so much potential here, but the execution just didn’t work for me. Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press for the complimentary reading opportunity. ...more
I really enjoyed Fever House, but I acknowledge that it won’t be for everyone. It’s a sprawling saga that starts out as a crime thriller before morphiI really enjoyed Fever House, but I acknowledge that it won’t be for everyone. It’s a sprawling saga that starts out as a crime thriller before morphing into a supernatural horror novel about government conspiracies, complicated families, aging punk rockers, apocalyptic subliminal messaging, and a hand that allegedly belongs to the devil. And that really only scratches the surface. It’s a very difficult book to describe, but all of the elements somehow work so perfectly together, all wrapped up in a violent, gory, fun package.
It’s a long book, but Keith Rosson (and Xe Sands’ excellent narration) kept me engaged the entire time. It’s well-plotted and action-forward, while also delving into the characters’ backstories without letting up on the relentless pacing. There’s an ensemble cast of characters, and they’re all richly-developed and interesting. This is one of the rare instances where I was invested in all of the characters and the various storylines equally.
Fever House is the first book of a duology (the second, The Devil By Name, comes out later this year), and unfortunately it ends rather abruptly. Even after spending so much time with this book, I wasn’t ready for it to be over, so I can’t wait to see how this weird, wild tale concludes in book two. ...more
...becoming who you want to be is just like anything else. It takes practice. It requires belief that one day, you'll wake up and be a natural at i
...becoming who you want to be is just like anything else. It takes practice. It requires belief that one day, you'll wake up and be a natural at it.
Every once in a while, I read a book that so perfectly captures what it means to be human -- the vulnerability, the messiness, the mistakes and contradictions, the joys and heartbreaks, the moments you get it all so right and so spectacularly wrong -- that it takes my breath away. The Wedding People was one of those books for me.
Phoebe thought she'd be visiting the Cornwall Inn in Rhode Island with her husband, but, well, things didn't work out that way. Instead she arrives by herself, in a fancy green dress with no luggage. She plans to spend one night at the Cornwall -- and has no plans for her life after that. When she checks in, she realizes she's the only guest at the hotel who isn't there for a week-long wedding celebration. Phoebe is determined to stay away from the wedding people...but a chance encounter with the bride changes everything.
Alison Espach accomplishes quite the balancing act with The Wedding People. The book deals overtly with suicidal ideation and depression; many characters struggle with dark thoughts and bleak feelings, and the narrative doesn't shy away from any of that. But at the same time, it's one of the most life-affirming novels I've ever read. I don't think I would call it "heartwarming," which implies a purity that I don't think it has. It's irreverent and wry, unflinchingly honest and so incredibly genuine. The character development is phenomenal, and so is the dialogue; there are lots of conversations in this book, and they felt so authentic.
I love how Espach explores the idea that a random encounter with a stranger can prompt genuine connection, how we can sometimes be more vulnerable with strangers than with our loved ones, because who cares what a stranger thinks of us, right? Espach answers that question in The Wedding People, when the strangers Phoebe encounters become so much more than that, when the truths that are shared become the building blocks for real relationships.
I listened to the audiobook read by Helen Laser, who did a phenomenal job of bringing the characters to life. The Wedding People is so smart and hopeful, and is a book I'll be recommending and gifting to all the readers I know. Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary reading opportunity....more
In his new novel, Fram takes us to the gates of Ramorah, a sprawling Texas compound owned by the Wright family, whose patriarch is a prominent televangelist. Toby Tucker has recently married into the Wright family, and he has come to Ramorah with his new wife Alyssa and his young queer son, Luca, to celebrate Alyssa's birthday. But a freak storm arrives along with them, cutting off the roads leading to and from of Ramorah, and that night, someone is found murdered on the roof of the mansion. Toby immediately comes under suspicion for the murder, and he must fight to prove his innocence while also protecting Luca from the Wright family's clutches at all costs.
No Road Home combines elements of ghost story, family drama, social horror, and psychological thriller in a gothic locked-room mystery with religious themes. There's a lot going on here, but somehow Fram makes it all work. At its heart, this is a book about a young father who will do anything to protect his son from both physical and emotional harm, and the relationship between Toby and Luca is relayed with so much tenderness. There are surprising twists and the mystery is well-executed, but it's Toby and Luca's deep love for and understanding of each other that anchors the narrative and makes No Road Home special and memorable.
The other thing that really worked for me was the setting. The atmosphere of Ramorah is so claustrophobic and creepy. Fram made the mansion feel like a character in and of itself, with the West Wing of the house giving strong Backrooms vibes.
I wanted more development of the secondary characters, and I wanted Fram to lean a little harder into the religious imagery and occult elements. Overall, though, No Road Home is a compelling mystery and a thought-provoking exploration of wealth and privilege, bigotry, and dysfunctional family dynamics with important LGBTQIA+ representation. Thank you to Atria Books for the complimentary reading opportunity....more
The Most is a portrait of a mid-century marriage, in which a Delaware housewife gets into the pool one unseasonably warm November morning and then refThe Most is a portrait of a mid-century marriage, in which a Delaware housewife gets into the pool one unseasonably warm November morning and then refuses to come out. Unfolding in chapters from the alternating points-of-view of husband Virgil and wife Kathleen, this novella takes readers into the heart of their relationship and reveals the secrets and betrayals simmering beneath the surface of their seemingly ideal marriage.
Technically, The Most is nearly flawless in its execution. Jessica Anthony's writing is vivid and atmospheric, and the book feels firmly set in the 1950s, exploring the societal and domestic expectations of that time. Unfolding in the background of the story is the launch of Sputnik 2, and the paranoia and tension of the country during that time serves as an effective parallel to Virgil and Kathleen's personal struggles. Husband and wife are both complex characters, with richly-detailed histories and inner lives.
But what The Most was missing, for me, was the emotional resonance of a strong character study. The story is told almost clinically, from a remove, so that I struggled to connect with the characters. Because of this, a novella of less than 150 pages that I should've read in one sitting instead took me three days to finish. It's incredibly well-written, but unfortunately didn't pack much of an emotional punch. Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for the complimentary reading opportunity. ...more
Just when I thought I couldn't possibly want to visit Italy anymore than I already do, here comes Lizzy Dent with Just One Taste, which is basically aJust when I thought I couldn't possibly want to visit Italy anymore than I already do, here comes Lizzy Dent with Just One Taste, which is basically a romantic romp throughout the country.
Olive Stone has been estranged from her father, Nicky, an Italian chef and restaurateur for fourteen years. So no one is more surprised than she is when her father dies and leaves her his London restaurant. He also wants her to finish writing his cookbook about Italian food, with the help of his sous-chef and surrogate son, Leo. This means Olive and Leo will have to travel to Italy together and somehow agree not only on recipes, but also on whether or not Olive should sell the restaurant. She intends to sell, and Leo intends to change her mind. Under the Tuscan sun, just how persuasive can Leo be?
This is going to sound strange, but I think I would have enjoyed Just One Taste more if it was a different genre, not a romance. This book is strongest when it delves into Olive's complicated relationship with her father and how she navigates the grieving process when so much between them was left unresolved. And it reads like a love letter to Italian food, with mouth-watering descriptions of Sicilian, Tuscan, and Ligurian dishes. So much of Olive's feelings about her father are tied up in food -- the things he cooked for her, what it was like to grow up in his restaurant, and the way she ultimately believed that he chose the restaurant over her -- and the way all of that unfolds in the narrative is emotionally resonant and poignant.
Because of this, though, the romance feels secondary and not nearly as interesting. It never felt to me like a slow-burn "enemies to lovers" trope, as Olive and Leo were mostly civil to each other from the beginning. There was no real romantic tension, there was never a question as to "will they or won't they" because it was very clear that they would -- and yet I never really felt like they had much chemistry.
Alas, unlike the Italian food described in this book, the romance was quite bland. There was no unexpected ingredient to spice things up, and that affected my overall reading experience. Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for the early reading opportunity....more
Every once in a while a book comes along that not only has its pulse on timely social issues, but is also incredibly funny, occasionally frightening, Every once in a while a book comes along that not only has its pulse on timely social issues, but is also incredibly funny, occasionally frightening, and wildly thought-provoking. Bury Your Gays is that book.
Bury Your Gays is about a jaded Hollywood screenwriter named Misha who is finally getting some well-deserved recognition in the form of his first Oscar nomination. But then he is asked to kill off his gay characters in the season finale of his show, and when he doesn't immediately agree, Misha finds himself in the crosshairs of some enemies he never expected.
There's gore and horror, but at its heart, Bury Your Gays is about creation: how a creator's experiences inform their art, whether they retain ownership of a creation once it's been released into the world. There's lots of interesting commentary about the historically unfair treatment of LGBTQIA characters in Hollywood, the burgeoning use of AI in creative fields, and the prevalence of corporate greed in the Hollywood machine. It's provocative and creative and incredibly engaging, and it features a complex, sympathetic main character that I just absolutely fell in love with. I loved the inclusion of scenes from Misha's past, which added so much to my understanding of his character.
I haven't read Camp Damascus, but now I can't wait to read it because I can just tell from Bury Your Gays that Chuck Tingle is a whole vibe. This was just a fun, captivating, and ultimately hopeful reading experience -- definitely not like anything I've read before. I highly recommend the audiobook, which is read mostly (and expertly) by André Santana, but features the voices of several well-known queer/horror writers. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary listening opportunity. ...more
All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems th
All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is.
4.5 stars. Fifteen years ago, two teenage boys got lost in a West Virginia forest. Six months later they returned, unharmed, unable to explain where they'd been. Now, one of those boys has made a name for himself through finding missing people, and the other is an artist who lives as a recluse in the mountains, with only a garden full of fantastical sculptures as company. They're brought together again by a young woman searching for her missing sister, who helps them realize that, maybe, the only way to move forward is by going back.
Whimsical and magical, The Lost Story is the very definition of a fairy tale for grown-ups. Meg Shaffer is such an incredible storyteller, with an ability to weave words and worlds that puts her right up there with some of the best fantasy writers. For me, her books bring back the nostalgic feeling of being transported to a make-believe world for the first time: going through the wardrobe to Narnia, taking the train to Hogwarts, waking up in Oz. In The Lost Story, she transports us to another place...but that's all I'll say, because you should discover the magic for yourself.
At the same time that The Lost Story feels like a fairy tale in its execution, it also deals with contemporary themes like overcoming trauma and complicated family dynamics and doesn't shy away from difficult topics. But mostly, this is a story about love and acceptance, and it was a pure joy to experience. I'm so excited to watch Meg Shaffer's writing career unfold -- and I hope we haven't seen the last of these characters or this world. Thank you to Ballantine Books for the early reading opportunity. ...more
The whole universe lines itself up to make a family, and the family takes it from there.
Long Island Compromise begins, propulsively, with the kidn
The whole universe lines itself up to make a family, and the family takes it from there.
Long Island Compromise begins, propulsively, with the kidnapping of Carl Fletcher from his driveway in March of 1980. Despite being returned to his family a week later, Carl is forever altered by the experience -- and so are the people that love him most. Taffy Brodesser-Akner's sprawling Jewish-American family saga explores the myriad ways the Fletcher family never got over the kidnapping of their patriarch.
Not everyone is going to enjoy Long Island Compromise, and I can totally understand why. This is an in-your-face, unsubtle, explicit book about wealthy, unlikable characters complaining about the fact that they are wealthy, engaging in a variety of self-sabotage methods, and refusing to acknowledge their trauma. But because Brodesser-Akner is a hugely talented writer, and because I'm all about an in-depth character study, I was absolutely captivated by the stories of their lives. These characters, unlikable though they may be on the surface, are rendered with such authenticity and vulnerability that I felt for them deeply, even as I was horrified by their actions.
Long Island Compromise made me cringe, laugh, and cry -- sometimes all in the same paragraph. It's a compelling, complex story about the corruption and comfort of inherited wealth, the harsh realities of inherited trauma, and all the ways families heal and destroy each other -- set against the backdrop of a predominantly Jewish Long Island town that almost becomes a character in and of itself. Reading Long Island Compromise wasn't always a pleasant experience, but it was a rewarding one, and by the end I found myself truly affected by it. Thank you to Random House for the complimentary reading opportunity. ...more
3.5 stars, rounded up. The Cliffs is the story of a house: an abandoned Victorian mansion built high on the seaside cliffs outside the small coastal t3.5 stars, rounded up. The Cliffs is the story of a house: an abandoned Victorian mansion built high on the seaside cliffs outside the small coastal town of Awadapquit, Maine. Jane Flanagan discovered the house as a teenager, and it became a refuge from her volatile mother. Now, twenty years later, Jane's mother has died, and she's returned to Awadapquit after potentially losing both her job as a Harvard archivist and her marriage during a drunken episode at a work event. Jane's Victorian mansion refuge has been completely transformed by its new owner, a wealthy summer person named Genevieve. Genevieve is convinced the house is haunted, and she hires Jane to research the house's fraught history, and the legacies left by the women who lived there in the past.
The Cliffs was my first J. Courtney Sullivan book, and it reminded me in some ways of a Jodi Picoult novel, with some of its thematic elements and the way Sullivan incorporates several topics into the narrative. At the same time, though, Sullivan has a distinct voice and perspective that I appreciated. She clearly did a lot of research into a variety of topics, including but not limited to Maine's indigenous population, the Shaker movement, spiritualism and psychic mediums, and colonialism -- all integrated into a story about generational trauma, alcoholism, motherhood, grief and healing, the complexities of women's relationships, and all the ways a person can be haunted.
Yes, there's certainly a lot going on in The Cliffs. As much as I appreciated all of Sullivan's research, I didn't always find that it was well-incorporated into the narrative, so sometimes the book felt like a history lesson or lecture rather than immersive fiction. For me, this sometimes detracted from the book's true strength -- its strong female characters, their healing and growth -- and made it a less poignant reading experience than I think it would have been otherwise.
Despite being somewhat disjointed and meandering, there is still a powerful, important story being told in The Cliffs: a story about history and heritage and healing, about love and loss and legacy, about acknowledging the mistakes of the past in order to move forward. I'm definitely eager to read more of J. Courtney Sullivan's work. ...more
Humor Me is a marvel. Billed as a love letter to the NYC stand-up comedy scene, its protagonist is Presley Fry, who works as an assistant on a belovedHumor Me is a marvel. Billed as a love letter to the NYC stand-up comedy scene, its protagonist is Presley Fry, who works as an assistant on a beloved late night show. Presley is dealing with a lot. She’s anxious that she hasn’t yet been promoted, and she’s mortified that she seems to have caught feelings for her work BFF, Adam. But mostly, Presley is dealing with grief over her mother’s death the previous year, trying to grapple with the fact that so much about their complicated relationship was left unresolved. When she runs into her mother’s childhood best friend, Susan, the two strike up an unexpected friendship, leading Presley to relationships and realizations she never could have anticipated.
Humor Me is one of those novels that celebrates the messy magic of life: what it’s like to be young in a big city, trying to figure out who you are and what you want, both personally and professionally; how it feels to fall in love – with someone else, with your city, with yourself; what it’s like to navigate the fraught waters of grief. Presley is the best kind of character; she’s vulnerable but guarded, longs for connection even though she sabotages opportunities for it at every turn, self-aware even though she stubbornly refuses to face some hard truths about her life. Her closest relationships – with her best friend Isabelle and especially with Susan – are conveyed with so much authenticity. I adored the relationship between Presley and Susan, with its subtle mother-daughter vibes and the genuine warmth and affection at its heart.
Humor Me is funny and sexy and charming, but also surprisingly emotionally resonant, dealing with deep themes like complex family dynamics, alcoholism, and #MeToo in a well-balanced narrative. It’s a “slice of life” sort of book, not majorly plot-forward – it’s more just the story of Presley’s growth and becoming, and Cat Shook kept me invested in her whole journey. Thank you to Celadon Books for the early reading opportunity. ...more
"There’s a reason the word ‘haunting’ is rarely used in a positive way. To never be free of someone, well, that’s not always a comfort."
In My Darl
"There’s a reason the word ‘haunting’ is rarely used in a positive way. To never be free of someone, well, that’s not always a comfort."
In My Darling Dreadful Thing, debut author Johanna van Veen draws on the tropes of Gothic fiction, resulting in a novel that feels entirely original while also paying homage to classics of the genre. At once a horror story and a love story, it’s unlike anything I’ve read before.
Roos Beckman is a young woman with an extraordinary gift: She can talk to spirits. Well, a spirit, anyway: that of her best friend and spirit companion, Ruth. Both Roos and Ruth are exploited by Roos’s mother, who forces them to perform for strangers during backroom séances. But then one of those strangers, a young widow named Agnes Knoop, offers Ruth the opportunity to come live with her on her crumbling estate, Rozentuin. As Roos and Agnes grow closer, it becomes increasingly difficult to deny the attraction between them…or to avoid the tragedy that awaits them – because months later, Roos is accused of murder.
Set in The Netherlands in the years after World War II, My Darling Dreadful Thing is narrated by Roos in the first person as she tells her story to a psychologist tasked with determining if she is fit to stand trial. This structure works well, giving the book a propulsive quality as Roos’s story unfolds. We know, from snippets of transcripts from Roos’s sessions with the psychologist, that something very bad happens at Rozentuin – we just don’t know exactly what it is. The pacing is deliberate, and the book doesn’t give up its secrets too early, instead revealing them at perfect moments in the narrative.
As with all the best Gothic novels, van Veen’s writing is dark and descriptive, full of macabre imagery, laced with melancholy and dread as she weaves a story that is both gorgeous and gruesome – a story about love, life and death, dysfunctional relationships and abuse, prejudice, and female autonomy that is just as affecting as it is unsettling. Roos is a sympathetic protagonist: naïve, tentative, but with strength and determination at her core. Her relationship with Ruth is fascinating, complex and almost heartbreakingly tender.
Modern in its themes but classically Gothic in its execution, My Darling Dreadful Thing is an inventive and impressive debut that has me eager to read whatever Johanna van Veen writes next. ...more
I’m terrified of seascapes. The wealthy fought over them at auctions, willing to pay fortunes for a sea painted in colors they would never see agai
I’m terrified of seascapes. The wealthy fought over them at auctions, willing to pay fortunes for a sea painted in colors they would never see again. They fed their nostalgia daily while eating black-market products for breakfast. They bought memories, sure, but it’s the lucky ones who can forget.
Pink Slime is a quiet, haunting novel about a coastal South American city infected by toxic algae blooms. All the fish are dead, all the birds are gone, and everyone rich enough to relocate has moved away – but not our narrator, who lives in a mostly abandoned apartment building. She occupies her time with the child she nannies, making occasional treks to see her mother, and visiting her ex-husband in the hospital, where he suffers from a chronic version of the algae-borne disease.
Pink Slime is a subtle and melancholy dystopia that largely consists of the narrator reflecting on her life up to the present day as she finds herself isolated, in a state of stasis and denial – unready to leave her home, unsure how she can stay. The writing is deeply philosophical and includes lots of commentary about ecological disaster, socioeconomic factors, and complex family dynamics. It’s a book in which not a lot is actually happening; but at the same time, everything is happening, if that makes sense. It’s a thought-provoking and bleak slice of one woman’s life that makes provocative statements about our own world, making it read like a quiet but urgent call to action.
Thank you to Scribner for the early reading opportunity. ...more
Katie and Aster are cousins, and they often hike together in Utah, where Aster lives. Being together in the wilds of the desert, at the mercy of naturKatie and Aster are cousins, and they often hike together in Utah, where Aster lives. Being together in the wilds of the desert, at the mercy of nature, is a bonding experience they always look forward to – but this year, things are different between them. A year ago, Aster left Katie alone at a party, and Katie was subsequently assaulted. Now, Aster is overwhelmed with guilt over leaving Katie, and Katie is a shell of the fierce, vibrant young woman she used to be. They’re both hopeful that this year’s 49-mile hike will restore their bond, but they are beset by trouble from the beginning. When they meet Riley and Finn on the trail, they are at first relieved – but it soon becomes clear that there is tension simmering between the couple. After Riley confides some chilling truths about Finn, Aster and Katie hear them fighting overnight – and in the morning, they find Riley and Finn’s tent overturned and abandoned, with no sign of the couple. With their supplies dwindling and two more days of hiking through the rugged desert, will Aster and Katie be able to find Riley before Finn does?
49 Miles Alone is the first book I’ve read by Natalie D. Richards, and I found a lot about it to enjoy. The plot is propulsive, with rich atmosphere and an immediacy to the writing that fully immersed me in the world of the novel. The real strength of the book for me, though, was its portrayal of the lasting effects of trauma – on both a victim and their loved ones. The central characters of Aster and Katie are well-drawn and go through a lot of self-reflection and growth throughout the story. The relationship between the two central characters is well-written, with dialogue and decision-making that feel authentic.
The secondary characters in the story are less-developed, though, and there were some missed opportunities there. I have to admit that I guessed the direction the plot was taking pretty early on, but I was still invested in this story all the way through. If you enjoy adventure thrillers, add 49 Miles Alone to your reading list; it’s a solid entry in the genre. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the early reading opportunity.
Content warning: mentions of SA, which occurs off-page and is not graphically detailed. ...more
I was twenty and I needed two things: to be in love and to be taken seriously.
The Rachel Incident is one of those lovely, relatable novels about a
I was twenty and I needed two things: to be in love and to be taken seriously.
The Rachel Incident is one of those lovely, relatable novels about a young woman learning about herself and the world, striving and bumbling and yearning her way through her early 20s. The titular Rachel here is a university student, living with her (insistently heterosexual) best friend James in Cork, where they both work at a bookstore. When Rachel sets out to have an affair with her married English professor, James help her devise a plan to seduce him – which serves as the catalyst for a lot of upheaval in both of their lives.
The Rachel Incident feels at once celebratory and melancholy in its exploration of friendship, love, and the chaos of early adulthood. Caroline O’Donoghue’s writing is vibrant and rich with emotion, with a narrative voice so intimate that I often felt like I was reading a memoir. Rachel is the best kind of character: complex and vulnerable, self-aware but also sweetly naïve, beautifully young and gorgeously alive. I felt so much for her and just wanted to give her a hug and lots of reassurances that everything would be okay. Her relationships with the other characters are so vivid and relayed with so much authenticity, and it’s Rachel herself and the strength of those relationships that carry the novel.
I do agree that fans of Sally Rooney will likely enjoy The Rachel Incident – but just know that I am not a fan of Sally Rooney, and I adored it. It’s a slice of life story with so much meaning – a book that comforts you at the same time that it makes you feel just the slightest bit sad and nostalgic. It’s just fantastic storytelling all-around, and I enjoyed it so much....more
Go As a River reminded me in many ways of Where the Crawdads Sing. And as with that book, I have an Unpopular Opinion about it. It has all the ingrediGo As a River reminded me in many ways of Where the Crawdads Sing. And as with that book, I have an Unpopular Opinion about it. It has all the ingredients of the “sweeping, heart-stopping epic” that it claims to be: a story of one young woman’s journey of self-discovery through adversity and heartbreak. So many people have loved it, but I found myself unaffected by almost the entire story.
I found the character of Victoria to be bland and uninteresting; she comes across as passive and doesn’t have much of an inner life, and despite the book being written in first person, I could never get a handle on what she was actually thinking or feeling. Because of this, she just felt like a random person that bad things kept happening to; she could have been anyone. I didn’t sympathize with her or feel invested in the events of her life. All of the characters lacked development and nuance, and the two most intriguing characters in the book (Wilson Moon and Ruby-Alice) were woefully underutilized in the plot.
Shelley Read’s writing is beautiful in terms of atmospheric descriptions of the natural world, but is less successful in the unfolding of the actual plot. The entire book hinges on a chance meeting between Victoria and Wilson Moon. But this important time in Victoria’s life is rushed through, to the point where Wil and Victoria have maybe two conversations before Victoria shares, “Wilson Moon became my lover.” Wait, what? That’s it? We don’t get a slow-burning build-up of passion? No romantic tension or sweet seduction? I almost stopped reading at this point – and then again a few chapters later, when Victoria kicks a dog for no reason.
But I’m not a quitter, and so I kept on – only to find myself increasingly annoyed by Victoria’s seemingly spontaneous decisions that had lasting, sometimes tragic effects. There is no space in the narrative for her to reflect on these decisions, so there is a distinct lack of emotion in the story’s telling. But there was one bright spot: The letter at the end of the book is quite moving and finally gave me the emotional connection I wanted to feel…just not with Victoria. I think I would have preferred an entire novel written from that perspective, instead.
I also really enjoyed learning more about the real-life town of Iola, Colorado, which was flooded in 1963 to form the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Read does a good job of incorporating this event into Victoria’s life.
I really wish I’d enjoyed this as much as everyone else, but it just left me cold. From now on, I’ll stick to Kristin Hannah when I’m craving historical fiction about strong women overcoming adversity....more
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