Weike Wang is becoming one of those authors I like spending time with. I settle in with her books, I get comfortable, I know I will enjoy my stay.
KerWeike Wang is becoming one of those authors I like spending time with. I settle in with her books, I get comfortable, I know I will enjoy my stay.
Keru and Nate have been together since college. He is a professor, she is a consultant. He comes from a small Appalachian town where he never fit in. She is an immigrant who never fit in. They work as a couple, though they have been together long enough that we see the cracks that have formed from small divisions growing over time. They have been together long enough that their love is more assumption than action. They work a lot, they have no children, and their lives have taken on a flatness they don't know if they like or not.
We see them over two vacations, five years apart. And each time their vacation is intruded on by others, mostly by their own families. Both Keru and Nate have strained relationships with their parents in different ways, and they also struggle to relate to their in-laws. Their families are probably the biggest pressure on them individually, but also as a couple. And watching the two of them navigate these visits is both cringey and relatable.
It's mostly a quiet book, but one I couldn't stop reading. I like the strange little details, the way Keru throws things at pivotal moments, the constant taking pillows on and off the couch. The book is quite evenly split between the two of them, and they both feel fully drawn. This isn't really about going anywhere or seeing any big change, and that was fine with me.
I like the way Wang's work explores the lives of women who are variations on a theme. Daughters of Chinese immigrants, women driven to succeed, women who do not fit the mold of their parents' expectations or the American culture around them. They may have similar character sketches, and the stories around them explore similar themes, and yet they all feel quite different. I love that we see so much that can open up even in what others may consider a limited scope.
I mostly wish her books were longer because I so enjoy how lived in they are. The sharp eye for detail, the real consideration of relationships. Here in particular there is so much about what we may owe our parents, when do things cross the line, what is the goal of a relationship with people who do not understand you. Nate's family in particular pretends to play-act that everything is great, which Keru struggles to do. And Keru's family is so blunt that even Nate's Chinese lessons haven't done much to ingratiate him. Keru and Nate may come off as prickly sometimes but they both really struggle with the obligation to their families and the difficulty that comes from interacting with them. And yet they continue to try, continue to reach out, continue to support the families that don't support them. It isn't a book that wants everyone to get along or one that minimizes the pain parents can inflict. This is a tricky subject for me, but I never felt like Wang was being too optimistic or too harsh, it just felt right on....more
Took me a little while to get into this one, but it was worth the wait. My favorite horror novels are ones where I don't know what's going to happen nTook me a little while to get into this one, but it was worth the wait. My favorite horror novels are ones where I don't know what's going to happen next, where I don't know where things are going to end up, that feel like we are careening along and maybe we'll stay on the road or maybe we'll go off. This was one of those.
Shades of folk horror here, with the vague setting (it often feels like Italy and a lot of the names sound like Italy but then a lot of them don't) and the family legends from a town that's existed for hundreds of years of history. Angelina is in many ways a recognizable modern character--aimless, possibly self-destructive, no life plan, working as a bartender and in a call center--but she has much more to her. She loves her big, annoying family. She loves her old, shitty town. She has no desire to get away from any of it, but she would really like a girlfriend. And one girl in particular, her brother's ex.
So many horror heroines are badass or whip smart. Angelina, on the other hand, is reckless, doesn't think things through, and doesn't always know how to wield her strengths effectively. She will definitely fuck everything up. And that's a problem when there is a monster that is here to fuck you up. It sure gets interesting when the one girl you can't fall in love with is the one person who seems to keep the monster at bay.
The monster is great. I loved the execution of it. Didn't feel like something I'd seen before. (Rendered very nicely in print, I hope they come up with something equally nice on audio.) And I loved the unpredictability of it, not knowing when it would pop up, not knowing what the rules were.
By the end I was sad this was over. I really relished it. Very satisfying. ...more
All my horror evaluations now are about vibes/plot balance. More and more it feels like getting the balance right matters. There is no one correct balAll my horror evaluations now are about vibes/plot balance. More and more it feels like getting the balance right matters. There is no one correct balance, it varies by book, but it has to be balanced. I was totally on board with the vibes/plot balance of this book, which definitely leans more towards vibes. That was its strength, the looseness of it. And I was so ready to have this different approach to a haunted house novel, one that actually seemed to bring a smart social horror eye to boot. Aaaaand then the plot had to go and ruin it.
I know that horror stories totally collapsing in the final act is so common it's cliche, but rarely have I seen it collapse this much. Took everything I liked about the book and threw it out in favor of explanations. The best horror, imo, does not explain everything! The mystery of it, the lack of an explanation is part of what makes the really scary stuff scary. But if you're going to explain it, please don't do it like this.
I think I get what Solomon is going for. They are very interested in trauma and horror is a great genre to explore that. But I actually felt like we already had plenty of trauma thank you without having to throw in the additional traumas of the ending. Solomon is such an interesting writer but they also can feel like a maximalist. I was starting to feel like this was really the one where they were going to take it up a level so I was extra disappointed.
I've been wondering for quite some time why we aren't seeing more fiction from men questioning and interrogating what masculinity is and what it shoulI've been wondering for quite some time why we aren't seeing more fiction from men questioning and interrogating what masculinity is and what it should be. So much fiction has been grappling with questions of identity, it's strange that male authors--especially the straight white cis ones--have not been doing the same. But if they're not ready to do it, Sally Rooney is.
The men in question are Ivan and Peter, two brothers separated in age by ten years. Ivan is 22, a washed up chess prodigy, socially awkward, a former incel. Peter has a job as a civil rights lawyer and outwardly presents himself as smart, successful, and great with women, and absolutely must be right about everything. Neither of these men is very well acquainted with their own feelings. Not feeling them or expressing them or communicating about them. Certainly not going to therapy for them or making sure their feelings are not everyone else's problem. They are both their own particular shade of asshole, and they have never gotten along.
We find them both in flux. Their father has just died after a long illness. Ivan falls in love with Margaret, an older, not-yet-divorced woman. Peter can't seem to tear himself away from his new, much younger girlfriend Naomi who he insists is not in any way suitable for him. Peter also can't seem to tear himself away from his ex Sylvia, who might as well be Naomi's opposite. These relationships aren't the ones they're supposed to have and neither of them really understands why. Ivan gently opens himself up to the world, finding a sense of direction and a deeper investment in others. Peter shuts down more and more, going confidently one way and then setting it aside completely to confidently do the opposite, unable to define what he wants.
This book feels both very much the same and very different from her other work. She is still grappling with romantic love, how it intertwines with sexual desire and platonic affection. She is deeply interested in the ways people act the way they are supposed to act and what makes them willing to break from expectation and explore the nontraditional. She narrates in a close third person similar to Normal People. There is an optimism and a sweetness that you find in her work and her characters that comes right up to cloying but never quite goes there because she's so willing to dive deep into her characters' flaws.
What's different? Well, to start, this book is about 80% or so focused on Ivan and Peter, it's much more male than her previous work and the relationship between the two men is not the focus but it is the narrative thread that pulls it all together. She certainly seems to be trying new things with prose again, Peter's sections have a choppy narration: short, very clipped sentences, almost the opposite of a Joycean flowing stream of consciousness and yet strangely similar. You always know when you're reading about Peter vs Ivan. It took me a while to get the hang of Peter sections, they don't have that readable quality she often has. And all through the book there can be long paragraphs that go on and on, sentence after sentence. I did not find the prose friendly, exactly, but it is clearly purposeful.
Ultimately I liked it a lot even if it took me a while to get my bearings. I loved Ivan and Margaret's sections, the emotional intimacy she can bring to falling in love, plus a few beautiful sex scenes. Love just happens, and we can see why the two of them make no sense but also why they do. And it's a book about self-awareness, gaining understanding and emotional intelligence. Both of them at some point have to acknowledge, "Oh yes, that is grief that made me like this. Even though I kept saying it wasn't." And sure, Ivan and Peter are not as emotionally intelligent as the women around them, but we do see them make strides. And the longer we go the more we understand why they have such a strong dislike of each other and how the same difficult childhood led to such very different people.
I can't tell if Rooney is correcting a bit from Beautiful World (the things I didn't love there are nowhere to be found here) or if she's just continuing to try things, mixing old and new. Either way, there's a lot of what I like best about her work here. Yes she often returns to similar themes, but they're themes I enjoy. And her observation of her characters remains so precise. She is a pleasure to read. ...more
It is funny to me that Paula Hawkins got popular with Girl on the Train, and then proceeded to never write another book like that again. That may be hIt is funny to me that Paula Hawkins got popular with Girl on the Train, and then proceeded to never write another book like that again. That may be her breakout but clearly what she's really interested is the slow burn not the twisty speed-read. But she holds steady in her interest in not-that-good people, living in suspicion, failure, lying (to yourself and others) and slowly letting them reveal their true nature to us.
While there are a lot of pieces here, many histories for us to gradually learn, the center of the story is simple. Becker, our primary protagonist, is a curator at a foundation focusing on the now-deceased artist Vanessa Chapman. When one of her sculptures is under suspicion for containing human remains rather than animal bones, Becker is motivated to finally get her estate sorted out. There is additional concern because Chapman's estranged husband disappeared decades earlier, and any controversy around these bones could lead to more unsightly gossip than artistic appreciation. The estate, owned by the foundation, is in a delicate relationship with Grace, the woman who was Chapman's close friend and eventually her caretaker before her death. Grace lives in Chapman's house and is supposed to be sorting through her letters and works to determine what is personal (which stays with Grace) and what is professional (which will go to the foundation). As Becker tries to carefully get Grace to share more of Chapman's papers, we follow along through both the two characters as well as snippets of Chapman's letters.
Becker and Grace are in a strange detente. They both have a strong loyalty to Chapman, but because Becker cares only about her work and Grace doesn't care about her work at all, they can't help but get defensive with each other. Still, they both seem to mean well and slowly they get to know each other better. But there are mysteries everywhere. Becker doesn't understand Grace or her relationship with Chapman, and he doesn't understand Chapman's relationship to the foundation, which was nonexistent for years after she had a falling out with Becker's boss's father. The family behind the foundation has their own secrets and pose their own threat to Becker, not only as holding his livelihood but also because Becker's boss was engaged to Becker's wife, who left the boss for Becker.
All these triangles and jealousies play out slowly through the novel. It's not clear if we'll ever have any kind of big revelation, Hawkins doesn't seem to be any hurry. Until the end when we all of a sudden have several reveals in a row, followed by a quick bang-up finish without a nice little bow. It's a surprising path, but I like surprises so it worked well for me.
Quite readable, though Hawkins is a little wordy here. Because she's going for slow much of the time, this is likely some intentional padding to slow us down. It was never enough for me to mind it. Now we just need to stop taking GotT off the cover as a frame of reference and just let Hawkins be the writer she clearly wants to be....more
My reviews of Attenberg's novels are starting to feel repetitive. I always like where we start, feel like there's a lot of potential, but then never fMy reviews of Attenberg's novels are starting to feel repetitive. I always like where we start, feel like there's a lot of potential, but then never find myself feeling the kind of connection or involvement I want. And that's where we are again.
This novel, following the women of a family (ok once or twice we get a man in there but still) over several decades, did that thing where it kept skipping over everything interesting. You would learn of something that had happened but never get to see it, or you'd see an event but not its aftermath. The format didn't really work for me, after the first few chapters, the character I saw was never the one I wanted to see, the events depicted were never the ones I was curious about. Characters start to reckon with things but then never fully consider them. There wasn't enough there there for me.
I keep thinking maybe this will be the Attenberg I've been waiting for, but I think I need to just stop waiting....more
The meandering, searching for meaning and identity 20-something novel through a trans lens. Edith's return to Boston, to the place she was closest to The meandering, searching for meaning and identity 20-something novel through a trans lens. Edith's return to Boston, to the place she was closest to happy before her transition, is the emotional center of the novel and has much of its strengths. The "you can never go home again" story when the closest place to home knows you as a different person is fitting. Edith's version is different but also the same.
The two pillars of Edith's identity are her two ex-girlfriends, and we jump around in time to her previous relationships with them. She was with Tessa before she transitioned, and since Tessa never dated men she never felt stable in the relationship. Searching for some kind of closure, Edith finds only more instability, that once again Tessa's definition of herself has changed.
Then there is Val, whose death Edith is constantly mourning. Val was Edith's model and mentor of trans womanhood, though Edith mostly pines after Val as an ideal lover. Val was absolutely not an ideal lover, as we come to see, and Edith's romanticization is an attempt to rewrite the past. To me Val often fell flat on the page, more mystery than person, one of the novel's major drawbacks even though I'm sure it's intentional. It's always risky to have this kind of character who refuses to stay in one place, who refuses to be defined.
Edith's past has never been exactly what she wants but she feels like she must find some kind of home to go back to, rather than building the home she wants. This slow transition and understanding is the defining arc of the book.
More vibes than plot, dialogue without quotation marks and moving around in time so you don't always realize exactly where and when you are. Being in Edith's head is a lot of sadness and self-pity, as she works through everything. Although the cuts to Sondheim lyrics as touchpoints for understanding were very enjoyable for me.
Even if this novel isn't fully cohesive, it's affecting and honest, I cared very much about Edith even if I also wanted her to figure out what was right in front of her. I would like to see what she does next....more
While this novel is on trend with its Eat the Rich plot, there is not enough to it to really merit its existence.
This book is basically Ready Or Not.While this novel is on trend with its Eat the Rich plot, there is not enough to it to really merit its existence.
This book is basically Ready Or Not. I loved the movie, but this book just doesn't work. Let's explore why!
Ultimately what works in a movie, especially a horror movie, isn't always what works in a book.
First, the book isn't trying to be funny. The device of the games and the tone of slapstick violence is gone. Perhaps the comedy elements would have made it better, that was certainly part of Ready Or Not's success. But actually I think it would have been fine without the comedy, slapstick works in a movie in a way it never can in a novel. It doesn't get that added boost, but this isn't a fatal flaw.
Second, we have no suspense here. And specifically I don't mean the who is going to die and how suspense. I mean, is anyone here good, is anyone here worthy, will anyone help our girl. There is no moral suspense. We know going in that these people suck, that our girl is not there because she thinks a single one of them is good but for her own ends. We already know everything we need to about who is good and who is bad.
Third, let's get back to that who is going to die and how suspense. We don't get this either, because unlike Ready or Not where it's really just our girl who is in peril most of the time, here our girl is never in direct peril. She is, we know, a bystander. She may be picked off, she may not, whether she is or not is not going to be about any big plot things but a secondary matter. The people who are the targets, we don't have any idea that they will get away or be okay. It's all a foregone conclusion from the moment the violence begins.
Fourth, to expand on that foregone conclusion, there is no opportunity for characters to change, grow, etc. Not even Saw has this approach, it always allows that possibility of redemption. This book isn't interested. And look, I'm actually not opposed to that! I think there is a lack of morality in billionaires that means you had your chance for redemption and didn't take it. But for a novel? For a story? It's very uninteresting. These characters haven't really done anything to me, I'm unsurprised by the continued revelations of the things they've done to other people. The vengeance is a thing that happens, not a thing that gives me any emotional response.
This might be an okay movie, though I would recommend it find something to jazz it up, whether it's an emotional arc or humor, so that it isn't just a torture fest. Because let's be clear: that is all this book is. Okay fine the first quarter is establishing, which actually I liked just fine (though it didn't make much sense, as soon as girl decides to take advantage of boy, everything between the girl and the boy was completely unrealistic, I do not believe for one second that this boy goes out with her for all this time without sex) and the creepiness of the estate and the island was also good. But then it's like what was the point of all that if it's just torture all the way down after this? Like what is the point of the creepiness? We already expect these characters to be terrible, so the reveals have no real punch. All the work to establish is just a waste.
Give me some suspense, some character, something interesting please. ...more
A fascinating look at the history of reality television, focusing on the shows and creators who changed the game. I couldn't stop listening to this, wA fascinating look at the history of reality television, focusing on the shows and creators who changed the game. I couldn't stop listening to this, was absolutely spellbound. The shows I didn't know I learned all about, and the shows I'd seen I found all kinds of new information about. A lot of the people who made reality tv what it is are just as sly and immoral as you'd expect, the ethical questions presented by reality television--from privacy to consent to labor--are continually examined through the decades.
We basically stop in the late 00's, and while I know the book is about the "invention" of reality tv I would have happily continued to see how it's changed and shifted in the decade or so since.
Audio is perfectly serviceable, but for me it's the perfect kind of book to do on audio, a nonfiction where you learn a lot, have fascinating stories, and won't get bored....more
A couple Jackson Brodie books ago, I wrote in my review, "Is it selfish of me to want Kate Atkinson to go in a different direction? I think I know a bA couple Jackson Brodie books ago, I wrote in my review, "Is it selfish of me to want Kate Atkinson to go in a different direction? I think I know a bit too well what to expect from the Jackson Brodie books." Did she read my mind? Because she's certainly done that with our 6th entry in the series.
This book is part Jackson Brodie novel (often plodding, contemplative), part golden age mystery, part Downton Abbey-style British estate comedy of manners, and ultimately part farce with characters bumbling in and out of rooms and is that actually a prop gun gags. I know it sounds like these things wouldn't necessarily go together. And it is a bit jarring when the novel opens on a little murder mystery weekend then cuts to our usual Jackson slowly considering one small crime in a larger, bleaker world and his own place in it as he ages. But somehow, I don't know, it works.
It works, in part, because this book is so funny. Even when we are just hanging out in Jackson's head, Kate Atkinson's got jokes. I was being one of those very annoying readers who keeps chuckling at her book, I recommend not reading this with other people in the room. Lady Milton in particular is hilarious, every time we cut to her chapters I was delighted. There are a few perspectives that are less funny. The vicar who's lost his faith and his ability to speak, the veteran who's lost his leg and his interest in life, but somehow Jackson himself is able to bring it all together, as we look at the world through his eyes with both humor and philosophical musings.
While this wraps up much more neatly than the usual Jackson Brodie novel, it does have the usual untied strings, the unexplained motives, the whole things that must have been happening behind the scenes that we'll never be quite sure of.
My only complaint, really, is that I struggle to believe that men still exist in the world who are as gentle, thoughtful, and good as the men in this book. But then again, Jackson Brodie novels do like to balance in some hope with their customary despair.
The book feels kind of like a lark, a response to a challenge. I would love to hear Atkinson explain how she ended up with this. This is not a complaint! It's just such a weird little book, so determined to mashup things that don't particularly belong toegether. ...more
Main theme as title is a bold move, but Alam goes for it and he sinks it so you can't be mad. It's a very focused story, much more like Alam's earlierMain theme as title is a bold move, but Alam goes for it and he sinks it so you can't be mad. It's a very focused story, much more like Alam's earlier two novels than his last one. A story of manners and class, privilege and (obviously) entitlement.
Alam gives us an unlikely protagonist, Brooke, a Black woman raised in Manhattan adopted by a single white mother. Brooke doesn't feel like she has enough. She doesn't have a huge salary. She doesn't have a trust fund like her best friend. And this all feels like a much bigger problem when she starts a new job at a nonprofit, a foundation dedicated entirely to giving away one billionaire's money. Money starts to mean something different to Brooke when suddenly she has the power to give millions of dollars to help save oysters. If oysters can have all this money, why can't she?
What Alam is so good at here is showing you how Brooke feels while also quietly making it clear how wrong Brooke is. She is completely incapable of seeing her own privilege. She is also more than willing to use her status as a young, attractive woman to hold the attention of the elderly billionaire if it's going to help her get what she wants. It is, ultimately, Brooke's race that helps her gain the occasional insight, that reminds her of what it's like to live without privilege.
This book had me constantly cringing, saying "Oh no oh no" with every decision Brooke makes. Goes out on a real quick turnaround ending that I quite enjoyed. I don't often think about novels that are so specific, so much about "issues", but Alam does this so smoothly and brilliantly that I wish we could have a lot more of them....more
This book is very good and I did not enjoy it at all. May sound like a contradiction, but this is a book that wants to get you real deep into the worsThis book is very good and I did not enjoy it at all. May sound like a contradiction, but this is a book that wants to get you real deep into the worst of what we have to offer in the world of being extremely online, being a troll irl, being a truly terrible person who knows therapy words. The stories are so good, so precise, it's like watching a surgery video. Gut wrenching and precise.
It's not going to work for a lot of people because it really wants you to be uncomfortable. It is not going to present a single likable character for you to latch on to. But I did like how the connections of the stories gave you a few different angles on things. Not beating you over the head with it, just the slightest little nod. ...more
It's very exciting to get a book that is a totally different flavor of weird from Samantha Allen in her second novel. Can she do anything? Maybe!
As aIt's very exciting to get a book that is a totally different flavor of weird from Samantha Allen in her second novel. Can she do anything? Maybe!
As a fellow queer ex-Mormon this book was extremely relatable except for the ghosts lol. But the weirdness is where this book excels, remaking the ghost who needs to make peace with himself trope into something very different with a lot more... electronics.
I know that sometimes we are over coming out narratives, but there are still a lot of reasons people don't come out! Especially public figures and people who feel like it's too late or they're too old. Allen is ready to grapple with this through fictional movie star Roland Rogers, who before his unexpected death hadn't just given up on coming out but fully being himself. It's a perfect team up with Adam, the frustrated ghostwriter who's entirely defined by his coming out memoir that he wrote so long ago that he's not sure what else he has to say.
I think the weirdness and the sex (yes there is sex!) are the real highlights here, keeping the story from getting too bogged down by the big emotional beats. But my biggest note is honestly that I think we could be weirder!
Always excited to see what Allen will do next.
(Note: Allen and I are online mutuals, sorry there are only so many of us queer ex-Mormons out there!) ...more
This novel doesn't feel like any other novel, a very high compliment. It is strange to read a book that documents something so clearly and perfectly aThis novel doesn't feel like any other novel, a very high compliment. It is strange to read a book that documents something so clearly and perfectly and realize that you cannot remember finding it in any other book or film. The something it documents is, broadly, how it feels to be in a hospital in America in the 21st century. But, of course, within that are so many other things. The fragility and strangeness of the body, the loss of autonomy and all the fear and anxiety that go with it, the ways your mind and your body can seem two entirely unconnected things, and the strangely specific world of a hospital in the summer of 2021.
A hospital is a place without privacy, without intimacy, and often there can be a near complete loss of the sense of self between physical suffering, medication, etc. Greenwell's novel, like his previous ones, follows an unnamed writer who is quite similar to Greenwell himself, though this time we are firmly in America, the writer lives in Iowa City with his longtime partner L, teaching and writing. His medical crisis is sudden and inexplicable, leaving him suddenly alone in the ICU waiting for a resolution, thrown into a limbo state of not being able to eat or walk or sleep or even think all that clearly some of the time. In the novel, we sometimes follow every little detail of his interactions with a doctor or nurse, we sometimes follow his thoughts as they move through time. It is not a novel with chapter breaks or any breaks, really (an artistic choice I respect given the way everything bleeds together but which makes this a very hard book to read before bed!) without a real plot.
In the past, I have been surprised at how much I enjoy Greenwell's writing. Books with little plot and more of an emphasis on prose are often not my style. In his previous two novels what really won me over was the queer life and sex. In this book there is very little sex (maybe a normal amount for a normal novel, but his novels have never been normal when it comes to sex in the best way) but I still found myself captivated. Perhaps because sex is just the body and so much of this book is about the body.
Greenwell writes very realistic fiction, and here he depicts so specifically a time and place, the fears and joys of it, that it often feels less like a novel and more like you are actually present as it all unfolds. It's a truly impressive and important work, feels like something I would put in a time capsule as a way to communicate what it feels like to be alive right now....more
I did not think I was going to like this book when I saw reviews declaring it "heartwarming." Heartwarming is not my thing. But then I read it in 24 hI did not think I was going to like this book when I saw reviews declaring it "heartwarming." Heartwarming is not my thing. But then I read it in 24 hours. I am not saying it's not heartwarming, but I think what made me enjoy it so much was how willing it was to give time and space to depression, grief, and all the other dark feelings its characters struggle with. It moves from darkness to light as a broader trajectory, but it isn't in any hurry to push aside the dark stuff. It lets us struggle, and that is something I do really enjoy.
It's important to note that this is a novel where suicidal ideation is a major plot element, it's depicted in great detail on the page. This, also, had me nervous that this book was not for me. I don't like this kind of thing as gimmick, and that is, essentially what the book is doing. But that's also when it started to surprise me. It lets the reader start to really understand Phoebe's sadness, and then Lila barges in and takes over. Just the barging in and taking over would have had me annoyed, but Lila also spills her guts in the way that sometimes you can only share your biggest worries with a total stranger. I am, truly, a sucker for people spilling their guts.
Turns out this is a very talky book. Over and over, Phoebe manages to find people in this wedding party who share their secrets and worries and troubles with her. And for me that was more than enough to overcome the gimmick. I like seeing people share and talk and grow and change. Even if the whole thing feels a little forced and artificial, I did not mind it. It's a balancing act. But bringing in a reader like me who prefers things dark and twisty while also appealing to readers who want a fluffy romantic beach read is a balancing act, and I think this book manages to pull it off and have pretty wide appeal.
Espach's prose is quite nice, the character development quite deep, and all sorts of things that could be surface level details (and probably will be in the movie version) we get to dive into more deeply. I really appreciated that. Got to have just a real lovely experience with this book and that is its own pleasure....more
3.5 stars. I was bowled over by Ravatn's novel The Seven Doors, a kind of modern Greek tragedy. The Guests has some things in common, though it's smal3.5 stars. I was bowled over by Ravatn's novel The Seven Doors, a kind of modern Greek tragedy. The Guests has some things in common, though it's smaller, slower, and subtler. I think it may have worked better as a novella or even a short story with a more limited focus, but this is mostly because I think readers will approach this expecting it to be a crime novel when it is only sort of suspenseful.
The comparisons to Highsmith are still pretty good. This is a book where almost the entire plot hinges around two people who casually embark on a frivolous lie, unprepared for the consequences of it and the rest of the book is almost entirely watching conversations play out. But the stakes never reach Highsmith levels, it's always a low stakes situation even at its most intense. And there's nothing wrong with that! But I think the reader tends to expect something bigger to come in, which is not entirely something Ravatn is encouraging, but when you say a novel is one of "dark psychological suspense" you're certainly giving the reader that impression. I just think it's more enjoyable if you know that this isn't like The Seven Doors or that last domestic thriller you read.
All that said, I liked what Ravatn is doing though the pacing never fully worked for me. The beginning drags, and I don't think we get enough of an investment in Karin for the payoff to really work. But I love the central idea, that casually pretending to be someone you're not can cause you to reevaluate the person you really are. And I really enjoyed the way we follow Karin's thoughts, the way she can be so callous and harsh towards a woman she admires and desperately wants to be friends with simply because of the mask she's put on. It is a really interesting concept, I'm just not sure the structure and pacing of this novel are exactly right for it....more
I have read a lot of Karin Slaughter novels. More than a dozen, I'm sure. But a few years ago I quit the Will Trent series. I skipped the last two novI have read a lot of Karin Slaughter novels. More than a dozen, I'm sure. But a few years ago I quit the Will Trent series. I skipped the last two novels. But I picked this one up because it had a kind of Agatha Christie vibe, not Slaughter's usual approach, and I was curious. Of course this is Karin Slaughter so it is not just a simple whodunnit. As one character notes, this story is Agatha Christie by way of V.C. Andrews.
You know by now that there are always like 50 content warnings for her novels. I thought maybe this one would be different when halfway through we only had a handful, but don't worry there were plenty by the end!
But this is a different one for her and it was enjoyable enough that I didn't regret coming back to the series. Even though I have to wonder how old Sara Linton is now. (We have 20+ years of Sara Linton novels, of course, but I swear this woman has been through more than 20 years of actual plot and yet she still seems to be a hot woman in her mid 30s?) Slaughter is stuck in that dance many crime novel writers are these days where they are committed to writing about cops (surely the new Will Trent tv show only locked Slaughter in even more to this series) but they are struggling with the fact that so many cops are not good but they have to make their cop still good somehow, no one does it very well, Slaughter included.
The mystery here is big enough with so much going on that we don't get overly bogged down in personal life. This is what makes so many of her series novels tedious for me, but while there is a personal connection to this crime for Will, and plenty of thematic overlap with his own history, there is an awful lot to do plot-wise so we don't really get all muddled down in it. Plus none of it ever leaks out into his relationships with Sara, Faith, or Amanda. A relief. Mostly this is standard thriller territory and we get to just let things play out.
It is definitely V.C. Andrews territory, the wrap up is A Lot with so much potential exposition that we have to do much of it through flashback, and Will and Sara end up doing an awful lot of explaining what must have happened to other rightfully confused characters. But it's fine. It's not bad. If you want a quick beach read full of trauma, this will fit the bill.
I remain so curious about why Slaughter writes such aggressively heterosexual novels. ...more
I have a long history of forgetting how good Elizabeth Strout is until I am back in one of her novels and remember that she has this magic that you doI have a long history of forgetting how good Elizabeth Strout is until I am back in one of her novels and remember that she has this magic that you don't even realize until you've been reading one of her books for three hours straight. This novel is basically Strout's version of The Avengers, bringing together almost all of her characters into one spot and happily it's quite satisfying.
The truth is I didn't like her last novel, Lucy By the Sea, so I was nervous about this one. I read the three Lucy Barton books in a row and always struggled a little with how differently I see the world than how Lucy does, but in the third one I did not get sucked in at all. I was over Lucy. So I admit I came to the first chapter highly skeptical. And when the first chapter started with Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton meeting and becoming friends I felt kind of manipulated. But luckily this was really what I needed. I need a spoonful of Olive to help the Lucy go down. Because Olive likes Lucy a lot, just like I do, but Olive also regularly thinks "Oh brother," when Lucy says something particularly dreamy and optimistic. Knowing that someone else out there wants to tell Lucy to shut up sometimes let me relax and enjoy myself.
And I did enjoy myself! If you are thinking Oh no how will I deal with this book I didn't read The Burgess Boys, don't worry. Strout is great at giving you little reminders of things she shared in previous books when you need them. She will remind you of what Bob Burgess's deal is. (I read that book more than ten years ago! I remember nothing except Bob's name!) I love all these little asides, it feels like she is taking care of you as a reader, she is not going to make you review the entire Elizabeth Strout Literary Universe to enjoy this novel, she will give you everything you need.
This book is about confidants, about friendship, and how it can be a blessing and a curse. In particular it is about the friendship between Lucy Barton and Bob Burgess (which began in Lucy By the Sea) and where every single other person is like "hmm I think there's something going on between those two" and Elizabeth Strout is like You're not wrong! But what is it and what does it mean and what are we going to do about it.
Bob is a nice center here, he goes through a family crisis and gets a new client in a criminal case, and both of these shift how he feels about his life, his marriage, and his relationship with Lucy. Most of all he grapples with what this friendship means, what should be done about it, how he feels.
Strout doesn't romanticize, none of her characters do. She's deeply aware of how trauma continues to play out in people's lives for decades, whether they are aware of it or not. It's such an interesting and unusual thing to see from a writer of the Baby Boomer generation, and this is part of what makes her books so interesting. Some of her characters acknowledge this trauma--like Lucy or Bob--but many don't--Olive is the primary example, she gives simply a shrug of the shoulders when discussing a family member's suicide. Even those who acknowledge it do not always fully understand it, they often don't understand their own emotions or reactions, and this I think is part of what is so poignant about her work, seeing people struggle with their inner selves.
I read this in less than 24 hours, I think it's one of her best....more
2.5 stars. Moreno-Garcia is not exactly a hit or miss author for me, she's all across the spectrum. For me, this one is okay. There's a lot going on, 2.5 stars. Moreno-Garcia is not exactly a hit or miss author for me, she's all across the spectrum. For me, this one is okay. There's a lot going on, it mixes a kind of oral history style with three longer traditional third-person narratives, one of which is actually Salome herself. I'm not sure that Salome's story adds much here, but we need something else because the story of Vera and Nancy on its own is rather thin. Would be nice to just get a B plot or something. ...more
I have read a lot of novels that attempt to be their own version of IT, stories of adults brought back to their childhood to once again defeat an unspI have read a lot of novels that attempt to be their own version of IT, stories of adults brought back to their childhood to once again defeat an unspeakable evil. Most of them have felt like ripoffs, pale imitations. This is the first one I've found that actually has some magic to it. It's also one of the better Horror/Fantasy combinations I can recall. (Only Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House series comes to mind, they're similar in theme but pretty different in tone.)
I do not always take a lot of pleasure from the worldbuilding of Fantasy, the explanations of elaborate magical systems. And yet this book never bothered me, even though it has its own complex system of magic. It always feels organic, especially as we see how the different characters relate to it. This is, perhaps, the best thing about this book. Our primary protagonists--Hal, Erin, and Athena--all have profoundly different relationships to and experiences with the power known as The Dissonance. The shifting perspectives always serve a bigger purpose, not only to move the plot forward but to give us really different thoughts and experiences from the different characters. Multi POV can be done very badly but here it functions just as it should.
There are some weaknesses here that are not really weaknesses, but part of the intention of the whole package. Especially the central friend group who don't really make any sense together as a friend group, this is one of the required conceits of what the book wants to do so you just have to go with it. The romantic plots could be annoying but thankfully stay in the background until they become important for the plot or an emotional payoff. You do need to suspend a lot of disbelief here, especially imagining what would have happened right after 1999 and the destruction of an entire school and everyone in it, which the book never bothers to envision and once we have the full backstory it makes the future timelines feel like they're missing some pieces between the teen characters and the adults, but again, this is pretty typical of this type of story!
There are a lot of things I really enjoyed, that I thought this book did quite well. Even if I started with a lot of skepticism, I was very won over. I liked the movement through time, the flashes back to the past that fleshed out the backstory but are really the central story. Hamill lets us sit in them for long stretches. (The only time this book felt like it was too long or dragging was the desert stuff, I could never figure out why it had to go on for so long.) The book is great at holding on to a crucial piece of information until just the right time. And it's really good at not just making you wait, but having the reveal feel satisfying. They are not smack you over the head WTF reveals, sometimes you're not even sure exactly what is happening and why, but emotionally they hit the necessary beats. And one of this book's other strengths is it doesn't need to explain everything! I like the unexplained stuff, the missing perspectives, it leaves us feeling like everything isn't all wrapped up with a bow.
I liked Hamill's debut fine but noted that it suffered in its depiction of female characters. He's much better here, Athena and Erin are well drawn and interesting. I had just a slight quibble with the way Hamill writes about Athena's worries about her weight--it felt tacked on and not as fully realized--but these are quibbles and the gist of it all worked.
Mostly I just found this book really fun to read. I never found myself profoundly disappointed or annoyed, which is pretty impressive in a book this long. I was excited to come back to it and see what would happen. It made me wish that other people could execute this little subgenre competently instead of most books like this just not working for me at all because when they work they are fun! Hamill is one to watch, for sure, a lot of imagination, strong character development, real emotional investment, a solid work....more
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