I have enjoyed making new GR friends this year with whom to share great books and reading lists. And I have had many, many great reads this year! TheseI have enjoyed making new GR friends this year with whom to share great books and reading lists. And I have had many, many great reads this year! These are the highlights.
In the third installment of the Claire Dewitt series Claire is out to solve her biggest mystery--who is she?
The Infinite Blacktop picks up at the exacIn the third installment of the Claire Dewitt series Claire is out to solve her biggest mystery--who is she?
The Infinite Blacktop picks up at the exact moment where Claire Dewitt and The Bohemian Highway leaves off. Three cases intertwine : the still unsolved mystery of the disappearance of Claire's childhood friend in 1986, a cold case Claire works on in 1999, and her current case of who is trying to kill her in the present (2011). Thematically these cases all inter-relate: the fleeting nature of happiness; that everyone wants to be seen, to matter, to be loved; and the question of one's ability to escape her past to begin again.
Gran does noir oh so well and she pulls it off brilliantly once again. Claire continues as a pill popping, ass-kicking anti-heroine who is out to solve life as much as she is solving murders.
"When your heart is broken . . . you can cling to your old, ugly, broken heart, and let it make you ugly. Or you can let that broken heart fall away and die, and let something new and beautiful be born. Your heart will break again, and nothing will change that. The only variable is if you're going to enjoy life, at least a little, between the broken hearts."
Good advice, if you can bring yourself to take it. How many of us have a wall around our hearts and refuse to to let others in and to grasp happiness when and where we can?
"But underneath it all she now saw, there had always been an undercurrent of fear. Fear of failure, fear of exposure--and worse, fear of her own darker self rising up and taking over. Now she saw how much that fear had stained her consciousness, cut into her potential for joy."
How hard it is to let go of these fears. We all have them, though they're different for each of us. And I think for many of us our deepest fear is is of knowing our true selves. Can I see and accept myself for who I am, the light and the dark? If I can't know/accept/love myself, how can I expect anyone else to care about me?
"Who are you when no one's looking? Who are you without the context you've built around yourself? Can those contexts--those connections--serve as a kind of armor to protect from the truth? And if that's the case, what might that truth be?"
This book reminds me that much of life's journey is self discovery. It's a journey I have been much more conscious of in the past decade, and I continue to ponder as I grow and change.
I'm looking forward to book #4 whenever it's published.
And remember --" Claire Dewit always wins." ...more
There are so many things to love about this novella.
One is Larson's vivid writing.
“Chicago. August. A brilliant day, hot, with a brutal staring sun poThere are so many things to love about this novella.
One is Larson's vivid writing.
“Chicago. August. A brilliant day, hot, with a brutal staring sun pouring down rays that were like molten rain. A day on which the very outlines of the buildings shuddered as if in protest at the heat. Quivering lines sprang up from baked pavements and wriggled along the shining car-tracks. The automobiles parked at the kerbs were a dancing blaze, and the glass of the shop-windows threw out a blinding radiance. Sharp particles of dust rose from the burning sidewalks, stinging the seared or dripping skins of wilting pedestrians. What small breeze there was seemed like the breath of a flame fanned by slow bellows.
Published in 1929 when there was a massive migration of southern rural African Americans to the northern cities, Passing asks some interesting questions about race. Is race inherent or genetic? Is race really binary, white or black? or is it more fluid? At what point does passing make you an outsider to the community? How is race constructed and performed? How does skin color factor into race?
Passing is a character driven story. Larson's protagonists are childhood neighbors who reconnect as adults through a chance meeting. Irene is a light-skinned middle class black woman, wife of a black doctor, and a volunteer with the Negro Welfare League. Claire is a light-skinned bi-racial woman passing as white, wife of a wealthy white racist. The story told in the third person from Irene's point of view depicts the evolution of their relationship-- one full of love, longing, and jealousy.
Larson's writing propelled me quickly through her story and totally surprised me with the ending.
Thank you to my GR friend James for nudging me to read this one before watching the Netflix movie....more
O'Callaghan's prose is so lush and beautiful that I don't ever want to leave its realm. This collection of 12 short stories tells tales of love and losO'Callaghan's prose is so lush and beautiful that I don't ever want to leave its realm. This collection of 12 short stories tells tales of love and loss and the resiliency of the human spirit. O'Callaghan is a keen observer of people and also of the natural world. Each story touched me in some way; for me this emotional connection is the hallmark of a good story. I am thrilled to have read yet another dazzling collection as I embrace short stories this year....more
This is a wonderful introduction to the writing of Wendell Berry, whom I had not yet read. This short story has beautiful writing and themes of familyThis is a wonderful introduction to the writing of Wendell Berry, whom I had not yet read. This short story has beautiful writing and themes of family and grief. This is one of those quiet, nuanced reads that touched my heart....more
Like The Lions of Fifth Avenue this book is a quick, easy read with not much depth and a fairly predictable story. What drew me in is Davis' obvious lLike The Lions of Fifth Avenue this book is a quick, easy read with not much depth and a fairly predictable story. What drew me in is Davis' obvious love for New York City's Grand Central Terminal, a beautiful building which I love. The book would have been enhanced with some photos.
Is it possible to laugh while your heart is breaking? Well, Jason Mott provoked this reaction in me while reading his latest novel, Hell of a Book.
In Is it possible to laugh while your heart is breaking? Well, Jason Mott provoked this reaction in me while reading his latest novel, Hell of a Book.
In an interview with BookPage Mott says, "A massive amount of its creation was simply the act of me trying to figure out my thoughts on life as a Black American.
Identity and hiding are the two most prominent themes in this story. The author, Soot, and The Kid are struggling to figure out who they are in the context of the U.S. south. Two of these characters want to be left alone, and the other wants to be seen (and accepted) as he is. They use stories as a way of coping with their realities. With a deft sprinkle of magical realism and a mix of satire and the news headlines, Mott pulls me into his story, and I stay engaged through the absurdities and the tragedies.
While I feel the last section of this book is a bit repetitive in its message, this reiteration does not dim the potency of this work. I know this story will stay with me and it reminds me to continue to examine my own biases in my thoughts and interactions with all people, including those of different races.
Thank you to the lovely Bonnie G for putting this book on my radar well before it won the National Book Award....more
Once again I get to spend time with Strout's indomitable heroine Lucy Barton.
In Oh William! Strout explores the relationship betwe4.5 Stars rounded up
Once again I get to spend time with Strout's indomitable heroine Lucy Barton.
In Oh William! Strout explores the relationship between Lucy and William, two people whose lives are intimately entwined as former spouses and the parents of two grown children. Though divorced, these two people know each other in ways that no one else will ever know them; and this connection binds them together as they remain in contact throughout the years. Yet there are limits to this knowledge. I am fortunate to have been married to a wonderful man for 36 years, and I believe I know him completely. And still every now and then I will be surprised by something he says, whether it be describing an incident I am unaware of in his life or expressing an opinion I don't know that he holds. These unknowings are inevitable as no human being is static; we continue to evolve and grow throughout our lifetimes. I don't think we can ever fully know another.
In this work Strout continues to explore the issue of class. Lucy crosses class lines when she marries William as William's mother Catherine crossed class lines to marry her first husband. What impact does this have on them and their relationships? Do we ever really escape our past? I don't think so; like Strout I believe we carry it with us wherever we go.
The novel also raises the question what is home? Is it the house or apartment you live in? Your significant other? Your neighborhood? Your community? The place where you grew up? I think the answer may be different for each of us. For me home is where my partner is. Our working together to make the space we live in fit our lives is important. The community we have built over the years, friends and family, sustains us. And my center is with him.
The question of choice, whether we actually make choices in our lives weaves throughout the novel.
"William . . . said . . . 'Chose, Lucy? How many times does a person really choose something? Tell me. Did you really choose to leave the family? No, I watched you, and you--you went; it was like you had to. And did I choose to have those affairs? Oh, I know, I know, accountability--I went to a therapist, just in case you think I didn't, I kept seeing that woman that Joanne and I went to, I went on my own for a while and she talked to me about accountability. But I have thought about this, Lucy, I have thought about this a lot, and I would like to know--I really would like to--when does a person actually choose anything?' "
Here I disagree with Strout; I think life is a series of choices. We may be listening to our inner voices as we navigate our lives and they may inform our choices; they are still choices. And not deciding is also a choice. Strout tells me that when in doubt, I should watch myself to see what I am already doing and follow in that direction. And again, I think we make a decision to continue in this direction or not.
On another note, I enjoyed the appearance of Pam Carlson and Charlie Trask from The Burgess Boys.
Lucy's voice, analyzing the people she loves and telling asides and anecdotes, kept me engaged and turning pages. I love these complicated, nuanced characters; and Strout's simple, sparse and evocative prose allows me to know them and understand them.
This is another amazing, worthwhile work by one of my favorite authors....more
Edwin O"Connor's novel The Edge of Sadness is nominally the story of a Catholic priest and his relationship with the Carmody family. What mad4.5 Stars
Edwin O"Connor's novel The Edge of Sadness is nominally the story of a Catholic priest and his relationship with the Carmody family. What made it the Pulitzer Prize winner for 1962 is that it's also the story about the search for purpose, the temptation to slide into isolation, and the yearning to be truly seen.
The following passage can apply to everyone of us, any failure to nourish a long-term relationship.
"The telltale thread wound its way through all: the slow neglect of the nourishment of the spirit, the failure to realize that unless this is daily deepened and enriched, then, when the fervor and the drive of the young priest fade--as they must--there will be no replacement by a living, ever-growing love, and then, when the aging priest going through the years meets the inevitable disappointments, crises, or sometimes just the sudden burden of his loneliness, he may meet them with an emptiness where fullness should be, and the result of that will not be a happy one. Because if a priest has not this continuing current of love, he has nothing. He can turn to no one; his marriage is to God, and if he fails in that, his strength is gone, his very purpose is gone."
And if you do wake up and realize that you need to make a change in your life:
" 'So what does a man do? Does he change? How? That ain't so easy, Father. People get used to you the way you are. How do you change without makin' a clown of yourself? And without givin' up everythin' you worked hard to get? And what do you change to?' "
I completely understand what Charlie is saying here. Once you are in a pattern of behavior it's hard to change it. Our youngest and I had a bumpy time through her adolescence. Once I recognized my part of the pattern (with much input from my beloved), I had to make consistent and persistent changes in my reactions to our daughter. Then she had to trust that these changes were permanent. It was easy to be discouraged while waiting for the whole pattern to change.
" . . . never once saw them for what they were--and that being so, did all the rest matter at all . . .?"
And seeing, and accepting her, for who she truly was, not my idea of who she was, was an element to this change. Don't we all long to be seen and deeply known by those closest to us? I am blessed that my life partner knows me in this way and holds me in love despite my darker side.
These are just a few examples of O'Connor's writing that crept into my soul. This is a quiet, insightful novel. And though melancholy underlies much of the novel, there is humor, especially from the characters Father Danowski and Ray the custodian.
Don't let the book blurb telling you this is a story of a Roman Catholic priest scare you away from this beautifully written look into the human heart.
Thank you to my GR friend Jenn for recommending this book to me.
I was sadly disappointed with this book. Louise Penny, did you stretch yourself too thin getting two books out in the same season? Did you rush to pubI was sadly disappointed with this book. Louise Penny, did you stretch yourself too thin getting two books out in the same season? Did you rush to publication without sufficient time for revision?
My husband and I did this as a read aloud on this past week's road trip, so you get both of our perspectives on this novel. We tend to read different genres, so we picked this book as one we could both agree on. And we had almost identical takes on this novel. The only disagreement we had is that the constantly shifting perspectives, every couple of pages, drove him crazy, and I was okay with that.
The prose in this book left a lot to be desired.
"And it was--Fun. Heady. Exciting. Sneaking around in a city filled with deception, duplicity. Those steamy, sultry days and nights in Islamabad. Everyone so young, so vital, so firm, so certain. Life teaming all around them while Death waited in the marketplace."
When used sparingly this technique can be very effective. When used with great frequency it becomes irritating. Annoying. Aggravating. Irksome. Vexatious. Evidence of lazy writing. Louise Penny, you are better than this.
There was little to no character development. Ellen Adams, our protagonist, was sketched almost as a superhero--brilliant, with great powers of discernment, and always right. No nuance here. The other characters were only very lightly sketched out.
The plot itself was weak, and the coincidences kept piling up.
We kept plodding on because we had no other book that we both wanted to read.
This book also really suffered by comparison as I read Billy O'Callaghan's The Boatman and Other Stories and Elizabeth Strout's Oh William! this week, both added to my list of favorites.
For me, the saving grace was the cameo appearance of Three Pines. There was none for my husband. 1 Star from him, he would put this one as DNF. 1.5 Stars rounded up for me, because of my love for Louise Penny. ...more
John Williams' Stoner is a quiet, beautiful novel. The prose is austere, precise, and polished. This style accents the story of a regular person liviJohn Williams' Stoner is a quiet, beautiful novel. The prose is austere, precise, and polished. This style accents the story of a regular person living a life of joys, disappointments, compromises, and endurance. I am engaged in Stoner's life and see how our passions (for our work, for literature, for our loved ones) carry us through and the effects these small efforts have on others.
As I railed against a few of Stoner's choices concerning his daughter Grace, I held in mind the time period of the book-- William Stoner was born in 1891--and the date of publication--1965.
There is great satisfaction in watching the evolution of Stoner through his life. I can relate to many of these situations. I have reached out looking for friendship and love. I have been damaged by and have damaged others (despite the best of intentions). We have to live with our mistakes and move on through our lives.
The following passage showcases Williams' writing and speaks to me of the core of the novel.
"Beneath the numbness, the indifference, the removal, it was there, intense and steady; it had always been there. In his youth he had given it freely, without thought; he had given it to the knowledge that had been revealed to him--how many years ago?--by Archer Sloane; he had given it to Edith, in those first blind days of his courtship and marriage; and he had given it to Katherine, as if it had never been given before. He had, in odd ways, given it to every moment of his life, and had perhaps given it most fully when he was unaware of his giving. It was a passion neither of the mind nor of the flesh; rather, it was a force that comprehended them both, as if they were but the matter of love, it's specific substance. To a woman or to a poem, it said simply: Look! I am alive."
Stoner lives his life with passion and integrity; and through this character, Williams tells me that all lives are great works of art....more
How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps the House is a tale stifling in its unrelenting misery and trauma. Somehow, despite this characteristic I was3.5 Stars
How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps the House is a tale stifling in its unrelenting misery and trauma. Somehow, despite this characteristic I was compelled to keep reading once I got swept up into the story.
Set on a fictional strip of Caribbean shore called Baxter's Beach in the town of Paradise, I see that life is anything but for the locals. Jones narrates the threads of her tale through the varying perspectives of her main characters. Through these stories, we see a web being weaved consisting of multi-generational violence and trauma that is inherited and perpetuated towards the women on the island.
"Of course she did not leave him. What woman leaves a man for something she is likely to suffer at the hands of any other?"
Lala, a young woman trapped in a violent marriage – as her mother and grandmother had been before her, is the center that the tale revolves around. The grace in this story comes from Lila's personal growth. She begins to understand that “you do not learn to love a man, because for the right man there is no need for the learning, the love is the most natural thing in the world. You understand that if you must learn to love a man, he is probably not the man you should be loving.”
The multiple narratives enable me to learn the backstories of the main characters, to try to understand some of the relationships and some of their motivations. The character of Mira is the least developed, and I feel that more about her relationship with Peter might provide some balance to the grimness of the book.
Jones's prose constructs a haunting atmosphere. Her description of the island is visceral; I can feel the sand, hear the water, and smell the sea grape. Her prose is clear and crisp, able to render the scenes of violence without being gratuitous or melodramatic. She creates a sad and moving portrait of learned behavior, class, race, and what it means to love when all you have known is violence.
This novel is not for everyone. It includes murder, rape, sexual assault at gunpoint, incest/child abuse, domestic violence, and the death of a baby. This work is Jones' debut novel, and I will look for future work from her....more
Historically, when things haven't gone well for a segment of a population, they've moved elsewhere. Now that the human population 4.5 Stars rounded up
Historically, when things haven't gone well for a segment of a population, they've moved elsewhere. Now that the human population is so large, there's seemingly nowhere for migrants to go. Omar El Akkad's story What a Strange Paradise tells the tale of a boatload of Middle Easterners trying to leave their war torn and/or poverty stricken lives to make new lives in the Western world.
The book structure alternates chapters from "Before," the story of now 9 year-old Amir's flight with his family from Syria to Egypt and his accidental boarding a migrant boat headed across the Mediterranean Sea and "After," which follows Amir and 15 year-old Vänna as they hide from the soldiers on the Greek island where Amir has washed ashore.
The epigraphs are important keys to the book. El Akkad gives several nods to Peter Pan, two being Colonel Kethros aligning with Captain Hook and the island scaled beast aligning with Barrie's crocodile. Being familiar with Ambrose Bierce's short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/...) will help you understand the novel's ending. And Vänna's last name Hermes is also significant.
El Akkad has a lot of the characters engage in a type of magical thinking.The migrants imagine the West as open, even welcoming to them. Colonel Kethros re-imagines the migrants as colonizers. And I, as a reader, root for the children to outwit the soldiers looking for them.
Without dwelling on it, El Akkad shows the migrant camp as a mechanism of displacement and dehumaniztion. “The refugees peer from their small, tattered tents to watch because this is what they have become: watchers, honed by captivity into seasoned observers of incremental change.”
This novel also points to the economics and racism of the migration. The lighter skinned passengers seem to have more money and reap the benefit by being above deck and some, for an extra fee, have life jackets. The darker skinned passengers are locked below decks where they are more likely to perish if there is an accident. The human smugglers wipe their consciences clear by saying, "It's just business."
The plot and writing are focused and clear. One of the smugglers tells a group of migrants “The west you talk about doesn’t exist. It’s a fairytale, a fantasy you sell yourself because the alternative is to admit that you are the least important character in your own story. You invent an entire world because your conscience demands it, you invent good people and bad people and you draw a neat line between them because your simplistic morality demands it. But the two kinds of people in this world are not good and bad, they are engines and fuel. Go ahead, change your country, change your name, change your accent, pull the skin right off your bones, but in their eyes they will always be the engines and you will always, always be fuel.”
As climate change and war force more people from their homes, where will they go? What is our moral obligation to absorb these populations? What Strange Paradise puts a human face on the issue of migration and reminds us that it is a global issue. It is also a memorable story which may stir some of us to action....more
Written concurrently with My Name is Lucy Barton, Anything is Possible tells the stories of some of theThis work pierced my heart and left me changed.
Written concurrently with My Name is Lucy Barton, Anything is Possible tells the stories of some of the townspeople of Amgash that we meet in the first novel. Strout probes the differences in public persona versus private thoughts and feelings. She also explores how we are shaped by our past and/or are ensnared in the present, and how we are sometimes unable to express what we feel (a circumstance that arises frequently in my family of origin).
With social media presenting perfection in daily life, I think it's important to recognize that we all experience loss, disillusionment and unhappiness. And amidst the dark there is always at least a sliver of light. Strout's interconnected short stories are heartbreaking and sad; and there are grace notes throughout. One such scene:
"But you know, a funny thing happened there just the other day. This old lady named Anna-Marie, she's been in a wheelchair since I started there three years ago, and she has never said a word in all those years, people say, Oh, Anna-Marie can't talk anymore, and she just wheels around in her chair banging into people. And the other day I was standing at the nurses' station and all of a sudden I feel my hand being held. And I look down and there's Anna-Marie in her wheelchair, and she says to me with a big smile, 'Hi, Vicky.' "
And the writing, oh the writing . . . . I am in awe! With few words Strout can convey a complete character and his understanding of life. She displays compassion for all of her characters and reminds me that "remorse, well, to be able to show remorse — to be able to be sorry about what we've done that's hurt other people — that keeps us human."
And just when I thought she had conveyed all I needed to learn from this work, she added a perfect concluding paragraph.
Once again Penny brings her beloved cast of characters in Three Pines to struggle with moral conflict.
The plot's reflection of cu3.5 Stars, rounded up
Once again Penny brings her beloved cast of characters in Three Pines to struggle with moral conflict.
The plot's reflection of current events propels the story. Penny focuses on rights and choices, government v. individual.
“The goal of any healthy society was to keep people safe to express sometimes unpopular views.”
"I was there, at your rally. You whipped them into a frenzy with your patented mix of facts and fear. Like some snake oil salesman at a fairground, trying to get gullible people to buy your poison. First you scare them, then you offer them your false hope. It's disgusting. But it works.And now the politicians, familiar with the power of fear, have bought your potion wholesale."
"I think some people would do just about anything, say just about anything, to attain, then hold on to power."
"Professor Robinson was revealing, not creating, the anger. The fear. And yes, perhaps even the cowardice they kept hidden away. She was like some genetic mutation awaking illnesses that would have normally lain dormant. She was the catalyst. But the potential, the sickness, was already there."
In this story the pandemic is mostly over. The people of Three Pines are coming together to reconnect, and like usual, something interrupts a celebration.
Penny does a good job delving into the social issues. My husband and I had several long conversations while driving in the car this week. There's a lot to unpack and to think about with this novel.
The mystery itself, though always secondary in her stories, is the weakest part of the novel. Penny takes too much time leading us to Professor Robinson's theory and position. The exploration of the possible suspects drags; there is too much exposition. I correctly guessed the murderer well before the Chief Inspector, which is a very unusual occurrence.
Like all of the novels in this series, Penny's book shines when showcasing the family ties, the friendships and the community spirit of the residents of Three Pines. Even when they disagree, they own their pasts, discuss their issues, and move forward.
Though much of this novel is thematically heavy, there are moments of lightness. One of my favorite lines: “As a diversion, few things were as effective as chocolate cake.”
This novel was a quick and enjoyable read for me. ...more
Claire Keegan's most recent work, the novella Small Things Like These is a deceptively simple story. While on the surface a story about young girls beClaire Keegan's most recent work, the novella Small Things Like These is a deceptively simple story. While on the surface a story about young girls being treated as slaves in a Magdalene laundry, the actual story is that of Bill Furlong and his journey to living his conscience and following his heart.
Early in the story Bill realizes he is moving mechanically through his constantly busy days.
"What would life be like, he wondered, if they were given time to reflect and think over things? Might their lives be different or much the same--or would they just lose the run of themselves?"
I have periods in my life where there is so much going on, that I have to be really intentional to make time for reflection. Without this reflection and quiet to allow listening to the heart's whispers, how do I know which direction to take in life and how do I notice the opportunities around me? It is so much easier at this time of life to do so since I no longer have young children and ailing grandparents and other elders to care for. When our daughters were young, I used to get up at 5:00 a.m. to have some quiet and to get centered for the day. Our eldest jumped out of bed at 6:00, rolling full steam ahead. Now I wake around 6, and have a leisurely 2 hours before my husband is up and I have to leave the house on work days.
"Might things never change or develop into something else, or new? Lately he had begun to wonder what mattered, apart from Eileen and the girls. He was touching forty but didn't feel himself to be getting anywhere or making any kind of headway and could not but sometimes wonder what the days were for."
Bill's mother was young and unwed when she became pregnant with him. Her employer let her remain living in her home and took an interest in Bill. Raised by a loving mother, given opportunities by his mother's employer, and shown the ways of being male by his mother's good friend Ned, Bill wants to share his love with others. He strives to provide a good life for his wife and five daughters and to look beyond his family. Don't we all look for purpose in life?
". . . he found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?"
When Bill finds himself in a situation where he has to choose to help or to turn his head away, he looks to his heart to make his decision.
Keegan's exquisite prose faithfully re-creates 1985 rural Ireland and leads me to savor every word. Do yourself a favor and pick up this lovely tale....more
Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea is a lovely antidote to my read about the Sackler family dynasty. It reads like a long middle grade fantasy noveKlune's The House in the Cerulean Sea is a lovely antidote to my read about the Sackler family dynasty. It reads like a long middle grade fantasy novel except that the protagonist is a 40 year-old man. It's sweet without being treacly and is peopled with delightful and quirky characters. In general, this book lacks depth though it clearly conveys its theme of acceptance.
The one really striking passage is a poem written and recited by one of the students:
“I am but paper. Brittle and thin. I am held up to the sun, and it shines right through me. I get written on, and I can never be used again. These scratches are a history. They’re a story. They tell things for others to read, but they only see the words, and not what the words are written upon. I am but paper, and though there are many like me, none are exactly the same. I am parched parchment. I have lines. I have holes. Get me wet, and I melt. Light me on fire, and I burn. Take me in hardened hands, and I crumple. I tear. I am but paper. Brittle and thin.”
If you enjoy a sentimental, easy read, this might be the one for you. ...more
It's not necessary to have read the first book in this series to understand this story. However, you will appreciate it a lot more3.5 Stars rounded up
It's not necessary to have read the first book in this series to understand this story. However, you will appreciate it a lot more if you have.
This book got off to a slow start for me. Then once I was engaged, it held me in its grip until the end.
Gran uses the dual timeline strategy to reveal more of Claire's past. She returns to 1986 Brooklyn with a case that she and her friend Tracy solve as teens. More of Claire's backstory is revealed and I understand more of the big hole in Claire's psyche. She pairs this with current 2011 San Francisco as Claire investigates the murder of an ex-boyfriend.
The Bohemian Highway is grittier than The City of the Dead. Claire is sliding deeper into drug addiction as she self-medicates to protect herself from pain. There is less humor, and the humor is darker. For example, as Claire and her assistant investigate some missing miniature horses:
“My theory was that the little fellows were running away to try to get some big boy genes back in the mix, or maybe committing suicide. I made a mental note to research equine suicides.”
The social commentary that underlay The City of the Dead is missing. Gran depicts the dichotomy of San Francisco--tech/hippies, wealthy/street-dwellers.Though she shows some of the great disparities and difficulties, there's no elucidation.
Gran does continue to offer up some philosophical thoughts.
"Karma can't be negotiated. But it does take interesting twists and turns. It's like you're given a series of words and it's up to you what kind of story you fit them into."
I found this to be an interesting idea. The concept of free will v. determination has appeared in two of my recent reads--Strout's Oh William! and Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog. The idea of this combination appeals to me. I do believe that we make our choices and they strongly impact our lives. And I do believe the universe provides us with opportunities that we can say yes or no to if we are even open enough to hear them.
"In my book, love is a physical act. Love is not ethereal. Love is sticking by someone when they're in the nuthouse. Love is when you keep calling someone even when they don't call you back. Love is dirty and solid. Love is . . . earth and shit and blood and hair."
And this quote, yeah, love is hard. That's why so many of us walk away from it. Getting down in the trenches and doing the work is not for sissies. It calls for commitment; whether it be in caring for aging parents, working through issues with our partners, holding onto relationships with our children, or working through differences and hardships with friends.
"I felt bad for all of us, for the whole fucking world. Our fucking hearts. No wonder they were so hard to come by these days. They were hiding from us, trying to preserve what little life they had left for someone who would appreciate them. Or at least not murder them."
And where there is a lot of pain, many of us chose to bury our hearts or put up high walls to protect them. So many of us choose not to engage with life and people so the joys as well as the sorrows are missed. Life requires courage.
"There are no coincidences. Only doors you didn't have the courage to walk through. Only blind spots you weren't brave enough to see. Only tones you refused to admit you could here."
And then Gran ends the book with a cliff-hanger. I guess I won't wait as long before reading the third book in this trilogy if I want to see how it resolves.
With Claire Dewitt and the Bohemian Highway Sara Gran has written another unusual, character driven detective story....more
S.A. Cosby's novel Razorblade Tears reads like a full throttle action movie. Two prison-hardened middle aged men seek "justice" for their son2.5 Stars
S.A. Cosby's novel Razorblade Tears reads like a full throttle action movie. Two prison-hardened middle aged men seek "justice" for their sons' killer when the police investigation goes nowhere.
“Folks like to talk about revenge like it’s a righteous thing but it’s just hate in a nicer suit."
The storyline is pretty weak, and much of the dialogue is not brilliant. In contrast, Cosby's action scenes are written in an exuberant way. His protagonists aren't afraid to show their feelings, unlike most characters in this genre. His writing is over the top in many places such as when one victim is shot “his large and small intestines began to unspool like a ribbon of saltwater taffy soaked in merlot.
What I did like was the relationship between the two men. These are two people who in ordinary circumstances would keep their distance from each other. Over time they develop an understanding and appreciation of each other.
Cosby shows these two hard-assed men wrestling with their life choices and struggling with regrets. They change pretty quickly during the course of this novel, maybe too quickly. People do change, and in my experience it is a much slower process. I try to remind myself this story is fiction and to just go along for the the ride.
" 'I just never knew I had it so good being straight and white,' Buddy Lee said. He tried to make it come out lighthearted, but the truth in the statement anchored it to the ground."
" . . . if all of this has taught me one thing, it's that it ain't about me and what I get. It's about letting people be who they are. And being who you are shouldn't be a goddamn death sentence . . . "
"A man once told me we can't change the past but we can decide what happens next."
And this insight:
"Nobody knows the last time is gonna be the last time until it's too late. You ain't alone in that. That's what makes living so damn terrible."
Another drawback for me is that queer people are the center of the story and none of them are fully fleshed out real characters. This is particularly true of Isiah and Derek, the two sons Ike and Buddy Lee are seeking retribution for. They linger in the background, martyrs with seemingly no flaws, no sense of who these young men really are.
Despite my abhorrence of vigilante justice, I found myself rooting for Ike and Buddy Lee as they come to terms with their homophobia and search for the sons' killer.
I finished this book last night, put it down, and thought, "Wow, what did I just read?" After letting my thoughts settle overnight, I picked it up thiI finished this book last night, put it down, and thought, "Wow, what did I just read?" After letting my thoughts settle overnight, I picked it up this morning and dove into some of my marked passages.
My Name is Lucy Barton is a novel that is told as much by what is unsaid as what is said. Lucy is in the hospital for 9 weeks and her mother comes and stays 5 of those days with her in the hospital. As Lucy's mother tells her about the various people of the town, Lucy has other memories surface. They don't talk about the past openly, about Lucy's father, “what as a child I had called — to myself — the Thing, meaning an incident of my father becoming very anxious and not in control of himself,” or about the fact that Lucy’s parents struck their children “impulsively and vigorously”; or about her terror of being locked in her father’s truck (this was an incredibly visceral scene). And they don’t talk about Lucy’s present life in New York, about the stories she’s published or her young family and new friends.
And yet Lucy is happy to have her mother nearby. "Her being there, using my pet name, which I had not heard in ages, made me feel warm and liquid-filled, as though all my tension had been a solid thing and now was not." And despite not being in contact with her family,“I kept thinking how the five of us had had a really unhealthy family, but I saw then too how our roots were twisted so tenaciously around one another’s hearts.”
I saw Lucy trying to reconcile her past and present to be able to live fully and authentically in the world.
Strout leaves a lot of space in her narrative, space for us to insert our own experiences and memories and see our own stories.
Her writing is sparse and unsentimental; I can feel the carefully chosen words and the vibrating silences.
This small nuanced book can pack quite a wallop.
“At times these days I think of the way the sun would set on the farmland around our small house in the autumn. A view of the horizon, the whole entire circle of it, if you turned, the sun setting behind you, the sky in front becoming pink and soft, then slightly blue again, as though it could not stop going on in its beauty, then the land closest to the setting sun would get dark, almost black against the orange line of horizon, but if you turn around, the land is still available to the eye with such softness, the few trees, the quiet fields of cover crops already turned, and the sky lingering, lingering, then finally dark. As though the soul can be quiet for those moments. All life amazes me.”
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