The Widow, by Fiona Barton

Synopsis:

There’s a lot Jean hasn’t said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was too busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with the accusing glares and the anonymous harassment.

Now her husband is dead, and there’s no reason to stay quiet. There are people who want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them that there were secrets. There always are in a marriage.

The truth—that’s all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything…

 

Review:

Imagine someone asking you if you’d like to go to the zoo with them. You jump at the chance because you love the zoo. Rather than to take you the twenty minute drive directly to the zoo, they take the long way ’round. You get to see Mr. Brown’s three-legged dog, where the old meeting hall used to be, where your friend’s Aunt Ethel and Uncle Ted first lived when they moved from the old country, and the Giant that used to be Greg’s Grocery. At the end of the day the overall trip was good because you got to see the monkeys, and you never tire of watching monkeys and their antics, but you’re worn out from the extras. The day would have been perfect if they had just taken you to the zoo and left the rest of it out.

That’s how I felt about this book. Overall, it was a good story, but would have been a great story if not for the over-inflated middle. It started off strong, but at about the 25% mark it began to slow… and stayed slow until about the 75% mark.

Stephen King says, “If you liked Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, you might want to pick up The Widow. Engrossing. Suspenseful.

I love Stephen King. I think the man is a genius. But IMO, he embellished. Understandable if you’ve ever read 11/22/63. Like The Widow, that book was very good, but about 300 pages too long.

Another thing that took away from the read a bit for me, the head hopping. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen. An example: page 305 of the paperback, Kate was pleased…. that is fine as we are in Kate’s head. But without so much as a page break, we are now in Sparkes’s head when he suddenly felt out of his depth. Then again when he tried to regain his professional footing. It also happened at the end of the 12th chapter between The Detective and Michael Doonan. Each of the chapters were titled with a date, and the viewpoint character’s name. But in several instances, and quite out of nowhere, the author jumped into another character’s head without warning. If the entire book had been written that way, one could get used to it and find it easier to hang tight with the sudden shifts. But as the chapters were divided between characters, it was a jolt that slowed the story, especially in the mid section where it was moving at snail’s pace the way it was.

I enjoyed the writing style, and the overall story, but not the pace or the length. It simply felt that the author was trying to extend the story without having anything relevant to say during that portion of the book.

I understand this was a debut novel. I would expect her next book to be better than her first and would try another of her titles. 3.5* on Amazon.

The Kept, by James Scott

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a book, not that I haven’t been reading. I’ve just come to realize that people are less and less interested in other’s opinions, and that’s all a review is after all.

Best practice writing advice is, “Hook them from the first page.” As writers, we all try to accomplish that, but few succeed. I can count on one hand the actual number of books that have literally grabbed me and refused to let go right from the first page. This book was one of them, with an unexpected twist.

The first page raised several questions and set the tone for the entire read. The writing was exquisite. But that is where the positives end.

The writing throughout was superb, my hat’s off to Mr. Scott. The subject matter was dark, gritty, real. All of that lends itself to a fabulous read, but on to the negatives.

I am not one for head-hopping (multiple POVs within a scene with no indicator that  the viewpoint character has changed. This book does that and as good as his writing was, it drove me crazy. Right around page 70, when Elspeth was first able to get around and they decided to leave at morning light, we go from Caleb’s thoughts directly into Elspeth’s thoughts, which always makes me stop and review a page or two to make sure I didn’t inadvertently miss something, or turn two pages at the same time.

Then there was the extremely long blocky passages. Some were interesting enough to sustain the hard-on-the-eyes reading, but many more were bloated description. On the positive side, the style did lend to character-fleshing, but little else.

I wasn’t as disappointed in the actual story as I was in the style. The story began with much promise, but fizzled out as it went. A story about so much pain, tragedy, and overall negativity should have a redeeming factor. Something to make the reader think it wasn’t all in vain. This book did not have that. Although Scott displays artistry in his writing, there were other necessary elements missing.

Definitely not the worst book I’ve read this year, but I might think twice before choosing another of his books based on this one.

Website

Lie To Me, by J.T. Ellison

I’m back! Actually, I haven’t gone anywhere, I simply haven’t been posting reviews. Not that I haven’t been reading – I’m never not reading – I haven’t been reading anything that moved me enough to lend time to a review. Until today.

Synopsis:

SUTTON AND ETHAN MONTCLAIR’S IDYLLIC LIFE IS NOT AS IT APPEARS. THEY SEEM MADE FOR EACH OTHER, BUT THE TRUTH IS UGLY. CONSUMED BY PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL BETRAYALS AND FINANCIAL WOES, THE TWO BOTH LOVE AND HATE EACH OTHER. AS TENSIONS MOUNT, SUTTON DISAPPEARS, LEAVING BEHIND A NOTE SAYING NOT TO LOOK FOR HER.

ETHAN FINDS HIMSELF THE TARGET OF VICIOUS GOSSIP AS FRIENDS, FAMILY AND THE MEDIA SPECULATE ON WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO SUTTON MONTCLAIR. AS THE POLICE INVESTIGATE, THE LIES THE COUPLE HAVE BEEN SPINNING FOR YEARS QUICKLY UNRAVEL. IS ETHAN A KILLER? IS HE BEING SET UP? DID SUTTON HATE HIM ENOUGH TO KILL THE CHILD SHE NEVER WANTED AND THEN HERSELF? THE PATH TO THE ANSWERS IS FULL OF TWISTS THAT WILL LEAVE THE READER BREATHLESS.

Review:

Lie To Me – J.T. Ellison

I began, and finished, my first read by author J.T. Ellison, Lie To Me, today. Although I don’t recall where I got the book, I am unyielding in my certainty I did not purchase it. I wouldn’t have. On the cover, Lisa Scottoline lauds it as something fans of Gone Girlwill gobble up. I realize I am in the minority when I say, I was not a fan of that book. Almost as much as I wasn’t a fan of any of the Fifty Shades books. Different strokes and all.

But, I picked it up this morning for a look with no intention of diving in. I never set it down until I had reached the end. Never saw that coming… it just sort of pulled me in right from page one.

Ellison is a skillful writer. That is apparent off the bat. Although skillful in several areas, the one I am referring to is tension. In too many of this type book, I lose interest early on because the author fills the dead spots with fluff. Things that pertain to the story by association, but change it little if removed. Too often I find myself skimming (selectively reading) just to get to the whodunit. I read every page, every word, of this book. Yes, I was anxious to find out the who, what, why, and where at the end of the journey, but I was enjoying the ride so much, I wasn’t in a rush to get there.

There are twists and turns you will not see coming. Even if you are able to guess one (which I did), it will only be one or two. From early on I did have the antagonist figured out, although not the motive. I had also guessed who Ethan had (or thought he had) slept with (same person) but that was about it. Even when I thought it was all over, it wasn’t. I was a little confused at the very end, last words, about Josie. Her real daughter – got it. But I must have missed something in how she learned who/where she was. It seemed a bit odd that she would know this information and not share it with her husband after all they’ve been through and knowing how the previous lies contributed to the events in the book’s story.

There were a few things that had I been presented with in real life, I would have argued rather than to blindly believe what I was hearing without a good old-fashioned debate. For instance, Holly is with Ethan when he receives a text message warning him not to tell ‘the cop’ about the meeting at the farm. That fact might explain why Holly was never convinced of his guilt, but when she’s told by her superior that they have him dead to rights, why didn’t she argue the case? If he was truly guilty, who sent the text while she was with him? There were a few of those, “Hey, wait a minute,” moments, but none that took away from the read overall. I suppose not everyone would have caught them, and I’ve been accused of scrutinizing even more than reading, but I caught them and I hate when something doesn’t feel real. Another one was when Ivy called Holly on her cell phone and asked her to stop by because she had something she had to tell her. Holly agrees and says, I’m close, to which Ivy replies, “I know you are.” Duh, I no sooner read the words and found myself saying, “How does she know?” Yet, when Holly gets to her house less than five minutes later, she doesn’t question it. If I feel like someone is stalking me you can bet I’m going to ask them how the hell they know my whereabouts. Just another little niggler I found off.

Anyway, those items are minor to the overall read. I thought the way the author divided the stories worked well. In that way I got the whole story piece-by-piece rather than in scattered info dumps. I also thought the way she divided his story, her story, and everyone’s story worked well in this piece.

I did meander over to Amazon to see where my review falls in line with others and found that for the most part, I’m right in line. I don’t go through the 4 and 5-star reviews, but I do tend to look through the 1-stars if only to see what a particular reviewer took away from the read that I didn’t, or visa-versa. Apparently, some, although few, hated this title as much as I loved it. One in particular made me smile. They begin by praising Gone Girl and move on to their utter contempt for this book. Sounds like me, in reverse.

Granted, if the events of the book were to play out the way they did on their own, it would be almost too out there to be believed. But when you take into account that there was a Puppeteer pulling all the strings, anything is possible. Neither Ethan nor Sutton were in control of their own lives at this point, although they believed they were.

All I can say is I (happily) read it in one sitting and will definitely look for more by this author – even if her work is compared to books I didn’t care for at all.  🙂

The Couple Next Door, by Shari Lapena

Synopsis:

It all started at a dinner party. . .

A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors—a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco  soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they’ve kept for years.

What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family—a chilling tale of  deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.

Review:

Of the two psychological thrillers I read yesterday, this was definitely the better one, especially for being a debut. Many authors can’t seem to keep the threads of such a detailed story together, but Lapena does it effortlessly.

First, the characters. In my opinion, one of her strong suits. Each of the main players were well-crafted, their emotions and reactions rang incredibly true to the story playing out. But even her silent, secondary characters added to the tension of the story. For example – Graham, Cynthia’s reticent husband. Whether it was planned or happened by chance, the author turned him into a red herring. As the synopsis states, it all started at a dinner party. During that time, I’m not even sure whether Graham actually speaks, but from the beginning I had a sense that he (and his wife) were somehow involved. I won’t give away any spoilers here, but let’s just say that it did not turn out as it might have been set up to. This book is an example of how important titles really are. The Couple Next Door along with Graham’s off demeanor – I kept expecting him to play a bigger part almost up to the end.)

As I mentioned, I give the author credit for keeping so many details, twists, and turns straight. Unless you’ve ever tried to write a psychological thriller, I doubt you have any idea what a feat that is, and she does it remarkably well.

The only two things I found a bit distracting was 1) the fact that on at least three occasions, the author (through a character) went through a detailed checklist of what the characters (and the reader) knew to that point. To me anyway, it seemed liked the author’s way of saying, “Okay, are you with me so far?” And 2) several times in the middle of a high action scene, a character goes off on a narrative trip offering backstory that isn’t relevant at that moment. That information, although necessary at some point, was misplaced. I felt it could have been worked in at a better time. Aside from that, it was a pleasing read that I finished in one sitting.

As a side note, if you’ve read The Couple Next Door, and enjoyed it, you might be interested in her new book, A Stranger in the House, which releases August 15th. I know I’ll be getting a copy.

4/5 stars for the Couple Next Door

Second Life, by S.J. Watson

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep, a sensational new psychological thriller about a woman with a secret identity that threatens to destroy her.

How well can you really know another person? How far would you go to find the truth about someone you love?

When Julia learns that her sister has been violently murdered, she must uncover why. But Julia’s quest quickly evolves into an alluring exploration of own darkest sensual desires. Becoming involved with a dangerous stranger online, she’s losing herself . . . losing control . . . perhaps losing everything. Her search for answers will jeopardize her marriage, her family, and her life.

A tense and unrelenting novel that explores the secret lives people lead—and the dark places in which they can find themselves—Second Life is a masterwork of suspense from the acclaimed S. J. Watson.

Review:

How much do I agree with the synopsis on a scale of 1-10? I’d come in mid-way at a 5. The story is told in first person, present tense. I generally have no issue with a story told that way, if it fits. This didn’t. Julia is angry throughout making it a tense read with little in the way of breathers.

I didn’t find the writing exemplary, but that in itself didn’t make it a terrible read. The book is divided into five parts, the first three being a bit boring and drawn out. The last two parts, especially the final one, is what redeemed the entire book. The author ties up the loose ends nicely, although there were a few things I found myself questioning. For example, at the end, Connor is missing. They know he is headed to Paris to meet his father. Julia is on the phone with everyone – except the police at that point. They all had to take a train to reach him, wouldn’t calling the authorities in Paris before they arrived have been the logical thing to do?

I picked this title up in a discount bargain bin, so it was worth the small price I paid. Had I paid full price, I would have left it feeling cheated. Not terrible, but not memorable either.

Did You Ever Have A Family, by Bill Clegg

Synopsis:

The stunning debut novel from bestselling author Bill Clegg is a magnificently powerful story about a circle of people who find solace in the least likely of places as they cope with a horrific tragedy.

On the eve of her daughter’s wedding, June Reid’s life is upended when a shocking disaster takes the lives of her daughter, her daughter’s fiancé, her ex-husband, and her boyfriend, Luke—her entire family, all gone in a moment. June is the only survivor.

Alone and directionless, June drives across the country, away from her small Connecticut town. In her wake, a community emerges, weaving a beautiful and surprising web of connections through shared heartbreak.

From the couple running a motel on the Pacific Ocean where June eventually settles into a quiet half-life, to the wedding’s caterer whose bill has been forgotten, to Luke’s mother, the shattered outcast of the town—everyone touched by the tragedy is changed as truths about their near and far histories finally come to light.

Elegant and heartrending, and one of the most accomplished fiction debuts of the year, Did You Ever Have a Family is an absorbing, unforgettable tale that reveals humanity at its best through forgiveness and hope. At its core is a celebration of family—the ones we are born with and the ones we create.

Review:

To this day, I am still amazed at how two people can read the same book and walk away with an entirely different take on it. Did You Ever Have A Family is one of those books.

First, let me say I didn’t hate it. I just wasn’t over the moon, as many of the reviewers seem to have been.

Although I did like Clegg’s writing, there were more points I wasn’t fond of. For instance, the number of narrators. There are at least seven, quite possibly more. Some of the characters (the main) are told in third person while others (the secondary) are told in first. That seemed like a very odd choice to me. First person generally lends to intimacy. Why would Clegg want that intimacy with minor characters? Edith, Rick, Rebecca are hardly mentioned except for their one or two chapters, yet they are the characters the author sets up for the closer emotional bond with the reader. The constant switch in characters also gave the read a choppy feel.

There was no dialogue in the book. I didn’t care for that approach to storytelling. Rather than to bond with the characters, I felt as though I was bonding with the author. His hand was too heavy throughout.

Both the story and the characters were flat, no dimension. At no point did I feel as though the author brought his characters to life. Reading it was much like me telling you about my Uncle Frank from Jersey. Unless given a reason to care about him, hearing about a stranger with nothing to make him stand out will bore you. Everybody has an uncle from somewhere, right?

One detail I wanted to comment on: several reviewers mentioned his use of punctuation and went as far as to say that reading this book made them think copyeditors no longer existed. One of the biggest complaints was that he often used semicolons followed by conjunctions. He did. But… as a writer myself and not just a reader, I get it. It is easy to be a punctuation snob when you are only considering the technical side of writing, but when you are sitting on the creative side of the pen, everything changes. Commas, for instance. Anyone can open up their copy of Strunk and White and point fingers at the use of commas within any given work. But as an author, we exorcise our right to be original. I, for one, tend to use commas less as they should be used (technically) and more to emphasize. I use them to set off a particular phrase, or to show a natural pause in speech (dialogue) that cannot be shown on the page as easily as it can be inserted into actual speech. I recently read a book where the author used no dialogue tags whatsoever. It was a bit awkward, I admit, but that was their style. If we are all going to follow the letter of the S&W book, we will all end up sounding like imitations of each other. I just wanted to point that out because I get it. Our styles are as individual as our methods.

This book received a lot of hype, and a number of nominations for prestigious awards. I’m not going to say it wasn’t deserving, but it would never get my vote. Although not the worst book I’ve read, kudos to the person who wrote the synopsis. They managed to put a shine on what is contained between the covers. Again, I did like Clegg’s actual writing. Add a few three-dimensional characters and a plot with substance; this might have been a memorable read.

Sutton, by J.R. Moehringer

Synopsis:

BORN IN THE SQUALID IRISH SLUMS OF BROOKLYN, IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, WILLIE SUTTON CAME OF AGE AT A TIME WHEN BANKS WERE OUT OF CONTROL. IF THEY WEREN’T TAKING BRAZEN RISKS, CAUSING MILLIONS TO LOSE THEIR JOBS AND HOMES, THEY WERE SHAMELESSLY SEEKING BAILOUTS. TRAPPED IN A CYCLE OF BANK PANICS, DEPRESSIONS AND SOARING UNEMPLOYMENT, SUTTON SAW ONLY ONE WAY OUT, ONLY ONE WAY TO WIN THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS.

SO BEGAN THE CAREER OF AMERICA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL BANK ROBBER. OVER THREE DECADES SUTTON BECAME SO GOOD AT BREAKING INTO BANKS, AND SUCH A MASTER AT BREAKING OUT OF PRISONS, POLICE CALLED HIM ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS MEN IN NEW YORK, AND THE FBI PUT HIM ON ITS FIRST-EVER MOST WANTED LIST.

BUT THE PUBLIC ROOTED FOR SUTTON. HE NEVER FIRED A SHOT, AFTER ALL, AND HIS VICTIMS WERE MERELY THOSE BLOODSUCKING BANKS. WHEN HE WAS FINALLY CAUGHT FOR GOOD IN 1952, CROWDS SURROUNDED THE JAIL AND CHANTED HIS NAME.

BLENDING VAST RESEARCH WITH VIVID IMAGINATION, PULITZER PRIZE-WINNER J.R. MOEHRINGER BRINGS WILLIE SUTTON BLAZING BACK TO LIFE. IN MOEHRINGER’S RETELLING, IT WAS MORE THAN NEED OR RAGE AT SOCIETY THAT DROVE SUTTON. IT WAS ONE UNFORGETTABLE WOMAN. IN ALL SUTTON’S CRIMES AND CONFINEMENTS, HIS FIRST LOVE (AND FIRST ACCOMPLICE) WAS NEVER FAR FROM HIS THOUGHTS. AND WHEN SUTTON FINALLY WALKED FREE–A SURPRISE PARDON ON CHRISTMAS EVE, 1969–HE IMMEDIATELY SET OUT TO FIND HER.

POIGNANT, COMIC, FAST-PACED AND FACT-STUDDED, SUTTON TELLS A STORY OF ECONOMIC PAIN THAT FEELS EERILY MODERN, WHILE UNFOLDING A STORY OF DOOMED LOVE, WHICH IS FOREVER TIMELESS.

 

Review:

Although Sutton is a work of fiction, the historical elements are so rich in detail that by the end of the book, you’ll feel as though you’ve just relived a piece of history. Willie Sutton is a hero, and an anti-hero. He is loved, and he is hated. You’ll root for him, feel for him, and feel like you know him long before you reach the end.

The pros: almost everything about the book. The flow kept me turning pages right until the end. At no point did I grow bored with unnecessary filler or dead spots. Moehringer’s writing is a pleasurable, easy read, which makes use of the “write tight” lesson. There isn’t a wasted word in the entire novel. He pulls you into his created world with remarkable characters and vivid detail, but never presents so much as to ruin it for the reader or cause the book to feel over-inflated. I cannot imagine anyone walking away from this read with more negatives than positives to say about it.

The cons: I only have one negative to say about Sutton. The author uses no dialogue tags or quotation marks. He does this consistently throughout the book, which makes it a bit easier to adjust, but there were a couple passages where I did have to stop reading to go back and pick up the trail of who was speaking because after so many volleys, I lost track. Although the personalities of the characters were identifiable enough to know who was who, the dialogue of 1930s “bad guys” was similar enough that tags would have helped to distinguish speakers during certain conversations.

I’m not going to delve into the plot or storyline, as the synopsis does that. This is simply my take on the read. Overall, I would highly recommend Sutton to anyone, but especially those who are drawn to historical novels. I enjoyed it so much that yesterday I went to B&N to buy The Tender Bar, an earlier and highly acclaimed novel by the same author.

Official Website

The Shack… by, Wm. Paul Young

Synopsis:

Mackenzie Allen Phillips’s youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.

Review:

Books have many purposes. Some are meant to entertain. Some are meant to make us reach deep inside ourselves and uncover buried emotions. And if we’re lucky, once in a great while we come across a book that is meant to stay with us for a very long time. It touches us in such a profound way it becomes part of our fabric.

I read such a book this week. It began with tragedy, sadness. But as is true in life, the sadness was necessary to help reveal the good that is worked through it.

               The Shack is a book that I cannot do justice in a simple review. To write and relay the type of emotion it evoked in me is something writers around the world struggle with daily. I’m not too proud to say I cried through parts of it. Although it began with sadness, the beginning was not the part that brought out the richest emotions in me. But even more importantly, I related to it. Not the details of Mack’s life as much as the feelings, emotions, and inner turbulence he experienced. There isn’t a person alive who hasn’t experienced much of what he experienced as far as emotions go.

I read a review where the reader said they had a hard time with it because it was in contrast to their beliefs. I get it. Not everyone shares the same beliefs. Even people of the same denomination disagree with certain aspects of their own religion. But this book isn’t about beliefs in terms of who is right and who is wrong. It isn’t about religion of any denomination. It’s about what is right and what is wrong. It does not delve into the story of the Bible. It deals with the human condition: judgment, forgiveness, anger, etc.

The Shack is brilliantly written. I am not going to go into the actual story as I would not want to ruin a single scene ahead of you reading it, and the synopsis gives little away, but I highly recommend it. It has been made into a movie, which I have not seen and probably won’t. I tend to like the book better than the movie and I wouldn’t want seeing the movie to alter what I took away from the read. If you’re not much for reading, then I might recommend the movie as opposed to nothing at all. I doubt it’s exact in its adaption, but one would think it maintained the essence that made the book as wonderful as it is.

With almost 13,000 reviews on Amazon with a 4.7 average rating, I couldn’t agree more. It is one of the easiest 5-star reviews I’ve ever given. This is a book you will find yourself wanting to re-read.

The Falls… by Joyce Carol Oates

Some time ago, I read Daddy Love by Joyce Carol Oates. I did not give it a favorable review due to subject matter and personal dislikes within the actual writing. Afterward, I was not inclined to read another title by this author, until recently. Another of Oates’s titles, The Falls, came under discussion in one of my writing groups recently. A woman whose taste and opinions I admire greatly raved over it. When I told her about my first and only experience with an Oates title, she insisted that by reading The Falls, I would forever change my opinion of her work.

So I did…

And it didn’t. If anything, it reinforced my initial opinion.

 

Synopsis:

The Falls

It is 1950 and, after a disastrous honeymoon night, Ariah Erskine’s young husband throws himself into the roaring waters of Niagara Falls. Ariah, “The Widow Bride of the Falls,” begins a relentless seven-day vigil in the mist, waiting for his body to be found. At her side is confirmed bachelor and pillar of the community Dirk Burnaby, who is unexpectedly drawn to her. What follows is a passionate love affair, marriage, and family – a seemingly p0erfect existence. But tragedy soon takes over their lives, poisoning their halcyon years with distrust, greed, and murder.

Set against the mythic-historic backdrop of Niagara Falls in the mid-twentieth century, this haunting exploration of the American family in crisis is a stunning achievement from “one of the great artistic forces of our time.” (The Nation)

 

Review:

Let me say upfront, this title has an average Amazon rating of 3.8, while my rating comes in at an even 3-star review.

This book comes in at just under five-hundred pages for the paperback version. That would make it (in my opinion) roughly 200 pages too long. For what the story was, it could easily and preferably have been condensed to make it a more enjoyable, less over-inflated read. The reason it was so long: purple prose. I tried to stay tied to it even through the thick passages of overly done description, but it was hard. By page 300 or so, I will admit I began skimming the on-and-on-and-on that made it so hard to finish.

The main character, Ariah Littrel, Erskine, Burnaby was so flat she could have been a cardboard cutout inserted between the pages. In the ‘About the Book’ section following the story, the author refers to Ariah as being eccentric.

Eccentric: adj. (of a person or their behavior) unconventional or slightly strange.

Ariah isn’t slightly strange. She is ridiculously strange. She is mentally challenged. She is melodramatic. She is emotionally abusive to her children. She is paranoid. She is a lot of things, but slightly strange is a gross understatement.

There are many questions left unanswered when you come to the end of the book. Or maybe they were red herrings that leave the reader feeling cheated. Who knows, maybe they were loose ends the author didn’t bother to tie up. Whatever they were, they were annoying. One of the examples that annoyed me the most: Clarice, Dirk’s mother, tells Ariah following Chandler’s birth that they both know her son is not the baby’s father. That he can’t possibly be. She tells Ariah an unknown fact about her son that is meant to prove her knowledge of Chandler’s paternity. Ariah never admits or denies, nor does she mention this conversation to her husband leaving the reader to believe it is so. Yet, years later, Dirk and Ariah go on to have two more children. If he couldn’t have fathered one, how did he father two more? Unless the explanation occurred during my speed-reading of the last 200 pages, it was never addressed again. Another example was the woman in black who appeared at the cemetery with Royall. Was it the same woman in black that had dogged his father? And why did she seek him out? We were made to believe that Dirk never slept with her, so she wasn’t trying to recapture what she had with his father. A reason, however lame, would have given that scene a little validity.

Who killed Howell? Assuming he is dead (since he went missing) Stonecrop? Roy (Royall). Another item that wasn’t addressed.

At times, the book seems to wander with no direction. I read a review where someone said the sentence structure was odd. The story structure was odd in many places.

I was truly interested at the beginning of the book, even though it was description-heavy. She had me until Dirk’s murder. From there, I forced myself to read every word I didn’t skip over. I think the only thing that might have saved this book (as it was written), is if she had written a stronger lead character. Eccentric is Ann Margaret in Grumpy Old Men. When she comes out of the sauna and rolls around in the snow, or when she nearly climaxes while talking about art. Ariah was an extremely unlikable character who had my sympathy in the beginning, but lost it quickly.

Oates can write. I don’t intend for my review to take that away from her. But this particular title was overwritten. And bordered on strange, yet not as off-putting as Daddy Love. Shudder…. Would I take a chance on another of her titles? Twice burned, probably not.

The Art of Keeping Secrets

It seems I go through reading ‘spurts’ where I tend to read compulsively. Then I write. The last month or so has been a spurt. My latest reading, a book by an author I’ve read in the past, The Art of Keeping Secrets, by Patti Callahan Henry.

Synopsis:

Since a plane crash killed her husband two years ago, Annabelle Murphy has found solace in raising her two children. Just when she thinks the grief is behind her, she receives the news that the wreckage of the small plane has been discovered and that her husband did not die alone. He was with another woman. Suddenly, Annabelle is forced to question everything she once held true.

Sophie Parker knows the woman who was on that plane. A dolphin researcher who has lived a quiet life, Sophie has never let anyone get too close. But when Annabelle shows up on Sophie’s doorstep full of painful questions, both women must confront their intertwining pasts, and find the courage to face the truth.

Review:

This is a story about two women: one who doesn’t know the truth, and one who knows it but can’t share it.

Annabelle is living on autopilot since her husband died in a plane crash. She has her friends, her kids, and her job and is quite content to live a predictable life filled with memories. Sofie is trying to find her way through life. She has a job she loves, a man who loves her (even if it isn’t exactly healthy love), and a lifetime of secrets. The one thing these women have in common is that they are both weak characters. Annabelle can’t stand up for herself or to anyone, including her obnoxiously entitled daughter, while Sofie can’t fight her way out of a relationship where she is treated like the cute new puppy of a much older man.

For what the story was, it took the author a long time to get there, especially considering Annabelle found Sofie so early on. It was a bloated story filled with stiff characters. In far too many cases, the dialogue was too formal to feel real.

I hate to see one book take away from an otherwise good author, but this one did. I have read her work in the past and enjoyed it, but found little to redeem this title. The book was extremely predictable, the characters less than believable, and it took the very long way to get to the meat of the story.

I believe this is one of Henry’s earlier works. Although I haven’t read her titles in order, it seems to me that the more she writes, the better she gets – as it should be. Unfortunately, for some that isn’t the case.

This book wasn’t a horrible read. It simply did not stand up to the standards of many of her titles. Don’t let that fact keep you from picking up a Henry book, but in my opinion, make sure it was published 2012 or later.

Patti Callahan Henry is usually a 4+ star writer, but The Art of Keeping Secrets fell a bit flat at 3-stars (Just okay).

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