Retro Review: The Vegetarian

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

4 stars. Quick summary: a young woman, after having a traumatic dream, decides to become a vegetarian. In Asia, this is unheard of and provokes frustrated reactions from her family. This short book takes us into the heads of three people close to her: her strict husband, her sensitive brother-in-law, and her deeply unhappy sister as they try to change, understand, and accept her choice.

Every now and then I get an urge to read something truly unsettling. It's not that I enjoy (in the traditional sense of the word) being scared or disgusted, but sometimes I go after the books that are deliberately disturbing. It's just an urge, I don't know. It's like I want to explore how deep and dark the human imagination can take me. I want to find books out there that truly "go there." This is the one of the reasons why I loved The Vegetarian - it really, really goes there.

It's certainly nothing at all like what I expected. It wasn't disturbing in a way that I anticipated, either. Yes, there's gore, there are elements of horror, there's a sorta-kinda traditional "descent into madness," but primarily I was disturbed because it made me question ... a lot. It gave me anxiety of the most suffocating kind.

What if what we consider to be normal behavior isn't normal at all? What if we go through life thinking we know what's best for others? What if - good intentions aside - we end up condemning people to suffer in order to meet society standards/expectations?

This book made me question everything, particularly as a woman. I'm extremely fortunate to live in a "free" society that grants me privilege, opportunity, and choice. But I felt like a child after finishing -looking around, going about my day with a bell tolling "why? why? why?" in my head. Why am I doing this? Why did I eat this, why did I say that? Why am I polite? Why did I braid my hair? Am I conditioned? Am I even a good person?

Obviously there's a lot to unpack here and I have no idea if in reading this I drew the conclusions I was meant to. But that isn't a bad thing. This book will stay with me for a long time.

The Vegetarian on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: The Song of Achilles

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

5 stars. This book tells the life story of Patroclus, a friend (in this case, lover) of Achilles, legendary fighter and son of a goddess. Patroclus first encounters Achilles as a young boy, and readers witness their friendship develop into something deeper. Eventually, they head to war - the Trojan War - and the story concludes with both heroes fulfilling their destinies.

I hated this book until I reached the last few chapters. Actually, I hated it entirely. Actually, I loved this book. I can't decide. Regardless, I found it to be amazing.

The Song of Achilles wasn't at all what I was expecting. I picked it up because of my interest in Greek mythology, hoping for a fresh and captivating look at the Trojan War. I suppose I actually did get that, in the end, I just didn't expect to see it through a romantic lens.

Yeah. FYI, this is a romance. Fully blown, agonizing infatuation, profound obsession, there-is-no-life-without-you romance. (Also, I would not describe it as erotica, though there are erotic parts.)

At first I found it to be boring, actually, because so much attention was paid to Patroclus and Achilles' relationship. By the end though, I realized that so much attention was paid because it made the ending that much more of a gut punch. Even though we all saw it coming (it is history, after all) ... ouch.

The language is stunning. This is not a sloppy book. I loved the inclusion of the gods and goddesses and all the things the Greeks believed in. And yeah, that painful ending really got me. I couldn't believe how suddenly, over the course of a few paragraphs, I became so emotionally invested in the characters of a book I almost didn't finish.

I feel so weird about this one. I loved it and I hated it. I appreciated the writing and commend the author for her skill. No other book has shocked me into tears like this one has. Which sounds kind of horrible, like why would you ever want to be shocked into tears? But I really, really, really appreciated the story. This is a difficult one for me, but I say read it, for better or for worse.

The Song of Achilles on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: Vita Nostra

4 stars. WOAH. I am dizzy. This book is everything I expected - bizarre, abstract, insane. It’s also beautiful, darkly beautiful - defiant, philosophical fantasy at its finest. I took my time with this, and I’m glad I did, because it requires patience, discipline - a studious eye - to complete. There are elements of many genres here - coming-of-age, fantasy, science fiction, horror, magical realism. It’s best to approach it without expectations, without the intent to put a label on it.

Yes, yes, I know, first things first: Vita Nostra has definite Harry Potter vibes, as many have said. A vacationing teenage girl is approached by a mysterious stranger who requests - compels - her to complete strange, potentially dangerous tasks in exchange for gold coins. These coins are eventually used as payment for admission to the Institute for Special Technologies, a weird and scary school in an isolated village. The girl, Sasha, discovers that she has a gift for the work she is assigned, sparking a transformation that she does not understand; one she cannot control or stop.

Let me be upfront: you, as a reader, will not receive all the answers. The authors successfully paint a breathtaking and compelling picture here, but you will never see the full image. Blindly exploring the themes and ideas was enough for me and in fact a refreshing exercise, but it will not be satisfying for others. Had I not been in the right mood, reading this would’ve felt frustrating and wasteful. Beware, interested readers, you will be forced to navigate uncomfortable waters here.

But yes, I loved it. I truly enjoyed stumbling around bumping into concepts such as consequence, fear, love, discipline, obligation, transformation, and destiny. This book is dark - and simmers with foreboding - but there is something so charming about Sasha; I really fell in love with her shenanigans as a gifted student and an awkward teenage girl. I appreciated getting to know her allies, her supporters, her family, her professors. I really rooted for her, without knowing where she was headed, or how she’d succeed. It’s quite something.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, this is not for the faint of heart. But I’d recommend it for anyone interested in taking a deep, dark dive into abstract philosophy.

Or perhaps anyone interested in what it feels like to take LSD. Russian LSD.

Vita Nostra on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: The Leftovers

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

4 stars. I'm glad that I knew to expect a quiet book before I picked this up. I'm a huge fan of the television show - one of the gutsiest ever written - and had high expectations, for sure, but I knew going in that I likely wouldn't feel ... satisfied. Well, I guess I was satisfied, but not in a comparable way.

The plot is similar: following what appears to be some sort of rapture-like event, several residents of Mapleton, New Jersey attempt to navigate a traumatized world and learn to live without answers.

I think one of the most important things I ever learned, or accepted, is that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Recovery is not black and white, and everyone reacts to trauma differently. You should not expect a grieving individual to react the same way you would - nor should you expect them to feel comfort from things that offer you comfort. One size simply does not fit all.

This is my preferred way to interpret this book. It's my favorite thing to draw from the story. Simply written, and almost painfully human, The Leftovers examines connected individuals of all ages, shapes and sizes, and how they react to the incredibly traumatic Departure. This book tells their stories without reluctance and without judgement - detailing messy pain and exploring how human connection helps and hurts, sometimes simultaneously.

It doesn't always feel good. It's hard to see people struggle, to witness them spiral into depression, or denial, or anger, or fanaticism. But it happens, and The Leftovers depicts this quietly, subtly. Maybe it's a warning, maybe it's a statement of the inevitable. Maybe it's a combination of both - humans are fragile and also resilient. Some things get back to normal, some things are ruined forever. Again, my favorite lesson: one size does not fit all when it comes to recovery.

The book’s version of The Leftovers is a different, less wacky interpretation of an idea. A little footnote to the grand themes illustrated by the show. It's fascinating but maybe a little less compelling. I really enjoyed it, though.

The Leftovers on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: The Westing Game

2019 CHALLENGE: 1 RE-READ PER MONTH 01 / 12

5 stars. This book is pure brain food. I like to think of it as a nice blend of Agatha Christie and Flannery O’Connor. You’ve got the clever, wholesome Christie mystery fun mixed with O’Connor’s bold, scathing characterizations. Makes one very tasty, very satisfying read.

The Westing Game opens with our cast moving into Sunset Towers, a new apartment building adjacent to an old mansion belonging to Sam Westing. When Mr. Westing dies (…is murdered?), he, via his lawyer, brings together sixteen of the Towers inhabitants to play a game worth … (drumroll, please) … his entire inheritance.

He leaves instructions for each “heir,” plus specific clues for everyone. We, as readers, get to watch from a front row seat as a feisty African American judge, an entitled, egotistical housewife, an attention-starved secretary, a sparkly, smart little girl, and more unlikely suspects race to solve the puzzle and win the game.

This would be a really bizarre book if it wasn’t written so cleverly, with so much humor, and with so much heart. It’s clear here that Ellen Raskin loved this book - loved writing it, loved playing with the readers, and loved her characters, deeply.

Like Christie’s books, this is a classic whodunnit and like Christie, Raskin drops the mic with the satisfying snap of a puzzle piece being pressed perfectly into place. Like O’Connor, Raskin paints each character with care and with brutal honestly. It keeps things fresh and immensely enjoyable.

And, yes, this probably would’ve been an even better read at 12. But I found myself really captivated by The Westing Game, and really invested. In fact (yikes), I actually found myself tearing up a bit at the end. Who, me? The ice queen with a heart of stone?! I’m meltinggggg…… I know. I just fell in love with these characters and it made me so happy to … well, you’ll see.

This book is full of nostalgia and goodness. I’m so glad it kicked off my re-read challenge for 2019, because it proved how rewarding this exercise can be. So come on! Read The Westing Game. Bask in the glow of transparent tryhards, charming youngsters, charming oldsters, twists, turns, and the joy of unlikely friends.

The Westing Game on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: Come Closer

5 stars. What a way to start 2019! I am OVER THE MOON. Come Closer is everything I look for in a horror story: clever, gruesome, unsettling and succinct. It’s also very cinematic and I could see the movie playing in my mind’s eye throughout. Please adapt! It’s a winner! A creepy, terrifying winner!

Come Closer is the first person account of a young married woman named Amanda who starts exhibiting symptoms of demonic possession. We, as readers, get a front row seat as the demon, Naamah, completely erodes her career, her relationships and her sense of self. She has new psychic powers, blackouts, mood swings, and she struggles to fight against the inner voice commanding her to hurt others.

It’s completely tragic and wonderful and captivating. I couldn’t put it down. I suppose I kept hoping for a happy ending, or at least a turnaround, but I should’ve known better. Because we are in Amanda’s mind, we believe that she is truly possessed, but as readers, from an external POV, she could just be going insane.

Is it one, or the other, or both? I love the lingering doubts and questions. I also love that Gran incorporated a thread of religious mythology to flesh out the premise - it made things feel that much more … elemental, or maybe even destined. Her writing, too, is refreshing. She’s snappy and smart. There are several moments - moments that are so well-written and subtle - that made me want to pop off the couch and scream.

Overall: Come Closer is a quick, startling read and will delight horror fans. This is going to be difficult to top. Prepare to have nightmares.

Come Closer on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: Tangerine

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

I'm just going to come right out and say it: I spent this entire book expecting some sort of Flight Club / Mr. Robot twist. Yup, I totally thought Alice and Lucy were the two different personalities of the same person. I'm not crazy, I swear there were clues EVERYWHERE!

Exhibits A, B, C, D, etc.: (spoiler alert) when Lucy introduces herself to Joseph as Alice, when Alice says Lucy's name and Tom thinks she's introducing herself, when John reveals that he married her in an arranged deal between his mother and her aunt (to keep her out of the loony bin!), when Lucy looks at the two of them together in the window and sees only her own reflection, when Lucy suddenly appears to Alice out of nowhere, also, they both suffer from weird medical quirks (ringing in the ear, shadows in the eyes) and they both have an obsession with certain words, also, the incident with the bracelet, the incident with the clothes .... COME ON!! It actually occurred to me that the author might have been overly obvious about it on purpose, to throw me off the scent. I was so wrong!

Okay. Now that I have that out of the way, here's the thing: Tangerine is, and I hate to use this word, but I'm going to use it: derivative. It smells too much like Rebecca or Notes on a Scandal or Carol or The Paying Guests or Patricia Highsmith or even The Secret History for me to be truly impressed. I know the publisher used that as a selling point, and it definitely caught my attention, but instead of evoking those works Tangerine felt like a ... weird, less satisfying spin-off, or something.

I also, for maybe the first time ever, was very aware that this book was written by a debut author. I'm sorry - I know that's mean to say, but it just felt ... amateur. I really enjoyed the depiction of two complicated, multifaceted women, both as villains and victims, but in this case their voices were way too similar. I think that's partly why I thought they were the same person - there was virtually no distinction between their narrative tones. There is some great imagery, but the tension is almost non-existent. Also, I think this could have been a very successful short story instead of a short-ish novel.

The best scene, in my opinion, is the first one involving the bracelet. I'm sure I stopped breathing. Mangan managed to write something profoundly and intimately unsettling, turning my grasp of the situation completely on its head. If she channeled that talent into something a little less ambitious, if she kept things closer and more tightly bound, we'd have something really amazing to read.

Tangerine on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next #1)

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

4 stars. What a delightful, quirky book.

I'm not even sure where to begin, actually.

First of all, as an English Literature graduate, I got such a kick out of the premise. Not just the premise, really, but the world-building. What a fantastic opportunity to escape into a world in which literature shapes society, in which books are considered priceless cultural heirlooms, in which cults are formed based on theories of authorship and the government dedicates an entire faction to "literary crimes." The Eyre Affair grants my wish to experience a world in which everyone - everyone - is as obsessed with reading as I am. The literary inside jokes are astoundingly funny.

It's also wonderfully British. I could practically hear the accents in the perfectly paced conversations. The English setting lends to the lightheartedness of the story and the charm of the characters. It's mocking but in a loving way and made me homesick for London. I really, really appreciated the author's obvious love for Jane Eyre, and Shakespeare, and Dickens - it's clear that this book (or these books, I haven't read any others in the Thursday Next series), are his love letters to the classics.

It's also a bit difficult to swallow, at first. Perhaps because of my degree, it takes more effort for me to suspend belief without the burden of analysis - somewhere along the way, I've forgotten how to simply sit back, employ full acceptance of what I'm reading, and relax and enjoy the ride. This is a perfect reminder that unique storytelling comes in all weird shapes and bizarre sizes, and even occasionally-cutesy "fluff" can have something meaningful embedded in its pages.

This is not a book to be taken seriously, but it is seriously enjoyable and great. I'm into Thursday Next and will be reading more.

The Eyre Affair on: Amazon | Goodreads

Review: Rosewater

4 stars. Here’s my main point, upfront: this book requires you to just sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s a complicated, futuristic sci-fi with alternating sets of flashbacks and a lot of unknown vocabulary. It’s intimidating, multifaceted and strange, but very imaginative and entertaining.

Full disclosure: I was in the mood for this book. I had just finished both The Cabin at the End of the World and Call Me By Your Name and was done done done with gut punches for awhile. I literally said to someone, “Aliens, aliens, give me your fucking aliens.”

So I went for it. And Tade Thompson WENT FOR IT. And I couldn’t put it down, and I can’t stop thinking about it, and I want more. I surrendered to the crazy and thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns and Thompson’s brilliance.

Stepping back, though, if you’re interested: the title refers to a town in future Nigeria called Rosewater, which surrounds an alien biome that opens once a year and heals people suffering from injury or illness. Our protagonist is Kaaro, a surly yet charming psychic “finder” who uses his abilities to protect a bank from cyber threats and to serve as an agent for a shadowy government agency called S45. Through alternating flashbacks, we follow Kaaro through three separate timelines: the present, during which he navigates and deals with the alien threat, a middle period, during which we learn about his initial work with S45, and an early period, during which we see Kaaro as a young thief trying to survive in the chaotic aftermath of an alien landing on Earth.

Remember when I said it was intimidating and multifaceted?

It’s also full and wonderful. Kaaro makes for a refreshingly unpredictable protagonist, and the supporting characters operate with an exciting amount of agency. The diverse setting proves its worth again and again and while yes - there are unanswered questions at the end - Thompson ties up loose ends nicely.

I have to admit - I loved that America was “dark” (essentially a non-presence) in this book. Good, I’m tired of hearing about America and need a fucking break (and I live there). Elevate other voices, other cultures, other worlds.

I docked a star for the flashback narrative structure, which threw me off more than once. And also because I’m unconvinced Thompson’s portrayal of women is well-rounded, or shall I say, anywhere outside of or beyond a sexual lens. Sure, Kaaro’s a bit of a horndog, but there must be someone even he doesn’t measure immediately based on her appearance or his sexual appetite.

But as I said first: this book is a wild ride and requires a certain commitment to just accepting it and rolling with the punches. I really, really, really loved it. I was inspired by it. I can’t wait to read more of this bizarre, insane, captivating story.

Rosewater on: Amazon | Goodreads

Retro Review: The Historian

When I started this blog, I had been posting reviews on Goodreads for about 6 months. In the interest of having all of my book writing in one place, I will post one of these old reviews every Friday. They weren't written with a blog in mind, so please forgive the lack of summary and off-the-cuff tone.

3 stars. It's odd that the title refers to a single historian; because this book, as it turns out, is about many historians: young, old, ancient, scholarly, accidental, academic, serious, casual, etc. The reader too becomes a historian by default, simply because the story in so many places emulates a textbook or reference guide. Which was actually kind of weird! And unexpected, in a book about vampires.

Anyway, as a whole, this book tells the story of how all these different historians converged together on a monster hunt.

And, in my opinion, it's just okay.

First of all - it's very atmospheric. I loved the descriptions of the libraries and old books and the villages and the hotels and the train rides. Those parts made me feel transported, and ready to quit my desk job for more scholarly pursuits.

But as much as I love epistolary novels, I actually found myself a little confused about the nonlinear structure. It felt like I was trying to keep track of too many parentheticals at once: He ran to the store on a Wednesday (but not a Tuesday [or a Thursday {or a Friday}]). Too many stories within stories within stories! I'm sure if I read it straight through without stopping I would be able to keep better track, but several times in the course of reading I picked up the book and had to remind myself who was narrating.

The writing style reminded me of Arthur Conan Doyle - fans of Sherlock Holmes will certainly love this, and stick with it to the end. It's a mystery with unlikely detectives finding clues in the most basic and tedious ways - through academia. Unfortunately, for me, the emphasis landed on tedious. I almost couldn't get through this, to be honest, and the ending was a little confounding.

More than a little, actually. Was the monster even that monster-y, in the end? Was anybody secretly hoping Rossi would say, "YES - OF COURSE - I will be your scholar and forever be entrusted with the greatest collection of books the world has ever seen!" Sigh. It just didn't seem to fit. Dracula's evil nature was revealed only through descriptions of the way his eyes looked, and the way his voice sounded; not through his actions. Aren't we trained to not judge a book by its cover? I found myself looking for clues into Dracula's secret character, hoping to find out more. Unfortunately, when they finally caught up to him, all the characters found was a man with cold eyes and a raspy voice who didn't really do much of anything.

Bottom Line: I can see why this book was a huge hit for some people. It was only a semi-hit for me, but that doesn't mean I can't truly appreciate it all the same. The author deserves 3 stars for her impressive writing and the thorough amount of research she incorporated into the book.

The Historian on: Amazon | Goodreads