Review of THE BIRTHING TREE by Amanda Peters (New Release)

4 Stars 

This novel, by the author of The Berry Pickers, is rooted in Mi’kmaq culture, specifically birthing trees. Women gave birth outdoors beneath sacred trees which were believed to strengthen the bonds of both mother and newborn to nature, ancestors, and culture.

This is a dual timeline narrative. It opens in 1964 when Aliet Paul is nine years old. She lives with Kiju, her grandmother, because her mother died giving birth to her. We learn about her upbringing; Kiju is focused on teaching her granddaughter about her culture and traditions. In the late 1990s, Aliet, now in her early 40s, is working as a nurse. She receives word that Kiju has died so Aliet returns to her childhood home. She comes to regret not fully listening to and appreciating Kiju’s lessons and sets out to reclaim her past and traditions. In the process she uncovers some family secrets.

I enjoyed learning about Mi’kmaq culture. I had never heard about birthing trees which symbolize maternal strength, the embrace of ancestors, and connection to the land. I loved Aliet’s explanation that “There is no word for goodbye in our language because there is no such thing. You can’t give a name to something that doesn’t exist. For us, we are always walking among the ancestors. We will see each other again someday is always true.”

Highlighted as well are examples of the mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples. Aliet speaks of her grandfather being buried at the edge of a Catholic graveyard: “Catholic enough to be buried there but too Indian to take space from the white folk.” Kiju owns her land on the edge of a village: “We all lived on the edges, a testament to our place in the world. Never at the centre, always on the periphery, easily forgotten, easily ignored.” When there is an attempt to move all of the Indians onto centralized reserves, Aliet comments: “The cruel irony of men in suits and shiny shoes trying to take away the land that had been stolen from us, the same land we bought back from the thieves.” Indigenous people, even children, are treated with suspicion and their traditions are disrespected. Spiritual practices are considered nonsense and superstition, traditional midwifery is considered uncivilized, and garbage is regularly left at the birthing tree.

I do have some issues. Parts of the book are predictable: it is easy, very early on, to guess what Aliet will uncover about her past. What I wondered, however, is when Kenneth learns the truth. He cannot know when he calls her an “orphan half-breed” though later he speaks as if he knew for a long time and justifies his behaviour because he had this knowledge: “’You never had to deal with him, and I was there all the time. . . . And I hated that you escaped it all and I couldn’t.’” I also wondered about a case of sexual assault: people know about a rape, but they take no action against the rapist? William just disappears from the story after serving his purpose?

The most memorable character for me is Kiju. She is a traditional midwife who relies on traditional medicine, teas, and spiritual practices to support mothers and bring children into the world. She is full of wisdom. Her passion for traditional ways is palpable. When hospital births are pushed on women who are drugged during labour, Kiju argues, “’How can you tell your own child their birth story if you can’t remember it yourself? How will they know where they came from, who they came from? . . . And you sleep through the most beautiful . . . And the lights, and the noise, so harsh on the ears of a newborn. And they steal the cord, the birth sac.’” I cheered at Kiju’s reaction to Mrs. Brown at the town hall meeting.

People who enjoyed The Berry Pickers (which is referenced more than once in this novel) will like this one as well. It has much to recommend it.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Review of A QUESTION OF GUILT by Jørn Lier Horst

 3.5 Stars

This is the last book of the Cold Case Quartet featuring William Wisting.

Wisting is on vacation but he receives anonymous notes that soon have him returning to work. The notes direct him to a 1999 case, the killing of a teenager, Tone Vaterland. Her ex-boyfriend Danny Momrak was convicted and sentenced to 17 years in prison. He has since been released. The notes imply that Danny is innocent and the real murderer escaped charges because of an incompetent police investigation. Wisting sets out to find out who sent the notes, and when he realizes that there were gaps in the original investigation, he tries to fill them in. Was Danny wrongfully convicted and is the real killer still free?

The calm and determined Wisting is very much at the centre of the investigation. His intelligence and his attention to detail make all the difference. When he finds lines of inquiry that were not followed up and unanswered questions in the initial investigation, he makes sure nothing is overlooked this time. Even when evidence seems irrefutable, he continues questioning. He is introduced to new forensic techniques and embraces them.

The plot is convoluted as Wisting leaves no stone unturned. There are lines of inquiry that prove to be dead ends, but following them guarantees that in the end there will be no question of the perpetrator’s guilt. There are flashbacks to 1999 and there are some scenes from subsequent years as well as the present; however, I found the plot easy to follow.

Characters from the previous books reappear. I enjoyed Maren Dokken for whom Wisting is a mentor, though she also teaches him some new investigative methods. Adrian Stiller shows up, but he’s less manipulative than in the past. Wisting’s daughter Line is present but not involved in the case; I like this because I found her involvement in previous cases intrusive and unrealistic. Actually there is a minor subplot involving Line and a boyfriend, but I wondered why it was included because it seems pointless.

I enjoyed the descriptions of a region of Norway which my husband and I plan to visit this fall. We will be taking the E18 between Kristiansand and Oslo and will stop at some of the towns along that route mentioned in the novel. I will definitely be thinking of Wisting and these novels as we tour Oslo and environs.

Review of THE TRUTH ABOUT RUBY COOPER by Liz Nugent (New Release)

 3.5 Stars

I really looked forward to reading this novel since I very much enjoyed previous books by the author such as Little Cruelties and Strange Sally Diamond. Unfortunately this one did not resonate with me as much as the others did.

Ruby and her older sister Erin live a comfortable life with their parents, Maureen and Doug, until 1999 when Ruby is sixteen and involved in an incident with Erin’s boyfriend Milo. The family is ripped apart: Ruby’s mother takes her to Dublin but Erin stays with her father in Boston. The novel follows their lives for the next 25 years. Erin struggles with trust issues for years whereas Ruby indulges in self-destructive behaviours. But then it seems that the truth about the incident has not been told. What will be the consequences if that truth is revealed?

The book is being marketed as a psychological suspense novel, but I found it more of a drama about a family fracturing because of choices made and secrets kept. Multiple points of view are presented but the focus is on Ruby and Erin’s perspectives.

Ruby is not a likeable character. Her insecurity and jealousy of her sister is obvious from the beginning: the last sentence of the prologue is “I blame my sister” and the first sentence of the first chapter is “If my sister hadn’t been beautiful, none of it would have happened.” This envy is her motivation throughout. Her behaviour at the beginning may be excusable; she is young and immature and so doesn’t know how to manage her emotions. However, she never matures, always remaining self-centred, as demonstrated by her behaviour towards Jack and her daughter Lucy, and never accepting responsibility, as demonstrated by her justifications for her choices. It’s interesting that Jack repeatedly calls Ruby a liar when he first meets her and that more than one person thinks there’s something wrong with her. What they don’t realize, but the reader knows, is how manipulative she really can be.

I had difficulty accepting the choices made by Ruby and Erin’s mother. I understand her motivation is protecting her child, but she could have prevented so much tragedy. It’s obvious that she feels a lot of guilt; I suspected early on that she was trying to make amends, even though anonymously. Her brief section towards the end does clarify her reasons somewhat and emphasizes the impact of choices made and secrets kept.

I found pacing problematic. Initially I was really interested, but once the truth is revealed a quarter of the way through, I found the book dragged. It felt repetitive and predictable, with no real surprises. The only suspense revolves around what Ruby will do next; it’s like waiting for an inevitable car crash. Then at the end, everything seems wrapped up very quickly. Because the novel spans over 25 years, there’s a lot of telling, rather than showing.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I didn’t find this as compelling as the other novels I’ve read by the author. It is, nonetheless, an interesting book which touches on a number of serious topics such as sexual assault, alcoholism, the damaging power of jealousy, and the lasting impact of secrets and lies.

Here are links to my reviews of other novels by Liz Nugent:

Little Cruelties: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2020/11/review-of-little-cruelties-by-liz.html

Strange Sally Diamond: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2023/07/review-of-strange-sally-diamond-by-liz.html

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Review of THE SUBSTITUTE by Nicole Lundrigan

3.5 Stars 

The psychological suspense novels of Canadian author Nicole Lundrigan have become my go-to books when I’m looking for an audiobook for my morning walks.

This one has chapters which alternate between two perspectives. There’s that of Warren Botts narrated in omniscient third person. He’s a PhD student taking a leave of absence and teaching science in a middle school. The other point of view, in first person, is that of an unnamed and ungendered teenager identified only as Kiddle. When Amanda Fuller, one of Warren’s students, is found dead by hanging in his backyard, suspicion falls on him though the reader may come to suspect Kiddle.

It is the character of Kiddle that I found most interesting. With a lack of empathy, lack of remorse, and antisocial behavior, s/he fits the definition of a psychopath. Cold, speaking of love as a meaningless emotion, and calculating, s/he carefully plans actions. What also stands out is Kiddle’s exceptional intelligence.

Kiddle and Warren share much in common. Both are solitary people. Kiddle often avoids interacting with people, having an attachment only to a sister named Button and a neighbour who treats Kiddle as an intellectual equal. Warren has only one close friend. Both Kiddle and Warren are socially inept. Kiddle blurts out inappropriate comments whereas Warren counts obsessively to calm his anxiety. Both have fractured families: a dead father, a younger sister to whom they are close, and emotionally distant mothers.

Suspense arises from trying to identify Kiddle and figure out whether s/he is connected to Amanda’s death. What is the motivation for her murder, if she was murdered? It is inevitable that the novel’s two plotlines will eventually intersect, but how? The similarities between Kiddle and Warren even suggest that they might be past and present versions of the same person. Of course Kiddle’s identity is revealed in the end, but there are clues throughout. The novel is well-crafted so the clues are subtle, but a discerning reader might accurately guess Kiddle’s identity.

The title is perfect. Warren is a substitute teacher, but there are other substitutions as well. Certainly, the book will leave readers thinking about the impact of childhood experiences and wondering whether there can ever be an adequate replacement for a lost or neglectful parent.

Though rather slow-paced, this is a chilling read appropriate for a hot summer day. Even at the end, there is a lingering unease which will send a chill down one’s spine.

Review of WHISTLER by Ann Patchett

 4 Stars

This is a gentle, comforting read.

During a museum visit, Daphne Fuller reconnects with her former stepfather, Eddie Triplett. They haven’t seen each other for 44 years since she was nine years old and the two of them were involved in a serious car accident. Their reunion has her looking back on her childhood and slowly coming to see people and events with new eyes.

The novel’s chapters focus on Daphne’s perspective but there are four interstitial sections which provide a third-person account of the accident in January of 1980.

The book will leave readers wishing they had Eddie as a stepfather. He is calm, capable, and charming. He is highly respected in his job and popular at social gatherings. He has a wonderful sense of humour. Eddie and Daphne have a strong bond because they both love reading and books and because of the traumatic experience they shared. It’s obvious that Eddie left an indelible mark on Daphne’s life.

One major theme is how children often misunderstand adult relationships. For instance, Daphne has always held herself responsible for the divorce between Eddie and her mother Abigail because they divorced immediately after the accident. Eddie, however, gives her information that makes her see what happened in an entirely different light. In the end, she reaches a conclusion: “I wondered what anyone ever knows about another person’s relationship. . . . I realized the answer was nothing.” And she comes to see how her mother was heroic in dire circumstances that Daphne does not think she herself could have survived.

There are other messages as well: the power of storytelling, how childhood never leaves us, and how even tragedies can have positive consequences. The latter is particularly clear: the illness of Daphne’s biological father brings the two of them together and brings the man who would become her husband into her life. Daphne has always thought of her and her sister Leda’s childhoods as difficult, especially because Abigail seemed largely indifferent to them, but Leda points out, “’We were loved, not passionately but enough, and we were largely ignored, which allowed for our healthy separation from the primary family. Necessity made us resourceful and brave. We were left to solve our own problems and so we did.’”

The picture of the horse on the cover and the book’s title suggest this is an equestrian-centric novel; in fact, I thought it might be like Horse by Geraldine Brooks. The reference is to a story told by Eddie to Daphne the night of the accident about a horse named Whistler who rescues his owner. In the end, the reader will probably think about how Daphne was Eddie’s Whistler in the past, but he is her Whistler in the present. Though in different ways, they do rescue each other.

I’ve liked Ann Patchett’s novels like The Dutch House (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2020/06/review-of-dutch-house-by-ann-patchett.html) and Tom Lake (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2023/11/review-of-tom-lake-by-ann-patchett.html). This one I also enjoyed.

Review of GHOST NOTES by Doug Johnstone

 4 Stars

This is the seventh book in the Skelfs series which follows a multi-generational family of female funeral directors and private investigators.

As in the previous books, chapters alternate among the three women. Dorothy, the matriarch, investigates the grief tech industry. Is there a connection between a man’s death by suicide and the digital avatar of his daughter who died months earlier? Could a bot have encouraged him to commit suicide?

Jenny, Dorothy’s daughter, is asked by a former schoolmate to find out who is attempting to blackmail her. Jenny quickly comes to suspect that Robin is not telling her everything. Things certainly become more complicated when men connected to Robin die in strange circumstances.

Hannah, Jenny’s daughter, is shocked by the unexpected arrival of Yannis, Indy’s ex-boyfriend, whom Indy has never mentioned to her wife. His appearance reveals more about Indy’s past and also brings a threatening menace into their lives.

A visit with these three women is always enjoyable. There is so much to admire about them: they are strong, capable, and compassionate people. What makes them relatable, however, is that they are also flawed. Hannah, for instance, starts to question how well she knows her wife. When she is reminded that she perhaps has misjudged Indy, Hannah feels “shame at her own self-centredness, but she also didn’t want to give up her anger so easily.” Jenny, on the other hand, has engaged in self-destructive behaviours in the past; her tendency to backslide is aggravating since she has a relationship with the wonderful, almost-too-good-to-be-believable Archie.

Also as in the previous books, the theme of connection appears. Dorothy often thinks of “the interconnectedness of things” and tries to bring people together to make connections. Music especially makes her feel “how we’re all connected over millennia.” Hannah echoes this idea in a different way: “Our bodies were made up of elements formed in the furnaces of distance stars at the beginning of the universe.” Even Jenny, during a terramation, reflects that a body “becoming something else in this strange, connected world.”

This, as all the Skelfs books, is eminently readable. The fluid style and short, punchy chapters make for a fast read, and the seamless plotting and engaging characters insure a compelling read. And its message is life-affirming: “People were fucked up” but “despite everything bad in the world, human decency always found a way.”

If you are not already a Skelfaholic, start at the beginning of the series. See my reviews of the books:

A Dark Matter: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2022/12/review-of-dark-matter-by-doug-johnstone.html

The Big Chill:  https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2023/01/review-of-big-chill-by-doug-johnstone.html

The Great Silence: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2023/02/review-of-great-silence-by-doug.html

Black Hearts: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2023/04/review-of-black-hearts-by-doug-johnstone.html

The Opposite of Lonely: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2023/10/review-of-opposite-of-lonely-by-doug.html

Living is a Problem: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2024/09/review-of-living-is-problem-by-doug.html

Review of ASHA IN HER GARDEN by Anita Rau Badami (New Release)

4 Stars 

I’ve read all of Anita Rau Badami’s novels (Tamarind Mem, The Hero’s Walk, Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? and Tell it to the Trees) and have enjoyed them all. Asha in Her Garden, the latest, after a 15-year hiatus, is no exception.

The novel begins with seventy-year-old Asha Mohan witnessing the cutting down of an old maple tree in her Montreal back yard. This tree shaded her beloved garden, her sanctuary since she and her husband Suresh bought the house after moving from India decades earlier. The tree’s removal serves as an impetus for Asha’s examining her life, all the way back to her childhood in Bangalore, its joys and sorrows, and her relationships with her family. She wonders if she can change those things she doesn’t like. Can she reconfigure her life just as the removal of the tree reconfigures her garden?

It is the character of Asha that is central to the book. She is a complex, authentic character. She is what would be termed “a force to be reckoned with.” From an early age, she decides “She would be loud and demanding, a force in a world where noisy and pushy and forceful equalled success.” And she is certainly successful in her career. Her son Dilip thinks of his mother as indomitable, noisy, and strong. Suresh fell in love with “her independent nature, her sharp mind, her strength and willingness to take chances.”

But we also see Asha’s flaws. She is a proud person who angers easily. Added to these is her inability to apologize. Suresh comments, “That was her problem. She could not bring herself to admit she was wrong.” As one would expect, these traits affect her relationships with her family, especially Suresh, Dilip, and her cousin Meru. Asha herself also comes to realize that her desire to be independent caused her to make some poor choices: “Now she resented everyone in her family because she had made the wrong choices – she knew it was unfair of her, but she could not stop being angry.” There is no doubt that she loves her family, but she is also often annoyed by them. All of this makes her relatable.

There are several themes. One is a lesson Asha is taught by her uncle: “’What you see . . . or hear . . . is usually not the true nature of a thing.’” She seems to learn this lesson, later commenting, “How you describe a thing depends on how you look at it, and there were as many ways of looking at a thing as there were leaves on a tree.”

What remains with me is the comments about life. Life is not easy. At times it can feel, like Asha’s garden, a ruined landscape, but at other times, “like her perennials which went down every year and then burgeoned back,” life brings joys. When faced with death, Asha decides, “Life was amazing. It was magic. It was this tiny seed of hope, converted into all manner of things.” Change is inevitable, but even when it seems undesirable it can be positive. For example, the cutting of the tree brings “a vast openness” full of potential. Life is all about “The keeping, the letting go. Breathing in and breathing out. You do these things to live when you have breath, and when your life is done, you let go.”

I enjoyed this novel. It’s beautifully written with many descriptions of flowers and trees which serve as metaphors for Asha’s life. And its comments about life are as relatable as is the character of the flawed but admirable Asha.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.