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.

Review of THE INNER DARKNESS by Jørn Lier Horst

 3.5 Stars

This is the third book of the Nordic noir series the Cold Case Quartet featuring William Wisting.

A serial killer, Tom Kerr, has agreed to reveal the resting place of his last victim. During the site visit, however, Kerr escapes. The police have long suspected that Kerr had an unknown accomplice whom they have dubbed as the Other One. Now it seems this collaborator has helped Kerr to escape. Both Kerr and the Other One are considered evil, possessing an inner darkness defined as “’an urge to inflict pain on other human beings.’” Wisting and his team are determined to recapture Kerr and also identify and capture the Other One. But can they do so before there are other victims?

As always, Wisting is likeable. He is intelligent, kind, calm, determined and principled. What bothered me however, is his willingness to accept blame when Kerr escapes. He acknowledges often having a sense of inadequacy, but this time he feels “an uncontrollable, relentless sense of guilt.” The operation may not have been perfectly executed, but Adrian Stiller, I think, is much more to blame. Wisting is used as a scapegoat. He even acknowledges Stiller’s being blinded by ambition: “The fact that the site visit had culminated in an escape seemed like an alternative Stiller had envisaged and planned for.” Yet Wisting never points out Stiller’s culpability.

Stiller has appeared in the previous two books in the series and, again, I find him problematic. He is described as “a meticulous investigator” but Line admits that she finds him unreliable because “he always harboured an ulterior motive in everything he did.” He’s an ambitious man who keeps his agenda hidden from others. Then when things go wrong, he seems willing to let others take the fall. He does redeem himself a bit towards the end, but I suspect he will show up unchanged in the next book.

Wisting’s daughter Line is once again heavily involved. She videotapes the site visit operation for the police with the promise that she will later be able to use the footage in a planned documentary. Then she pushes herself further into the case, weakly arguing that “’I was there when Tom Kerr did a runner. I still have a sore head from the explosion. I can’t just wait until it’s over. I won’t be able to rest until he’s safely back in jail.’” It’s irritating how much she leaves her daughter in the care of others. And it’s inevitable that she will get herself into a dangerous situation from which her father must rescue her.

I did find the plot somewhat predictable. I guessed the identity of the Other One early on. It’s almost too obvious. Then the psychiatrist’s description of the Other One as “’a person who has created the illusion of altruism and modesty, someone expert at concealing his egotistical and egocentric motives and who appears for all the world to be honest, good-natured and even noble’” cinched it for me.

There is another description that caught my attention: “The abuse of authority, subjugation and control, and domination of the will of others provided evil with fertile soil in which to flourish, and at the same time both blind obedience and uncritical loyalty to absolute rules were what could transform peaceful democracies into fascist dictatorships.” Did the author have a particular country in mind?

With its short chapters, the novel is a quick read. It starts slowly but picks up pace, and tension increases as the element of danger increases for several people. It’s perfect for an entertaining summer read.

Review of FREYJA by Margrét Ann Thors (New Release)

 3.5 Stars

This psychological suspense novel is set in Iceland.

In 2018 Unnur is a single mother to seven-year-old Lilja. She lives a quiet life in Reykjavík, but she is haunted by what happened when she was eleven years old and living in the remote Dark Valley. There she befriended Freyja who mysteriously vanished one night. Unnur has only fragments of memories of what happened that night so she worries that she might have been somehow responsible for Freyja’s disappearance.

When Unnur’s ex-husband returns to Iceland, he is accompanied by a new girlfriend Lóa who seems to know a lot about Unnur’s past. Lóa is a detective who opens a cold case investigation into Freyja’s disappearance so Unnur is desperate to recover her memories of what happened almost three decades earlier. If she is implicated in Freyja’s presumed death, Lilja would be taken from her.

The chapters alternate between the past (1990-1991) set in southern Iceland and the present (2028) set in both Reykjavík and Dark Valley. Unnur is the narrator, but, as she admits, she is an unreliable one because of her broken memories. Also there is much she did not understand when she was a pre-teen.

Unnur’s love for Lilja is her outstanding trait; she will do anything to keep her daughter safe. There are times, however, where her behaviour is rather strange. She commits a crime to take back a possession that means a great deal to her. Considering the nature of the crime, it’s impossible that her guilt will not be discovered. And if this item means so much to her, why didn’t she get it earlier? She had ample time and could easily have acquired it without committing a crime. (And how did the thief who stole this item know about its importance to Unnur?) Why doesn’t Unnur tell Geir the truth when he’s so open to hearing her story? Instead she confides in Pétur, a man she’s just met? She leaves her key in her car and doesn’t shut the door?

The behaviour of the villain is far-fetched. I’ve heard about playing the long game, but the amount of patience and strategic planning required are unbelievable. Naming a child after a hated person makes no sense. And Nói’s obliviousness seems extreme.

The plot relies too much on coincidence. A novel based on Freyja’s story has just been published, a journalist becomes interested in the case, and Lóa returns to Iceland, all at virtually the same time. Then there’s the timing of the meeting between Elias and Palli. The revelations are timed just too perfectly. Unnur strokes the image on a photo and her memories return?

The novel examines memory and how unreliable it can be. Certainly memories of traumatic events can be buried so Unnur’s fragmented memories make sense. However, her having no memory whatsoever of one person seems strange, especially because she does remember a visit to the church in Dark Valley.

I fell in love with Iceland when I visited a few years ago, so I loved the descriptions of the setting. Of course, when I read about the black sand beach of Dark Valley, I pictured Reynisfjara with its cave, basalt columns, sea stacks, and the dangerous sneaker waves.

This book has some typical weaknesses of a debut novel, but it is entertaining nonetheless. I will be on the lookout for the author’s next offering.

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

Review of SEND FOR ME by Lauren Fox

 3 Stars

This book is historical fiction but based on the author’s family letters.

Klara and Julius own a bakery in Feldenheim, Germany. They have a daughter Annelise who, as a young girl, yearns for more than working with her parents in the family business. Eventually she marries Walter and they have a daughter, Ruth. In 1938, Annelise, Walter, and Ruth leave for the U.S. amidst rising anti-Semitism. They settle in Milwaukee and try to arrange for Klara and Julius to join them. After Annelise’s death, her granddaughter Clare finds a cache of letters from Klara to Annelise.

The narrative weaves between the perspectives of Annelise and Clare, interspersed with excerpts from Klara’s letters. Briefly the points of view of Julius, Walter, and other secondary characters are also given. There is little plot, but the reader does see Annelise growing up and then building a new life in the U.S. Then there’s Clare; we see her in her late twenties as she finds it difficult to be far from her childhood home though she is in a relationship with Matthew, a graduate student who will be returning to London in a few months.

I enjoyed the first part of the novel focusing on life in Germany, but as the plot became more fragmented, I lost interest. Much is vague, left unexplained, so I found myself disconnected from the story. Some things that are included seem purposeless. What, for instance, is the purpose of the attraction between Annelise and her husband’s best friend?

I found the characters lacklustre. Clare, for instance, strikes me as whiny young woman waiting for a man. Annelise is also a problem for me. She mentions missing her parents, especially her mother, but she doesn’t seem to worry about what is happening in Germany. She focuses on her new life and suffers anguish about the possessions she had to leave behind. There is a sense of detachment to her; perhaps she distances herself emotionally from what is happening in her home country, but I ended up feeling detached from her.

It is Klara’s letters which I found most interesting – and heartbreaking. Her anguish over the loss of her daughter and granddaughter is palpable. Klara is desperate to be reunited with them. She doesn’t describe conditions in Germany, at least not in any detail, but her obvious anxiety, even if we are given only one sentence, says more than is needed.

The novel is about the legacy of family separation. We see the pain passed down among women of four generations. Clare, the fourth generation, says it’s impossible for her to move far away from her parents; even a few days away is traumatic. She tells Matthew that she can’t leave her parents, that is just not done: “He could never really understand the primordial soup from which she had emerged. She was obligation and reparation, rupture and remedy.”

The prose is beautiful but the fragmented and vague plotline, the colourless characters, and the abrupt ending left me unsatisfied. The entire book just felt flat. I appreciate the theme, but found that it is not developed in an interesting way.

Review of GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER by Shari Lapena (New Release)

3.5 Stars 

This is another domestic suspense novel by an author considered by many to be a master of the genre.

Jill and Ted Westcott love their luxury Brooklyn Heights brownstone the way other people love their children. It’s their sanctuary which they’ve expensively renovated and decorated to reflect their tastes. Unfortunately they cannot continue their lifestyle because Ted’s inheritance has run out and he has made some ruinous investments. Since losing the house is unthinkable for them, they decide to murder Ted’s brother Greg from whom they will inherit millions. With the killing disguised as a tragic accident, they believe they can get away with murder.

The novel made me think of Macbeth because both the novel and Shakespeare’s play focus on the aftermath of a murder and its effect on the perpetrators. (Jill even compares herself to Lady Macbeth at one point.) Jill and Ted believe they can escape any consequences as long as they didn’t make any mistakes, as long as they can trust each other, and as long as there are no surprises. Of course, not all goes as planned because they begin to receive blackmail text messages indicating someone else knows what they did.

Soon after these texts arrive, paranoia sets in. Who could possibly know what they did? They begin to suspect the blackmailer could be someone they know so friendships and relationships are impacted. They start to realize that others are ultimately unknowable. Could others be jealous of their good fortune? And, in fact, how solid is their marriage: can they really trust each other to not make self-interest a priority?

As I suspect most readers will, I identified the blackmailer quickly. There are really limited options so it’s quite obvious who is connected. In fact, I think the author expects us to correctly guess. Ted and Jill, however, panic and suspect everyone. Their choices end up making their situation worse by inadvertently revealing their guilt to others. It’s impossible not to laugh at some of their ridiculous decisions – until the consequences become serious.

It would be difficult to find a more unsympathetic couple than Ted and Jill. They are cold and heartless and morally corrupt. They don’t experience guilt at what they did; they are just paranoid that they will be caught and so are willing to do whatever is necessary to prevent that. They are wealthy and privileged but greedy, insisting on holding on to the brownstone, their prized possession, regardless of the consequences to others. And they are so willing to see themselves as victims; Ted complains that he doesn’t deserve what is happening to him because “He’d always been a good person, and Greg had it coming. It’s not Ted’s fault that Greg was such a bastard and that he left him all that money.”

I really enjoyed reading about how Jill and Ted’s perceptions of themselves and each other change. Ted, for instance, decides that “He’s not a soft, effete product of privilege. He’s much more than that. He has been tested, and he has found a way to survive.” He acknowledges that he is greedy and ruthless and has a chip on his shoulder. When things go wrong, he starts to become critical of Jill; he thinks she is not being as grateful and supportive as she should be. He even calls her a shrew and thinks that she is still beautiful but “perhaps not quite as beautiful as before.”

I found the ending underwhelming; I wanted more. However, given the repeated comments about the consequences of the wealthy behaving despicably, the ending is appropriate. The book is a brisk, entertaining read, perfect for the summer.

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

Review of AN UNTHINKABLE THING by Nicole Lundrigan

 3.5 Stars

I prefer my audiobooks to be escapist, and this one fit the bill.

Beginning in 1958, the story is narrated by 11-year-old Tommie Ware. Aunt Celia, the woman who raised him, is murdered by a serial killer. Tommie is forced to move in with his mother Esther, a live-in housekeeper for the prominent Henneberry family. Hers is not a glamorous existence: she lives in a very small room and is at the family’s beck and call. The family has agreed to allow Tommie to stay for the summer until Esther can make other arrangements.

Tommie soon finds himself enmeshed with the Henneberry family: Muriel, the heavily medicated matriarch, expects him to indulge her whims; 15-year-old Martin, a bully and budding psychopath, uses him as a pawn in his despicable games; and Raymond, a philanderer, is just eager to have Tommie gone. And then there are the unsettling encounters with the neighbour, Mrs. Grimshaw, who seems to know a lot about the family though her mental health issues make her an unreliable witness.

Interspersed with Tommie’s narrative are news clips about and actual testimony from Tommie’s trial. Near the end of his summer stay with them, he is charged with the murder of the entire Henneberry family. I never believed Tommie to be guilty though many consider him a logical suspect. There is a definite contrast between the Tommie the reader gets to know and the one portrayed in court.

The Henneberrys are not likeable. They are a rich family behaving very badly, but their wealth gives them power and protects them so they are seen as pillars of the community. In actuality, however, one must search carefully to find a redeemable trait in any of them. Because we learn her backstory, Muriel does perhaps gain some sympathy, but her feelings of superiority and treatment of others overshadow any positive feelings a reader might have. Dr. Henneberry is an unfaithful husband who teaches his son that all women are “asking for it.” And Martin, with his overdeveloped sense of entitlement, has learned that lesson well.

Tommie is a foil for the Henneberry family members. He is sweet and innocent. Though he senses that there is something wrong with the behaviour of all of them, he doesn’t know how to express his misgivings. He wants to do the right thing, but often finds himself unable to react appropriately. He’s the character for whom it is impossible not to have sympathy because he has to come to terms with the death of his beloved aunt and has his entire life uprooted.

The title is perfect. Many unthinkable things happen, atrocious acts that almost defy description. But then there’s the epilogue where a much older Thomas reveals a secret!

Parts of the plot are predictable and the pace is slow in places, but I found the book an entertaining companion on morning walks.

Review of UNDER THE BLAZING SUN by Jenny Lund Madsen

 3 Stars

I had the same issues with this novel as I did with the first book in the series, Thirty Days of Darkness (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2023/07/review-of-thirty-days-of-darkness-by.html).

Hannah Krause-Bendix is sent by her editor to a luxurious villa in Sicily. His hope is that she will write a second crime novel that will be as successful as her first. Shortly after arrival, however, Hannah finds herself involved in a murder case. Against police orders, she begins her own investigation. (The premise is the same as in Thirty Days of Darkness in which Hannah is sent to Iceland to write.)

I find Hannah to be very unlikeable. Her arrogance becomes tiresome and annoying. She is constantly whining and wallowing in self-pity. To say she is condescending is almost an understatement: she thinks herself everyone’s superior. She even thinks of herself as a writer of high-quality literature though she is best known for writing romances. She is not a skilled investigator; she herself mentions that she stumbles upon evidence. Is she intended as a spoof of an amateur detective: an over-the-top, self-important character with no investigative skills? I kept thinking I should be amused by her but I wasn’t. She has a serious drinking problem, and I find it difficult to laugh at that.

As in Thirty Days of Darkness, there is an over-reliance on the tired clichés of crime fiction. Of course the police are incompetent and rush to conclusions. And because the novel is set in Sicily, the Mafia must make an appearance. If the book is poking fun at the tropes of crime novels, I guess it works.

The reader is certainly required to suspend disbelief. Hannah has a lot of lucky breaks: a screwdriver is found in an unlikely spot but at the most convenient time. And, again as in Thirty Days of Darkness, serious physical injuries don’t impede the injured? Then there are the inconsistencies: police tell Hannah not to involve herself in the murder case, but they let her speak to the victim’s husband at the police station? One minute Hannah suggests Lucette can talk some sense into someone because she knows him, but then minutes later Hannah suggests she herself knows him and so might be able to talk some sense into him? She stuffs a taser into her waistband but then drops it when she sees something shocking?

The most entertaining parts are the exchanges between Hannah and Jørn Jensen. In these sections, the humour shines; otherwise, I didn’t find the book funny. And as crime fiction, I found the book superficial and contrived with little tension. This book is second in the series, entitled Murder by the Book, a series marketed as a mystery series, and the award nominations for the first book are for crime fiction. So, again, I’m confused as to how I should read this book – comedy or crime fiction?

As I’ve mentioned many times before in my reviews, I have difficulty appreciating humour in written form. My rating, therefore, is intended to show that I recognize that it may not be the book that is deficient but this particular reader.

Review of IN WONDERLAND by Joyce Maynard (New Release)

3.5 Stars 

This is a coming-of-age story set in 1986 in Maine.

Fourteen-year-old Frances is hired by Regina and Forrest Emerson to be a mother’s helper for the summer at their lakefront home named Wonderland. She has to help look after 12-year-old Hayward and 6-year-old Jilly but her responsibilities are not that taxing. She finds many benefits that she doesn’t have in her home. She is given a shiny new bike and eventually gets tennis lessons at the country club. Best of all, she is able to spend time with Forrest, her father’s charismatic friend.

As expected, Wonderland proves not to be the paradise it initially seems. Frances witnesses the intimate lives and secrets of adults who prove not to be as reliable as she thought. As indicated by the prologue, the summer ends with a death that shatters the family. The book focuses on the events of the summer leading up to this death.

Frances is the narrator so the reader sees everyone and every event from her perspective. Obviously her reliability as a narrator comes into play. She is desperate for attention, something she does not get from her own parents who are focused on their contentious relationship. Because Forrest shows her some attention, she develops a crush on him. When Forrest’s attentions turn elsewhere, Frances’ loyalty shifts to Regina who takes an interest in her. The problem, as she realizes later, is that she is naive and too involved in her own situation to fully understand anyone else’s.

Frances is a very believable teenager. She is very conscious of her body; she is troubled that she has not yet developed breasts and has not started to menstruate. Most of the time she feels invisible and she desperately wants to be noticed and to feel important; this desire is her major motivation. She’s an insecure outsider who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere. She is interested in sex, but knows very little about it.

By the end of the summer, Frances learns a great deal. She learns to play tennis and she learns about the physical aspects of sex. She comes to appreciate her father’s brutal honesty which contrasts with Forrest’s ability to lie easily. Hayward annoys her throughout, but in the end she recognizes that he is not that different from her. And, of course, she learns a lot about adults, including how they have secrets and may behave less than honourably. Her feelings for Forrest change; she finds she can still love a version of him but she doesn’t like or respect him.

As I read, I developed an intense dislike for Forrest. It’s obvious that he is charming and most people find him irresistible, but I found his behaviour disturbing. When Frances first arrives, he pays her a lot of attention, almost as if he is grooming her. Even if his intentions are innocent, a 37-year-old man should be more aware of how his actions might affect a teenager. He even makes her promises which he doesn’t keep. When Brenda comes along, Frances sees another side to Forrest: he’s a liar and serial adulterer. Frances’ father Hank is Forrest’s best friend so presumably he knows about his activities. So I kept wondering why would Hank entrust his daughter to such a man?

I did have some issues with the novel. It’s a slow burn with needless repetition. The chapters are short, but some just seem unnecessary. At the end there are elements I found problematic. Who saves a fake suicide note on their computer? And the courtroom scenes and verdict are unconvincing. Why, for instance, is Frances allowed to hear the testimony of others before she herself takes the stand? Prospective witnesses remain outside the courtroom until they are called to testify to ensure they do not alter or tailor their own evidence based on what they hear.

The best aspect of this novel is its portrayal of the interior life of a teenaged girl. Frances’ choices and behaviour are not always admirable, but perfectly understandable.

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

Review of CONVICTION by Elizabeth H. Winthrop (New Release)

 3.5 Stars

This novel made me think of the conflict between passion and reason and even reminded me of Romeo and Juliet and their rash decisions.

After 9/11, Maggie, raised a “Christian atheist,” converts to Islam. In 2012, she leaves Maine to live in New York City where she gets a job at a bakery owned by a Kurdish man named Sirvan. There she meets and falls in love with Sirvan’s son Ahmet. Angered by what he sees happening in Syria, Ahmet leaves to join a new rebel group emerging there, believing that ISIS will create a Muslim utopia. Without telling anyone beforehand, Maggie joins Ahmet in 2015. Once in Syria, she slowly comes to realize the magnitude of her error when she sees the brutality of ISIS.

The novel gives two perspectives: that of Maggie and that of Ann, her mother left behind in Maine. When she learns that Maggie has left for Syria, Ann grieves the loss of her daughter, worries about Maggie’s welfare, and is also confused, constantly wondering “just how it happened, how her daughter got from here to there, from Maine to Syria, from baking cakes to slinging guns across her back.” There are also snippets of the life of Noor and her family. Noor is a midwife in Syria forced to assist in delivering ISIS babies. From the beginning, the question is whether Maggie’s story and that of Noor will intersect

Maggie’s character is a key element in the novel. Her father describes her as possessing strong ideals and a will of steel. She becomes obsessed with what is happening in Syria; in fact, her father “wishes she would moderate; fixating isn’t going to do anyone any good.” She is horrified not only by Assad’s atrocities but is also angered by the treatment of Muslims in her own country and “always eager to expand her catalogue of atrocities wrought by US foreign policy.” Her desire to help is certainly understandable.

What is less easy to understand is her naivety. She allows her passion to overcome her reason; she really has no idea what awaits her in Syria. By going there, she knows she will be considered a terrorist by her own country, yet she never questions why ISIS might have been designated a terrorist group. I know that I’m reading the novel in 2026 when much more is known about ISIS, but she fully understands that she is going to a war zone and that she won’t be able to return to the US. Sirvan even warns Maggie about his son: “’Ahmet sometimes lets his passions get him into trouble. I would say to you, don’t you let your passions get you into trouble too. . . . His passion is infectious, but he can be headstrong.’”

Maggie’s love for Ahmet is a reason for her decision to join him in Syria, but their relationship is not fully developed. All they have in common is their faith and their horror at what is happening to fellow Muslims. I wanted to see more of their relationship to explain how their love and connection motivated her actions. Once she arrives in Syria, she acknowledges that there is a hard side to Ahmet, one “more myopic and determined than it was before, less tempered by the spirituality that used to balance that determination out.” Clearly she didn’t know him that well or chose not to see him clearly because the reader can certainly see, even before he leaves the US, how narrow are his views and how provocative and uncompromising he can be. Because Ahmet is Maggie’s first love, perhaps her behaviour is more understandable, but her extreme choices are difficult to accept and require some suspension of disbelief.

The novel examines idealism and the risks of its unforeseen consequences when coupled with naivety. Readers should be warned that parts of the novel are difficult to read because the actions of ISIS are described in some detail: hangings, crucifixions, beheadings, suicide bombings, and rape.

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

Review of THE SINS OF SUMMER DAUGHTERS by Lo Patrick (New Release)

 3 Stars

This is a mystery with some elements of Southern Gothic, especially its use of a key trope: the oppressive presence of the past.

After her divorce, Meg Gregory returned to Tuskin, a small town in Georgia, bringing her daughter Nina with her. Now, years later, Meg is 64 and her 15-year-old granddaughter Lucy is implicated in the murder of her boyfriend. While determined to prove Lucy’s innocence, Meg is haunted by memories of what happened when she was a teenager. There are a lot of parallels between Lucy’s circumstances and her own, including the suspicious death of a friend, an event which lead to Meg’s fleeing Tuskin for years. Is Lucy innocent? Is Meg?

There’s a dual timeline. Chapters alternate between the present (2024) and 1973. The latter chapters reveal Meg’s past which she has tried hard to forget. Since Meg is the narrator, the inevitable question of her reliability comes into play. She hallucinates sounds and, more than once, confuses what is happening to Lucy with what happened in the past when she was a teenager. It’s obvious that Meg has never recovered from the trauma of what happened. Is she clinging to a version of what happened that helps her cope but a version that is incomplete?

The pace is slow. Much of the focus is on Meg’s state of mind as she grapples with Lucy’s situation and her own trauma. Everything that happens to Lucy leads Meg to compare with what happened to her and how she feels. I understand that this reaction is a trauma response, but it lessens tension in the present.

I did not find Meg a likeable character. Some of her behaviour is just strange. For instance, she rushes to the police station wearing her nightgown and bathrobe even though she could take a few minutes to dress. Later she goes out wearing only one boot? Because of her constant self-reflections, she comes across as self-centred; even Nina accuses her mother of always making everything about herself, though, again, her pre-occupation is understandable. Her most perceptive comment is “I needed to get my head out of the past where it like to sit, on a post, removed from my neck so that it could defy all logic.”

None of the other characters feel developed. Nina, for example, remains a vague presence whose typical response is avoidance. The perspective of other characters would have been beneficial. For instance, I would have liked to be given Lucy’s point of view. Since she barely speaks, it’s impossible to understand the reasons for her choices. Is she really like Meg was?

A major theme is that the past never leaves us. Meg’s past is certainly ever-present. She even comments, “There is no accounting for the past and its incensed determination to penetrate the roots of everything that’s planted after it.” Meg’s relationship with Nina is obviously shaped by Meg’s relationship with her own mother, a stripper who believed “men made all the difference.” Meg does question whether her silence about what happened in the past was a good idea: perhaps if Lucy had known what happened to her grandmother, she would have acted differently.

This book is 400 pages long, but there are a lot of holes. For instance, the role of the Great Dane man is never fully explained, and his re-appearance just raises questions. Meg’s vision at the end is an interesting twist, which confirms her unreliability, though it really shouldn’t come as a total shock. However many readers will undoubtedly crave more clarity.

There are some clever turns of phrase: When Meg blurts out something surprising, she thinks, “This popped out of my mouth like bulge over a pants waist – one day it’s there and you can’t put it back.” And a rain is described as “a pitiful, slow drizzle that there was no good windshield-wiper setting for.” On the whole, however, I found the book a bit of a slog. Being in Meg’s mind so relentlessly is not always pleasant, and in the end there seems little payoff.

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

Review of THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY by Elizabeth Strout

 4 Stars

This is classic Strout – a character-driven novel, focused on an ordinary life, with psychological depth.

Fifty-seven-year-old Artie Dam has a comfortable life. A beloved and celebrated high school history teacher, he has had a long and stable marriage with Evie. His son Rob is successful. And Artie loves sailing which he is able to do regularly on his sailboat. Artie should be happy and outwardly he seems so, but he’s actually not; he is secretly struggling, suffering from what he describes as “an accretion of loneliness,” a feeling which he doesn’t feel he can share with anyone. Then a long-held secret is revealed, and it leaves him feeling even more isolated and questioning what he has believed about the people closest to him.

Artie is as memorable a character as Strout’s Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton. His personality shines when he is in the classroom; he is a kind and compassionate teacher who really cares about his students. Remembering a teacher who made a difference in his life, he sets out to do the same for students in his classes. His early life was not easy since he experienced traumatic events involving his mother, sister and son. In the present, he is finds himself increasingly disconnected from Evie, and the departure of a good friend leaves him feeling lonely. And the state of the world has him feeling anxious.

The novel is set before and after the 2024 presidential election in the U.S. The country is fractured and so is Artie’s world. The public situation mirrors Artie’s private one. He has lost his ability to appreciate the good and the beautiful. One day on his sailboat, he admits that it is “a beautiful world” and what he sees is “quietly magnificent,” but it leaves him unmoved: “whatever exaltation was available to my heart is available no more.” He believes “His country was committing suicide,” and he himself experiences suicidal ideation.

The title certainly hints at the theme. Artie comes to realize that “It was a private thing, to be alive.” Everyone holds “within themselves a vast, unknowable universe.” At the beginning of the novel, Strout quotes Carl Jung that loneliness comes from “being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself” and Artie expresses the same idea. He asks Evie why people never say anything real, but later explains that “to say anything real was to say things that nobody wanted to know. Or if they wanted to know, they would not care in the right way. Or even understand.” People lie to each other, even if only by omission, so “everything in the world seemed to him to be filled with unspoken truths.”

The consequence, of course, is that people do not really know each other: “All the things in the world that people did not know about one another. Even those very close to them” like Rob whom Artie feels has become “a person who remained deeply inside himself.” The omniscient narrator comments that “mostly we travel through life unsighted, grasping only the smallest details of one another’s selves, including our own. Thinking all the while that we can see.”

I loved the book though it is rather melancholic, and reading it is emotionally draining. Nonetheless, I recommend it for its psychological insight. Teachers in particular will identify with Artie’s classroom experiences.

Review of STOP DEAD by Katrín Júlíusdóttir

 4 Stars

This is the second in the Iceland Mysteries series, set three years after Dead Sweet which I reviewed in 2024 (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2024/02/review-of-dead-sweet-by-katrin.html).

Sigurdís has just finished studying forensic psychology in Florida when she receives a phone call informing her that the death of her father Agnar, an apparent suicide, is being re-investigated. She returns to Iceland to be with her family. Though she cannot be involved in Agnar’s case, she is drawn into another one, that of the murder of Olga Einarsdóttir, a ruthlessly ambitious journalist. As Sigurdís investigates, she learns that Olga was disliked by virtually everyone, so there is no shortage of suspects.

The character of the likeable Sigurdís is one major appeal of the book. Her intelligence and determination stand out; even when the case seems to be going nowhere, she doesn’t give up. Her childhood was not easy since Agnar was abusive, but she is now attending therapy sessions to help herself. She remains close to her younger brother and her aunt Halla who rescued the siblings from the dysfunctional family home. She has matured as a detective; she admits that she has learned from her past mistakes when she “followed her hunches without bothering to give her colleagues much idea of what she was doing.”

In my review of Dead Sweet, I predicted that a romance would develop between Sigurdís and Unnar, and I was happy to be proven correct. I knew that the American boyfriend wouldn’t stand a chance once Sigurdís returned to Iceland. The complication, however, is that Unnar is now Sigurdís’s supervisor, even if only temporarily.

This is a fast-paced breezy read. It is very cleverly plotted with a good smattering of both clues and red herrings. These keep readers engaged as they form their own theories. Brief passages featuring Olga’s past and the viewpoint of a “bad guy” are interesting additions. Tension ramps up over time. We learn, for instance, that Sigurdís is being followed and may be in danger.

The case is solved at the end, but the closing is also somewhat open-ended. The last sentence, before the epilogue, certainly grabs attention. And then there’s the unknown: what will Sigurdís’s mother say in the radio interview about Agnar’s death? I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Review of MURDER TAKES A VACATION by Laura Lippman

 2 Stars

This audiobook accompanied me on my morning walks, but it was not the most entertaining of companions.

Murial Blossom is going on vacation to Europe after winning a lottery. Allan Turner, a charismatic, handsome stranger, befriends her at the airport and even spends a day in London with her before she leaves for Paris where she is taking a cruise on the Seine. In Paris she meets another man, Danny Johnson, who is equally attentive. Murial is surprised when Danny ends up on her cruise and shocked when she learns that Allan died from a fall from his hotel balcony. Strange things begin to happen: Muriel suspects she is being followed, her room is searched, and a man attempts to steal her purse. What is going on?

My problem with the book is the protagonist. Murial is 68 years old and she had done surveillance for a private detective, yet she is incredibly gullible, trusting, and even helpless. She is such a poor judge of character; she accepts whatever people tell her. She takes a sleep aid from a stranger? She lets a stranger watch her while she falls asleep? She never questions suspicious behaviour? And when it comes to men, she behaves like a teenager. Men (Allan, Danny, Paul) seem to flock to her and then she turns into a giddy ninny. She mocks her friend Elinor’s flirtations, yet she herself seems to need male attention, wondering whether each man she meets could possibly be interested in her romantically.

In the Author’s Note at the end, Lippman mentions that Mrs. Blossom is a minor character introduced in the Tess Monaghan series. Readers accused the author of being anti-fat in her depiction so she decided to have Mrs. Blossom as her plus-sized protagonist. I think we are supposed to believe that Mrs. Blossom is comfortable with her size, but that does not seem to be the case. She refers to her size over and over and over again. She even lets a guide intimidate her into not going on a tour because she is self-conscious. This is not what I would call a body-positive portrayal.

There is an attempt to show that Mrs. Blossom attains some self-knowledge: she experienced great love with her husband and has other kinds of love in her life, so she doesn’t need a romance with a man to make her complete. She decides to focus on finding a purpose for her life and doing the things that give her happiness. However, this change comes unconvincingly quickly.

The mystery, revolving around a stolen statue, is lacklustre. The whole thing just seems trivial. And it’s so obvious who is involved in the caper! The fact that Mrs. Blossom doesn’t see what is so patently obvious just adds to the impression that she is naive, if not stupid.

If this is the first of a new series, I will not be continuing. The protagonist is annoying and does not behave in a credible manner, the pace is slow, tension is lacking, and the plot is predictable.

Review of THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman

 3.5 Stars

I’m a latecomer to this cozy mystery series which has had many rave reviews.

The novel is set at Coopers Chase, a British retirement village. Four residents (Elizabeth, Ron, Joyce, and Ibrahim) meet to discuss unsolved cases but become involved in investigating an actual murder, that of a property developer. And then there’s a second murder.

It is the characterization of the four septuagenarians that stands out. Each is well-developed and differentiated. They bring diverse skills to the group. Elizabeth Best is the ring leader as befits her past life as some sort of spy; she is clever and cunning, able to slyly manipulate people to her wishes, and she has a large network of useful resources. Ron was a union activist and he tends to be argumentative.  Ibrahim, a retired psychiatrist, is the calming influence; Ron’s foil, Ibrahim is quiet and restrained. Joyce, a former nurse, is a bit of a chatterbox who is always seeking male companionship, but her diary entries show that people underestimate her intelligence.

The club members charm PC Donna De Freitas and her boss, DCI Chris Hudson, into becoming police sources. I liked both characters but had to suspend disbelief with their part of the plot. There’s no way that the police would share their findings as they do. And the group always tends to be one step ahead of the police?!

The book mentions some of the challenges of growing old, such as mortality, grief, isolation, and illness, but never in a heavy-handed manner. There is considerable gentle humour: witty banter among cheeky and eccentric characters abounds. Humour also arises from contrast: sharp, intelligent seniors use their apparent frailty to manipulate, deceive, and gain information, and are able to do so because people tend to underestimate them.

There are a lot of red herrings which are central to the plot’s complexity. More than once, someone becomes a suspect with a convincing motive, but then that person proves to have a backstory with an unrelated secret. Characters and objects are often just distractions, all to keep the quartet and the reader guessing. I must admit to not liking the preponderance of suicides and assisted deaths.

A central theme is that of friendship. The four club members have a deep bond. They care for and unwaveringly support each other. The motive for one killing is in fact revenge for a friend’s death. And one friend helps another escape suspicion. Love is also another theme. The love of parents for children (Joyce and Joanna, and Ron and Jason) is obvious. But there are also several examples of long-time devotion in various relationships/marriages: Elizabeth and Stephen; Penny and John; Bernard and Asima; and Matthew and Margaret. Moments between these partners are often the most tender-hearted.

The book is charming and entertaining; I don’t think it’s intended to be taken too seriously. I will probably continue the series (of which there are currently five books with a sixth due this fall) as an occasional break from heavier, more serious reads. Actually, audio versions will probably become companions on my walks.

Review of TATA by Valérie Perrin (New Release)

 3.5 Stars

I’ve read all of Valérie Perrin’s previous novels so was anxious to read her latest.

In the fall of 2010, thirty-eight-year-old Agnès Dugain, a film director, receives a phone call informing her that her aunt, Colette Septembre, has died. The problem is that Colette died three years earlier and her body is in the cemetery of Gueugnon in eastern France. When Agnès comes to identify the body, she has no doubt that this is her aunt. Questions arise: whose body is in her grave and why did Colette fake her death?

Colette leaves her niece a series of cassettes. As Agnès listens she learns about her aunt’s life: her early life with her parents; her friendship with Blaise; her hopes for her brother Jean, a musical prodigy; her apprenticeship to an Algerian cobbler; her obsession with football; her secret affair; and a friendship which changed her life. Colette was a modest woman who tended to stay in the background but Agnès realizes how little she knew about the woman with whom she spent every summer. Colette’s life was actually extraordinary with many surprises and secrets. The number of connections she had with so many people is unexpected.

At around 600 pages, this is a lengthy book, but I didn’t find it dragged. The opening catches the reader’s attention immediately with its mention of the mystery surrounding Colette’s death. As the novel continues, the complex web of connections among characters keeps propelling the narrative. The one problem is that there are an improbable number of coincidences so the reader must willingly suspend disbelief. The connections between Jean and Hannah and between Jean and Blanche are especially difficult to accept.

The narrative moves back and forth through time. Sometimes the point of view changes suddenly and this approach can be confusing. Everyone is given a backstory so there is a lot of information. Fortunately, these stories tend to be interesting and, of course, explain motivations so behaviour is more understandable. Certainly without being given Blanche’s background, her actions and those of Colette would be unbelievable.

The book is a love story, a mystery, and multiple family sagas. It touches on so many subjects: domestic abuse, the long-term influence of parent-child relationships, family secrets, the impact of friendships, child sexual abuse, secret loves, and even the Holocaust. Certainly, there are a lot of unhappy childhoods with absent, neglectful, or abusive parents. Fortunately, the ending does offer hope.

Tata is not my favourite of Perrin’s novels, but I still recommend it to those who enjoy complex plots with surprise twists and interesting characters.

See my reviews of Perrin’s other books:

Fresh Water for Flowers: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2020/11/review-of-fresh-water-for-flowers-by.html

Three: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2022/06/review-of-three-by-valerie-perrin-new.html

Forgotten on Sunday: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2024/06/review-of-forgotten-on-sunday-by.html

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

Review of SISTERS OF A HALVED HEART by Nayantara Roy (New Release)

 3.5 Stars

As the title clearly suggests, this novel is about the bond between sisters and how difficult it can be to repair that bond if broken because of a betrayal.

Mira Guhathakurta is a poetry editor for a niche literary magazine. The novel opens with her returning to New York from London where she spent the last five years. The return is difficult because it brings back memories of her breakup with Jack, a man she loved. She avoids her sister Joy until a family situation forces them together. Tensions are high between the siblings; though the exact nature of the betrayal is not immediately revealed, it is obvious that Joy hurt her sister deeply so Mira has difficulty forgiving her. But Mira has a job she loves, is able to spend time with her best friend Lena, and tentatively begins a romantic relationship with a new man, Marlon Hughes.

I do not have a sister so cannot relate to the relationship between Mira and Joy. They were very close when younger though they vied for their father’s affection. Because they know each other well, they know exactly how to hurt each other. For instance, Mira knows that Joy desires, more than anything, a good relationship with her sister. Understanding that “the greatest punishment to Joy would be to deny her my presence in her life,” Mira does exactly that for years. I imagine that the love/hate relationship is realistically portrayed: “The desire to do her harm coupled with the fact that I could not bear her unhappiness – it had always been my undoing.”

I found myself very frustrated with Mira. She seems so immature. She runs from problems and keeps secrets that serve little purpose. And she makes infuriating choices. Mira is over 30; in someone that age I’d expect more self-awareness. Marlon tells her, “’when we’re hurt, we tend to . . . go blind a little,’” but Mira sometimes seems downright delusional. It is understandable that she feels anger and grief because of the painful breakup and her sister’s actions, but she’s had five years to recover. She likes to portray herself as a victim of betrayal but conveniently forgets about how she and Jack betrayed Frankie!

There is a surprise ending which does force the reader to reconsider what s/he has just read. I don’t like such a big reveal that logically would have been discussed earlier; it just feels too manipulative. It does explain more about the reason for Mira’s behaviour regarding Jack, but I found myself disliking her more because of her lack of emotions considering what she did four years earlier. And considering Lena’s role for the last four years, why would she even ask Mira if she’ll ever reveal the truth to Joy?!

In the first half, the pace dragged. It takes so long for the extent of Joy’s betrayal to be revealed, though I think most readers will guess it long beforehand. And there are other parts that are predictable as well. The mystery about the manuscript that is sent to Mira is certainly not a mystery. Of course Mira’s thoughts do emphasize the theme of how we avoid or are unable to see truths obvious to others.

In books focused on female characters, I often find that the male characters are portrayed negatively. In this novel, however, the men seem too earnest so some of the dialogue is just unbelievable. Jack, Marlon, Sebastian, and even Lee are all so enlightened in their treatment of women.

This may seem a trivial complaint, but does it make sense that an American would choose to study law in England if intending to practice in the US? Surely there are differences in law. A cursory Google search suggests a lawyer educated in the UK is not automatically allowed to practice in the US. At least, s/he must sit the bar.

Anyone who has had a tumultuous relationship with a sister will probably find much to like in this novel. Personally, however, I just couldn’t connect to the main characters and so had difficulty caring about what happened to them. Both Mira and Joy exhibit all the traits of an immature person: a lack of emotional control, poor accountability, and an inability to understand another’s perspective. Yet they somehow attract these almost too-perfect men?

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

Review of THE EMILYS by Heather Abel (New Release)

 2.5 Stars

This novel with its meandering plot touches on a number of issues; unfortunately, it feels unfocused and scattered.

It is set in post-pandemic Northampton, Massachusetts. Forty-four-year-old Eve, having moved back with her two children, meets her childhood friend Demeter. Lonely and bored, Eve is so happy to reconnect. Quickly she becomes dedicated to helping Demeter whose daughter Persephone is suffering from sudden, unexplainable photosensitivity. This condition means she avoids the outdoors and even rooms with lighting. Others in the community are also afflicted. Some label the condition as post-pandemic syndrome while others suspect a tick bite might be the cause.

Eve is joined by others on the hunt for a cure. There’s Ruth, the local librarian; Stephen, whose son suffers with the condition; and Will, a young man hoping to make amends for past mistakes. They learn about a plant that might provide relief so they set out to find it, though the spring ephemeral may very well be extinct. Eve becomes so obsessed that she keeps secrets from her husband, neglects her children, and even quarrels with Demeter.

I found it difficult to determine the purpose of the book. It touches on many topics, including motherhood, friendship, and climate change. It is marketed as a book about love of many kinds and it does indeed show varieties of love: parental love for children; romantic love in heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual relationships; love between friends; and love for nature and the planet. The problem is that each relationship is described in detail. For instance, we learn about Ruth, Stephen and Will’s past loves so we are introduced to many secondary characters like Jeremiah, Quinn, Arielle, Ritu, Jessie, Ramona, and Antonia. Ruth and Stephen were even married to the same woman.

One main message is that we are destroying our planet. One chapter, narrated by a tick, explains how ticks nearly disappeared but came back because of human behaviour. There is repeated reference to the effects of a warming climate; warming winters, wet springs, trees leafing early, and invasive species moving in. Of course, human relationships with nature have changed over time as well: “We largely ignored the plants when we had them, but so much depended upon them. We were living with a flat-out miracle, this green earth a wonderment.” There’s even the suggestion that the photosensitivity is a sickness “as response to a sick world.”

It is difficult to connect with the characters because there are so many of them. Besides the ones already mentioned, there are many others that make an appearance: Lev and Sonya, Eve’s children; Henry James, Eve’s husband; Joan Yalen, Eve’s mother; Kiran, Stephen’s son; Claudine, Jeremiah’s niece; Ellen, Ruth’s friend; as well as other characters named Pax, Ishmael, Aengus, Corin, Indigo, and Lenore and Clement Folkenflick. Then there are the characters given more than one name: Pan/DJ, Orian/Ryan; Ellen/Ellis, and Claude/Claudine. Many of the characters come complete with a back story, though many of those prove to be largely irrelevant.

Eve, a main character, is difficult to like. She lets her husband do as he wants so child care falls solely to her while he commutes from New York only on weekends. She wants to be “crowned queen of mothers” yet virtually abandons her children at times in favour of Demeter and her daughter. She often behaves immaturely; I found myself comparing her flirting with Will to Persephone’s behaviour with DJ.

The book lacks focus because of too many tangents. The pace is slow so there’s little tension and nothing much happens for the longest time. The overly large cast of characters is sometimes just confusing. The novel needs some editing since it is unnecessarily lengthy (over 400 pages). I did not enjoy it but others with more patience might want to give it a try.

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

Review of THORNBY MANOR by Stephanie Bramwell-Lawes

 4 Stars

This book is perfect for Gothic fiction lovers. If you enjoyed Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier or Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights by the Brontë sisters, this book is definitely for you. (Even the author’s surname – change the m to an n – may make you think of the Brontës.)

Briar Monroe, after the death of her parents, is set to act as a travel companion for her aunt. Because of illness, her aunt arranges for Briar to stay at Thornby Manor, the home of Lady Elizabeth Danville, until she can join her niece before they embark on their travels. When Briar arrives at Thornby Manor, she learns that Lady Danville died recently, but Lord Danville insists Briar stay as a guest. Lord Danville is often away so the manor is left in the charge of Marie Clara, the governess – though the only Danville child is an adult son named Gabriel.

It is immediately obvious that Thornby Manor is home to many secrets. For instance, Lady Danville died under rather mysterious circumstances. Gabriel, troubled by his mother’s death, has a difficult relationship with his father. When Gabriel arrives, he and Briar team up to uncover the truth of Elizabeth’s illness and death.

The novel has all the classic Gothic elements. In terms of setting, there’s the isolated Victorian manor house which always seems shrouded in mist which circles the house like a vulture. Briar thinks of the manor as “a talisman of darkness, an emblem of death.” There are dark passageways and shuttered rooms in the attic. The dining room is described as being “reminiscent of a narrow coffin.” The weather is always extreme with howling winds and rain: gales make “creaking banisters groan like waking ghouls.” Trees resemble “skeletons shedding skins of scarlet, amber, and gold.”

An atmosphere of dread and mystery, with unexplained occurrences, permeates the book. Briar senses she is being watched, and others admit to seeing ethereal figures. Briar hears strange noises and has “ghoulish visions.” Imagery is used to great effect: skeletons; a dead magpie; “snaking trails of mottled mist bled between the trees like weeping wounds”; bars of the iron gates “tipped with a pointed spear like Cerberus’s teeth”; flames “like snakes on a charm, licking at the grate with eager tongues”; piano keys “gleamed like bared teeth”; and eyes that “glittered like a beast’s.”

A common Gothic trope is the damsel in distress. Briar is certainly isolated and in a vulnerable position because of her father’s actions, but in many ways she is a bit of an anachronism. She is not the typical 19th-century woman. She is outspoken and headstrong and more than once is reminded that her behaviour is outside acceptable societal norms. She champions those who are vulnerable or treated unjustly.

Besides being entertaining, the novel does touch on some serious themes. The role of Victorian women and the treatment of mental illness are highlighted. “Hysteria, intemperance, nervousness, excitement, feebleness of intellect, strength of intellect, excessive sexual appetites” were all reasons used to admit women to insane asylums. And “How many locked away for spurious crimes, for disobeying their husbands, or simply for convenience?” (I was reminded of Liberty Street, a recent novel by Heather Marshall, a Canadian writer, that also examines the institutionalization of women for subjective misbehaviour.)

There are times when the high emotion – intense anger and sorrow – grated on my nerves. Of course, melodrama, exaggerated feelings, and over-wrought imaginations are very much characteristics of Gothic fiction. So it is to lovers of Gothic literature that I recommend this novel.