This memoir by Tara Westover shares the story of her growing up, the youngest of 7 children, in rural Idaho in a home surrounded by unacknowledged menThis memoir by Tara Westover shares the story of her growing up, the youngest of 7 children, in rural Idaho in a home surrounded by unacknowledged mental illness and abuse. Tara's parents were Mormon, but as Tara states in the author's note, this story is not about or against Mormonism.
Tara was born at home via a midwife on an uncertain day. Years later, Tara's parents would have great difficulty securing a birth certificate for her, as family members each had different recollections of the date of her birth. She never attended school, but neither was she traditionally home-schooled. She worked assisting her mother who made alternative medicines and acted as a midwife. Then, in her early teen years, her father wanted her to work in the junkyard sorting metal, a grueling and treacherous job, especially under his command. She attempted to escape this work, by finding jobs in town, babysitting and working at the grocery store. In her spare time, she spent vast amounts of time pouring over the Mormon teachings and kept a diary.
Her family's life mission was preparing for the "Days of Abomination," stockpiling guns and food. They were extremely distrustful of the government and modern medicine. Tara's father felt that women should be fully covered up and should not work. He made an exception when Tara's mother began working as a midwife. She did this illegally and without any formal education. Her father embraced this career and means of providing for the family because it was felt to be anti-government and anti-modern medicine. Tara's father's behavior was erratic and he was paranoid. Tara also lived alongside her older brother, Shawn, who could be sweet and fun to be with. However, he was liable to snap at any moment causing her physical injury as well as subjecting her to continuous verbal and emotional abuse.
Tara manages to prepare herself for the ACT and get herself into college. There, she realizes just how uneducated she is, when she raises her hand to ask the meaning of the word Holocaust . She works hard to learn about the world beyond Buck's Peak, Idaho and through extreme focus and diligence ends up propelling herself to a doctorate degree from Cambridge University. As she learns about the world and finds a place for herself within it, she still struggles with her identity as part of her family who wish to deny Shawn's behavior and continue to prepare for the end of days.
This novel is reminiscent of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. It is a tale of survival among paranoid and delusional family members who do not have the children's best interests in mind. It is amazing that Tara kept journals throughout her life, or it seems she would not have trusted her memories. She has an incredible story to tell and what is more incredible is that there are likely many families just like hers, living on the brink of society, whose stories we don't hear. While being an incredible story, I do feel that the writing itself could have been stronger and the voice that comes across seems tentative.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This intelligent, intriguing modern day fairy tale starts out in what seems to be a normal world. It begins with the birth of the protagonist, Apollo,This intelligent, intriguing modern day fairy tale starts out in what seems to be a normal world. It begins with the birth of the protagonist, Apollo, a child of mixed race to Lillian Kagwa (a Ugandan immigrant) and Brian West (a white parole officer.) His father had held him as a baby telling him he was Apollo, the God. This becomes a mantra for Apollo later in life. Brian West disappears by the time Apollo is four years old, but Apollo continues to have dreams, or maybe nightmares, about his father returning. In a box of items left behind by Brian is a well-read copy of Maurice Sendak’s Outside Over There. The Changeling becomes a retelling of this award winning children’s book. Apollo is an avid reader and at a young age becomes a buyer and seller of used books.
Even before the witches and trolls appear in this novel, there are hints of the monsters in the ordinary. In childhood, “Apollo would find himself wondering if he actually was frightening, a monster, the kind that would drive his own father away.” Then later, Emma’s friend, Nichelle, explains to Apollo, about the nude photo of Emma hanging in Amsterdam. Nichelle says of Emma, “She looks like a fucking sorceress, Apollo. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
Race and casual racism is discussed throughout this book. When Apollo is young and trying to sell his books in the higher end spots in Manhattan, the author writes “Every kid with excess melanin becomes a super predator, even a black boy with glasses and a backpack full of books. He might be standing at the entrance for fifteen minutes while the clerks pretended not to notice him.” Later in the novel, Apollo is stopped by a cop in a white section in Queens and says, “that was fast.”
This book also speaks to the new age of parenthood, of more involved dads, and of social media. Apollo Kagwa is one of these new age dads who is very much involved in the parenting of his child. He enjoys taking him to the playground and bragging with the other dads about new milestones. He posts countless photographs of his son, Brian, on Facebook. Apollo’s wife, Emma, meanwhile, begins showing signs of postpartum depression. She tells Apollo that she has received strange texts of pictures of the baby that have disappeared shortly after receiving them, which Apollo dismisses. “You’re what’s wrong with our family, Emma. You. Are. The. Problem. Go take another pill.” The horror in this novel is the experience of parenthood itself, the no-win situation regarding the expectations facing parents, the feeling of needing to protect your child, and ultimately the loss of a child.
Apollo finds a signed first edition of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird with the inscription to Truman Capote, “Here’s to the Daddy of our dreams.” He knows that this book could have a great payday, however, it does not pay in the way he expects. After barely surviving the wrath and rage of his wife, he realizes that perhaps his wife was right. He ends up on a journey with many twists and turns through mystical realms of witches, trolls and even some human monsters.
This novel warns of the dangers of social media and putting your life out there for all to see, judge, and possibly take advantage of. William tells Apollo, “Vampires can’t come into your house unless you invite them. Posting online is like leaving your front door open and telling any creature of the night it can come right in.” It seems that Emma Valentine and Brian Kagwa were the perfect target for trolls with the publicized birth of their son, followed by continuous Facebook posts by Brian.
This book speaks to deeper truths about the monsters within each of us. The glamer we are able to superimpose over our own misbehaviors to make us feel better about ourselves. It warns of trolls lurking in everyday places and people. This book is not simply a retelling or a fairy tale, there are many layers and depths to it. The social commentary is sharp, but easily consumed within the context of this fantastical setting. It is about the stories we tell ourselves as well as our children and the effect these stories have on us. There is some pretty graphic violence though, so consider yourself forewarned.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“It isn’t practical, my quest to find my rolling childhood home and say a thirty-years-too-late goodbye to a four-year-old-boy.”
This is a memoir of Te“It isn’t practical, my quest to find my rolling childhood home and say a thirty-years-too-late goodbye to a four-year-old-boy.”
This is a memoir of Teresa Bruce who travels the Pan-American Highway in an avion camper with her husband Gary shortly after marriage. This trip mirrors the trip that Teresa went on as a young girl in 1974 with her parents and her sister 2 years after the death of her younger brother. The ultimate goal of the trip is to find the camper that her family had travelled in and eventually sold before heading home. Ulterior motives include recollecting memories, exploring South America, reconnecting with people whose paths they crossed 30 years prior, understanding her parents better, and coming to terms with her brother’s death. She seems particularly interested in learning about her parents’ motives and grieving process during this journey. She does not recollect her parents talking about the death of her brother or even mentioning his name. It is obvious when meeting people along this journey that her mother spoke to others very much about her dead brother, a realization that surprises the author.
To me, this journey felt very foolish. Both trips contained near death experiences. The travelers were pitted against corrupt police demanding bribes. The travelers made poor choices. For instance, Teresa brings a gun along, which haunts her the entire trip. They are continuously embarrassed by their apparent flaunting of wealth in their Avion with American plates as they drive through poverty stricken regions. The writing is disjointed, the characters are coming undone… So, for me, it was a tedious unenjoyable read.
The journey begins after a visit to Teresa’s home and parents. What I couldn’t understand was why Teresa never engaged her parents in conversation about the past rather than decide to relive this journey, that for her, didn’t seem enjoyable the first time. I took a chance on this book from netgalley knowing that I needed to read a travel memoir as part of the BookRiot 2017 reading challenge. I almost gave up so many times. I’m surprised that I actually read to the end. The writing felt disjointed. It read like diary entries that had been slightly reworked with some facts and tidbits thrown in about the history & geography of the area that didn’t necessary fit with the driving themes of the book.
Thank you to netgalley and Seal Press Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Joan Ashby, a talented writer, who at a young age vows not to let a husband or children get in the way of her art, ends up married, then pregnant. JoaJoan Ashby, a talented writer, who at a young age vows not to let a husband or children get in the way of her art, ends up married, then pregnant. Joan falls in love with her first baby, not so much with second. Her first son has the gift of writing, but stops when he discovers at age 11 his mother is a brilliant writer and he compares himself to her and feels like a failure. He feels she has crushed his dreams. His father is a brilliant neuro-ocular surgeon traveling the world restoring people’s vision. His younger brother drops out of school at age 14 to design his own software program used throughout the world in hotels and is worth billions. The family dynamics and sibling rivalry conspire against him to make him feel small.
Joan ever intuitive when it comes to her children is able to sense when things are well and when things are awry. She understands her children far better than her husband. She understands their strengths and weaknesses. She gets swept up in motherhood and in helping her children build on their strengths and supporting them through difficult times.
Joan hides her writing. She keeps it a secret, not wanting to have to share what she is writing about with her husband. She feels like a prisoner in motherhood, only able to eek out stolen hours to write her newest novel that gets hidden in a box for two years before she is ready to have it published, because life (her family and their needs) get in the way. In the meantime, her book is published in its entirety, except for a gender change by her son, under a pseudonym and in two parts.
There are three parts to this novel. The first and third are told by a third person narrator, but the focus is mostly on Joan. The second section is recordings made by Joan’s son, Daniel, that he will eventually send to Joan as explanation for his actions. Interspersed within these pages are short stories written by Joan as well as the beginnings of another novel Joan is working on during part three. In addition, there are writing samples from Joan’s writing students.
Joan is so hurt by Daniel’s actions, publishing her novel without her knowing about it, that she flees to India, a country she has always wanted to visit and the place where Eric had retreated after sobering up and selling his company. In India, Joan is able to rediscover herself, realize her present day wants and needs, as well as forge a closer relationship with her younger son.
The writing is amazing. Each short story seems publishable on it’s own. The story of Paloma that Joan is writing in the third part was particularly intriguing to me. However, I felt like all of these stories within the actual novel detracted from what constituted this novel. It seemed like I was constantly readjusting to new stories within the original and back out again. For me, it was too much bulk. The writing is great though, and I never wanted to skim. I just wish the author had constructed this novel differently. I felt way too happy to be finished reading this book.
Thank you to net galley and the publisher for a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
An intense collection of stories, each one told from the perspective of a young girl living in NYC in the 1990s with parents who had immigrated from SAn intense collection of stories, each one told from the perspective of a young girl living in NYC in the 1990s with parents who had immigrated from Shanghai. The stories demonstrate the manifestations and aftermath of the trauma experienced by the parents in Mao era China and the varying coping mechanisms they utilize. Some parents drink excessively, others work such long hours such that they almost never see their children, while others cannot get enough of their children and are by their sides at all times. One father is physically abusive to his wife while another has an endless string of girlfriends. There is a grandmother who feels the only worthy thing in life is being a mother, so attempts to become the mother to her grandchildren, confabulating about the days when she breastfed them. She demands that they love her to an extreme. These are stories that show how the horrors of a generation (the Chinese in 1960's China) affect future generations of children (American-Chinese growing up in NYC in the 1990s.)
It is about the children of immigrants in a country where English is not their primary language. It is about the interaction of these girls with both their families and the outside world. One girl is made to go back to ESL classes with each move and new school district, even though she has placed out them them repeatedly. There is an intensity to childhood friendships, a pushing and pulling, a competition that feels far more negative than positive. The stories delve into the girls' exploration of their bodies and developing understanding of sex. It is often vulgar and disturbing. The emotional aspect of keeping up with peers about sex and foul language is a weight on some of these girls. The language the children use, both in conversation with each other and with their parents, is often angry and vulgar. There is desperation and depression felt through these characters. These girls are coming of age, learning about themselves and their bodies, learning about their place in the world. It is all at once confusing, disastrous and exciting for them.
In addition to portraying 1990's NYC, the author offers glimpses of the year 1966 in China, when schools were out and children ran wild. The children were given the freedom and power to turn on any adult, accuse them of being counterrevolutionary, and proceed to torture and even kill them. One disturbing scene had a teacher tortured while tied to a tree by her students out of revenge for shaming one of the students in school. Anyone could be named counterrevolutionary. Particularly, anyone who wore their hair long and loose, anyone thought to be an intellectual, a member of the bourgeois class... or simply as a personal vendetta.
The writing is marvelous. Jenny Zhang is a masterful storyteller. However, the content is graphic. It is often horrifying, disturbing and seemingly distasteful. There is no sugar coating on these stories. These stories are full of grit, grime and dirt. There is anger, depression, sadness and sometimes joy. For me, Zhang was a unique original voice. I am glad I read these stories, but I caution others who might be sensitive to foul language or graphic subject matter. Sour Heart is the first book to be published with the LENNY imprint, a new imprint, in partnership with Random House, led by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As with most ‘women’s literature’ I found things to love and things to hate within this novel. I think the title is brilliant. What family isn’t practAs with most ‘women’s literature’ I found things to love and things to hate within this novel. I think the title is brilliant. What family isn’t practicing normal? Every family has it’s own struggles and issues that it is dealing with. Society expects certain behaviors from people and many families struggle to live up to expectations, both expectations they hold for themselves and those they perceive others to hold of them.
This novel is told from three perspectives: that of the Dad, Everett; that of the mother, Kate; and that of the daughter, Jenna. Within this family unit, there is also an autistic brother, who does not serve as a narrator.
One of my biggest struggles with “women’s literature” is this theme of putting up with an awful male partner for the sake of the family. This book is a prime example of this. Kate, the mother, has given up a nursing career she very much enjoyed in order to be there for her family and care for her mother who lives down the street. She has no friends or outside interests that she pursues. Her whole life revolves around her family. However, her husband is absent and deceitful. One of her his mistresses has already shown up on the doorstep introducing herself and she’s very suspicious he’s cheating again. He is “working” all hours and constantly checking his phone. Kate’s mother thinks he’s a louse, but Kate would rather continue putting up with it all, denying the obvious. Maybe this is to keep up appearances, maybe to prove something to herself, maybe to prove something to her mother.. maybe she is practicing some kind of normal she had hoped for. The thing that made me most angry about the relationship between Kate and Everett is when she relates a story where Everett raped her. Since then she is more submissive to his sexual advances, not wanting a repeat incident. Kate’s son requires a lot of attention due to Asperger’s and only she and her daughter Jenna seem to know how to relate to him. Kate’s mother also is increasingly relying on her, refusing to leave her home down the street and refusing to cook for herself.
Everett is an egomaniacal child in an adult’s body. He is always putting himself first. He has no real relationship with his children. He has been caught in one affair and is currently in the midst of another. He is constantly exchanging text messages while at home with the other woman, Veronica. He is continually visiting his mistress under the guise of woking late or needing to run out of the house at all hours for something that just came up at work. He is also attempting to understand Kate and her sister’s blood relationship to their parents through DNA evidence, without first consulting Kate in this matter.
Jenna seems to be the most self-honest and most relatable character to me. As she is capable of taking care of herself, she is largely left to her own devices. She is fully aware of her father’s infidelity. She avoids him and refers to him by first name. She is angry, dresses in black, has short spiky hair, multiple piercings and spends her days breaking into neighbor’s houses. She doesn’t break in to steal per se, but to check things out, spend time with cats, experience someone else’s domain. She gets caught breaking into the neighbor’s house across the street around the same time that their son, the high school football star, is taking a break from football because of his grades. She begins spending time with this unlikely friend, Wells. The woman with the cats, Cassie, also aware of Jenna’s presence in her home, begins paying Jenna for her time spent playing and feeding her cats. Wells and Jenna spend time with each other in Cassie’s home, which becomes a refuge for them and their developing closeness. Jenna, who had seemed such a misfit starts to come of age, grow and become happy with herself.
In the end, Kate does finally awake from her self-delusion. It is interesting how Kate’s life and her mother’s were similar in their solitary confinement as they tried to practice normal and hide from the glaring problems their family was built on. If you enjoy “women’s literature,” you will probably love this book. It is well written and there is a nice metamorphosis of the characters as they are developed within the novel.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Thank you to PattyMacDotComma for writing a review on goodreads, which piqued my interest in reading this book. I was one of many people who did not uThank you to PattyMacDotComma for writing a review on goodreads, which piqued my interest in reading this book. I was one of many people who did not understand the Donald Trump phenomenon during the election, who could not fathom the possibility of him getting elected, but it happened. I decided I would read this biography to better understand our president, his motivations for becoming president and what his agenda might be. I’m not sure how much new about our President I learned, however, it was helpful to have all the information in one place.
I felt that I knew the superficial Donald Trump from media attention over many years. I knew about him as the real estate tycoon, the Apprentice showman, the man with dazzling new beautiful wives, the alleged affairs, and most recently the run for president. He loves the spotlight and America has seen so much of him, but I was hoping to discover something more.. to explain his run for president as something more than attention-seeking. This book is well written and researched, covers his life from crib to ascension to president, and is easy to read.
Shapiro describes a Trump who “in his personal and professional life, has been slicker than Mercury and just as hard to handle.” What we learn from this book is that Donald Trump denies and strikes back when questioned or attacked. He rarely gives straightforward answers. He waffles on his positions. He says outrageous things and gets away with it.
He has had three marriages with beautiful women. He seems to have been enamored of the concept of “trophy wife.” He was having an affair with the second while still married to the first. He tried to broker a deal for Marla (wife #2) with playboy for her to pose nude, which she ultimately declined.
What comes across in this book is that Donald is extremely vain with a mania for branding. He is a showman and a master manipulator. He utilizes his privilege and wealth to great advantage throughout his life. He gets into Wharton business school by way of family ties, he is able to escape to draft by reason of being at Wharton. He wields his money and power over the media daring them to defy him. He cares very much about his image and does whatever he can to maintain that image, including bribing journalists. He is extremely money hungry and very concerned with public perception of his wealth, to the extent that he has actually sued over underestimation of his wealth, in his opinion. He is prone to telling stories that are often untrue. Perhaps the greatest example of this is the propagation of the “birther movement.” Trump’s insistence on questioning Obama’s place of birth had created a rallying cry so fierce that Obama felt compelled to produce his birth certificate, finally putting the movement to rest.
Donald Trump has proven himself racist. In his speech announcing his run for president he said “When Mexico sends it people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people who have lots of problems. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Multiple news outlets reported that the Trump campaign had paid extras to come and cheer for that rally and others. Trump has stated that if it were up to him all Muslims would be banned from entering the United States.
Many world leaders have evoked a fascist comparison of Trump and his ideals, including People and NSNBC. Trump kept a copy of “My New Order,” a book of Adolf Hilter’s collected speeches by his bed according to ex-wife Ivana. Trump, defending his proposed ban on Muslims, in an interview with Good Morning America, cited President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s use of the Alien and Sedition Acts following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. In February 2016, Trump retweeted a quote from fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini that said, “It’s better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep.” In July 2016, Trump retweeted a picture of Clinton next to a star-shaped badge, similar to the Jewish Star of David that read “Most Corrupt Candidate Ever” against a background of $100 bills. It was immediately condemned as anti-Semitic, so Trump had the star replaced with a circle and #AmericaFirst. He would soon be criticized that America First is the name of a fascist organization that encouraged appeasement with Aldolph Hitler and Nazi Germany during World War II.
Donald Trump has proven himself sexist and misogynistic. Megyn Kelly confronted Trump during one of the first debates with this question, “You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals. You once told a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as President and how will you answer the charge of Hillary Clinton that you are part of the war on women?” Trump responded with anger and further woman-hatred, accusing her of having blood coming out of “her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.” The Access Hollywood tape, released to the world during his campaign, revealed that among other things, Trump felt he could sexually assault any woman he wanted because he was famous.
Trump had found an effective route to the White House in courting white lower and middle class men and women in the heartland of America. “Trump’s supporters were pro-gun, pro-flag, anti-foreigner and convinced that their shortcomings were the fault of everybody but themselves. They came from a world that was miles removed from Trump’s. But when it came to the countless rallies in front of thousands of confirmed believers, Trump was quite capable of speaking their language, especially on the road to the Republican National Convention.” Trump seemed forever the showman, but had no interest in putting together an actual campaign. Several high level members of his campaign resigned after power struggles and subsequently, his long time campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski was fired and replaced briefly by Paul Manafort, before the press discovered he had business dealings with Russia. Fortunately for Trump, some far-right leaning Republicans, including Jeff Sessions, Newt Gingrich, Mitch McConnell, and others pledged to back him and began offering some much needed advice, like the need to pick a running mate.
Trump’s main platform for his presidential run was creating jobs, building a wall between the US and Mexico, and banning Muslims from entering the US. He has allied himself with white supremacists, most notably Steve Bannon. As Donald Trump’s platform has remained thin, it will likely be Trump’s cabinet members steering the ship.
This book’s publication date per netgalley, amazon and goodreads is February 26, 2016. However, the copy that I read through netgalley took me through a history of Trump leading all the way up to the day he took office on January 20, 2017. So, I’m guessing another edition will be released that gives this fuller biography. Or you can request a copy directly from netgalley, here . I’m glad I read this. I did not feel there were a lot of surprises within this book, but it was helpful to read about Trump’s life from start to presidency to get a bigger picture. Please note, my review is more biased than the actual book. However, I do find it hard to believe that anyone who would read this book and take it to heart could come away singing Trump’s praises in terms of being an effective or suitable president of the United States.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!...more
This book asks the child a question followed by a discussion of how a particular animal likes to do the same thing. It is playful in that it makes aniThis book asks the child a question followed by a discussion of how a particular animal likes to do the same thing. It is playful in that it makes animal behavior seem childlike and fun. A couple of examples are: honeybees dance and gazelles play tag. There are eight such children activity – animal behavior comparisons explored in this book. This is a great read for any young animal lover, aged 2-5.
Thank you to netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!...more
This is a beautiful and playful animal book that seeks to engage young readers by pointing out differences between groupings of widely different animaThis is a beautiful and playful animal book that seeks to engage young readers by pointing out differences between groupings of widely different animals and then asking what similarity exists. The similarity might be stripes, horns, whiskers or shells. It is wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated. It was engaging and fun to read with my four year old. I would highly recommend this to readers 2-5 years old. It makes you consider animals in different ways and think about why these vastly different animals might all have horns, whiskers, shells, etc. We had fun with the last page of the book, pointing at various animals that all had a particular characteristic.
Thank you to netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!...more
This book had me cringing, yet I was intrigued and felt compelled to read to the end. The setting is Los Angeles and a great many themes are explored This book had me cringing, yet I was intrigued and felt compelled to read to the end. The setting is Los Angeles and a great many themes are explored throughout this novel. The two main characters, are at such transitional points in their life, making rash irresponsible decisions. These two women grew up with “bad mothers,” however end up becoming their mothers, either inadvertently or purposely in the pursuit of art. They are brought together in this novel as Lady has separated from her husband and is looking for a nanny. “S,” as Esther is calling herself in her play-act of being her mother, responds to nanny position and is hired on the spot, without even a reference check.
It is about mothering, the different ways a woman may parent different children. It is about bonds between mother and child and boundaries. It is about identity, as a mother, as a daughter, as an individual.
It is about relationships between women and how quickly they can change. The characters in this novel and their relationships with each other are incredibly well developed. The reader experiences the shifts in the relationship as life changes or new facts come to light.
It is about bad choices in relationships with men that seem exciting, yet leave the women with emptiness. It is about the possibility of good relationships with good men, that seem boring and easy to throw away. These women, Lady and Esther, through whose alternating voices the novel is rendered, seem destined to self-sabatoge. Esther, in becoming her mother, takes the color out of her hair, dresses in frumpy clothing, drinks herself into oblivion, and makes poor rash choices on many fronts. Lady plays with fire on several fronts. Most shockingly, she revisits the father of her oldest son (whose identity she is hiding from her son) not just once but repeatedly.
It is about art and the subtle shifts that can change the entire tone of the piece. The title of the book refers to a photograph taken by Lady’s sister-in-law, Kit Daniels. It was part of a series of photographs taken of ‘regular’ women caught off guard, half-dressed, with clutter in the backgrounds. Lady’s original photo had been altered for the publication, and the slight alteration made a tremendous difference in the way she presented. Certain other details were hidden as well.
In the end, this novel is about learning to accept yourself and the life given you, your strengths and weaknesses, not trying to copy or imitate others’, but to work with what life has handed to you.
Even though, I was annoyed with the characters and their alacrity for self-sabatoge, from which they all seemed saved at the end, I do think the novel was incredibly well executed. It is not a feel good beach read. It is much deeper and more complicated. The writing is excellent. The author develops many themes and there is significant complexity to the novel. It is intriguing and unique. It would make a great book club book!
Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“I wrote this book for the ghosts, who, because they are outside of time, are the only one with time.” – prologue
What a timely book! With the public d“I wrote this book for the ghosts, who, because they are outside of time, are the only one with time.” – prologue
What a timely book! With the public debate about immigration in the forefront of everyone’s mind, with the executive and judicial branches of government battling out the legality of banning people from certain countries, the timing is perfect! America’s history has been built upon accepting refugees from various countries. Between 1975 and 1995 over 480,000 people had immigrated to the United States. Of the “boat people,” it is estimated that at least a third died. This is exquisitely written, profoundly moving compilation of short stories, each one touching on the theme of immigration from Vietnam.
Viet Thanh Nguyen says he is writing these stories for the ghosts. The first story in this book is most directly to that point. The narrator is a ghost writer, telling other people’s stories not coming to terms with her own story until the ghost of her brother comes to visit her. At that moment she confronts the trauma of her past. Her brother risked his life to try to hide her as a boy when pirates raided their boat. He was killed for it. She was gang rapider front of her parents. Her parents lamented her brother’s death, but never mentioned what had happened to her. She carried the burden of her own trauma as well as of her brother’s death. She was made to feel it was her fault. She finally realizes she died too. She is a ghost of the past and can write her own story.
The writing is incredible. The stories themselves are beautiful, emotion-laden, with excellent character development and complexity. The true nature behind the characters are revealed in unexpected ways. The tension created by the juxtaposition of vietnamese culture in affluent America (as well as the converse) are explored. These stories are not simply an exploration of Vietnamese culture and the refugee experience, but transcend that with the stories evoking so much truth about humanity that simply involve refugees as characters.
Rather than detail each short story, I highly recommend reading this brilliantly written grouping of 8 stories. It is brief book, but packs a powerful punch. These are stories that will move you and stay with you. They are simply amazing!
Thank you to netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Breathtaking, stunning debut novel! It is amazing! It is tragic, heartfelt, tender and brazen all at the same time. I absolutely loved this! I loved tBreathtaking, stunning debut novel! It is amazing! It is tragic, heartfelt, tender and brazen all at the same time. I absolutely loved this! I loved the journey it took me on. I loved that I had no idea where this book was headed, but went along for a wild ride that had me laughing and crying. There were so many areas of gray and missing pieces of information that I was itching to learn more about along the journey. These holes were so often filled in just when you thought you might not get the answers. However, the missing pieces weren’t ever what was expected, never cliched. This book is filled with tragedy, horrors, sadness, but also with redemption, hope and love.
The novel begins in art class with Mel and Sharon, two young women not quite fitting the usual mold at the upstate college they attend. They are poorer, have experienced more hurt and pain, and seem to have no one. That is, until they find each other. They bond over old cartoons including Dirty Duck, Ren and Stimpy, Clutch Cargo, Fritz the Cat, and Heavy Traffic. They begin working together at school and after graduation spending long days and nights working on their first movie together based on Mel’s mother, who was a drug-addicted prostitute. They are both artists who have triangulated their futures together through their art. Ten years later they are experiencing the success of their first film. Mel is bold, confident, the life of the party. Sharon is reserved, holding back, the more practical of the two. Together they have become a great team. They are best friends and work partners. However, their friendship is tested by addiction, jealousy, and medical illness.
It is through their friendship with each other that they begin to rebuild themselves. “She was the first person to see me as I had always wanted to be seen. It was enough to indebt me to her forever.” Their relationship is close, nurturing, subject to role reversals and also anger.
It is through their art that they come to terms with their pasts, redeeming themselves through a process of catharsis. Kayla Rae Whitaker beautifully describes how much they pour themselves into their work, how it is transformative, healing, and full of love. It changes the way they feel about themselves, their childhoods, and it Sharon’s case it changes her relationship with her mother.
I loved the writing, the build-up of tensions, the breaking down of tensions. I loved the power of the encounters between Sharon and her family. It is amazing how much was conveyed with so little said, how tone and inaction spoke so loudly between them. The characters are so vividly and fully developed, the relationships incredibly dynamic, and the storyline itself is unique, bold and exhilarating.
This book is incredible. It has so much depth, energy, grit. I highly recommend this to everyone! This will make an excellent book club choice.
Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Wow! What a macabre, twisted way to get swept up in the life and culture of Argentina. I love when I read books outside my usual genres and get blown Wow! What a macabre, twisted way to get swept up in the life and culture of Argentina. I love when I read books outside my usual genres and get blown away by them. These short stories invoke living nightmares and nightmarish creatures that dwell just below the surface of normal life and enter into these stories in unexpected ways. There are ghosts of the past, horrific creatures, and a sense of the clairvoyance in these pages. Some of the descriptions within these stories brought to mind Stephen King’s writing, particularly “Adela’s House.” Certain descriptions of graffiti in repetitive patterns of letters that don’t seem to spell anything and the creature with teeth filed into triangles that eats Paula’s live cat in “The Neighbor’s Courtyard” are two other particular examples that felt Stephen King-esque to me.
The setting for these stories is in various cities in Argentina, including Buenos Aires, Lanus, and Corrientes. There is a sense of healing in the land, but there are horrors of the past lurking just beneath the surface. Natalia in “Spiderweb” saw a burning building which 10 minutes later was charred down to the earth. Someone else in that story saw a ghost rising from the cement of a bridge, within which dead bodies must have been hidden. In “Under the Black Water” a buried monster dwells in a polluted river, which people had been trying to cover up. Argentina’s Dirty War took place 1974 to 1983 and though it is not directly referenced in these stories, the horrors lurking just beneath the surface and these ghosts of the past are most certainly from that time.
There are many common themes that wind their way through these stories creating interest and intrigue. Many of the characters in these stories are depressed, sometimes overwhelmingly so to the point of not being able to work anymore, hurting themselves, and perhaps hallucinating. In one story “Green Red Orange,” Marco becomes locked in, not seeing people anymore. He only opens his door when no one is there to get the food his mother has left him. He only communicates with an old girlfriend via chat from his computer where he becomes obsessed with the deep web, where he can find the most horrific things.
Another theme running through many of these stories is dissatisfaction with boyfriends or husbands. The boyfriends and husbands in these stories are not loved or desired by the protagonist. They are depicted as being over-confident, arrogant, pig-headed and most importantly useless. The boyfriends or husbands end up disappearing or leaving by the end of each story. The final and titular story “Things We Lost in the Fire” begins with women being the subject of fires set by angry significant others. The women then begin to burn themselves in protest creating a world of disfigured women. This is a very disturbing brutal ending to this collection of stories.
There is obvious social commentary within the pages of these stories. The author is definitely a feminist. She has an interesting way of depicting wealth versus poverty and sane versus mentally unstable. She definitely delves into a world of darkness and demons, most of us do not think about. She recognizes horrors within her stories, that don’t even pertain to the main story, but are issues with the society at large. In “Spiderweb” the soldiers at the Paraguayan restaurant with their large guns are harassing the waitress and are likely going to rape her, however, any intervention would get the narrator and Natalia raped. However, the greatest social commentary I feel is directed at the horrors of the Dirty War, and how the ghosts of that time still haunt the people of Argentina.
Each story, thrilling and terrifying, ends on a cliffhanger. You, the reader, are left not knowing, still wondering, what was truth and fiction, and where things will go from there. I highly recommend this collection of short stories from a gifted and talented Argentinian writer! It will make the hair on your arms stand up.
Thank you to net galley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unique, dark, suspenseful psychological thriller that cycles back and forth in time focusing on 2 separate sets of murders. In the 1970s, Dustin’s parUnique, dark, suspenseful psychological thriller that cycles back and forth in time focusing on 2 separate sets of murders. In the 1970s, Dustin’s parents and aunt and uncle were brutally murdered while he and his cousins slept in a trailer in the driveway. It was his and his cousin, Kate’s, testimony that landed Dustin’s foster brother, Randy in prison. As a result of this traumatic event, Dustin became interested in studying the psychology of Satanic cults and violence expressed through them. He developed his thesis around it, testified in many cases as an expert, and currently works as a therapist. In present day, Dustin’s life starts unravelling as the delicate tendrils that were holding it together gradually give way. His wife dies of cancer at the age of 43, his two sons have graduated from high school, and his foster brother Randy has been released from prison with the help of the Innocence Project working on his behalf. In current day, Dustin is drawn into investing a possible homicide cluster of drunk college boys who were determined accidental drownings by the police.
The books chapters are narrated by various different characters (sometimes in the first person and sometimes in the third) and they deeply reflect the mindset of the characters. The characters become more and more isolated from each, so the reader knows more about what is going on with them than they know what is going on with each other or in some cases themselves.
The chapters from Dustin’s mindset are particularly troubling. His thoughts and sense of reality seem to be losing footing. He takes up drinking and smoking. His thoughts are repeating themselves. He trails off not finishing thoughts or sentences. He wonders if he’s in a fugue state. His cousins and foster brother describe the young Dustin as trusting and gullible. It seems without his wife as an anchor, he has become so again, particularly with regards to his patient Aqil. Aqil is obsessed with the “murders” of drunk frat boys that have drown in waterways while intoxicated. Dustin becomes drawn into “investigating” these incidences with Aqil, presenting himself to others as an investigator or writer. He confides in Aqil so much that it seems there is a role reversal. In fact, he knows very little about Aqil, but has become emotionally dependent upon him. Dustin has trouble seeing what is right in front of him. His son is getting deeper into drugs and pretends to go to a college he never enrolled in. Dustin becomes an easy victim once again, trusting and gullible as always, without a strong sense of self.
This book brings up many questions. What are memories composed of? How reliable are our memories? Can a fictionalized statement in the past be remembered as a truth? What defines us? Is it our perception of ourselves or how others perceive us? How does grief shape our thoughts and mental stability?
This is a long, dark twisted mystery delving deep into the psychology of its characters. At points it’s hard to read as the writing reflects the altered and distressed mental states of its characters. It experiments with writing in chart format, chunking bits of information together in little boxes, letting the reader grasp that it is not making coherent sense with the character. I enjoyed the story and the writing, although it felt more difficult to get through because of it’s style. I felt the quotations at the beginning of each chapter were perfect for setting the chapter up for it’s intended purpose and were very thought provoking in and of themselves. The last chapter begins with this quote: “In the end it is the mystery that lasts and not the explanation.” – Sacheverell Sitwell, For Want of the Golden City.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a horrific story of a group of seemingly heartless children following them from 8th grade through senior year. They live in Mill Valley, a weaThis is a horrific story of a group of seemingly heartless children following them from 8th grade through senior year. They live in Mill Valley, a wealthy city within Marin County. They are entitled, spoiled, and largely ignored by their parents. Through the use of social media they are also extremely dangerous. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a student or teacher. Even the teachers in this book are awful. They are trying to relive their high school years by relating and engaging with the children inappropriately. This is a book that disgusted and enraged me, but also scared me to death (as a mother). This books warns of the horrors of social media, how it betrays friendships, how people can be heartless and ruthless on social media with no regard to feelings and outcomes. It warns how children and adults can make very big mistakes online, how a small mistake in real life can be amplified by social media to social and emotional ruin.
This group of children in particular is savage. Social standing is everything. Relationships lack depth. Anyone can stab you in the back if it might earn you higher social standing. With all that these kids were going through and experiencing, they each seemed to be islands, lacking close friendships or supportive families. They did not share personal details of their lives with their friends, they did not confide in their friends. Their friends were there solely for the purpose of social standing. The children appear lost, unhappy, and in some cases were trying to become someone else rather than discover who they really were.
At it’s core this book is about bullying and I felt it was a cry that we as a society should be doing more to prevent it, to address it once it happens, and acknowledge that it will likely happen again. There are so many students that participated in the bullying and the bulk of it was done online where people can hide behind screens and become more heartless. How do we as a society, as communities, as school address the online lives of our children? How much freedom and independence do we give them versus close monitoring? What kind of limits should be imposed?
Towards the end of the novel, Molly is made to shut down her Facebook account by the school administration because of her over-involvement online with her students. “At least for a while, she’d reside in the land of the actual, where she might discover who her real friends were. Where she might discover herself.”
As hard as this was to read, I think there is an excellent message to this book. It asks a lot of questions and hopefully will get people thinking. The character development was excellent and I enjoyed reading and getting inside the heads of various different students and teachers. I thought it was an interesting twist that Ryan gets taken advantage of through social media at the end, however, it did seem a little far-fetched and out of character for him. My first inclination was to give this 3 stars, however I’m bumping it up to 4 because it brings up a lot of great discussion points. This would make for an excellent book club read.
Thank you to netgalley and to Random House Publishing Group for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
This is a gorgeous picture book with a beautiful story in such a unique format. I loved it to pieces and, even as a parent, I could read it over and oThis is a gorgeous picture book with a beautiful story in such a unique format. I loved it to pieces and, even as a parent, I could read it over and over, discovering new bits of language and illustration to enjoy and appreciate.
There is a foreward that lets the reader know the the story is told by a father as he pushes is son on a swing. The story he tells is slightly scary, about a monster looking to eat a boy, however, the moral is empowerment for the boy not acknowledging the monster.
I love the shape of the book, being long and narrow. Even though I read an electronic version, I could envision holding this shape in my hands. The words are usually contained only on every other page, drawing you further into the beauty and importance of the illustrations, which really go hand and hand with the story. The story would be nothing without the illustrations, and vice versa. I love the detail of the illustrations and the writing, the way the words invite you in to search for the acorn, the bicycle, the bird poop. The father tells the story through the voice of the monster which leaves the reader guessing and searching, but maybe also knowing all along who he is. It is lovely that the 5 year old boy is unfazed by the monster. It is a beautiful story with a wonderful moral that is perfect for discussion with children about the meaning of monsters, especially ones of their own creation.
The writing is beautiful. It doesn’t shy away from difficult vocabulary. It is descriptive and invokes all the senses: vision, smell, touch, noise, taste. I love the short sentence series, that seem childlike, about what the monster sees, about the foods that the monster does not like. I love the different type sizes and fonts to remind the reader to speak those words with different volumes or inflections. Most of all, I love the open-ended-ness of the story, the feeling of mystery, the wanting to go back and search through the pictures and words for answers. Gorgeous!! I recommend this to 5 year olds and their parents everywhere!
Thanks to netgalley for an ARC of this picture book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
A strange, unique, intellectual novel. This, my first Jonathan Lethem novel, was decidedly interesting yet eclectic. It was full of twists & turns as A strange, unique, intellectual novel. This, my first Jonathan Lethem novel, was decidedly interesting yet eclectic. It was full of twists & turns as well as obscure references to historical, literary and film characters. I felt that this book was in a genre the opposite of “chick-lit.” It seemed geared toward men, focused on men, devoid of emotion. The women in this novel were there ministering to the needs of the men. It is about games, identity, masks, power, sex. Relationships lacked any depth within this strange book which is full of smoke and mirrors, self identity crises, puppetry, and a feeling of unreality.
This is a novel about a handsome backgammon hustler, Bruno, who helps empty the pockets of the wealthy with the assistance of his handler, Falk, who arranges these meetings. One night in Singapore, he encounters a high school acquaintance who takes it upon himself to learn backgammon and challenge Bruno to a match. This is about the same time that Bruno notices the “blot” in his vision. Of course, “blot” is also a backgammon term meaning, “a man exposed by being placed alone on a point and therefore able to be taken by the other player” making this a double entendre. This is the beginning of Bruno’s losing streak and ultimate diagnosis of a facial tumor which is causing the blot in his vision. There is a surgeon in San Francisco, Noah Behringer, who will operate and Stolarsky agrees to pay all costs. Thus, Bruno, penniless and at the mercy of others, is brought to Berkley, his hometown, a place he vowed he would never return.
Once the surgery is completed, Bruno feels naked without the blot and requests a mask. This is reminiscent of his last backgammon game during which a young woman serving food came in wearing a mask and was naked from the waist down. The gambler felt that he could communicate telepathically earlier in his life and the blot had helped to protect him from this unwanted gift. Now that the blot is gone, he feels he is exposed again (that his telepathy has returned) and wants the blot back. He feels that he was present during the surgery and remembers all that happened. In fact, that is the only chapter which is told not from the gambler’s perspective but from that of the surgeon, almost as if he was inside the surgeon’s head at the time of surgery watching it happen, a very clever twist of story-telling.
The gambler becomes a pawn of Stolarsky’s. Having no money of his own, he is living in an apartment within a building Sturgeon owns. He must wear clothing that he purchases at the store Stolarsky owns, so ends up dressed in “Abide” clothing. He is told to work at Kropotke’s burgers where he is made to wear a burlap mask with a noose around his neck. Bruno, as a character, seems like a pawn in a game other people are controlling, either Falk (his handler) or Stolarsky, at this particular interval in his life.
Madchen is a beautiful blond he met on a ferry when he was headed to Berlin. She was also the masked woman naked from the waist down who served sandwiches during his backgammon match in Berlin. She is the only person who tries to contact him during his time in Berkley, as he seems to have no close friends or family. When she is flown out by Stolarsky, she also becomes another piece in a game that Stolarsky seems to be playing, against Bruno and the anarchists with whom Bruno has taken up.
This novel is full of double entendres, irony, wit, intellectualism. It is enticing, thought-provoking and strange. For those who enjoy this type of novel, it will be dearly loved. It is definitely not main-stream. It is off the beaten path, odd, but brilliantly written.
Thanks to netgalley and Doubleday books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“She wills her body to be equally wraithlike. Not sodden, not heavy, not dead, but filled with crackling, electric life, like a stale Marlboro on fire“She wills her body to be equally wraithlike. Not sodden, not heavy, not dead, but filled with crackling, electric life, like a stale Marlboro on fire.”
Nell Zink’s “Nicotine” is a social satire on a grand scale. It invokes and satirizes the philosophies of shamanism, pragmatism, and anarchy. It begins with Amalia at age 13 being “adopted” by Norm from a garbage heap in Cartagena, Columbia. From there, the novel flash forwards to Amalia’s daughter, Penny, at age 12 at her father’s psychadelic healing center. Her mother is now “married” to Norm and Penny has two older half brothers, who happen to be older than her mother.
When Penny’s father falls ill and is on hospice, Penny is the primary caregiver. It is said by many of the Shamanist followers at the funeral services that Penny always had that spiritual connection like Norm.
Upon her father’s death, Penny, now in her 20s (a recent business school grad) thinks she will take over his childhood home which is inhabited by squatters, anarchists that are united by their love of nicotine. Hence, the the name “Nicotine” for the house they have squatted. There are many houses in this area of New Jersey being squatted by millennials. Penny falls in love with one of the squatters, who happens to be asexual, and decides to live amongst them. Her brother, Matt, decides he will kick out the squatters and he, too, falls in love with one of the squatters.
Amalia (Penny's mother) initially declares her love for Matt (Penny's half-brother) which is not returned. However, this brings up questions as to what happened between them when they were younger. Could Matt be Penny’s father? Amalia, too, goes to try to kick out the squatters, and falls in love with one of them.
Matt is a huge sociopath and gets what he deserves when he lands in a huge amount of shit. Everyone and everything gets confused and turned on its head. “Nicotine” becomes the “Norman Baker Center” bringing together the Norman Baker followers and millennials alike.
This one was tough for me to connect to. I appreciated the social satire and the brilliance of the author, but honestly did not feel too much for the characters. It felt like all of the ideas were thrown together in a slurry and the result was interesting and at times amusing, but just did not seem as polished as it could have been.
Thank you to net galley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Wow! This is a wonderful collection of short stories that I hope readers will pick up and enjoy. There are several common themes threading their way tWow! This is a wonderful collection of short stories that I hope readers will pick up and enjoy. There are several common themes threading their way through the stories including: societal gender roles, the competition among and between girls and women, the vulnerability and seeming powerlessness of women in many cultures and the ways in which they are able to rebel, pasts that once seemed laid to rest that come back to haunt… This is a book that is affecting and powerful. It is a book that makes you reflect. It is beautiful and horrific at the same time. I highly recommend this collection of short stories to everyone, but especially to women.
Thank you to netgalley & the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This novel brought to mind, “The Stranger” by Albert Camus, a novel I read back in high school, due to the absurdity of the premise and the situation This novel brought to mind, “The Stranger” by Albert Camus, a novel I read back in high school, due to the absurdity of the premise and the situation of the protagonist. “The Invoice” is not nearly as dark and in fact this novel has everything to do with happiness. The protagonist is a 39-year-old single male living in Sweden who works part-time in a video store. His only friend, Roger, seems to be pretty miserable. He has a sister who seems overrun with her family life. His parents are deceased. Yet, he receives an invoice stating he owes a ridiculous sum of money for his assessed happiness. Through his investigations into the reasons why he owes so much money which is primarily through the woman he reaches at the call-in center, Maud, it is revealed that calculations were mistaken and the amount he owes keeps increasing. It seems incredible to him that he could owe so much working a dead-end job, having very little actual life experience, and no money to speak of. In the end, he realizes just how lucky he his that he is able to experience happiness with the simple things in life where others do not. He ultimately finds that the ridiculous sum of money they wanted to charge him does not come close to the amount he should owe for all of the happiness he has in his life. I enjoyed this philosophical, satirical novel that seems light-hearted and deep both at once. It is a novel that makes you think about happiness, the roots of happiness, what it means to be surrounded by people who are truly happy and to be truly happy yourself. I recommend it to everyone. It's a great book to think about and discuss!
Thank you to net galley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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