Mostly Dead Things

by Kristen Arnett
March 20-29, 2020

Well, now I'm mostly dead. The biggest emotion this book evoked was rage. Some would view that as an accomplishment, but that certainly isn't my intention. I feel like I hate-read the entire novel, hoping that just maybe it would redeem itself. The author even took it upon herself to deliver the CliffsNotes version not even halfway through, just in case anyone needed a little push.

  "There was my mother, with her sudden deviation from anything I’d ever known or expected from her. My father had killed himself in a place where he knew I’d find him, leaving me a note that said it was my responsibility to take care of the things he wasn’t strong enough to handle. The only woman I’d ever cared for I’d shared with my brother, a person I simultaneously loved and hated for it." 

And still, I couldn't have cared less. Every single character was so shallow and unlikable that I struggled to focus, skimming many of the repetitive sentences. The author chose to describe people by their zits and scabs, rather than with any real emotion. The narrator was so hollow it was a wonder she was still breathing.

These characters aren’t simply unlikable. They are all horrible people who actually commit horrific crimes and suffer no consequences. I can’t image one person who would enjoy reading about the illegal killing of animals; while these acts barely got a modicum of reaction. The final chapter attempted to “make this OK” and was completely outrageous, ludicrous.

Atmospherically, everything was dirty and gross. Each scene took on some type of heavy, overused descriptive, becoming so frequent that I was more focused on the miasma than the moment itself. A long-awaited, soul-baring moment between brother and sister was ruined with disgusting details. A tender scene with two people finally declaring love (in and of itself unbelievable because no character depth was ever established) was spoiled when one licked bug parts of the other's palm. My face was in a constant grimace. Not my form of entertainment.

* * * * *

Marilou is Everywhere

by Sarah Elaine Smith
Feb 9-23, 2020

I happened upon Marilou by chance. A dear friend of mine emailed one day from Chicago to tell me that an old high school friend of hers was doing a book reading at a bar in Cleveland the next night. On that cold, rainy night I was instantly hypnotized by Sarah's voice. I bought the book at the event, which she signed with a thoughtful, joyful passage. I couldn't wait to get started.

The book begins so atmospheric and calming, and I could still hear Sarah's voice reading aloud in my head. I could instantly put myself in that time and place. It was evident that the author meticulously crafted each and every sentence – she has two Master's degrees; fiction and poetry.

"The pond looked alive to me, even the shape of the hills around it... I felt, all at the same moment, that it was valiant for beauty and also so plain that it embarrassed me to belong to it... under the hawthorns, fine dappled mushrooms winked like they had invented themselves..."

Her metaphors were dreamy and yet so descriptive. But at some point, I felt that I was just indulging the poet.

"It was my time and I felt fat. A rose is. The dew of a frigid October. Buster Keaton's beautiful eyes."

I must have read those sentences five times trying to figure out what it had to do with the game of charades two characters were playing (I think – nothing.). What makes a great novel is the character development, but suddenly the characters felt empty and shallow.

"I felt like my words were made out of bones and hot dogs and nonsense."

How does that help the reader? This short book was moving at a snail's pace, and I really wanted to find out what happened, but instead one chapter was entirely devoted to soy sauce. And some excerpts were completely out of character comparative to the perfectly-honed ones:

"And Clinton didn't say about it, so I didn't say about it, and the green fur was was coming back up in divots..."

That feels like it belongs in a different book. The randomness seemed to grow rampant. The plot definitely lost track. When the climax was finally revealed, I found myself appalled at what an absolutely horrible person the so-called protagonist was – unfounded and out of nowhere. I feel like the book would have been better served to stick to a more concise plot and "try" a little less. I grew so very weary of the poetry and the metaphors, I was bored.

There's no doubt Sarah has a talent, it just needs a bit more focus for future novels. Three stars for the friend connection, but really only 2.5.

* * * * *

The Water Cure

by Sophie Mackintosh
Oct 15-21, 2019

I don't get it. Dystopia? Nope. Sadistic women? Totally. But with vague descriptions and insinuations of the world around them, this book leaves the reader with more questions than answers, and not in a good way. Although I tore through The Water Cure, it was only because the writing was so shallow and asked very little of its readers. The author seemed to be under the assumption that the reader would know what the hell she was talking about.

The plot centers around three sisters and their parents living remotely on an island to supposedly shield themselves from toxins on the mainland and the violent men who inhabit it. But there is no solid proof that it's a dystopian society, and no real desire to find out more. Instead, it's a tactic that attempts to add intrigue and fails. What in truth is flat-out abuse in a cult created by ruthless parents, filling space with the abstract of "what is really happening in the world" was only distracting and really confusing.

"I am always alternating between invincibility and the sick fear of dying."

I think readers who are true fans of the dystopian genre are far more outraged than I am. I'm simply annoyed by all the hype and false comparisons to better novels.

* * * * *

The Peacock Feast

by Lisa Gornick
July 23-August 18, 2019

A lot happens in this book. Almost too much in the beginning, and it felt a little disjointed, difficult to follow, then it hit its stride and was engrossing to the finish. Spanning from the early 1900s to present day, I found the mid-century stories to be the ones that kept me coming back for more. While some of the timelines lost a little focus, the successful ones gave a payoff that was completely worth it.

The subtle character development of each of the multiple generations of the family unfolds in both heartbreaking and satisfying ways. The character's relationships with one another are believable and surprising. The plot was a bit of a slow burn, but one that I didn't predict. I love that. While I think that it could use some editing and cleaning up of the presentation of facts, I was deeply moved by the ripple effect one action can have on future generations. A unique and original concept that takes just a bit of patience.

* * * * *

The Altruists

by Andrew Ridker
May 18-June 9, 2019

Obviously the title is as ironic as it gets, because these people sucked. And that is about as much feeling as I can muster for this book. I'm completely indifferent about the plot and I'm just glad to be finished with it. The story lagged, was not funny (as it claimed to be) and generally fell flat.

Like a comatose patient with no DNR, his sedate lifestyle required a steady drip of funds.

A little indulgent, no? I also may or may not have choked on my wine when I found out the author was born while I was in college. So I suppose I can give him a break on his debut and hope that he succeeds in the future. But this book is utterly forgettable with zero impact.

* * * * *

Alternate Side

by Anna Quindlen
May 5-15, 2019

I read all genres, all age groups, all kinds of subjects, but the last few Quindlen books have just felt old to me. Even though the main human was less than 10 years older than I am, the whole thing felt so geriatric. And I said "human" because evidently the main protagonist was a parking lot. Not one thing felt fresh or inventive about this group of ho-hum neighbors on a coveted block in NYC. The dust jacket describes the story as "provocative" but that couldn't be more off-base.

A quirky technique that was hard to ignore was the constant use of the past perfect tense.

"Nora had had to yank their dog away from a cardboard container of moo shu something..."

I don't normally dial-in on grammatical styles, but I couldn't help but notice how often it was used – I don't think normal day-to-day conversation calls for it so frequently.

This is the third dud in recent years from Quindlen. For me she's lost her dazzle from the Black and Blue days. I'm done.

* * * * *

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

by Ottessa Moshfegh
April 30-May5, 2019

Well, that could very well be the most unlikeable character I've read in some time. The unnamed narrator of this story is a selfish, narcissistic, manipulative drug addict. She is downright mean. With the amount of prescription drugs she took, it's a wonder she didn't kill herself (yes, I know it's fiction).

The book jacket praises the book in many ways, but the description of being "at times blackly funny" is so far off the mark as to miss it completely. It's impossible to feel sorry for "her." She treats her best friend like dirt; she thinks of herself as a 10 even when she's withered away in a drug-addled state. Her psychiatrist...oh God, please tell me that there aren't real doctors out there like this one. Every facet of this book is unbelievable. And with the constant pushing of the date in the reader's face (2000-2001) it's plainly obvious where this book is going. And that ending was downright offensive.

As I'm reading other reviews, I'm learning that this is the author's "thing" –  to write extremely unlikeable feminine characters to the point of shock value. Doing that over and over again shows a lack of originality and even with this one book, I'm bored by it.

And magically, sleeping for a year drugged out of her mind, and suddenly she is cured! Um, OK.

* * * * *

Ohio

by Stephen Markley
Feb 18-Mar 10, 2019

I'm going to find it hard to put my review into words. So many thoughts and emotions swirling through my brain as I finished this book only an hour ago. I was nearly ready to give up on it after the prelude, but like a pas de deux, I continued to dance with my partner, this book, until the coda. I'm so glad I did. What a complex, challenging, heart-breaking book.

Complex: Attempting to keep all the characters straight and comprehending the political aspect of Bill's character. Challenging: I found myself looking up several words I had never heard of – verisimilitude, threnody, senescence – and yet there was not an ounce of pretension in the author's voice. Heart-breaking: At times, the graphic depictions of war, rape and self-mutilation were unbearable, but I realized that they were absolutely necessary.

As we all know, the way memory works is that the sweep of your life gets explicated by a handful of specific moments, and these totems then stand as narrative. You must invent the ligature that binds the rest.

And the draw was so familiar and comfortable, because, well, Ohio. Every mention of my happy places from Cleveland to Akron to South Bass Island, made me feel like home. While I'm not native to our great state, it's still my home.

“Johnny Appleseed. Ever heard of him? Ohioan.”

It seemed to take forever for me to finish, but I realize it was only short of three weeks. Worth every minute and with a payoff no reader could ever see coming. In an interview at the end of the book, Markley is quoted as saying,

"You just want those last forty pages to shock the shit out of you and yet feel totally inevitable in retrospect."

Absolutely. Poetically lovely, and absolutely relevant.

"And they were gone, these infinitesimal creatures, walking the surface of time, trying and failing to articulate the dreams of ages, born and wandering across the lonesome heavens."

* * * * *

The Girls at 17 Swann Street

by Yara Zgheib
February 9-16, 2019

Super quick read that takes the reader into the mind of an anorexic. The author (whose credentials are eye-poppingly impressive by the way) succeeded in not only writing a book that made me understand the anxiety and mental struggles of anorexia, but also made it so engrossing I couldn't put it down.

It's amazing that as Anna was down to a mere 88 pounds, the people she loved allowed it to happen. While they admitted their mistakes, it's just a fact that people see what they want to see and think they are being protective. It's also fascinating how two people remember stories completely differently. Anna remembers wonderful times and fun trips and her husband remembers her fainting and having to force her to eat.

The writing style and lack of punctuation could be a little distracting at times, but overall the sentences flowed at a rapid pace and the ending leaves the reader cautiously hopeful.

* * * * *

Sold on a Monday

by Kristina McMorris
Jan 19-27, 2019

What a missed opportunity. I expected a beautiful, heart-wrenching account of children sold during the Depression, and instead I was disappointed by a cheesy, foolish caper. Nothing about it felt timeless like good historical fiction so successfully does. The dialogue was incredibly corny and the author even went as far as describing a woman in an orphanage as "colored." Come on. How does that add to the story when it's not even used in the vocal exchange between characters?

It's not a story about the children who were sold by their dying mother. It immediately lost its focus on the hardships of the Depression after the first few chapters. It was about a reporter with a shallow storyline and a woman inaccurately misrepresented in 1931. I really can't believe this book got as many positive reviews as it did. It was supposedly inspired by a real-life photo of four children next to a for sale sign, but the (mis)interpretation was ridiculous.

* * * * *

How to Stop Time

by Matt Haig
Jan 5-17, 2019

First review of the year! I really like an occasional fantastical story that can almost be believable. In How to Stop Time, the overarching theme holds true whether fact or fiction – no one should be alone. At what cost or sacrifice can loneliness ever be justifiable?

"If I could live without doubt what would I do? ...  If I could love without fear of being hurt? What joys would I allow myself? What internal mysteries would I solve? How, in short, would I live?"

Tom is 439 years old. He's been convinced by the leader of a secret society of equally-aged people that no one can ever find out. The society only has one rule – never fall in love. So he moves around every eight years, never allowing roots to be planted or friends to be made. But, he did personally know Shakespeare and F. Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. These were fun "facts" that kept me invested in this unique plot. And then, this quiet, meandering sweep through four centuries suddenly turns sinister. Luckily, it happened in the last ten percent of the book, because for me there was no going back. It's a shame really. Such a fun concept with real life questions; I think the opportunity was missed to end a better way.

* * * * *

Vox

by Christina Dalcher
Dec 16-23, 2018

I've been reading nonstop lately. What else is there to do in winter?! And Vox was a super quick read that I busted out in a week.

My first inclination is to call it Handmaid's Tale-Lite. Women are repressed in the name of religion, but it's only been a year in this new way of life, and again, only in the US. Vox is like the Cliff's Notes of a dystopian society. It held my attention and stressed me out, but resolutions came quickly and crises were swiftly resolved. Because of this, it was hard for me to really dwell on the "what-ifs" presented here. But really, what if you could only speak 100 words a day? How would you make them count?

Dalcher does a decent job at character building in minimalist form. Just enough to evoke hatred for most characters. Her vocabulary isn't the best – I hate when people use the word "sex" as an anatomical description – but the simplicity flowed easily and didn't leave any room for misinterpretation.

I also think Vox is a timely parallel, in abstract form, to our current state of affairs. Again, the what-ifs.

* * * * *

Katerina

by James Frey
Oct. 13-24, 2018

What an absolute joke of a book. I hurts me to even call this a book, let alone any great literary feat. I admit to my obsession with Frey after the great Oprah debacle, but back then, fact or fiction, his writing style was fresh and unexpected. Now it's laughable, egotistical and ignorant. Repeating words, phrases and sentences doesn't make you a talented writer, it makes you look like an eighth grader lamely attempting to fill his book report to the required number of pages (double-spaced). There is literally a full page of exchanges between Jay and Katerina that continues to repeat, "Hi." Wow, groundbreaking stuff. Much of the other "filler" was Frey simply taking up page space to prove something to the reader (himself?) his advanced knowledge of literature and art. One giant eyeroll after another. Quoting page after page of The Tropic of Cancer doesn't make you an enlightened literary savant, it makes you a plagiarist.

The deeper I got into the book, the more familiar it sounded. Is he really attempting to write his autobiography again?! But if he doesn't call it that specifically, he assumes he'll be off the hook? Because of the riveting dialogue (snort), the pages turned quickly. I wanted to give up about a quarter into it for the sheer stench of narcissism, but I admit I had to find out where he was going with this. Only one tiny bit of redemption in the end, but in no way does that justify recommending this book to anyone I care about.

But my review is just one tiny sliver of light into the darkness of this drivel. Ron Charles is a book critic for the Washington Post. I've read his review of Katerina no less than four times. It's pure GOLD. Do yourself a favor and soak up his every word.

* * * * *

An American Marraige

by Tayari Jones
Aug 20-Sept 17, 2018

It appears that I am waaaaay in the minority on this one, but man, I had to force myself through. While maybe the book started off a little slow; the letter writing was interesting and dynamically evolving, it quickly picked up momentum, only to screech to a halt in the final several chapters. It was like slogging through mud.

I really liked the perspective of an educated, successful black "power" couple who get a really shitty hand dealt to them. But for me, this fact only kind of wafted in the background. It would have been better off with a greater focus on this injustice than the marriage collapse. Because of course it would be extremely difficult for newlyweds to maintain a relationship when the husband is locked up for five years, but their actions once he was released from prison were not at all believable. Rightly so, he would assume they could pick up where they left off. And to her defense, she moved on. But their interactions and expectations of each other were disjointed at best.

"What cruelty revealed that she cared by making me understand the limits of the same?"

Huh?? I must have read that sentence five times. I felt like the inevitable ending was so drawn out as to be gratuitous to the author's vocabulary. And when he started banging his head on the stupid tree that even had a name ... enough. I definitely missed the point all around.

* * * * *

Everything Here is Beautiful

by Mira T. Lee
July 8-Aug 5, 2018


If it's possible, this is a story of mental illness told in a beautiful, personal way. Beautiful because of the slow pace with a frantic undertone, and personal because the author succeeds in describing Lucia's illness in a way that actually makes sense. To Lucia, she is rational. To the reader, we see both sides – Lucia's, which explains away the demons – and Miranda's, which rationalizes the treatment of the illness.

“It seems silly, right? To be crying when everything's fine?
Well, why not, I figure, because if pain and tears were correlated, surely we would've all drowned by now.”

I need to stress the push and pull feeling of how the story is told. On one hand it's a gradual reveal, almost to the point of impatience (i.e., move it along). On the other, there's a sense of urgency to strike before more damage can be done. A good character-driven, family story is right up my alley, and for four, very different people, each one had a thoroughly-told narrative.

* * * * *

The Immortalists

by Chloe Benjamin
June 10-July 1, 2018

I'm quite behind on my reviews, so we'll keep this one short but sweet! I loved this book. Such a unique premise.

This was so much more than a story about "how would you live/change your life if you knew the date of your death." At first I feared that The Immortalists was going to lean too far toward hocus-pocus. But it became so much more than that. It was about the choices we make and the risks we take. Each of the four siblings had their own distinctive tale, and each one was interesting in its own way.

I liked the first two stories the best – Simon's and Klara's – because they were the most relatable. Daniel's story was a bit "of course" and I didn't enjoy the in-depth science explanations in Varya's chapters. But I found Varya's ending fairly unexpected and was glad that I didn't correctly predict it.

“She knows that stories have the power to change things: the past and the future, even the present.”

 Overall, extremely thought-provoking and poetic. 4 stars.

* * * * *

Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Jesmyn Ward
April 8-21, 2018

A dysfunctional family whose story is told mainly through the eyes of a 13-year old boy who calls his mother by her first name. Jojo needs to be the father to his young sister and the man of the house, emulating his grandfather, because his mother is a meth addict and his father is in jail. Oh, and he sees dead people.

A quick and interesting perspective on the "unburied" but the child neglect was tough to get through. The deeper underlying statements on racism are not for me to judge. But Ward succeeded in developing sympathetic characters that I wanted to know more about. It's crazy what drugs do to an already selfish, immature woman. Leonie knew she needed to be a better mother to her kids, but she chose her boyfriend and meth over them. Every time. I think this is not too uncommon in real life either.

Overall, a profound and poetic take on parenting, racism and drug abuse in the south. Painful to read, but still so important.

* * * * *

The Life She Was Given

by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Jan 28-Feb 10, 2018

Warning. This is not a book for adults. This is a YA book hiding in plain sight as credible, adult fiction. It's funny that the more I dislike a book, the more I have to say about it. Fundamentally and technically, there is so much wrong.

Let's start with the spelling and grammatical errors. The book alternates chapters between Lilly (in the 1930s) and Julia (in the 50s). At one point, Julia became "Julie" for a sentence or two. I thought I was losing my mind until I realized it was an error! That's pretty hard to overlook. Every new chapter started with a one-sentence synopsis of what happened two chapters earlier, and the pattern was exactly the same. Out of 34 chapters, 20 of them started with "After {the incident}..." It's as though the author isn't giving the reader credit for remembering what happened just a few pages before. Definitely a YA formula. While this is no literary feat, there were sentences that actually made me laugh out loud:

"The headless dressmaker's dummy seemed to be watching, judging her for searching the house."

Haha! I could go on, but I think my point is clear. Fundamentally, Julia living in the 1950s is poorly visualized. She's written more like a young woman in the present day. The overarching themes of the story became increasingly uncomfortable with every page. Lilly is presented as an albino simply because she has porcelain skin. This was misleading, misinformed and a cop out attempting to add suspense to the big reveal in the end. The animal cruelty was excruciating to read and not something that I think adds interest, only a shock value. Add these two themes to the Big Top and yet another hilarious line:

"Because where else would an albino, a lifelong circus performer, and an elephant have any sort of chance at starting over?"

Don't we all wonder the same thing?!!? Wiseman is touted as an "acclaimed, best-selling author" who got her inspiration from the Flowers in the Attic series. Sorry, you are no V.C. Andrews and I found nothing but flaws in this ridiculous novel.

* * * * *

Saints for All Occasions

by J. Courtney Sullivan 
Jan 4-28, 2018

What a lovely story. I adore family dramas, especially ones that span a few generations. Add to that a devout Irish Catholic family, and I'm hooked. I love how the story just kind of quietly unfolded into a completely believable narrative. And while the subject matter isn't exactly groundbreaking or original, I still think the author found a fresh way to tell it.

"Mother Cecilia swore she felt her spirit each time she set foot in the abbey's vegetable garden, or when she went to the grave and placed flowers in springtime. And especially when, in the presence of some lost soul, she attempted to give her solace.
As many paths to God as people on earth."

Beautiful, thought-provoking paragraphs like that are abundant. Sullivan really succeeded in making the reader contemplate her own family dynamic and especially understand the power of prayer and forgiveness. The perfect example of life being too short to hold on to anger.

A great way to start the new year; I'm a little sad to leave these characters.

* * * * *

The Bell Jar

by Sylvia Plath
Dec. 26, 2017-Jan. 3, 2018

/ˈbel ,jär/
noun
1. a bell-shaped glass cover used for covering delicate objects or used in a laboratory, typically for enclosing samples.
      1.1 An environment in which someone is protected or cut off from the outside world. ‘let him stay in his bell jar of perfectionist concentration’ [with allusion to Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar (1963)]

With a little nudging from a friend, I decided at long last to read The Bell Jar, a book that has been on my list for years. Considering the book was first released 55 years ago, the plot was not a mystery, but I was completely shocked by how convincing Esther's downfall was. She describes her rapid descent in a beautifully sad way:

"trapped under a bell jar, stewing in her own sour air"

And in the brilliant writing, somehow I started to question my own sanity, even for a minute. Obviously, that minute has passed, but such is the power of Plath's words.

At times the book felt rushed, but I also think that was a purposeful tactic to further illustrate Esther's sickness. And in truth, I'm glad the book wasn't any longer because I was left emotionally exhausted. Purposely written without emotion, only commentary, it was initially difficult to empathize with Esther. But after that first shock treatment, my heart continually broke for her and her struggle. Nine years after The Bell Jar was published, Plath took her own life. It's a shame to have lost such a brilliant talent to such a horrible disease.

* * * * *