An Island

An Island by Karen Jennings
5/17/22; 224 pages
Penguin Random House

An Island by Karen Jennings is a highly recommended allegorical novel of a light keeper on an isolated island who has a stranger wash ashore.

Samuel has live on a small island as a lighthouse keeper off the coast of an unnamed African country for many years. He tends his garden, builds his wall surrounding it, cares for his chickens and the lighthouse, and buries any bodies that wash ashore. When a stranger washes ashore still alive, Samuel manages to get him up to his home. The stranger seems to be recovering, leaving Samuel uncertain what he should do.

He vividly remembers his former life on the mainland where he was a political prisoner and his country was exploited under colonial rule. After a revolution, his country won independence, but this did not change the suffering of the people. The stranger induces in Samuel pondering and reminiscing about events that have occurred in his past. Samuel knows how fickle people and governments can be, and how only certain lives are actually valued, those who can promote the current regime and their plans.

The narrative follows Samuel recalling his past and trying to live with the stranger. This is really a character study of an old man who has seen enough in the past to doubt what the present has to offer. He is used to being alone and having this stranger living with him on his island is jarring to his sensibilities, but is also causing Samuel to remember events from his past. This juxtaposition of past and present results in mistrust and resentment in Samuel over the stranger which can be akin to the struggles of his unnamed country.

This is a bleak, forlorn novel written in spare prose and meager but essential details. The tension and foreboding runs high, although nothing occurs in the present day to warrant it, Samuel's imagination and reflections on the past are brought to the forefront of the present. 3.5 rounded up

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Hogarth Press via NetGalley.

On a Quiet Street

On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass
5/17/22; 320 pages
Graydon House Books

On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass is a highly recommended novel of domestic psychological suspense. Brighton Hills is an exclusive community on the Oregon coast but underneath the surface it is a community full of grief, secrets, anger, lies, abuse, cheating and deceit.

Paige and Grant lost their adult son Caleb to a hit and run driver last year. The grief has hit them both hard, but Paige seems to need to grieve alone and lashes out in anger. Her husband has moved into the apartment above their restaurant although he still loves and supports her. Paige is always looking for the driver who hit her son in their gated community because she is sure it was one of her neighbors.

Cora and Finn have a teenage daughter, Mia. Cora is outgoing, positive and helps with all sorts of community events, although she is critical and hard on herself. This doesn't help with the major problem in her life, which is the fact that Finn is a serial cheater but Cora just can't seem to collect the evidence to prove it and when questioned Finn dismisses her concerns. Cora turns to Paige to do the sleuthing and obtain the proof while catching him in the act. The couple has a prenup and proof of Finn's cheating will break it.

Georgia is much younger and has a baby, Avery. Her husband, Lucas, a judge, has spread the rumor that she has agoraphobia. Cora has been diligent to make advances of friendship toward the young woman in hopes that support from a friendly neighbor will help, but it seems that something more is going on in Georgia's life and Cora is keeping an eye on her. Georgia is very afraid of something that traumatized her, but what happened to this previously vibrant outgoing young woman?

Chapters alternate between the point-of-view of Paige, Cora, and Georgia, who all are portrayed as individuals with their own unique voices. Paige is a super sleuth, but also an angry woman. Credit also needs to go to Cora who is also very observant. The characters are developed and their separate personalities allow you to easily distinguished between them. 

Stick with this one through the beginning chapters which seem to move a bit slowly and appear to be somewhat meandering and vaguely reminiscent of other similar novels with a plot based on suspicious neighbors. Action will pick up, your interest level will rise, and the novel gets much more interesting before setting off at a break-neck speed to a twisty ending. As I continued reading, my rating improved, especially when the pacing picked up, secrets were uncovered, and the action really started. 

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Graydon House Books.

Seven Days in Virtual Reality

Seven Days in Virtual Reality by Jeff Yager
4/1/21; 286 pages
Hannacroix Creek Books

Seven Days in Virtual Reality by Jeff Yager is a recommended science fiction novel.

Louis Parker is not winning at life. The divorced father of two teenagers is trying to drive and work at a restaurant and neither job is working out. When out one night drinking he runs into Jack, one of his brother's old friends. Jack gives him his card and says to call if he needs a job. Louis does and finds out that he can make a whole lot of money just for testing out a virtual reality game. For the first game he relives specific chosen days from his life. Then he's offered the chance to test the second version in which the consequences of participating in this can be much greater.

The premise of the story and the consequences of playing the VR game is what really is entertaining and interesting in Seven Days in Virtual Reality. It is difficult to relate to Louis as he isn't a particularly appealing, likable, or fully realized character, but the fast pace and the VR game is really the whole point to the novel. The money entices him, but quite frankly any paying job would have. The large paychecks just had him spending money foolishly. (And there is way too much smoking, heavy drinking, and foolish behavior.)

So, read this novel for the idea of a VR game that actually allows you to go back and relive days of your life and maybe even change things. It could be an impetus for some very interesting conversations. The writing is uncomplicated and don't expect great character development. Recommended just for the idea of reliving days of your life or maybe change events through a VR game.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Hannacroix Creek Books .

 

The Language of Birds

The Language of Birds by Anita Barrows
5/17/22; 320 pages
She Writes Press

The Language of Birds by Anita Barrows is a highly recommended introspective and melancholy coming-of-age drama.

As children Gracie and her younger sister Jannie were taken by their mother on a pointless trip to Europe, where they finally went Germany to stay with their Oma. After eight months the traumatic trip ended in their mother's suicide. Gracie did make a best friend during this time, Martin, a boy her age who also spoke English and German. Then at 12 1/2 and 5. Gracie and Jannie are back in Berkeley with their father. Their father tirelessly devotes himself to getting help and support for Jannie, who is autistic and very passionate about birds, but leaves Gracie to make her own way.

Gracie is a serious, sensitive girl who doesn't reveal the truth about her mother's suicide or Jannie autism. She withdraws from any social contact and purposefully isolates herself. Her only connection is writing letters to Martin and meeting a fellow disengaged student, Gina, who also wants to be a writer. The two girls open up to each other when Gracie tells Gina the truth about her family. Gina has many of her own problems and only shares a few with Gracie.

The well-written novel is narrated by Gracie and chapters alternate between 2002, when Gracie is 16 and Jannie is 8, and 2017 when they are young adults. The themes covered in The Language of Birds are all serious and weighty. These include Gracie's chosen method to cope with the mental illness and suicide of her mother, her sister's autism, and a death, by closing herself off to others, and Gina's story, which is even rougher. These topics are handled with sympathy, understanding and care by Barrows, but be forewarned that the tone of the novel is very somber, heartbreaking, and thoughtful. There is a resolution, but the tone remains rather somber throughout.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of She Writes Press via Edelweiss.

What They Don't Know

What They Don't Know by Susan Furlong
5/17/22; 286 pages
Seventh Street Books

What They Don't Know by Susan Furlong is a highly recommended domestic psychological thriller.

Mona and Ben Ellison live in a Victorian home in suburban Belington where their neighbors are all close friends of Mona and everyone keeps an eye on everyone else, but now they are selling and moving to a condo in the city closer to Ben's clinic. Ben, a child psychologist, has a flourishing career, however Mona and Ben are having a trouble in their marriage. Their son Gus has fallen in with the wrong crowd and left home, breaking Mona's heart. Mona is obsessed with her vast collection of dolls and is constantly looking at social media to locate Gus.

To make matters more interesting a young woman who was a friend of Gus has been murdered in the area. The police are wanting to question Mona and Ben, but Ben is out of town. Mona seems overwhelmed and confused. Ben has been medicating her and she is trying to follow any clues on social media that lead to Gus's whereabouts while hanging out with her dolls.

Readers won't know who to trust or believe in this creepy domestic psychological thriller and the police have their work cut out for them. Suspects are plentiful and no one can be believed or trusted. Do you trust the woman who talks to her dolls and might be crazy? Or do you trust the neighbors who seem to be watching everyone and then jumping on the phone or stopping by the house? Or do you trust the husband who lies about where he is and seems too smooth to be real?

The plot moving along at a fast pace while including plenty of twists and turns along the way in this well-written thriller. This is a good choice for escapism, as long as you can handle a woman who talks to her dolls, which is never a good sign in most cases.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

This Time Tomorrow

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
5/17/22; 320 pages
Penguin Random House

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub is a very highly recommended time traveling tale.

Alice Stern is visiting her seriously ill father, Leonard, in the hospital. Leonard, the famous author of a best selling and cult classic time travel novel, is no longer responsive and Alice knows the end is near. He has been the constant in her life as the parent who raised her since age six. Since she is about to turn 40, Alice is taking stock of her life. She is still very close to her life-long best friend, Sam, satisfied with her job, her independence, and her apartment. She does wish she had asked Leonard more questions when she was younger. Then after a night of drinking on her 40th birthday, she wakes up back in 1996 on her 16th birthday and this changes everything.

Admittedly I wasn't smitten with This Time Tomorrow at the beginning until Alice found the key to her ability to time travel. It begins as what feels like a stereotypical novel about single woman in NYC, the only place to live, and it felt like something written a thousand time, with the exception of her ill father. Once she went back to age 16, my interest in the novel spiked because what adult would want to go back to 16? The chance to really talk to her father is a crucial factor to the charm of going back in time and then her attempts to change the future are intriguing. This is a story of love and loss.

In this novel of self discovery, Straub perfectly captures the setting, time, and place of NYC in both time periods. There are also plenty of references to other time traveling novels and movies. The quality of the writing in This Time Tomorrow is exceptional and makes reading a pleasure as you explore how the choices you make influence your whole life. There are also a few surprises along the way.

Character development is well done and we see Alice experience growth in both time periods as she examines her current life and takes on the quest to change the future. Giving her the opportunity to really talk to her father back when he was younger and healthy would be an extraordinary gift for most people. Alice and Leonard's relationship and love for each other (and her relationship with her best friend, Sam) is really the foundation of this story with love being the one enduring quality in both time periods. 4.5 rounded up

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.

The Family I Lost

The Family I Lost by Ali Mercer
5/10/22; 358 pages
Bookouture

The Family I Lost by Ali Mercer is a highly recommended mystery within a dysfunctional family.

Lisa has grown up knowing that her father was sent to prison for some crime and that the family of her mother, Julie, completely cut off all ties with them. When Julie passes away Lisa finds an address of someone who may be a relative of hers, Amy, so Lisa writes to her in hopes of some connection. Oddly enough she then meets Amy's husband Joe, and the two realize that Lisa and Amy are cousins. Lisa is invited over and meets Amy, Joe, and their daughter Tilly. Amy is pregnant and due soon, and not especially cordial to Lisa, but when their son is born and Joe's away for the summer Amy reaches out to Lisa to help her.

Lisa does end up helping Amy while Joe is gone. As she helps care for Tilly, she persistently feels as if she has been in their house before. Perhaps the answer to her father's crime and the family secret can be uncovered while she is there. It also becomes abundantly clear that Amy's family and their grandmother have a skewed outlook on events.

Lisa is a sympathetic character as she deals with the dysfunctional family she never knew. Amy is a dislikable character, enough so that readers will wonder why on earth Lisa agreed to help this selfish, self-centered woman. It is imperative that these two women meet and question what they have been told or know about their family history because they have both been keep in the dark about the facts.

While the writing is very good and the plot moves along at an even pace, you have to set your disbelief aside in order to appreciate The Family I Lost, especially regarding Amy calling Lisa after one meeting, asking her to help, and then Lisa agreeing to help for months while Joe is gone. Once you've accepted this rather far-fetched premise, then you can sit back and watch the mystery unfold. 3.5 rounded up.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Bookouture via NetGalley.