The Distance Home by Paula Saunders
Penguin Random House: 8/7/18
eBook review copy; 304 pages
ISBN-13:
9780525508748
The Distance Home by Paula Saunders is a very highly recommended
family drama which is beautifully written while brilliantly depicting a
highly dysfunctional post World War II family living in West River
South Dakota.
René narrates the story of her contentious childhood in South Dakota,
beginning on the plains next to the Missouri River in Fort Pierre, and
later in the foothills of the Black Hills in Rapid City. Set in the
1950'and 60's, her parents, Al and Eve, married young and lived in Al's
parents' basement, where Leon and René were born. Al is a
cattle trader, which means he spends more time away from his family
than at home, so Eve must make a life for her children. She also fights
to overcome the blatant favoritism Al and his mother show to René, by
favoring and fighting for sensitive Leon, who is mocked and treated
harshly by Al and his mother - first for his stutter and later for
dancing. Eve signed Leon up for a tap dancing class, and later ballet,
when he showed a natural aptitude for dance, which Al cannot accept.
When René shows the same natural ability for dance, she is applauded and
praised. The battle lines are clearly set, with Eve defending Leon and
Jayne and Al favoring René.
When the family moves to Rapid City, the gulf between parents and
children widens and worsens. The parents are constantly battling each
other when Al comes home. His disdain for Leon is as obvious as his
favoritism for René. Sides are clearly drawn: Eve defends Leon; Al
prefers René. Al even ignores Leon's many accomplishments playing
baseball and never attends a game. The epic battles and the abusive
punishments doled out to Leon result in both Leon and René being
diagnosed with PTSD as adults. Leon turns to self-destructive behavior,
while René tries to excel at everything.
The novel follows their abusive childhoods through René's narrative.
Occasionally inserted in the story is information from future
discussions shared between Leon and Rene as adults. They provide a
glimpse into the fallout from their childhood and the destruction that
resulted. Families are complicated organisms and Saunders clearly
captures this in The Distance Home. It has been said that the
novel draws on Saunders's own family history, which makes perfect sense
because the turmoil, emotions, and the prevailing attitudes of that
period in American history is captured so completely.
The writing is exquisite in this well-written debut novel and the
narrative is compelling. I was totally immersed in this family drama and
the struggle both Leon and René faced with their combative parents
making it almost a conflict between them. (This is a testament to the
wisdom of never, ever, picking or having a favorite child.) The
conflicts are realistically portrayed with brutality, but also result in
compassion for the characters. The Distance Home is totally set
during the time period indicated and in South Dakota as it was at that
time. (Small soapbox: To judge this or any novel based on current
societal and political measurements is unfair. What is the worth of
providing a historically accurate setting if reviewers judge it based on
modern sentiments rather than being pleased over the progress we have
made and continue to make.)
The character who is most fully developed is René, especially since she
is the narrator and is telling the story. Leon's character is also
fairly well-developed through her eyes. Jayne's character is not fully
formed, but there can often be a disassociation between older and
younger siblings. Between the parents, Eve is the most fully realized
character, but then she was also the main parent who was with the
children daily while Al was usually traveling. Saunders did an excellent
job depicting the conflicting emotions René felt toward her mother, and
the final resolution of them was touching.
This is truly one of the better novels I've read this year and it is a
notable debut novel. It is immediately going on my list of contenders
for the top ten novels of the year. Hopefully Saunders will be writing
another novel soon.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.
The Book of Ralph by Christopher Steinsvold
Medallion Press: 8/9/16
eBook review copy; 416 pages
paperback ISBN-13:
9781942546344
The Book of Ralph by Christopher Steinsvold is a highly recommended first contact story.
When a message appears on the moon saying "Drink Diet Coke" and the
Coca-Cola corporation denies all responsibility, Markus West is asked to
help with the Congressional investigation into the lunar advertisement.
Coca-Cola is found non-culpable for the ad, but the world is still
a-buzz over the audacious ad. Markus is called back to help when,
exactly a year later, a giant can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup is
floating above the front lawn and planning to land at the White House.
After it lands, out of the can jumps someone in a space suit waving the American Flag to the Rocky
theme song. While most Americans think the whole fiasco is another
promotional stunt, this time perpetrated by the Campbell's Soup Company,
the giant can is really a space ship and Ralph is an alien who is
trying to arrive undercover and warn us of an impending invasion by
malevolent extraterrestrials who wish us harm.
Once ensconced away to a secret hiding place, Ralph freely shares some
information about the evil aliens coming (from the planet Kardash....
which makes them Kardashians - one of the better bits of humor). During a
large part of the plot Ralph shares his thoughts about a host of
philosophical topics with Markus. And then the bad aliens arrive.
The novel moves along quickly, with humor tucked into the narrative
throughout, and most readers are going to keep reading during the
less-than-exciting discussions in order to find out what happens when
the Kardashians arrive to spread chaos. It's not that Ralph's
philosophical discussions are tedious or boring, they are insightful,
but when you are waiting for the bad guys, well, you tend to race
through the slow stuff. The novel does take a dark turn once they do
arrive.
The writing is good and the narrative will hold your attention. There
are several funny scenes and they will help you through the dark ones.
At the end it did feel more like a vehicle for the author to share his
thoughts and worldview with readers. I suppose that is the case with
most novels, but it just felt much more obvious here, perhaps because it
was set in a first contact sci-fi story. Don't necessarily allow that
to stop you from reading because it is, on the whole, an enjoyable,
thoughtful story and the evil aliens should give most readers pause in
the way they try to cause chaos on Earth.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Medallion Press.
As Wide as the Sky by Jessica Pack
Kensington: 7/31/18
eBook review copy; 352 pages
paperback ISBN-13:
9781496718167
As Wide as the Sky by Jessica Pack is a recommended,
introspective novel about a woman dealing with the aftermath of a
violence inflicted by her deceased son.
Amanda Mallorie's son, Robbie, has just been put to death after being
convicted for a mass shooting at a mall four years earlier. She is
questioning her every action and trying to reconcile the man who killed
others to the son she lovingly raised. She has been her son's only
support in the last four years, as the doctors tried to get his
medication adjusted and while Robbie refused any more appeals to his
sentence. Now she is planning to move on with her own life while
simultaneously and continuously recalling events of the past.
While finishing the final bits of packing for her move near her daughter
in another state, she opens up a box that was in Robbie's room. It is
full of the flotsam and jetsam of a much younger boy, before all the
troubles began. In the box she finds a class ring that doesn't belong to
Robbie, and, in fact, belonged to someone older. How did Robbie come to
possess this item and why would he keep it? Amanda decides to search
for the owner and return the ring.
Time stamps open each chapter and the extremely slow moving plot
unfolds through the voices of multiple characters. Amanda is the main
character and the novel intensely focuses on her constant introspection
and self-examination. All of her soul searching and reflecting about
Robbie's past became tiresome. Amanda needs some serious counseling, and
beyond the kind she mentioned (How does that make you feel? Write
apology letters...) but some real talk about consequences and boundaries
and how she is not responsible for another person's actions - even
those of a son she raised.
Many of the chapters focus on how Robbie's shooting affected numerous
other people. I couldn't help but wonder if the focus of the plot needed
to be tightened up a bit. Is this Amanda's story about how she is
dealing with her son's actions and any culpability she might shoulder or
is it about how Robbie's violence touched many other lives? Or is it
about Amanda's reflections, seeking closure, and looking for the owner
of the ring? Perhaps it might have helped if, rather than giving many
short chapters to those struggling with the aftermath of Robbie's
violence, Pack allowed Amanda to keep working through how his actions
hurt so many others without having the reader hear from them. Some of
the characters were necessary to follow - but not all of them.
The writing is good. This is not an awful book, although I will freely
admit that the constant introspection from all characters began to
grate. The ending seemed far-fetched to me, but perhaps those who like
romance novels will appreciate it more.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington
via Netgalley.
Hits and Misses by Simon Rich
Little, Brown and Company: 7/24/18
eBook review copy; 240 pages
ISBN-13:
9780316468893
Hits and Misses: Stories by Simon Rich is a very highly recommended humorous collection of eighteen short stories.
The various stories in this collection run the gamete from hilarious to
satirical, from absurd to insightful, from audacious to circumspect. In
the final analysis, however, they are all entertaining, while
simultaneously pointing out some absurdities or proclivities of the
human condition (especially related to writers, media, film work and
even when the main protagonist isn't human) in a humorous manner. I
thoroughly enjoyed every story in this collection. They were all hits
for me.
Contents:
The Baby - A novelist begins competing with
his unborn child for literary recognition.
Riding Solo: The Oatsy Story - Paul Revere's horse reveals the true story.
The Foosball Championship of the
Whole Entire Universe - Two brothers are in an uneven competition where only one can be named the ultimate winner.
Birthday Party - A man who takes a corporate job is confronted by his former selves over his choices.
The Book of Simon - Simon's life as compared to the Book of Job.
Relapse - An intervention is needed for an artist who thinks she wants to get back into the music business.
Hands - A Christian monk is tested by his ethical deficits.
New
Client - An old-time talent agent signs up his last client.
The Great Jester: Havershire, a medieval court jester, tells his life's story.
Physician’s Lounge, April 1st: Dr. Metzger is no longer allowed to make April Fool's jokes.
Menlo Park, 1891 - Thomas Edison makes a film, Newark athlete.
Tom Hanks Stories - Tom Hanks is a nice guy.
Adolf Hitler: The GQ Profile - A gushing magazine profile of the dictator.
Any Person, Living or
Dead - Frequently asked questions about the new technology allows you to have dinner with anyone, living or dead.
Upward Mobility - A powerful studio boss and his able assistant are before Saint Peter.
Dinosaur - A dinosaur writer is unable to keep up with the new writers.
Artist’s Revenge - A successful director forces his harshest critic to make a movie.
Stage 13 - A young, unaccomplished director is offered the opportunity to make a movie with a unique star.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Little, Brown and Company
via Netgalley.
Last Seen Alive by Claire Douglas
HarperCollins: 6/26/18
eBook review copy; 336 pages
ISBN-13:
9780062843173
Last Seen Alive by Claire Douglas is a recommended psychological thriller.
Libby Hall and her husband Jamie both need a vacation. When there is an
offer to swap houses with a couple, the Haywoods, they decide to take a
chance on it. Libby and Jamie can't believe their luck when instead of a
seaside cottage, they have swapped staying in their flat in Bath to
stay at a lovely seaside estate in Cornwall. Soon, though, some
disquieting discoveries are made and disconcerting events seem to be
happening. When Jamie falls ill and then is rushed to the hospital, it
marks the beginning of a change in their plans.
After they return to Bath, odd things begin to happen. It seems the
Haywoods may have wished them harm. Libby is becoming paranoid,
wondering if Jamie is keeping a secret from her, but Libby has some
secrets she has been keeping from Jamie. This is just the beginning of
the twists and turns that await you.
On the positive side for those who like psychological thrillers there
are plenty of revelations and secrets to be revealed in this novel. It
opens with a woman killing her husband, so you know something is going
to go wrong. The writing is good; Douglas takes care to explore the
psychological aspects of her characters, especially Libby's paranoia.
She helps the reader gain some sympathy for Libby, as she is still
privately grieving over her lost child after a miscarriage, which was
caused by a very public heroic act.
Last Seen Alive started out interesting, but then it started to
become a bit too unbelievable. And, again, when Libby wouldn't talk
about and hadn't told Jamie what happened in Thailand (the novel will
tell you) I already sussed out what was going to be the big reveal. What
I really wondered was why would anyone leave personal information out
and accessible to people they have never met when doing a house swap,
especially if you are already generally suspicious and paranoid about
people? Any why wouldn't you met these people first? This sort of marked
the beginning of some rather forced revelations/twists.
In my final evaluation, Last Seen Alive would be a satisfying
vacation read. Certainly it is a decent airplane book that will hold
your attention, but you won't cry if you misplace it along the way.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
Believe Me by JP Delaney
Penguin Random House: 7/24/18
eBook review copy; 352 pages
ISBN-13:
9781101966310
Believe Me by JP Delaney is a highly recommended deceptive psychological thriller.
Claire Wright is a British actor who has come to America to take classes
and hopefully find an acting job. Unfortunately she is here without a
green card and can't legally work, but she needs money to live so she
ends up working for a law firm specializing in divorce. Her job is to
act as a high price hooker and catch on film for female clients their
suspected unfaithful husbands negotiating for Claire's services. When
one of her clients is found murdered in a hotel room, the husband,
Patrick, who turned down Claire's proposition, is the main suspect.
Claire ends up working undercover for the police to try and get Patrick
to confess to his murder of his wife. She is forced to do this or risk
being deported as an illegal immigrant, but she also felt a connection
with Patrick when she was trying to entrap him, so she agrees to the
plan. The police also suspect that Patrick is a serial killer.
This is a fast-paced thriller packed full of unreliable narrators,
especially Claire. I will freely admit that the plot is preposterous and
purposefully deceptive - vital information is held back from the reader
in order to create suspense. Does Delaney mess with your mind, withhold
vital information, and make you wonder what the heck is going on in
this novel? Yup.... and it was simultaneously kind of fun and annoying. I
didn't see the ending coming at all.
Claire is an over-the-top unreliable narrator obsessed with acting and
her roles. Claire (and the novel) approaches almost everything as a
role, a part
she is performing, which can also make you wonder what is real. The
thing is that the story is very compelling and even when you are shaking
your head saying "Really?" you will want to keep reading to see what
happens next. I need to note that Patrick is a translator for Charles
Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal (1857), a book of poetry dealing with evil and eroticism, which plays a major part in the novel and can be off putting.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House
via Netgalley.
Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey
HarperCollins: 7/24/18
eBook review copy; 336 pages
ISBN-13:
9780062309716
Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey is a highly recommended psychologically complex mystery.
Lana, the youngest daughter of Jen and Hugh Maddox, has just been found,
bloody, bruised, and soaking wet after being missing for four days. Jen
and fifteen-year-old Lana were taking a painting class in the country
for a mother-daughter
vacation when the teen went missing. Now Lana simple repeats to everyone
who asks that she can't remember what happened to her. Lana, who is
suffering from depression and full of teen angst, has been moody,
difficult, and undergoing counseling after self-harming and a suicide
attempt. So, was she abducted? How did she get hurt?
Jen needs to know the truth and begins to contemplate what happened
before the vacation and reconstruct the events of the painting class.
She begins her own desperate investigation into Lana's life, looking at
her social media interactions, trying to find out what she is telling
friends, looking through her sketchbooks, looking at the books in her
room. Jen is full of anxiety about Lana, and her quest to find answers
becomes an obsession.
Whistle in the Dark has created a quandary for me in terms of
evaluating/rating it. On the one hand it is beautifully written literary
novel that realistically explores in-depth the psychological reactions
of a family and their interpersonal relationships in the midst of
complex situation. Healey authentically captures the reactions of a
truculent teen and a worried inquisitive, hyper-vigilant mother. The
emotional turmoil roiling through the novel is exhausting, but
compelling. The anxiety is palpable and oppressive. Both Jen and Lana
are realistic, complicated characters and their relationship is
thoroughly explored and examined through their interaction. The short
chapters are all from Jen's point-of-view and vacillate back and forth
in time.
On the other hand, early on in the novel I was quietly telling Jen (and
the police) where to look for the answers. I was correct. If the central
theme of the novel is the answer to the query "Where was Lana?" then it
isn't a huge mystery because Healey provides the clues to answer the
question early on in the novel. If the theme of the novel is the
exploration and examination of the relationship between a troubled
mentally ill teen and her mother, then it succeeded. However, it is
rather slow moving in regards to both thematic questions.
Healey's Elizabeth is Missing was on my top ten novel of 2014, so I had high hopes (and high expectations) for Whistle in the Dark.
The sheer excellence of the writing, the character development and the
exploration complex psychological reactions met my expectations. The
final resolution... not so much. Still it is a very good novel.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
