Tag Archives: Family Dynamics

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

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Synopsis:
Chloe’s always admired her older sister, but when Ruby shows up with a girl who was dead the last time Chloe saw her, Chloe starts to fear that her sister can do anything–absolutely anything–she wants, no matter what Chloe or anybody else thinks about it.

Review:
Both Ruby and Chloe are compelling characters, for completely different reasons, and that’s what makes Imaginary Girls so successful. Ruby is obsessed with Olive, a town buried under a reservoir thanks to some eminent domain shenanigans in the early 20th Century. Chloe fears Olive, because she almost died in the reservoir, saved only by the timely appearance of a rowboat containing the dead body of London, a girl in Chloe’s class. Chloe left town, but when Ruby summons her back for the summer, Chloe is excited–until Ruby shows her London, who isn’t dead. She’s alive–and she shouldn’t be.

This is a wonderfully creepy premise, reminiscent of my favorite author Shirley Jackson, only with a YA touch. Ruby is so alive, such a vibrant and exciting character and it’s easy to see why the world seems to revolve around her. It’s impossible to imagine her as anything other than a beautiful teenager, at the peak of her life and beauty and power. She’s everything every girl wants to be, and Chloe loves that there’s no one on the planet whom Ruby loves the way she loves Chloe. The sisters build a world together, and it’s just about perfect, except for London, whose very existent freaks Chloe out and threatens the world that Ruby has created for them. Even though this is a contemporary story, set in summer sunshine among partying teens, this book is a classic Gothic story that hits all the right notes.

Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

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Synopsis:
Emma has everything going for her–success in the classroom and on the soccer field–but her home life is a nightmare of epic proportions, and she’s just trying to get by until she meets Evan and decides she deserves more out of life.

Review:
The love story in Reason to Breathe just blew me away. I really felt like I was falling in love myself–and I never get that feeling when I’m reading books. Romance just doesn’t do it for me in general–I’m not inclined to let myself get swept up in it. The last time I was this taken in by the power of the dynamic between two people was when I read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon–and if you’ve read that book and are shaking your head in disbelief, yes, I am comparing Emma and Evan to Claire and Jamie.

What kills me the most about the book is that Rebecca Donovan didn’t publish her book through traditional means. She e-published. I chose the book because it’s part of Amazon Prime’s Kindle library program, where you can get 1 free book a month (but can’t keep it). It’s really incredible to me how far e-publishing has come.

Another Kind of Paradise by Trevor Carolan, Ed.

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Synopsis:
Short Stories from the New Asia-Pacific.

Review:
Another Kind of Paradise is a collection of stories from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, and more. My favorite was “Their Son” by Hong Ying from China, which takes expectations about parents and children and totally upends them. It was sad, sweet, funny, and provocative. “Third Meeting” by Mi-na Choi from Korea had a narrator that really grabbed me, even though the story was heartbreaking beyond words.

Minding Ben by Victoria Brown

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Synopsis:
18-year-old Grace is on her own, having left her native Trinidad for a new life in the US, but nannying for a wealthy family might not be the source of rescue she needs it to be.

Review:
Minding Ben‘s strength is in its depiction of the after-work lives of the Carribean women who take care of so many babies and toddlers in New York City. It’s weakness comes by hewing too closely to the Nanny Diaries dynamic of adorable kid with evil parents. I really hated how cartoonishly awful Miriam and Sol were–not only did they disregard Grace’s boundaries, they were racist as well. I see a lot of Carribean nannies here in Queens, hired by moms who are not wealthy and who don’t abuse them. I’d be just as interested in Grace’s story if the family she worked for were more recognizably human.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

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Synopsis:
The anti-love story of an American marriage.

Review:
Freedom is a terribly generic name for a totally original novel. I’d prefer “Songs for Walter” or even “Mistakes Were Made.” I’m really not sure how that one slipped by.

Anyway. Thoroughly engrossing read about people making each other miserable. It reminded me a lot of Revolutionary Road, a favorite of mine (despite the suckitatious movie). The psychological torture that the characters inflict on one another is exquisite and acute, but somehow hopelessly romantic, too.

Franzen is so ambitious, not content to tell a small story about people who can’t figure it out. He also brings in corrupt Iraq War defense contractors, the housing bubble, and punks turned alt-country, making the novel a stunningly executed portrait of America of the 80s, 90s, and 00s. He also throws in a bucket of melodrama. It all really works.

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten

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Synopsis:
When her autistic son is accused of murder, a lawyer takes the law into her own hands, convinced of his innocence despite the rampant evidence against him.

Review:
I really don’t think that many parents of autistic children are going to be pleased with Saving Max, which preys on the common fear that autistic children are unmanageable and unable to love. Combine that with parental anxiety over watching your vulnerable little boy grow into a strong man, and you have the roots of the tension that fuels Saving Max, one that plants the seeds of wondering whether those innocent-looking stimming behaviors could turn violent.

That said, I did find the book to be a real page-turner in terms of plotting, even though I guessed the murderer and their motive about halfway through. That’s way early for me, because I’m usually in the dark until the last pages, so it must be really obvious. But even so I enjoyed seeing how all the story events played out and felt satisfied with the ending. What more can you ask for from a thriller, really?

Many thanks to Mira for the review copy.

She’s Gone Country by Jane Porter

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Synopsis:
After her husband leaves her for another man, a model with three teenage boys moves back home to Texas where she runs across the champion bullrider she loved as a teen.

Review:
I’ve previously enjoyed Jane Porter’s books as being a cut above the usual chick lit/romance genre entrants, but She’s Gone Country didn’t rise to the occasion. While Porter gave Shey a juicy family situation–dead schizophrenic brother, depressed son, gay ex-husband–she never really came to life on the page for me. I think it was because she was a model. That made her feel like a clichéd chick lit character, and I had trouble taking her seriously. Also, her love interest being a bullrider just made me giggle more than swoon. Oh well. I’d still try another book of hers, based on the other two I liked, but one more like this one and I’ll write her off as not being for me.

Many thanks to 5 Spot for the review copy.

Faithful Place by Tana French

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Synopsis:
When the body of his first love is discovered 22 years after she failed to show up and elope to England, undercover detective Frank Mackey is sucked back into his dysfunctional and dangerous family.

Review:
Faithful Place is yet another perfect read from Tana French. As Frank navigates the crime scene, even after being ordered to stay away from the case, his grief, nostalgia, and brokenness threaten to consume him. Nobody does bittersweet regret like Tana French. My heart ached for all these poor lost characters, whose dreams were all thwarted by the accident of birth and the ties of family.

I did guess the murderer’s identity pretty early on, but I think that was the point, to place us completely in Frank’s point of view. He missed it, even if I didn’t, and that says volumes about who he is. A romantic to the end, when he says that he and Rosie Daly lost the chance to be the happiest two people on earth, you believe him utterly.

I also have to give props to Tana French for her exquisitely musical dialogue. Her use of slang, profanity, and imagery perfectly limns the subtle class distinctions between her characters, which is another huge part of the story.

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

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Synopsis:
The wearied mother to the heiress of Chalion attempts to flee her past insanity, only to find herself possessed by a god called The Bastard and sent on a perplexing mission of grave theological danger.

Review:
Paladin of Souls is the sequel to Lois McMaster Bujold’s Curse of Chalion, which I read a few years ago and greatly enjoyed.

Ista is the dowager royina of Chalion, a title placing her in the top echelon of the land. She had a bad experience with one of the five gods that drove her mad for many years. Having regained her sanity, she’s eager to take some time to herself and plans a pilgrimage of sorts. However, her peaceful endeavor is hijacked by The Bastard, the fifth god whose worship is considered blasphemy by most in the land. He charges Ista with a mission, but refuses to reveal the details. It seems to have something to do with a recent plague of demons and a most unusual marital arrangement by a lesser nobleman.

I loved how this story included horror elements within the political intrigue. I did a lot of research into Vodoun for a project a few years ago, and I found a lot in this book that seemed influenced by some of the practices and mythos of that religion. It worked so well here, especially because the characters and world were so well drawn. Great book all around!

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

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Synopsis:
In the wake of tragedy, a middle-aged divorcée, her sister, and her two grown daughters retreat to the family home on remote, rustic Tuckernuck Island off the coast of Nantucket, where buried secrets and repressed longings burst to the surface.

Review:
The Island is a book about loss, grief, and longing, with 3 of the main characters haunted by the untimely death of a lover. The main character, Birdie, has survived a divorce after decades of marriage, and has just embarked on her first love affair since the split. Her daughter Chess has just lost her fiancé in a rock climbing accident, after calling off the engagement, and her other daughter Tate has pined for their caretaker since she was 17. Birdie’s sister, India, lost her own husband to suicide and is now faced with a most unorthodox choice. And caretaker Barrett has secrets of his own.

I enjoyed this book even though I felt like the plot elements were all a bit too symmetrical to be believed. I loved the evocation of life on Tuckernuck in its rural simplicity. I got a little tired of all the wealth but in the end it did work for me. It’s a nice relaxing read, perfect for relaxing on the couch nursing Superfast Newborn.

Many thanks to Reagan Arthur Books for the review copy.