Fictional true crime done right {Dark Places by Gillian Flynn}

Fictional true crime done right: dark and twisted

About Dark Places by Gillian Flynn: Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice" of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.

My two cents

I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it.

Can someone say Truman Capote? Reading Flynn’s Dark Places, I had nostalgic twinges of reading In Cold Blood. I know this is fictional crime, but hey, it felt absolutely horrific getting into the minds of killer, survivor, witness. I felt myself flailing internally to keep reading. But Flynn had a disturbingly tight hold on me and I soldiered on to the end to find out the truth of The Satan Sacrifice Murders.

Libby is messed up. But she has every right to be - she survived the murder of her mother and two sisters by her older brother, Ben, 25 years ago. Cruelly, she was the one who had put her only surviving family member in jail for life. Libby is unable to hold jobs, and was living on funds donated by sympathetic do-gooders. With a failed book deal and funds running dangerously low, Libby milks any possibility of money to survive.

Enter the Kill Club, a group of people morbidly interested in high profile, notorious crimes. Libby is thrust into a precarious dilemma as she realizes that the club believes that Ben is innocent and she is practically accused of providing false testimony. Looking back, she realizes that she was coached in court since age seven, and as alternative theories and evidence are presented to her, Libby starts to question her own memories. The hope that maybe, just maybe, things aren’t what she thinks.

Why I liked this:

It’s got the Flynn trademark all over it. This is dark, twisted and sickening. It’s about a violent and gory massacre. It’s about perverse minds. It feels gritty, trashy, seedy, dirty, crude. And I feel the same way, a dirtiness on me that I don’t want. But, why oh why, does it all come together so well that you can’t put it down despite wanting to turn away and read something sunnier? Again I say it: Flynn is a brilliant and provocative storyteller.

Libby and the cast of characters. Flynn does it again with aplomb by giving us the flawed Libby as the centre of the story. Flynn never fails to deliver on interesting characters: Libby is severely damaged, troubled, selfish, crude, unlikable; she's not someone I’d care to know in real life. But she is relatable and realistic. The trauma she experienced as a child understandably has warped her in serious ways but I love her for her can-do survivor spirit.

The other characters are also flawed, unlikable and realistic. I was torn in believing Ben to be innocent but as the story moved along, his darkness slowly came through. Patty’s fierce sense of family resonated with me and her desperation for keeping her family financially afloat lends a rather odd mundanity to the massacre. The two sisters, while children, were painted as less than innocent. One standout character to me that links Libby to her family to the present is her aunt Diane. As the host characters walk through these pages, more and more you come to realize that people are inherently perverse, and that’s just the fact of the matter.

Multiple viewpoints and impeccable pacing. Propelling the storytelling is that this is told from different points of view as well as being paced for revelations to come to light at just the right time. This deftly voices out Libby (present day), Libby’s older brother Ben (1985) and their mother, Patty (1985). The massacre that transpired on that fateful day in 1985 becomes a pivot point for Ben and Patty to provide their own accounts, their sometimes chilling state of mind in their motivations.

Uh oh’s

If you’ve read Flynn, you already know that this is not a book for everyone because of its dark themes. It has graphic violence and gore, perverted sex, and depicts molestation and abuse.

Verdict

I’ve now read the Flynn trilogy of dark, twisted goodness. Seriously, if this review of Dark Places doesn’t convince you that she is worth your while, check out my reviews of Gone Girl and Sharp Objects.

With true crime a hugely popular genre in film and books, I’ve no doubt this one will grab the attention of fans.

Be careful, it cuts deep {Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn}

Be careful, it cuts deep

About Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.

My two cents

You all know how much I love Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. I was able to borrow a copy off a fellow-Flynn fan and I dove into this amazing debut novel. I couldn’t help but race through it because I found it a compelling and provocative yet highly disturbing read.

This is a chilling tale about reporter, Camille Preaker, who is assigned to report on a series of child murders in - of all places - her hometown. In the course of investigating for her story, she must dig deep and reconnect with family, friends, neighbours, and people of her past. The truth leads her to a disturbing conclusion.

Here’s why I liked it:

It hits you viscerally. This is another brilliant psychological study by Flynn and Camille as the heroine of the story comes with some very serious baggage. There a full sections that made me seriously queasy at times ... but that just goes to show how seriously damaged Camille is. It is hard to read about some of the things that Camille inflicts on herself, physically and mentally. It made me feel scared to discover her scary skeletons in her closet. And yet, surprisingly, instead of being turned off, I felt for her.

This is about the dark side of family. Everyone admits how messed up families can be, but usually we say this with some fondness. Camille’s dysfunctional family takes this to the extreme. As the story unravels, Camille’s childhood is revealed to be a disturbingly unhealthy relationship with her very cold, proper mother, an oddity of a stepfather, and a teenage half sister. Her hometown also has a strange eeriness which is hard to shake off. Camille hadn’t escaped unscathed, and as she finds herself thrust into her old life, she is thrust into this unhealthiness once again. While she copes in new ways, she also finds herself sliding into her old ways. Moreover, she finds herself commiserating with the plight of her half-sister and she feels an obligation to help her in some way.

It’s an actual mystery. I love me my whodunits and Agatha Christie. Camille follows the tradition of mystery solving. While I think I had figured it out, I was often led astray. The best part: I was horrified by the ending.

Be warned: this is deeply disturbing on many fronts.The story is disturbing; the topics of abuse, self-harm, sex, and murder are disturbing; the characters are messed up in every way; and the general feeling I had throughout the book was of creepiness. There is something uncannily scary about reading this book - Flynn doesn’t shy away from the gory and graphic details, or the unhealthy, messed up thoughts of the characters. The result: a read that left me mentally exhausted and frankly, wanting to shake off this darkness. Honestly, it is a hard read to shake off.

Verdict

I highly recommend this to fans of Gillian Flynn and those who love dark twisted psychological tales, dark mysteries, and provocative reading. Stay away if you cannot handle disturbing details of abuse or self-harm.

Is seeing believing? {The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn @ajfinnbooks}

Unputdownable peeping Tom tale

About The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn: It isn't paranoia if it's really happening . . . Anna Fox lives alone--a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her days drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble--and its shocking secrets are laid bare. What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one--and nothing--is what it seems. Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock--an unforgettable thriller that Gillian Flynn calls "amazing."

My two cents

Sidenote: It’s been a long time (unbelievably over a year, almost two!) since I last posted a book review, so getting back into my blog has me wondering how I’ll fare this time around. I’ve pared the reading ao much that I’ve been down to about 20 books a year, with quite a few being rereads.

I got a hold of this particular novel because my colleague and I were discussing just how mindf*ckingly brilliant Gillian Flynn is! As this one is in the same genre as Flynn, and Flynn herself recommended it, I needed to see if her glowing review of “amazing” was true. Here’s why I enjoyed it:

It’s a slow burn. This starts off with the simple introduction of Dr. Anna Fox, a well known child psychologist and now recluse. As the pages turn, Anna’s story and circumstances become more and more apparent. She suffers from agoraphobia because of a yet-unknown-reason to the reader. She hasn’t stepped out of the house in close to a year.

She passes her days watching black and white films, drinking her favourite wine, and popping her plethora of drugs (note: note to be taken with alcohol), and logging online and giving advice to other recluses. Oh, and people watching.

Anna takes a particular interest her new neighbours across the park. One day, she believes she witnesses a murder. But no one believes her.

It’s a pyschological thriller that left me second guessing myself. After the murder, I was wholly on Anna’s side. The many, many pages before had made me “friends” with Anna. I knew her. I knew her family. I knew she wasn’t the type to imagine things. I was certain she was sane; she was just sad and traumatized. Wasn’t she?

As more layers were peeled back and revelations made, I hemmed and hawed. I seesawed from believing her, to writing her off as a drunk, overly drugged, and watching too much film noir. She was becoming paranoid, delusional, and was hallucinating.

Would you be like me, so easily gullible to Anna’s charms? Or will you be objective and see all the red herrings? Did the murder happen or not? You’ll have to find out!

Love the film noir twist.Throughout there are references to Anna’s favourite black and white films. It’s obvious that the author is a film noir aficionado. The references were quite lost on me but they lent interesting backdrops to Anna’s story. When I Googled the book, I was’t surprised to see that there was an old film with the same title. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_in_the_Window

It’s dark yet relatable. If you’re wondering, this is not as dark, graphic or disturbing as Gillian Flynn’s work. Everything is purely psychological which makes Anna’s story much more relatable to the everyday Joe. There is no violence or sexual perversions that seems to be hallmarks of Flynn’s work.

Verdict

In an homage to film noir, I found this psychological thriller hard to put down! I love it when a book exceeds expectations. Highly recommend!

You can mess with my mind anytime, Ms. Flynn! {Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn}

Ms. Flynn, you got me. 

About Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn*: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

My two cents

(What a great book to jolt me out of my reviewing slump!)

I'm obsessed with this book.

I know I am late in joining the Gone Girl bandwagon but I'm hopping on, willingly, and with guns blazing. Because it's been a while since I've read a book so utterly engrossing and so utterly ... brilliant. I finished it ... and promptly reread it. (I'm still in the the throes of the reread, and I'm just enjoying it even more.)

I can't get into the detail of this book without spoiling it for first time readers (or movie watchers) so I will simply leave the storyline alone: a quick review that is spoiler-free but may be somewhat cryptic in places.

So, I'm obsessed. Here's why:

It's unpredictable

This entire book is a brilliant mind game played between a hubby and wife, and unwittingly a mind game that Gillian Flynn plays on her readers. There are two parts to this book and I've realized that readers either will play along with Ms. Flynn or simply hate it. It's a polarizing experience -- love it or hate it -- with a passion. I was dazed when I finished it. I went "Oh sh**" then heaved a sigh reeking of "OMG" and surprisingly, wallowed in the reality that is the twistedness and perversion that I had just read.

It's psychologically insightful

Know the whole he said, she said shebang? This is the ultimate. This is all about a marriage and highlights the very intimate mind meld relationship that can exist between a couple. It can pendulum from the good to the bad, and this particular book shows the extremes that are often difficult to stomach.

Another interesting dichotomy explored is the wide difference between reality (private persona) versus public perception. The role of media -- the good, the bad, and the ugly -- are fully expounded upon in the storyline. How many times have you passed judgment on a case or a person based on what you heard in the news, saw on TV, or even social media? We all do it. In this day of easy access to information, forming opinion based on the constant stream of fact (and plenty of fiction) is an easy trap to fall into.

Lastly, I can't believe that I fell for Flynn's "game" so easily. The way that this story is structured out makes me want to read more of her work, for the simple  (and awesome) reason that she has so much insight into her very readers' psychology. Not all authors can pull off a mind game so brilliantly, so annoyingly, and so effectively. Kudos, Gillian Flynn.

It can actually happen (scarily so)

In the back of my mind, what really struck me about Gone Girl is that it's very possible that this could happen, and to anyone. It's a difficult thing to accept that no one can really know any one person, no matter how close we can be, whatever relationship can bear some uncertainty. But it's doubly difficult to know someone's deepest, truest, and ugliest self ... and if not being able to accept it, to at least be able to acknowledge and understand.

Verdict:

Looking for a mind trip? Try Gone Girl. Then tell me if you're in the love or hate camp!

Highly recommended reading for those who despise predictable, cookie cutter characters and willingly desire to be surprised, shocked and challenged.

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Ooh, the mind games! {Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane} #readmyowndamnbooks

Ah, the mind. Agh, my mind!

About Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane: US Marshal Teddy Daniels has come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to find an escaped murderer named Rachel Solando. As a killer hurricane bears down on the island, the investigation deepens and the questions mount. How has a barefoot woman escaped from a locked room? Who is leaving them clues in the form of cryptic codes? And what really goes on in Ward C? The closer Teddy gets to the truth, the more elusive it becomes. And the more he begins to believe that he may never leave Shutter Island. Because someone is trying to drive him insane...

My two cents

How do I write this review without spoiling it for those of you who have never heard of this book? If you haven't watched the movie (which stars Leonardo DiCaprio if you didn't already know based on that cover), well and good ... you should read this. If you have, then you already know that this is story is not what is makes itself out to be as per that little blurb or the marketing spiels out there.  

This a novel that starts out as one thing and morphs into something totally different. 

At face value this is a little hunting mission for two US Marshals, Teddy and Chuck, for a murderer on the loose on an island that houses the criminally insane (so naturally the escapee is also insane). If that isn't exciting enough for you, there is a huge hurricane, power outages, the prospect of more escaped wards, and oh-but-of-course, a host of clues that are begging to be solved. 

But wait. There is more! There seems to be a conspiracy that's pretty insidious in its prospects. And there are also hints throughout the novel about Teddy Daniel's personal life, a haunted past that only makes the reader wonder who the heck this US Marshal really is. 

All throughout this excitement, something deeply unsettlingly lies in store for the willing victim err, reader. I loved that Lehane took me on a journey that can only be described as being "played." It's all an elaborate mind game, not only for the lead character, but for you and me as readers. I fell for it all, hook, line and sinker, and I loved it! Ah, to recapture that feeling when I first watched The Sixth Sense! 

P.S. Books like this come rarely for me as I usually can see through elaborate plotting. If you have any recommendations for surprisingly good books that eff up your mind, let me know!

Verdict 

A suspenseful conspiracy-mystery with a surprising twist ... for the reader. If you liked The Sixth Sense, love psychological thrillers, pick this up. Or watch the movie. Or both!

Yes, I #readmyowndamnbooks! I got this from some random thrift sale. Or something. 

Book Depository

Casebook: A Novel by Mona Simpson

Solved: the boy loves his mother.

Synopsis of Casebook: A Novel by Mona Simpson: From the acclaimed and award-winning author,  a beguiling new novel about an eavesdropping boy working to discover the obscure mysteries of his unraveling family. He uncovers instead what he least wants to know: the workings of his parents’ private lives. And even then he can’t stop snooping.

Miles Adler-Rich, helped by his friend Hector, spies and listens in on his separating parents. Both boys are in thrall to Miles’s unsuspecting mother, Irene, who is “pretty for a mathematician.” They rifle through her dresser drawers and strip-mine her computer diary, finding that all leads pull them straight into her bedroom, and into questions about a stranger from Washington, D.C., who weaves in and out of their lives. Their amateur detective work starts innocently but soon takes them to the far reaches of adult privacy as they acquire knowledge that will affect the family’s well-being, prosperity, and sanity. Once burdened with this powerful information, the boys struggle to deal with the existence of evil, and proceed to concoct hilarious modes of revenge on their villains and eventually, haltingly, learn to offer animal comfort to those harmed and to create an imaginative path to their own salvation.


My two cents
Miles Adler-Rich loves his mom (the Mims). Oh, he loves his dad and his twin sisters (Boop One and Boop Two) too. Everything is pretty much smooth sailing until he finds himself under his parents' bed because he really, really wants to know why they won't let him watch Survivor... and from his parents' conversation, Miles finds out that there is trouble brewing in their mundane existence.

Thus starts years of snooping. Miles, and his best friend Hector, become privy to an adult existence: his parents' deteriorating marriage, his father's insensitivity and obliviousness, his mother's attraction and eventual relationship with a geeky yet sensitive guy, and the emotional messes that come along with all of it.

A coming-of-age story interjected with an obvious love for mathematics, comic books, and of the tender and oft-taken-for-granted moments that makes up family life.

***

I started this book thinking it was going to be a fun, quirky read about two teenage friends "sleuths" told with a smart, John Green-ish voice. I don't know where I got that, but that's what was running through my head.

Simply put, the book started out as I expected -- Miles is smart, unassuming, and awkward, Hector the sidekick is equally so. It seemed innocent enough in the beginning but then it turned a little strange for me: it was uncomfortable reading about a young boy uncovering the very adult details of his mother's life, without necessarily having the life experience to truly understand it. Talk about invasion of privacy: Listening in on phone conversations. Reading mom's diary. Hearing about what mom felt about sex. Knowing there isn't enough money. Learning that dad is a philanderer. Then the clincher: learning that the man that mom is starting to love (and I am starting to actually like) is a total liar. *Cringe* 

But in my discomfort came empathy. Miles grew on me. I loved his fierce yet tender love for his mother, an all-consuming love that pushes him to grow up and step in to protect her from being hurt again and again. Sure, his ways of "protecting" her seem humorous and juvenile, but it is this juvenile response that soooo hit me in the gut.

***

This is an unusual novel on several counts, which may either irk or charm you. In my case, I was charmed so please forgive my very subjective thoughts below.

First, it is narrated by Miles over the years, from tween to adult. It is a child's voice that eventually becomes a young man's voice. I found Miles' voice quite compelling because while the young voice is very strong, it gains confidence and surety throughout the book.

Take note: there are footnotes which are Hector's additions. The footnotes annoyed the heck out of me initially because I couldn't understand where they were coming from. Once I had figured that out, I found it quite amusing as there is a bit of good-natured best friend banter.

Second, this is told very conversationally, like streams of consciousnesses on paper. There is a looseness in the narrative that makes it long-winded, detailed, and sometimes tedious. If you want a tight, focused story, this isn't it ... I liken it to Little Women with its detailed, languid descriptions and explorations of place, feeling, and thought.

Third, there are two rather random subject matter that wheedle their way into this storyline -- mathematics and comics. Instead of scratching my head, I welcomed them. I enjoyed how the mathematics references were a nice touch, especially as to how the Mims thought, after all she is a mathematician! And I found the introduction of some quirky comics within the text quite fun. I only I wish they were more comics closer to the front of the book.

Lastly, the story comes full circle. I loved the fact that the "case" was resolved in the end.

Verdict

A heartwarming case of a young boy who loves his mother with intense ferocity. A novel that grew on me with its tender storytelling and melded with mathematical philosophies and with comic book humour. Makes my favourite reads for the year!

About Mona Simpson

Mona Simpson is the author of Anywhere But Here, The Lost Father, A Regular Guy, Off Keck Road, and My Hollywood. Off Keck Road was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and won the Heartland Prize of the Chicago Tribune. She has received a Whiting Writer’s Award, a Guggenheim grant, a Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Writers’ Award, and, recently an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Connect with Mona on Facebook.

Giveaway!

1 paperback, US only.

Check out the rest of the tour here. 
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Book Depository

Hardcover: 336 pages

Publisher: Knopf (April 15, 2014)

The Isolation Door by Anish Majumdar {+Literary Blog Hop Giveaway!}

Kicks the isolation door wide open.

Synopsis of The Isolation Door by Anish Majumdar: Neil Kapoor, 23, finds the fragile threads of a new life threatened by a mother's descent into schizophrenia.

The debut novel of acclaimed journalist Anish Majumdar examines the inner world of the mentally ill and those within their gravitational pull. A mother's delusions of Bollywood stardom become a son's raw materials for finding happiness beyond her shadow. Enlisting the aid of an Aunt with means and questionable motives, Neil finds love and forms crucial friendships. But when the life he's kept secret begins to crumble, a choice must be made: family or freedom? Intimate in approach and devastating in impact, The Isolation Door marks the arrival of a unique talent in American letters.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated towards schizophrenia research and treatment.

My two cents

This post is part of the The Literary Blog Hop Giveaway because I thought it was a beautiful piece to share with you all! There is a giveaway for 3 paperback copies (US/Can), courtesy of the publisher through TLC Book Tours.  

Make-up, a beautiful sari, and non-stop prattling about her adoring fans. Neil is helping his mother get ready for her big acting gig. But in a blink of an eye, this innocuous scene turns ugly when I realised that Neil was humouring his delusional mother to get her ready for readmission to the hospital. It's tough love .. unfortunately with roles reversed.

The opening scene sets the tone for a young man's personal journey from isolation, fear, and frustration to compassion, understanding and reconciliation.

***

This book did not disappoint and exceeded all my expectations in a wonderful way. It has an atmospheric quality to it but it is a brutal read. It is an intimate look into a young man's life that is impacted by his mother's schizophrenia. It is emotional, a little shocking in spots, painfully tragic in many instances, and searingly honest. 

There is so much to learn from this fictionalized experience: Neil's uncertainties and frustrations, his mother's confused struggle to make sense of things, a worried father and husband who does everything for the woman he loves, and the community from which they turn to for support. 

There were a few touches that I found really compelling:

1. I found really touching the loyalty of the relationship portrayed between husband and wife. One event just about broke my heart (no spoilers).

2. The parallels between Neil's relationship with his mother and girlfriend Emily. While his initial attraction to Emily - who was vulnerable and "damaged"- probably sprung naturally from having to deal with his mother's problems, the way he came to care for Emily probably wouldn't have been possible if not for his life experience.

3. The ending. I loved it.

Backing up a bit, when I saw this book up for review, I jumped on it. Coming from an Asian country where there is a continuing stigma on mental illness, I was curious to read another cultural take on this issue. The author is Bengali-Canadian-American and his strong ties to his own culture and the Bengali community played into the storyline. Always shrouded in secrecy, I felt an empathy to Neil's odd powerplay of relationship with his moneyed aunt (who didn't know how to handle her sister's mental illness) and moreso with his father who drew heavily from his friends and community for moral support and legal advice.  

This is a compelling read that sheds light on the personal struggles of families dealing with mental illness of a family member. This does a beautiful job of humanizing the impacts of mental illness, not only spreading awareness but, more importantly, encouraging us to be empathetic and compassionate. 

***

Uh-oh: This is written by a male. If you've read a lot of Murakami or Garcia Marquez, you'll know they love to punctuate their stories with some sexual scenes, which while not absolutely necessary to the storyline are there because, well, that's part of life. This is similar. 

Verdict: An affecting, empathetic portrayal of a young life forced to cope with the devastation of mental illness in the family. Incisive, brutal, raw and honest. Kicks the door wide open on the travails of families dealing with mental illness so that people not only understand this issue but even lend a helping hand. A dark yet empowering read! I highly recommend it and look forward to more of Majumdar's work. 

Interesting line:

I knew what it was to flounder in the service of a loved one. To know you were doing the right thing even as every instinct for self-preservation claimed otherwise. I've witnessed my father do it for most of his life. Far from discouraging or depressing me, I felt bolstered by the realization. - p. 74  

About Anish Majumdar

As a child growing up in Montreal, Canada, Anish Majumdar’s first creative writing lessons came courtesy of his mother, a former English teacher. Witnessing her struggle with schizophrenia had a profound impact and inspired The Isolation Door, his first novel.

His non-fiction work, appearing in many publications, has garnered Independent Press Association Awards for Feature Writing and Investigative Journalism. His short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He lives with his wife, son, and a growing menagerie of pets in Rochester, NY.

Connect with Anish Majumdar: Website | Twitter | Google + | Facebook

Check out the rest of the tour here.

I received copy of this book from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Book Depository

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Ravana Press (February 4, 2014)

Giveaway!

This post is part of the The Literary Blog Hop Giveaway. 

3 paperback copies (US/Can), courtesy of the publisher through TLC Book Tours

Please use PromoSimple form below, and don't forget to check out the other stops! 

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Shattered Illusions by Leigh Hershkovich

Dark and intense reading.   Synopsis: One murder. Four eyewitnesses. An unknown assailant. A victim with a mysterious secret. Bystanders beleaguered by life's losses. A killer at large...

When Sam, the proprietor of a local cafe, is shot dead on the street, four strangers become unwitting witnesses to the crime. As the investigation progresses, this quartet of onlookers find themselves not only haunted by the homicide, but pursued by their own pasts.

As they plunge deeper into the reality of his death, all are forced to realize that the loss of Sam is far from their most devastating. Inner anguish reaches a climax point for Ella, Marco, Sarah, and Danny as the answers they are hunting for continue to elude them—and the evidence they hope will vanish refuses to disappear.

My two cents

Death has a strange power over the fate of four strangers; their lives are turned upside down when they witness the murder of Sam, the friendly young man who serves up their daily cup of coffee. Two women and two men who are more than what meets the eye, with their own struggles and harbouring their own secrets, try to shed light on who and why Sam was killed.

One of the strengths of this book is that I couldn't help but get to know the characters very intimately, get into their minds, their struggles, and their pain. It is a little unsettling to read one story ... but five life stories!? It's an intense and unsettling read as none of their stories are pretty.

The writing style is distinctive, emotional and very evocative; Hershkovitch dug her nails into my mind and she never let go in this intense psychological murder mystery. It sort of reminds me of Midaq Alley with it's multiple perspectives -- the movie which I watched, not the book which I haven't read. And then again it reminds me of The Sixth Sense, a movie which had seemingly random pieces falling into place slowly.

Uh-oh: I did not feel at all right with the revelation chapter. I wanted more -- more intensity, more clarity, more logic. I felt that there was something not quite right in how the story came to a head and I was thinking "Did I miss something?" and "Wait, what the heck just happened?" The failing may have been mine, but I found the resolution unsatisfying.

Verdict: A psychological mystery revolving around the death of a mutual acquaintance, this intense and rather dark novel draws us into the minds of four strangers who must face their own secrets to make sense of themselves. Whodunit? Why? You'll need to read it ... I recommend it. I look forward to more of Hershkovitch's work because of her unique treatment of this novel.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. My apologies, Leigh, for the delay in getting this review up.

Shattered Illusions by Leigh Hershkovich

 

Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz

Book Depository | Amazon (hardcover) | Amazon (Kindle)

Logical and heartwarming. Investigate. 

The book in one sentence: Colin Fischer investigates the case of the exploding birthday cake.

Synopsis of Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz: Encyclopedia Brown from the screenwriting duo behind "X-Men: First Class" and "Thor"! Colin Fischer cannot stand to be touched. He does not like the color blue. He needs index cards to recognize facial expressions. But Colin is Wayne Connelly's best--and only--hope of proving his innocence after Wayne is accused of blowing up a birthday cake in the school cafeteria.

Colin and Wayne quickly set off on a journey to prove Wayne's innocence, but neither realizes just how far their investigation will take them or that it will force Colin to consider the greatest mystery of all: what other people are thinking and feeling. Colin Fischer is a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. He's a boy with Asperger's syndrome who sees clues in the unlikeliest of places, and whom readers will root for right up until the case is solved . . . and beyond.

My two cents

Who is Colin Fischer? Why does he hate being touched? Why does he like math? Investigate.

Why open about sharks
in the Galapagos?

This book is about Colin and I grew to love this smart and endearing young man. The book alternates between a few pages from Colin's diary entries and the mystery he must solve. As each chapter open with a diary entry, each page also gives us a glimpse into how Colin's mind works -- he is brilliant, caring, insightful -- just like his heroes Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Spock. This juxtaposes with his many many quirks -- he hates being touched, he can't express himself emotionally, he can't read into social cues. It is all this that makes for some unusual insights into other people.

I enjoyed seeing the humour behind some of Colin's predicaments. I enjoyed celebrating his small victories (what a great ball player he is!)

This is a seamless combination of middle grade mystery and a young boy's struggle to fit in at school. While Colin's world seemed quite black and white -- the good guys and the bad guys -- as Colin sets out to solve the mystery, these tags slowly melt away and he learns that people cannot be pigeonholed. Unwittingly he makes friends with the most unlikely of people, and there is also a smidgen of romance.

The mystery side makes this book a lot of fun, and it made me cheer Colin on to find out the truth, to clear the name of someone he knew as innocent.

Colin's thoughts about sharks!

This is extremely well written and overall I enjoyed the whole ride! I can certainly see this becoming a series of small mysteries that will be solved by Mr. Fischer himself, possibly with the help of his now-allies.

***

I can see a wide range of readers liking this book.

Middle grade readers will enjoy this for the mystery side, as well as being able to relate to someone who is different or doesn't quite fit into the complicated relationships and cliques that makes up any school.

Those who have children who have Asperger's or autism will appreciate this for the insight into this young boy's incisive mind.

Overall,  loved this book! It's touted to be like The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time, and while it did remind me of it, in my opinion, this has a much more personal touch.

***

Uh-ohs:

• Despite the voice of the story being clearly Colin's, the narrator is not Colin. The diary entries are Colin's voice but the footnotes I was confused as to whose voice those were in.  
• I found some characters and moments being cliche. How many times do the weird boys need to be dunked in the toilet bowl? Thank goodness there is no food fight in this one.

Verdict: Mystery solved. Get to know Colin Fischer; get to know this special young man with a passion for justice and a heart of gold. Highly recommended for middle age readers!

Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz

Book Depository | Amazon (hardcover) | Amazon (Kindle)

I received an Advance Reader Copy through Goodreads First Reads.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks

Where imaginary is better than real.

Synopsis of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks: Imaginary friend Budo narrates this heartwarming story of love, loyalty, and the power of the imagination—the perfect read for anyone who has ever had a friend . . . real or otherwise.  

Budo is lucky as imaginary friends go. He's been alive for more than five years, which is positively ancient in the world of imaginary friends. But Budo feels his age, and thinks constantly of the day when eight-year-old Max Delaney will stop believing in him. When that happens, Budo will disappear.

Max is different from other children. Some people say that he has Asperger’s Syndrome, but most just say he’s “on the spectrum.” None of this matters to Budo, who loves Max and is charged with protecting him from the class bully, from awkward situations in the cafeteria, and even in the bathroom stalls. But he can’t protect Max from Mrs. Patterson, the woman who works with Max in the Learning Center and who believes that she alone is qualified to care for this young boy. 

When Mrs. Patterson does the unthinkable and kidnaps Max, it is up to Budo and a team of imaginary friends to save him—and Budo must ultimately decide which is more important: Max’s happiness or Budo's very existence.  

Narrated by Budo, a character with a unique ability to have a foot in many worlds—imaginary, real, child, and adult— Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend touches on the truths of life, love, and friendship as it races to a heartwarming . . . and heartbreaking conclusion.

My two cents

The book in one sentence: A heartwarming story of friendship, as experienced by Budo, Max's imaginary friend.

***

My heart just melted with this story. It is sweet and heartwarming, and it has an honest voice. I was initially intrigued by the title and the premise ... whoever would've thought that an imaginary friend would write a story?

The synopsis above is a bit more than I would've liked to reveal in terms of the plot. But I found this book quite special, and not just because of the story. Here's why:

1. The world building. Dicks does a wonderful job of creating the world and the psychology of imaginary friends. What is an imaginary friend? Why do they exist? What are imaginary friends like -- what do they look like, do they have superpowers, do they sleep? If they're imaginary, do they exist? From the big questions to the mundane, the author not only lets us into this other-world, he pulls us into it and ... 

2. Makes us care about imaginary friends! Especially Budo, who was imagined by Max Delaney, a young boy (who has some form of autism) needed a way to cope with the difficulties in life. Budo is just one among them. Throughout the book, we are introduced to a wide assortment of imaginary friends -- from the very human-looking Budo, to Puppy (who is in fact in the shape of a puppy), to a Pink Girl (who is like a balloon), to Oswald the Giant (who plays a special role in the story). While imaginary, they have their own personalities and back stories which can't help but make you care about them and their creators.  

3. It's about the time-honoured themes of friendship and sacrifice but it puts such an unusual twist on it that it sets this book apart. This tension -- both from Max's perspective with his deep-seated struggle to cope, and from Budo's viewpoint -- is drawn out and built up. The friendship between the imaginary and the real only highlights the paradox of what Budo has to accept as inevitable -- that when he ceases to exist, that Max has made the big step towards independence.

If Max stays here, I could live for as long as Ma lives. I could live longer than any imaginary friend ever. Maybe if Max stays here in this room, we could both be happily ever after. (p. 183)

I don't know how much of Max I am allowed to lose to save myself. (p. 187)

Verdict: Such a sweet and unusual story of friendship between the real and the imaginary. A must-read that will give you warm fuzzies and remind you of the beauty and innocence of childhood friendships.

The Opening:

Here is what I know:

My name is Budo.

I have been alive for five years. 

Five years is a very long time for someone like me to be alive. 

Max gave me my name. 

Max is the only human person who can see me.

Max's parents call me an imaginary friend.

I love Max's teacher, Mrs. Gosk.

I do not like Max's other teacher, Mrs. Patterson.

I am not imaginary.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks

Book Depository

Goodreads

Keeping Score by Marc Brackett

Keeping Score: A Guide to Love and Relationships by Marc Brackett

Amazon (Kindle)

Commonsense + honesty + openness = Keeping Score

The book in one sentence: A fun quiz book that will get you taking stock of your relationship with your (current or future) significant other.

Synopsis of Keeping Score by Marc Brackett: It's a relationship book even a man can understand. Keeping Score provides a relationship evaluation quiz followed by a common sense guide for relationship improvement, all with a humorous twist. You can determine if your relationship has the qualities it takes for a successful marriage and lasting love affair. If you're single, read this book to see how well your potential life partner measures up. If you're married, read this book to reduce conflict and increase your happiness. Take control and shape your union into a relationship that will stand the trials of life and go the distance.

My two cents:  

Relationships are complicated. We get engrossed in the fine details of our relationships, and its various aspects -- in all its glory and gore. We know it. We live it.

So-called commonsense can keep relationships going, but apparently this is in shortage (especially when emotions are involved) that this book was born. This is "a relationship book even a man can understand" and it's written by a male author, so if you're female this is what you say to your man if you want him to take the quiz. And if you're male, well, you're supposed to understand this.

Yes, this is a fun read! But let me qualify that -- it's not a straightforward read so "reading" it is a little different. This slim book is divided into three parts:

Part I is titled "Adam and Eve" and it branches out into two sets of quizzes, one if you're male and the other if you're female. You go through four sections for each gender, three of which are unique and the last section common for both partners.

• Section 1: For Eve, this looks into a woman's thoughts on the ability of her partner to provide financially. For Adam, it looks into a man's thoughts on the physical attributes of his partner.  
• Section 2: For Eve, this looks into the factors of how a woman feels loved by her partner. For Adam, it looks into areas of potential conflict with his partner, including financial, nurturing, and loyalty.
• Section 3 is a bonus question. For the women, it is about her partner's sense of humour; for the men, it is about (oh no!) feeling (in)adequate!
• Section 4 is about common interests and how other influences impact your relationship. Some touchy areas it looks into are family (including the in-laws, children and other family member through other marriages), religion, and shared activities.

Part II is titled "Knowledge is Power" and provides insights on the quiz items. This is the meat of the book.

Part III is titled "A Score to Win" and guides you into looking at your relationship score, analyzing it, and deciding how you can get the relationship you really want.

A big part and a very substantial resource is the website - www.keepingscorebook.com - that you should look at in conjunction with this book. The book is merely a jumping board; the website the ocean.

What I liked: The format - it's small and you can pop this into your bag and do the quiz on the bus or during a break at work. 

It is also extremely easy to read and understand. There are tons of analogies so that various points get across crystal clear. For example (Though I must express some resentment at woman being compared to a car! This isn't exactly a politically-correct book!): 

A woman can have all the goods you like, but if the soul is a poor match you'll find the goods a whole lot less enjoyable. Think of it like a car. You can admire a Lamborghini, but would you like paying the insurance, worrying about scratching it [...] - p. 61

The humour. Generally, I found the quizzes funny and I found myself snickering throughout the book. (Though sometimes I found some of the humour a bit tongue-in-cheek). For example: 

What is the condition of your partner's tail end? How do your partner's "assets" compare with your preference in this area. Some like a tight end, others like some junk in the trunk. To each his own. How's the scenery from your viewpoint? - p. 56

Overall I think this book is an excellent tool for taking stock of yourself as relationship material, figuring out what your own stand is on various aspects of a relationship, and just generally opening up an avenue for communication with your partner. The caveat is that you need to be honest in your answers. And if you intend on bringing in your significant other, s/he has to be equally open to the process of taking the quizzes.

Uh-ohs: I know I said I liked the format, but I have secondhand thoughts about the format of the quiz sheets. I was having some issues with the scoring and the flipping back and forth and I resisted the urge to just tear out the score sheet. Then I got the next part where there is getting the difference from the maximum score and I went uh-oh, why is this so complicated? Also, I kept thinking that the scoring and the explanations should be nearer the actual quiz.

(Note: I also entered my score on the website and it was an answer to some of my gripes above. But this is a review of the book after all. While the quiz part of this translates better in an online format, what's the fun of reading online? I recommend you read through the whole thing, then verify your scores by entering online where you also get the added benefit of comparing to average scores.)

I worry that this book caters to a only heterosexual relationships. If I were gay, which quiz should I take? What is you're in a same sex relationship - so both of you take the Eve quiz or the Adam quiz? Maybe I am overanalyzing this, but the question begs to be asked.

What I found a little worriesome is that there are several assumptions for each gender that didn't quite sit too well with me. The first part of the gender-based quizzes are based on very obvious gender stereotypes: that women are interested in a mate who can provide for her (hence a stress on the financial side of the relationship) and that men place a high value on the physical attributes of their partner. Hmmm ... do we risk perpetuating stereotypes in a relationship by presenting these generalizations as fact?

The cultural lens through which this book came about is based in the dominant culture of North America. While the latter parts of the quizzes are quite open, I found myself wondering how different cultures, which place value different things, would read this and score. For example, Asian cultures value family way beyond what is mentioned here, extending to the value of a person with a community but this isn't reflected in the book and would probably be subsumed under another topic (common interest?).

Overall, I maybe overanalyzing. I think the best way to reap some good from this book is to take it at face value, have fun with it, and open up communication channels with your significant other. Yes, that's commonsense! 

Verdict: A fun way of assessing your relationship! A great tool for opening up conversations about the mundane and the things that matter in your relationship ... just be sure to be honest about it!

I was provided a review copy by the author in exchange for an honest opinion. I have also hosted a guest post "Taking the Long View" and held a giveaway on this blog.

(Apologies for the delay in getting this review up -- this 116-page book is a lot more involved than I expected!)

Amazon (Kindle)

The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time by Mark Haddon

I decided to read this because: I've heard so much about this novel that I need to read it too. If I don't, I may miss out. 

First line: It was 7 minutes after midnight. 

Last line: And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything. 

The book in one sentence: A young autistic boy's world unravels as he tries to learn who killed his neighbour's dog.
 
I'd recommend it to: Anyone interested in autism. If you've watched Rainman, this is similar, and just as touching.

I liked: The story, which is bitter-sweet. And our hero, the 15-year-old boy Christopher is such a likable guy. It starts out innocently enough, with Christopher  trying to figure out who killed Wellington, the neighbour's dog. He goes around investigating like his idol Sherlock Holmes and in the process, he discovers the disturbing truth behind his mother's "death." He deals with it somewhat detached and emotionless, compared to how a "normal" person would. Meanwhile, the people around him - his neighbours, his teacher, his father - deal with Christopher with empathy and understanding but doubtless having to deal with problems in their own "normal" way.

How Christopher deals with the harsh realities of life is an interesting insight in the thought processes of someone with autism. Christopher is a savant - brilliant and logical, and able to solve difficult math problems in his head. On the other hand, he has what we would consider as bizarre ways of making sense of the world - he categorizes the days by how many of a particular car color he is able to count (four red cars in a row mean a wonderful day, while four yellow cars mean a bad day, in which case he does not eat lunch and will not speak) - and his system fails when he is in a different routine. When he goes out of his comfortable little zone and into the "real" world  to do some more sleuthing, Christopher somehow makes his coping mechanisms and discovers that he can do anything, empowering himself.

The storyline is interspersed with interesting trivia, diagrams and drawings galore, and lots of Mensa-like problems, all told from Christopher's viewpoint. This is a very interesting diversion from the main storyline. In fact I read the Monty Hall Problem three or four times because it was such a  niggling problem that I had to make sense of. Click here for Mark Haddon's page on Monty Hall. 


I didn’t like: Sometimes the smattering of trivia and mind problems interferes with the story and it can be distracting. How Christopher tells his story can sometimes seem so literal and straightforward, that it can feel numbing at times (fact after fact). The beginning seemed slow and it takes a little work to get into the story, as its not told in the typical way.

Author factoids: In an interview at Powells.com, Haddon said that this was the very first book he had written intentionally for adults. Imagine his surprise when his publisher suggested marketing it to both adult and child audiences!

Verdict: The whole book is like a distraction. But stick to it. Don't speed read. Don't pass judgement. And just go with it and you'll no doubt enjoy it.

Random quote:
"When I am in a new place, because I see everything, it is like when a computer is doing too many things at the same time and the central processor unit is blocked up and there isn't any space left to think about other things… And sometimes when I am in a new place and there are lots of people there it is like a computer crashing and I have to close my eyes and put my hands over my ears and groan, which is like pressing CTRL + ALT + DEL and shutting down programs and turning the computer off and rebooting so that I can remember what I am doing and where I am meant to be going."

Look these up:

• Mark Haddon's blog
• Interview with Mark Haddon

{Photo credit}