Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Our House by Louise Candlish


Imagine coming home one day to find someone else moving in to your house. That is exactly what happens to Fi (short for Fiona) in Our House by Louise Candlish. Fi and her husband Bram are separated, but in the interest of their two young sons, they've set up an unusual arrangement known as Birds Nest custody. Basically, rather than the boys shuttling between the individual homes of their parents, the children stay in the family home and the parents take turns living with them in it- Fi during the week, Bram on the weekends. This works well until Fi arrives home to find all of her belongings missing and someone else's being moved in.

This book is told in three perspectives- as Fi discovers the strangers in her home, Fi telling the story from the beginning on a podcast called The Victim, and Bram telling his version of events in a word document to be sent after the fact. This storytelling was interesting, but also confusing at times because the reader has to keep straight what we know from Bram but that Fi doesn't yet know. A mystery and a thriller, the reader is compelled to keep reading to find out what the heck is going on, but there were many times I was frustrated with one character. I wanted to say, "Come on! You can get out of this by just coming clean and taking a small punishment." This book took me a little longer to read because I had to keep taking breaks from it. Maybe current events have me a little less tolerant of being on the edge of my seat- right now that's the only sitting I seem to do as it is- but I didn't feel as motivated to read as I usually do.

This was a very interesting book with a lot of compelling concepts that would be worthy of good discussion with your book club. The ending was especially thought-provoking. If you're up for a little thriller distraction, I think you'll really like this one.
Just be sure you know where your house keys are at all times!


*This Advanced Reader Copy was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for and honest review.*

Friday, April 10, 2020

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano


In Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano Eddie is twelve-years-old; he has an older brother he idolizes and parents that are pretty okay, too. The four of them are moving from New York to California, but mid-way through the transcontinental flight, the worst happens. The plane goes down in Colorado leaving Eddie as the only survivor. Taken in by his aunt and uncle, Eddie returns to the east coast and chooses to leave behind the nickname used by his family. Now Edward, he must find a way to recover physically and emotionally. What he doesn't know is what he means to the rest of the world. Strangers latch on to his story of survival looking for hope or meaning or whatever it is they need. Edward does his best to ignore the stares in public or the sensation he has become on the internet, but when he discovers the letters that have been written to him something changes.

The chapters alternate between Edward's present and an almost play by play of the events on the plane. In one moment we watch as Edward navigates middle and high school in a new place and as the new person he has somehow become. In the next we are back on the plane, watching the last hours of 191 people tick by without them even knowing. We get to know some of the other passengers: an injured soldier returning home to heal, a large bohemian woman who claims to remember her past lives, a wealthy old man looking back at his life, a wealthy young man determined to take every opportunity he can grab, and a glamorous flight attendant who catches everyone's attention. We also meet Shay, the girl who lives next door to Edward's aunt and uncle who becomes exactly the friend he needs.

This book was beautifully written. It was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. Losing everything the way Edward does is more than I can imagine, but Napolitano handles it with gentleness and truth. She doesn't shy away from the physical and emotional trauma. We watch as Edward grows through the years and gradually finds a way to live again, helped along by his aunt and uncle, his new friend, and his own determination. I really liked this book and I think you will, too.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo


Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo was not at all what I was expecting when a friend chose it for book club. Alex is a high school drop out with a drug-dealing past that is offered a chance to start over at Yale, of all places. During the day she will attend classes and earn a degree, but at night, she will be responsible for watching over some of the very oldest secret societies in the country. These are not drinking clubs where the elite of the world make connections and prepare to rule corporations and nations one day. These are young men and women dabbling in dark magic that must be kept within bounds to avoid detection and possibly death. Alex has a natural ability that makes her the perfect person for the job, but she has a lot of learning to do when it comes to fitting in on campus.
And there is someone who wants to be sure she doesn't get that chance.

I thought this was going to be an easy breezy YA paranormal novel that would be a quick, fun read. It wasn't. Instead it was complex and gritty and dark and fascinating. The writing is smart, if a bit heavy at times. The pacing is a little uneven with quotes at the end of some chapters that seemed to almost set up road blocks to turning the page rather than propelling the reader on. There were a few bits that were quite brutal in their depiction of trauma and at the beginning I wasn't sure I'd be able to continue reading, but once I was past that, once I'd settled in to the story, I couldn't stop. Ninth House is the first in a series and we will have to wait until sometime next year to see where Alex will go next. I may not have been fully on board for the first several chapters, but I'm tied to the mast now and anxiously awaiting the next installment.