My first experience with Michael Koryta was in reading "So Cold the River", a mystery thriller with a supernatural edge, all set in the town of French Lick, Indiana, at the historical West Baden Resort. I've actually stayed at this resort, and it is a one-in-a-million kind of place, where you instantly become hypnotized with it's charm and beauty. If you look out the corner of your eye, you feel that you might even catch a glimpse of a ghost. So reading this book was a unique experience.
Then I actually met Koryta at SIBA this past year, and was able to get a signed copy of his latest novel, "The Cypress House", which released on January 24th. Totally different setting, but again one I'm familiar with...Florida. Only this is 1935, during the most intense hurricane to make landfall in US history (I suspect most Floridians have heard about this one). If you have lived through a hurricane, your stomach probably just went knots, because it is a wholly terrifying experience. This is ready-made atmosphere, something it seems Koryta knows something about.Synopsis: Arlen Wagner has a haunting gift. In the final hours of someone's life, Arlen does not see a breathing human, he sees a skeleton, and smoke where their eyes should be. And he sees a trainload of these skeletons as he and his buddy Paul are en route to assist in building a bridge in the Keys. (Little do they know, they are all traveling straight into the path of the most devastating hurricane in US history.) Arlen cannot convince the group to disembark, so he and Paul take off on their own, and hitch a ride with a man who takes them to The Cypress House.
The Cypress House is a seemingly forgotten fishing resort, settled on the ocean, and run by the withdrawn but beautiful Rebecca Cady. But bad things start to happen as soon as they arrive. Their mysterious driver goes up in flames inside his car. Arlen and Paul are taken in for questioning, and find themselves up against a crooked police officer and judge. And there is an ugly hurricane bearing down on them. As they stay to help Rebecca recover from the aftermath of the storm and rebuild Cypress House, it slowly dawns on them that all is not well in this corner of paradise. And this underlying evil could be the undoing of their friendship, the undoing of deeply buried secrets, and possibly the undoing of their lives.
My thoughts: I really had a good time with this one. It had everything going for it. The underlying theme of the deadly 1935 Labor Day Hurricane immediately set the stage for impending doom. You have the oppressive, sultry atmosphere of rural, coastal Florida. Koryta also has conjured up some really memorable, well-drawn characters that come alive on the page. Arlen is the epitome of an anti-hero...a swaggering ex-Marine who nips at his flask a little too often in order to escape some persistent ghosts. His young, innocent protege. The quiet and sexy damsel in distress with a story of her own. And some real backwater badasses that make Hitler look like a girl scout.
You know almost from the beginning that it is going to get down and dirty before it is all resolved, and all the reader has to do is hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Koryta doesn't hold back either. Blood is drawn, people die, body parts are severed, and victims hung up by their ankles. You will find yourself immersed in a mucky swamp, infested with a nest of angry water moccasins, and the dead who have a thing or two on their mind. It is wild and woolly and I enjoyed every minute of it, with my heart pounding until I'd turned the last page.
Don't let the supernatural slant deter you. At it's heart, this is a mystery thriller that is slathered with creepy, full of piss and vinegar, and Arlen's little "talents" are just the cherry on top that complete the package. In fact, I'd even say that the supernatural aspects made the story a better one, adding an additional level of complexity and offering a perspective that you don't get in most books. 4.5 out of 5 stars
Fishing at sunrise. For more Wordless Wednesdays, click here.
Several weeks ago, I reviewed Linda Castillo's first installment in the Kate Burkholder Amish murder mystery series, Sworn to Silence. For those of you who didn't get around to reading my thoughts, I was lukewarm on the whole experience. Interesting characters, bad dialogue, and a narrator probably not suited for this type of book. But I liked it enough to give the second book in the series a shot. So what was the consensus? I think I'm still in the game. But first, let me fill you in on the plot.
Synopsis: Eight months after the last book, when Chief of Police Kate Burkholder cracked a grisly serial murder case, she is back again with another mess on her hands. An Amish family of seven was brutally murdered, and in the case of the family's two teenage girls, tortured as well. This was a gentle family, and there are no leads or evidence whatsoever.
Until Kate discovers the journal of 15-year-old Mary, one of the murdered daughters. Soon Kate finds herself not only sucked into the dark world of a very scared teenager, but also suffers flashbacks of when she also an Amish girl who was in way over her head and suffered tragically.
Kate also calls in BCI Agent John Tomasetti for help, with whom she had a little fling in the last book. The fling continues, of course, but with serious, complicated undercurrents.
My thoughts: I'm not wholly sure if this plot line was improved from the last novel, or I'm just warming up to the familiarity of the characters, but I found less fault with Pray for Silence. I appreciated the devastating and slow reveal of Mary's life through her journal. I appreciated the ongoing sexual tension between Kate and John. And like the last story, we are allowed to peek inside the lives and customs of the Amish people.
Mind you, the details of the family's murder, including a baby, as well as Mary's "situation", was very graphic and not for the gentle-spirited. While it verged on gratuitous, it also seemed realistic for the circumstances. (I'm being slightly cryptic but I'm trying to be careful not to reveal "stuff").
The quirky supporting characters that I loved in the last book had less of a role in this one. They were only on the periphery, with most of the focus on Kate and John. But it was nice to see the familiar faces darting on and off stage.
Castillo did do her share of lecturing about basic forensic science, and this does get under my skin. I suppose if this is the first murder mystery you've read, you'd appreciate the lesson. But by now, 95% of the population knows that statistics of solving a crime after it has passed the 24 hour mark, and they understand the signs of homicide versus suicide. Every schmoe out there is a forensic expert at this point.
My lingering thought as I finished this installment was "how many serial or mass murderers can there be in a small Amish town, and how long can Castillo keep this up?". I'd say, by the next book or two, Castillo better change her game or we are all going to throw up our hands in disbelief. The setting is fascinating, I admit, but something's gotta give. I think Kate needs to move to Columbus to take up with Tomasetti, but that is just my vote.
A word about the audio production: Like I said in my previous post, the narrator, Kathleen McInerney, is a good narrator for women's fiction, but is not cut out for this genre. Her performance isn't horrible, but her portrayal of men's voices in particular are amateur. Her voice just doesn't exude the seriousness of the subject. I was sorry that she was back again to narrate the second installment, but I won't hold it against the book.
4 out of 5 stars
Yo dudes! Happy Sunday! This happy post is coming to you from Islamorada, in the Upper Keys. My sister is visiting from Minneapolis, and we all came down here to do some deep sea fishing, drink a margarita or two and chillax. Thanks for all your well-wishes - the flu ran its course later this week finally, and I'm back up and running.
I think it is kinda funny how the moons align sometimes. As I sit here in this little piece of heaven, I recall that in the last couple of weeks, I've read not one but two books (The Cypress House and Turtle in Paradise) that have featured the famous 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, which decimated the Upper Keys. This storm is officially the most intense hurricane to hit the US, in front of even Katrina and Andrew. The young man that assisted with our fishing trip yesterday told us that his ancestors pioneered this area in the late 1800's, and his grandfather battled this hurricane by tying himself to a palm tree, and was the only one in his family to survive. We Floridians just eat up stories like this, and gives us all a little jolt of fear that the next Big One might be looming out there in our future. Have you ever had little moments of serendipity like this, where your life and your books work in sync?
Besides recovering from the flu, and the arrival of my sister, we also had our February Heathrow Literary Society meeting, and had a very lively discussion of "Freedom" (review posted this past Thursday). Next month, we will be reading "Appointment in Samarra" by John O'Hara. Has anyone read this one?
For feeling like a sack of poo, I did have some decent reading this week. I finished "Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter" on audio, which is for our Heathrow Literary Society in April. I probably should have waited until we were closer to April, but I just couldn't wait, I was too excited. (And by the way, I loved it.) I also finished Robert Crais' "The Sentry" on audio, the newest Joe Pike novel. Have any of you read this series? Joe Pike reminds me alot of Jack Reacher, and I purr when I am in his midst. I am now a couple of discs into "Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show".
I also finished "Delirium" by Lauren Oliver, and while it was not a five star love, it was a love nonetheless. I also read a middle grade book that I picked up at SIBA called "Turtle in Paradise", and people, I wanted to eat this book up with a spoon with whipped cream on top. I am now languishing in "Let the Right One In", the amazing vampire novel translated from Swedish (thanks James! I'm finally getting to it). You betcha as soon as I finish it, I'll be watching both the Swedish movie and the US remake. I'm sorta over the whole vampire thing, but this has a whole different vibe going on.
I'm going to sign off now and enjoy everything I can squeeze out of this place before we have to leave and hike back up home and watch the Packers kick the Steelers butt. Happy Sunday and Happy Super Bowl!
This past Thursday was a big night for Books, Babes and Bordeaux, one of my book clubs...we were going to have our very first call-in from an author. We had chosen "The Lotus Eaters" as our January selection based on my gentle encouragement, and were thrilled when the author, Tatjana Soli, agreed to chat with us about it.
Normally, our book club meets at a local restaurant and generally imbibes in a bit of wine (hence our name). This time, in order for us to have access to a speakerphone and little background noise, we met at Marianne's house, and we all brought appetizers and wine. The highlight was Marianne's Vietnamese Egg Rolls, and Heather's Banana Bread with chocolate chips! Side note: this worked out so well, we are meeting at someone else's house next month.
Before Tatjana called in, we chatted about the book. It was universally loved overall, although we all agreed that the book required you to be diligent through the first chapter or two. Once we were past that, we couldn't lay the book down. One member wanted more from the ending, and a couple others questioned whether Helen (the main character) ever truly loved either of her men. We all agreed that Vietnam, the country and it's people, burst into life with Tatjana's talented prose.
Then the focus was on Tatjana, and what she had to say. She was extremely easy-going, forthright, and honest. She charmed us all. Here are some of the things we discussed:
Her muse for the book: Tatjana spent much of her young life around soldiers on military bases. Many of them left for Vietnam and never came back, others came back with horrific stories. There was a whole mystique to these men and their experiences, and the seeds were sown.
Her inspiration for the character of Helen: There were two well-known female photographers in Vietnam that Tatjana researched to find a basis for Helen. The first was Catherine Leroy, a French-born photographer whose pictures graced the covers of Life and other publications, many of them winning awards.
The second female photographer that inspired Tatjana was Dickey Chapelle, who started her career in WWII as a war correspondent, and ended with Vietnam, when she was tragically killed by shrapnel.
Inspiration for Helen's iconic photo: For those of you who have read the book, Helen was officially recognized for her photography after she endangered her life by capturing the execution of a seemingly harmless old man. This photo was a tip of the hat to the famous Eddie Adams photo that all of America has seen:
Say what? Did you know that Tatjana has never visited Vietnam? Which was shocking to all of us, since her imagery in the book is so vivid and intense. While she had been originally scheduled to make the trip, it was cancelled because of a family emergency, and never re-booked. Tatjana instead relied on the pictures in her mind's eye taken from photos, film, and her imagination. She nailed it though, according to the Vietnam Vets who have read her book.
On the journey: Tatjana was steadfast in her mission to write this book. The road was not easy however, and it took approximately 10 years to progress from idea to publication. She endured a couple of years of research, alot of writing, and re-writing, hearing that the book would never fly, and was turned down by everyone. "Women don't want to read about war (???) and men don't want to read about a female photojournalist." She thought it was never going to happen. It has to make her feel justified when someone like Tim O'Brien actually blurbed her!
Any talk of a movie? Not so far, according to Tatjana. She didn't want to hazard a guess on casting. I couldn't seem to get past the movie "The Killing Fields", and with my computer in hand, pitched Sam Waterston as Darrow and Haing S. Ngor as Linh. But who would play Helen? Most of us thought Helen Hunt might work, although she isn't aging well. As you can see, by this point, we were having way too much fun! I personally think this book would be a phenomenal movie.
Current projects? Tatjana is currently working on a book about a citrus farm in Southern California, tentatively named "The Wilding Tree", due Spring 2012. Our book club will be the first in line.
Tatjana's favorite books? It is always fun to hear what amazing writers are reading. She immensely enjoyed both "Housekeeping" by Marilynne Robinson and "Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys. She also recently discovered and adored "A Visit From the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan. We were so influenced by her passion for these books, we decided that the February book club pick would be "Housekeeping".
Overall, it was a wonderful evening, and we were all very appreciative for the time and energy that Tatjana gave to our group of readers, considering how busy she is with her book tour. We all agreed that it is one thing to read a book, but another thing completely to get the author's perspective, and enjoy her warm personality and passion for her subject.
If you haven't yet read "The Lotus Eaters", you need to make this a priority. I even placed it on my top reads of 2010. I guarantee, you will not be disappointed!
OK, I am finally biting the bullet. I am FORCING myself to sit down and write something about this book. Because sometimes books are too big for words. They cover too much territory, too much human emotion, too much ugliness, too many messages, to really get the point across.
Years ago, I read The Corrections. A friend loaned it to me, stating that he "couldn't get through it, so good luck". Just to prove my super-woman tenacity, I slogged through it. I hated it. The characters were miserable and obnoxious. Then I finished it. Then I decided I really did like it.
So when Freedom was released, I was mildly interested. But it was long, and Oprah endorsed it, everybody and their brother was talking about it, and when my book club discussed reading it, I voted NO. I can be bitchy that way. But then there was a mix-up, and somehow it was published in our country club newsletter that we were reading Freedom for February, and our hand was forced. Now my dander was really up. OK FINE! IF I HAVE TO! I embarked on 19 discs of audio.
Synopsis: At the heart of the novel is the seemingly All-American Berglund family...Walter and Patty, and their two kids Joey and Jessica, living in a big house in St. Paul MN. Walter is the do-gooder, environmental-loving lawyer, Patty the pretty, athletic stay-at-home mom, with two perfect over-achieving children. At the beginning of the story, we get an outsider's perspective of the family from a few jealous neighbors' narratives, then we dive in - hold your breath! It's deep and murky! Walter, Patty and Joey (and a few other main characters) all take turns narrating personal thoughts and events in their past, what made them the people they are, and the nitty gritty of what is really happening in their twisted, miserable lives. Drugs and alcohol abuse, manipulation, adultery, kinky sex, lying, cheating, stealing, rape, and any other type of depravity you can think of. What this all amounts to is a thorough character study on each narrator, from childhood on. So thorough, you know it like your own story after it is all over and done with. And what we learn isn't necessarily likable, but human and real and exposed.
But there is so much more than "just" family dysfunction (that is a real big fat juicy "just"). Big issues such as over-population and the pressure on finite resources, raping our natural environment for political gain, the ethical dilemmas of capitalism in Iraq, and the rapid-fire information overload and instantaneous gratification that our culture has become. For a side tour, Franzen delves into the business of rock 'n roll, and liberally peppers his prose with lots of pop culture, showing us he is hip to Bright Eyes and Donnie Darko. It seems that Franzen has alot on his mind, and he has thrown it all at us. Whether it was intended to hit us in the head and incite an epiphany, or simply draw blood, I'm not sure.
My thoughts: Most of humanity fell in love with this book, but I was not one of them. I was highly entertained, in a way that it is entertaining to watch the freakshows that go on Doctor Phil and have their frailties laid out for all to see. The characters in this book are not caricatures. They feel as real as you or I. But they are damaged, unhappy people, angry at each other, life and society in general. Franzen's prose also comes across as sarcastic and generally negative. Then there is all that sex, which I thought added nothing but a layer of skeez. As easy as it was to listen to all of this, I often felt like I needed to take a shower (no, I didn't need a cold shower, I just needed to rid myself of the mental slime).
But then, after 18 discs of rolling around in the muck, getting it in my ears and eyes and mouth, it was like the whole book took a Prozac, and for the last disc, the plot gently floated in a dreamy fog off stage left. OK, well, that is nice. But it was a confusing shift in mood, and it left me unsettled. You mean they didn't all self-destruct in the end? I kinda wanted to see them all locked up in a room together to see who would come out alive.
As grumpy as this all sounds, I tip my hat to Franzen and all of his cleverness. The theme of "freedom" is deftly woven into every nook and cranny. Whether it is freedom from the confines of marriage and kids, freedom of expression, freedom from parental control, or freedom of songbirds to exist without the fear of being eaten by kitty cats. In the search for the ever-alluring freedom, however, the characters find that perhaps it isn't all its cracked up to be, or even that its existence is just an illusion.
As brilliant as Franzen may be, however, I thought it was a shame he wasted it on such misery. I likened it to Picasso drawing cheesy charicatures at a street fair, or painting women's boobs at a strip club.
A word about the audio production: Whatever my gripes for the book, the narrator, David LeDoux, was spectacular. David is a new-to-me voice, but in a quick glance, I see he has also narrated "Water For Elephants" by Sarah Gruen and "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater, just to name a couple. His voice was authentic and unforced, and captured nuances of the various personalities of the characters perfectly. This is a narrator I'd listen to again without hesitation.
Opinions from the Heathrow Literary Society: We had eleven member attend this meeting, and two people admitted to liking it. One member said she liked it fine until she saw interviews with Franzen, and then was turned off. One member said there was nothing redeeming in this book whatsoever, and her husband, who had to endure the audiobook with her on a trip, thought she was insane for finishing it. The rest of us didn't feel it was worth the effort, and would not recommend the book. We decided that Franzen is probably not a very happy person. On the bright side, it was probably the liviest discussions yet.
3 out of 5 stars
I am probably one of the few people on earth who didn't read The Memory Keeper's Daughter, which was really what put Kim Edwards on the map. She's back again, with the very recently released Lake of Dreams. I briefly met Kim Edwards at SIBA, and received a signed copy of her book, which I intended to donate to our Adult Literacy League auction (after I gently read it!). Unfortunately I realized that the book is an uncorrected proof so I can't donate it, which is too bad because I think this book would have been very well-received!
Synopsis: Lucy Jarrett is a twenty-something who has traveled around the world with success in her career, but is currently in between jobs and at a crossroads with her boyfriend. When her mother is injured in an automobile accident, Lucy returns back to her home to confront and resolve some loose ends...the tragic drowning death of her father when she was a teenager, and an old romance.
In a hidden and locked compartment in her family home, Lucy discovers some old letters and pamphlets from the early 1900's that seem to belong to a woman named Rose, who seems to be a long-lost relative. Who was she, and what happened to her and her daughter Iris? Why has no one in the family heard of them? Lucy embarks on a search for this missing link in her heritage, and find that it leads to beautiful and mysterious stained glass windows, stories of the suffragette movement, and a tragic story of a young mother.
Lucy also comes face-to-face with the realities of her father's death and her buried feelings for her high school sweetheart that will allow her to move on with her life.
My thoughts: I would be lying if I told her I didn't struggle through the first half of this novel. I'm pretty sure it was my fault. I was distracted, I had thirty projects going on all at once, and I found very little time to spend reading. However, shouldn't a really good read convince me to blow off my responsibilities? Maybe. But I trudged on, because when you think about the bullet points of this story...mysterious family history, old letters, turn-of-the-century women's movement, secrets hidden within the stained glass windows of a local artist...it's got all the right ingredients. And I'm glad I persevered.
There is something very appealing to me about solving a mystery through old letters. Letters are windows of first-person narrative into the past. (It makes me sad that nobody writes handwritten letters anymore. Will our great-grandchildren be able to learn about us through our blog posts?) And Edwards expertly captures that mystique that I find so charming.
She also understands the complications of family dynamics, the old feuds, the bickering over land and money, sibling rivalry, and both the conflicting pain and comfort of going home to all of this. Even if you've been away for a long time, it is so hard not to immediately be drawn into the fray. All of Lucy's emotions and turmoil upon entering her hometown were very familiar and realistic.
Perhaps the one fault of this book is that is too gentle for readers with their brains stretched over the surrounding three counties. The story is compelling and picks up speed as it goes, and about halfway through I was able to get some traction and blast through the last half. For those of you that prefer plots being tied up neatly, this is a book that will meet your expectations. While I like a little chaos and havoc at the end of my books, this particular conclusion fit the mood of the story and I was pleased. Overall, this is a book I would recommend to anyone who is able to focus and enjoy a good story.
3.5 out of 5 stars
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