February 2018 Book of the Month - The Broken Girls

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THE BROKEN GIRLS is a Mystery/Historical Fiction Thriller written by Simone St. James. It is expected to drop March 20th, 2018.  "Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants--the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It's called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it's located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming--until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . . Vermont, 2014. As much as she's tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister's death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister's boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can't shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case. When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past--and a voice that won't be silenced. . . ." I enjoyed the beginning of the book at first, but towards the last quarter or so the storyline became too muddled and out of focus. What started as a "who-killed-my-sister-20-years-ago-and-is-the-old-wayward-girls-home-actually-haunted" turned into a multitude of things all including (SPOILERS BELOW) - A ghost story - Nazis - 3 unsolved murders - police corruption - questionable journalism All of these plots had to be neatly tied up within 75-100 pages. It can be done, but I don't think it was done well. Because of all these plot devices, I believe it pulled away from other important aspects of the story. The characters didn't seem as fleshed out and rather 2 dimensional, the scenes jumped all over the place, and all the clues and "ah-ha" moments the main character had seemed like they were given to her easily; as if by sheer coincidence she HAPPENED to find the woman who had the Idlewild files locked up in a shed behind her house, and that old woman just kinda gave them to her. Like, really? It seemed too easy. However, it was a pretty fast read for 329 pages, and I did have fun reading this novel. It felt like I was watching a juicy murder mystery series on TBS; which I found funny because the author has worked in television for several years. I would not have picked this book out myself at my local bookstore, and I'm glad I picked this for my first Book Of The Month. In conclusion, even though it lacked in some places, it was still a very fun, fast, entertaining read. Good for a long airplane ride or a palate cleanser between Jefferey Eugene and Zade Smith books. It's a sold 3 star rating.

February 2018 - The Reserve

The Reserve is a Fictional/Romance/"Mystery" novel by Russell Banks first published in 2009, the critics give this book mixed reviews. I have no idea why our book club picked this. I'll forgive them though.

"Part love story, part murder mystery, set on the cusp of the Second World War, Russell Banks's sharp-witted and deeply engaging new novel raises dangerous questions about class, politics, art, love, and madness—and explores what happens when two powerful personalities, trapped at opposite ends of a social divide, begin to break the rules. Moving from the secluded beauty of the Adirondack wilderness to the skies above war-torn Spain and Fascist Germany, The Reserve is a clever, incisive, and passionately romantic novel of suspense that adds a new dimension to this acclaimed author's extraordinary repertoire."

I'm going to be honest with you, I didn't finish this book. It felt very melodramatic like the characters were trying too hard to be incredibly tragic. The pacing was good, but that's really the only thing I enjoyed. I abandoned it after page 75. It's unfortunate and disappointing because Russell Banks is a fantastic writer, Rule of Bone and Sweet Hereafter were some of my favorite books in junior high.

To be further honest with you, dear reader, I had a family emergency and had to not attend the book club reading of this book. So unfortunately I have no notes or links for this review. Sorry y'all, I'll do better next time (so long as we stop getting Nor'easters!)

January 2018 - Kindred

Kindred is a Science Fiction/Historical Fantasy novel by Octavia E. Butler. First published in 1979 and still going strong in print, it's a regular staple around book clubs, community based reads, and high school English classes.

The book is the first-person account of a young African-American woman writer, Dana
who finds herself shuttled between her California home in 1976 and a pre-Civil War Maryland plantation. There she meets her ancestors: a spoiled, self-destructive white slave owner and the proud black freewoman he has forced into slavery and concubinage. As her stays in the past become longer, Dana becomes intimately entangled with the plantation community, making hard compromises to survive slavery and to ensure her existence in her own time.

The group found strong connections to Science fiction and magical realism as a vehicle for minority rights - women's rights in particular. We tossed round Atwood, Toni Morrison's Beloved, and many others. We also discussed the racial tensions between the Antebellum South, the mid-1970s (the book being published around the time Roots was on TV, thus giving white folks a realistic POV of being a slave in the Civil War era), and the political climate of today (Black Lives Matter. #MeToo, etc.).

Although some of us thought the book was at times "clunky" and "elementary" in it's writing style, I was under the impression that everyone enjoyed the book on some level, and we all had wonderful, civil discussions regarding our own racism here in NH. We still wished more from the book, as some of us thought Ms. Butler glossed over certain details that felt important to the story. Others wished she wrote a book about Kevin's point of view, as he was stuck in time for 5 years without Dana. We also touched upon some parallel characterization between Kevin and Rufus, the main fact that Dana was taking care of both white men because she loved them on different levels.

The biggest topic of the night was how much metaphor was scattered throughout the book, particularly Dana losing her arm in the wall of the house at the end of the book. Some believed that her arm represented black people and the house representing the US, and how African Americans have given a lot of themselves to build this nation and sacrificed their entire selves but had never been given proper credit. Others believed that it was a penance for killing Rufus at the end of the novel, or that she literally had to drag herself away from her terrible past. I loved everyone's differing opinions on the arm metaphors, and I believe that's what makes this book so everlasting.

Some Links:

Toni Morrison's "Beloved" (Magical Realism - now with ghosts!)
Margret Atwood's "Handmaid's Tale"
Frederick Douglass's Memoir (Finding parallels between Rufus's mother and Frederick Douglass's owner's wife. Thus showing us an important note that slavery destroys everyone involved.)
Naomi Alderman's "The Power"
Roots
Ursula K. Le Guin
Madeleine L'Engle