Blurb Book Review: The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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Jane, a single parent, awoke in a field after going missing for just over a day. With no memory of the event, she goes to see Dr. Byrd, a psychologist, for help. During this period of treatment, she disappears for nine days, this time with her one year old son.

Dr. Byrd encourages her to keep a diary, so she writes letters to her child as a way of explaining things. In those letters, she chronicles the rise of a pandemic, one which she believes her son to be a victim.

Except her son is alive and happy, no trace of illness.

The story weaves between what could be considered alternate realities, where Jane is able to recite what is on Dr. Byrd’s bookshelf during a video call when Dr. Byrd insists there was no such call. Except the items described were exactly what he had in his old apartment. With no other explanation of how she could know that, Dr. Byrd slowly accepts that Jane viewed events in a different timeline.

I wanted this novel to have a different, more substantial ending. I wanted to know, definitively, whether Jane was in fact visiting other timelines or if there was something else at play here. Instead, the ending somewhat vaguely indicates that the possibility of multiple dimensions or timelines can exist, but also may not.

The novel is written beautifully, with thoughtful prose. With the exception of the letters written by Jane, the story is in first person from Dr. Byrd’s point of view. This immersive first person viewpoint helped keep the reader in the dark about why Dr. Byrd had to move to shabbier offices, as well as give the reader the impression of an unreliable narrator.

Overall the novel is interesting, though, and a study of memory, love, and loss.

Blurb Book Review: How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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Lydia is ready for her new senior’s group at the community centre, prepared to drink tea and play quiet games. But the seniors that show up are far from quiet.

Daphne is hiding a big secret from her past, Art has traded his acting career for kleptomania, and there just might be a guerrilla knit-bomber in the group. To top it all off, the community centre ceiling collapses during the first ever meeting.

Now, the community centre is slated for demolition, leaving the new senior’s social group without a home. Together with other groups who use the centre – a daycare, an AA meetup, and an antenatal group – they set about finding a way to save their building.

The novel is what I’d call ‘fluffy’. The stakes are fairly low, the characters a bit too obvious, and the narrative style easy to read. That said, a fluffy book is just what I was looking for in light of the current goings on of the world.

It’s also a pleasure to read protagonists who are over 50, including some of the ageism that people this age face daily.

Overall, the novel was a good distraction from the world, and the author ties up all the loose ends into a neat little bow.

Blurb Book Review: Sorry Please Thank You by Charles Yu (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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This is a collection of short stories where the unifying thread is lack of connection, loneliness, and interacting with a commercialized world. Also, very meta in how the characters understand they are part of a fictional life.

The author has a flair for writing strangeness as if it were an everyday kind of reality, as if the character is able to walk into a TV show or game and interact with it as if it was real. The characters are also commonly lonely, or maladjusted in an inoffensive way. Having said that, there’s no pity for these characters. Perhaps because they know they aren’t the alpha, the most popular, or the best kind of person. That self-awareness makes it easier to identify with the characters.

The book is short, some stories only a few pages, and an easy read if you suspend your belief first.

Blurb Book Review: Sacred by Dennis Lehane (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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Kenzie and Gennaro accept a new client: a rich man who’s dying and wants to find his daughter. Kenzie’s mentor was looking for her, but now he’s gone missing too. The two detectives, flush with upfront cash, hunt for the daughter and uncover a cult in the process.

This is the third Kenzie and Gennaro novel.

I felt like this novel was clunkier than the past two. The characters are taking shape and the world is filling out nicely, but while reading I was constantly reminded that this book is a product of its time.

Published in 1997, the novel features beautiful women. One so beautiful that every man is blinded by her. Kenzie, of course, finds Gennaro more beautiful. All the women featured were described by their beauty, actually. The reader is reminded fairly often about Gennaro’s beauty and what effect her stunning looks have on Kenzie. Honestly, it was tiresome.

For that matter, so was the sardonic banter between characters. I didn’t feel like any character grew during the novel and that most of them had something sarcastic to say. After a while I just wanted some genuine emotion.

But what was most bothersome was when Gennaro stuck her tongue out at Kenzie as a mock fight. How infantilizing.

I’ll keep up with reading the whole series of Kenzie and Gennaro books, though. I remember the later ones were really good. Of course now I’m wondering if the novels will hold up to my memory.

Blurb Book Review: Tokyo Intro: Stories, Pop Culture, and Places for Visitors

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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Tokyo is a massive city, housing 41 million people in the Greater Tokyo Area, compared to Canada which has 40 million people throughout the entire country. It would be impossible to see all of Tokyo on your visit, which is where this book comes in handy.

There is an attractions section broken down into ultra modern, modern, and traditional so you can better curate your experience and see what you want to see. Included are districts of interest and even how to get from one to the other using the extensive train system.

The book has a focus on pop culture and the author has a comprehensive list of themed cafes, shops, and districts that feature much of the anime culture, along with which shops and cafes are definitely worth checking out while you’re there.

Some of the views sound absolutely stunning, and the author does a great job of providing ideas of where to check out these views, including which buildings and floors have the best vantage points.

There’s lots of suggestions of where to find good quality food without breaking the bank, as well as the suggestion to check out a conveyor belt restaurant while you’re there.

Four short stories appear in the guidebook as well. These are both entertaining and informative as they help show how to get from one place to another. My favourite story involved helping a lost cat find its way home.

Tucked in the back is a fantastic list of souvenirs to consider bringing home. I’d consider buying another suitcase while you’re there so that you can bring your haul back home.

If I end up visiting Tokyo, I’ll be taking the book with me to help map out where I want to go and what I want to see while I’m there.

The author blogs about Tokyo – as well as Ramen noodle reviews – on his blog Tokyo Excess.

Blurb Book Review: Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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Willis Wu is a background actor on Black & White (a police procedural with a Black cop and a white cop) and strives to be more than just Generic Asian Man. Someday, maybe he’ll reach the top and become Kung Fu Guy, but first he must work his way up from Generic Asian Man #3, then #2, and finally #1. In between, he dies on screen, cannot act for six weeks, and provides the reader with some backstory about his parents and their struggles with fitting into their roles.

But this novel is more than that. It’s an unflinching gaze into what it must be like to be Asian in America; shoved to the sidelines and kept below a glass ceiling.

The story is told in screenplay format, which helps immerse the reader in the perpetual filming of the show while also demonstrating how the entire lives of the characters are defined by their roles on the show. This is both suffocating and illuminating.

This novel is clever, intriguing, and at its core, heartfelt.

There is a Netflix show of the same name based on the novel running at the time I’m writing this. While the show is entertaining on its own, the book has depth and a social message that I didn’t see in the show.

Blurb Book Review: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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Grace is a woman in her seventies who is stuck in a rut. Once upon a time she was a wife and mother but lost both her husband and son, now she fills her days with the same routine, slowly fading into the background of life.

When she receives a letter informing her that she’d been left a property in Ibiza, Spain, she decides she might as well check it out. While she hadn’t seen the owner of the property, Christina, in decades, nor had she been close to Christina, the mystery of why this college friend would leave her a house was enough to disrupt her usual pattern of her day.

Grace has no idea that her entire world will be upended in the best possible way, nor that the simple act of diving could infuse her with life.

The author weaves a tale of supernatural abilities, kindness, grief, loneliness, and joy against a lively and vivid backdrop of Ibiza. The novel is told as a letter to a student, who reached out in a time of need, and is glorious in its complexity. Grace is a delightful character, one who softens as the pages go on, and who opens up to life’s experiences despite being attached to her grief.

The novel was one I’d love to relive, to experience again for the first time. Its tone is soft, its characters vivid, and the message of respect delightful.

Blurb Book Review: Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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Ada Lamarr is running out of air. She sent a distress signal and knows there’s a huge vessel nearby but they took their sweet time answering. When they finally arrive, she’s barely alive and has to launch herself out of the giant hole in her ship, across empty space, and into her rescuer’s ship. She barely makes it.

Once there, she needs to explain why she was looting a ship that had crash landed on the nearby planet. Lamarr knows what’s on that ship and knows that her rescuer’s ship had no reason to be in the area except to also retrieve something from the downed ship.

What follows is a heist novella, where the author skilfully leaves clues that build to a massive cliffhanger ending.

While this was very well written – Lamarr’s character is vibrant and consistent – it’s frustrating to read a novella that ends so abruptly. The story is complete, yes, but also leaves room for sequels, sort of like Marvel movies and their after-credit scenes that give a taste of a future movie.

Still, the novella immediately gives the stakes and a sense of character and never slows down. It was entertaining enough for me to seek other work by the author.

Note: there’s a page of binary code near the end. I translated it: “This data has been compromised. This d1t1 has bee6 compromised. This data haromised. This data haromised.ised.ised.ised”

Blurb Book Review: Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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Kenzie and Gennaro are hired by a woman to watch her adult son. A photo of him was taken and he told her he’s being stalked by someone. While Kenzie and Gennaro can’t find any evidence of foul play, someone starts targeting the people Kenzie loves and some dark secrets about his family come to light.

This is the second novel in the Kenzie and Gennaro series and it’s better than the first one. The author develops the characters well in this novel. Gennaro’s husband Phil is shown trying to be a better person by quitting drinking and the childhood friendship of Phil and Kenzie feels robust and nostalgic. The relationship between Kenzie and Gennaro deepens as well, almost to the point of restarting a sexual ember.

Honestly, I would prefer not to have the will-they-won’t-they between the male and female lead characters. I find this tiresome and worn out. Having said that, this novel was written in 1996, so it’s kind of expected.

Overall, this novel is a giant step forward from the first book in the series. The author does a better job of setting the scene here, keeps the reader engaged by giving reminders of how the clues stacked up, and rounds the characters out well. I’m looking forward to reading the third in the series.

Blurb Book Review: Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (spoilers ahead)

~ Robin James ~ Leave a comment

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Four women; a biologist (the narrator), a psychologist, an anthropologist, and a surveyor, are sent into Area X as the twelfth expedition team. Their purpose is to map the area and make observations, all while trying not to be affected by the area itself. The biologist volunteered because her husband was part of the eleventh expedition.

The narrator gets infected very early on by inhaling spores and tries to cover it up. While she continues the investigation she learns that the psychologist is hypnotizing the three of them, that there had been more than eleven expedition teams before them, and that there’s some kind of life form deep underground.

While this novel was good, it felt incomplete. It’s the first in a trilogy, which might explain why the story is left dangling. The biologist is the only survivor of the expedition and she chooses not to return to the border, but instead to follow in her husband’s footsteps.

I found the dangling storyline frustrating. I wanted to know what the alien was, why it was there, when did it arrive, is it actually an alien, how drastically the biologist changes, and how those changes affected her. Maybe those answers are in the next few books.

In the story, the biologist encounters a massive pile of journals but doesn’t inform the reader of what she’s read, which is a pet peeve of mine. I wanted to know what was in those journals, how far back did they go, how many different people wrote in them, and why they were in a huge pile. I understand that this narrator is unreliable, but still, this was frustrating.

Overall the novel was good, it was an interesting peek into a mysterious zone, but irritatingly incomplete.