Earth (The Elemental Series) - Caroline Allen

Booktrope, January 27, 2016.

Four Stars

In 1970s rural Missouri, Pearl’s family is poor, living off subsistence farming and her father’s hunting trips. The surrounding land formerly belonged to the Osage people, but they have been run off the land by agriculture and development. Pearl is thirteen-years-old, helping her mother in the vegetable garden, when she experiences her first vision – an Osage woman comes to her, bringing visions of the earth’s destruction through ecological disaster. The vision is overwhelming for young Pearl, but it is terrifying for her mother – she believes that Pearl will not be able to survive in a difficult world because she feels so much, so strongly. Her reaction is to withdraw emotionally. She does not hug her daughter, because “it isn’t done.”

Pearl feels everything deeper than most people, and she expresses these feelings with a deep, visceral connection to the earth. She has visions of the Osage people, but they really represent a sense of empathy for all living things, including the land around her. Pearl soon learns that her “mad” Aunt Nadine had the same gift – before she was sent for electroshock treatment at the nearby mental asylum. Suffering abuse from her father and emotional coldness from her mother, Pearl escapes the farm to find her aunt, and ends up following a trail to her sister Meghan, who went missing years before.

Earth is a unique coming of age story, in which Pearl must discover her own sense of self in a family – and in a world – that doesn’t accept her. She lives with many kinds of abuse and neglect, yet she still feels a great love for her family. Her older sister, Meghan, has become a prostitute and a drug addict. Pearl is much younger, yet she acts as mother to Meghan, protecting her while putting herself at risk. This is a novel about the importance of the natural world, but it also shows the dark side of humanity, and the many dangers that people present to each other.

Allen’s writing is lyrical, with odd, onomatopoeic descriptors. She has an illogical yet evocative way of describing simple moments and actions that truly bring them to life. The style is a sort of magic realism, reminiscent of Alice Hoffman’s novels. In contrast, some of the descriptions of nature become heavy-handed, and the author clearly has an environmentalist agenda – I happen to agree with it, but sometimes it seemed a bit forced. More significantly, she uses Pearl to show the importance of sharing stories within a family so that we can know who we are and where we came from. Pearl is set adrift without familial roots, and she calls it a “poverty of story.”

Pearl tries to use her Catholic upbringing to understand the indigenous spirituality that comes to her in her visions – she attends a Catholic school and invokes Joan of Arc and Jesus to help her understand her own situation. Later, she meets a nun who tries to help her by comparing her to St. Theresa and her “ecstasies”, but Pearl just becomes more confused about her role in the spiritual world.

Although Pearl is a teenager, this is not a young adult novel. There is a high level of mental and emotional depth to her feelings – it is more like she is using adult wisdom to tell the story of her childhood. As Pearl discovers her family’s story, she still manages to rewrite her own in a more positive way. Her relatives have experienced a vicious cycle of abuse and neglect, and she refuses to repeat it. Her story is sometimes uncomfortable, but always truthful. The novel is awkward in parts, but overall it is beautiful and heartfelt. It is also the first in a series, which I will continue to read in order to find out the rest of Pearl’s story.

I received this novel from Booktrope and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Many Selves of Katherine North - Emma Geen

Bloomsbury Publishing, June 2, 2016.

Five Stars

Kit is nineteen years old, and she has been working for the research department of the Shen Corporation for seven years. Her research is conducted by projecting her consciousness into the bodies of lab-grown animals, and her youth is valued in the industry because she is more flexible at adapting to these animal bodies. She has had the opportunity to experience many different lives, seeing the world through the eyes of an octopus, an elephant and a spider, to name a few – but her most powerful connection has been to her fox self. When the fox body she inhabits is hit by a car and killed, Kit’s entire career is called into question.

Kit is a Phenomenaut, and she enters an animal body – called a ResExtenda, or Ressy – through a neurological interface. When she is inRessy, her only connection to the “real” world is her Neuro, named Buckley, who is able to communicate with her throughout the experience. He is her most trusted friend, the voice that guides her through her projections, so when she begins to doubt him, her whole world is called into question. Suddenly, Kit finds it hard to engage with her real body and begins to relinquish her humanity, becoming more animalistic in her behavior. The feeling that her original body is no longer hers feels like “insidious, chronic doubt.” (Loc. 1732) If she can’t trust Buckley, the voice that’s always inside her head, then she can no longer trust herself.

After the death of her fox Ressy, Kit is moved from research to tourism – the Shen Corporation is branching out, and they want to profit from sending regular people inRessy, for a very high price. Kit knows it isn’t right, but she has no choice. She feels that her purpose as a Phenomenaut is to study ecology and preserve endangered species, encouraging empathy for those who can’t speak for themselves. She compares Phenomenautism to reading fiction because it is “like wearing another skin,” and understanding how others think and feel. The corporate bureaucrats say tourism will create empathy too, but they have taken something almost magical and disguised it with double-speak.

If you are able to suspend disbelief of the Phenomenaut technology, this becomes a really intriguing, philosophical story, exploring many ethically ambiguous issues. Because the Ressy bodies are essentially printed in a giant 3D printer, the next step becomes the printing of human bodies, which is morally questionable but somehow seems completely possible. I really appreciated that the author didn’t go overboard explaining the technology in detail – she gives us just enough to imagine the possibilities. She cleverly uses a classroom of children who are touring the facility to explain the Ressy experience – the science is dumbed down for the reader without interrupting the narrative flow. In my opinion, that’s what makes this speculative fiction instead of sci-fi – there is not as much science/world-building, but instead it is more of a framework used to express philosophical ideas about a potential future world.

Kit’s voice is so well developed that it easily carries her character seamlessly through each animal body – she is sharp, caustic and edgy, but at the same time her mind is thoughtful and authentic. She expresses herself with a maturity beyond her age, but it makes sense because she experiences so much empathy for her animal host bodies. The sections where Kit is inRessy are incredible – it’s hard to believe that the author hasn’t had these experiences herself. Seeing the world through the eyes of these diverse creatures is amazing, and I felt like I was completely immersed in their worlds.

This is such a strong story in every way, especially for a debut novel. I could really see this as a movie in the same vein as “The Hunger Games” – it is young/new adult writing with a serious edge. Either way, I can’t wait to read whatever Emma Geen does next. She finishes the novel with a great disclaimer, reminding the reader that she is not a scientist, but that her research was extensive. She writes that “[s]cience permits only one truth, one reality. But what if there are other valid ways of knowing? What if the world is not one, but multitude, with as many ways of being as there are beings? What if literature were the opportunity to glimpse such refractions, thrown by the world as though from a diamond?” (Loc. 3789) This is the true purpose of literature, I think, and that is why this novel spoke to me so clearly.

I received this novel from Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Vinegar Girl - Anne Tyler

Hogarth Press, June 21, 2016.

Two Stars

Vinegar Girl is the third installment in the Hogarth Shakespeare series, in which contemporary authors write retellings of Shakespeare’s classic plays. Tyler’s novel is a cover version of The Taming of the Shrew, the infamous misogynistic comedy in which a strong woman is “tamed” by the men in her life. This novel was just as ridiculous as the original play, with its light comedic tone, but I was hoping for more modern sensibilities from the characters – as it was, they lacked depth of emotion.

The “shrew”, 29-year-old Kate, has put her education and life on hold in order to stay at home to care for her ungrateful younger sister Bunny and her clueless scientist father. Dr. Battista is researching autoimmune diseases, and he is on the verge of an important breakthrough – but he is about to lose his star lab assistant, Pyotr, whose visa will soon expire. Luckily, Dr. Battista comes up with an outrageous and absurd Shakespearean plot to save the day! He begins a concerted effort to convince Kate that she must marry Pyotr so he can stay in the country.

At this point, the novel veers into slapstick territory, with predictable, silly twists and turns. I felt like I was reading a poorly edited romance novel – where there was so much potential, we instead get shallow, emotionless, silly scenes. Kate and her family became caricatures of real people, and we never really get to see inside their heads. There is no rationale for Kate’s spontaneous decision to go along with her father’s plan, especially after it becomes unnecessary. Kate was immature to begin with, almost like a sullen, socially-awkward teenager, but at least she was strong and opinionated – full of vinegar, as the title suggests. But then she grows into a weak, oppressed woman, becoming completely subservient to her husband and father.

A modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew has so much potential to confront the patriarchy of the past and create a new story for feminism. Instead, this novel follows typical Tyler themes of middle-class family and marriage. Kate even delivers a speech about male tyranny and how women should be more understanding of how tough men have it – meanwhile, she submits to Pyotr’s every decision and whim. Bunny, who everyone treats as the empty-headed beauty, is actually the voice of reason when she defends her sister’s independence, but of course she is ignored. The only real modernization of the play can be found in the monologue, but even that was a little too cutesy. The spark between Kate and Pyotr just never rang true.

I think this could have been so much better with more satire and sarcasm to add some edge. There were also other interesting themes that could have been explored, such as Pyotr’s immigrant experience – instead, his accent was mocked and he was treated like a Shakespearean fool. The treatment was too surface-level, and the only convincing argument I’ve heard for its shallow feeling is that it can be read as a redemption of Shakespeare’s original play. Instead, I found it to be a “tamed” version of the play, with no redeemable additions to the original. If you’re looking for a romantic beach read this summer, you might enjoy this, just don’t expect Shakespeare.

I received this novel from Hogarth Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chains of Sand - Jemma Wayne

Legend Press, June 1, 2016.

Four Stars

I was drawn into this novel in spite of myself – for some reason, I thought the subject matter might be a little dry, but actually I couldn’t put it down. Its depiction of life in Israel, while at war with Palestine, certainly makes you consider current world events in new ways, and it is done by showing us dramatic scenes and quiet moments – the author never tells us how to think or feel. It is not an easy read, but it is a necessary one.

The novel follows two young men as their lives eventually intersect in surprising ways. Udi is a 26-year-old veteran of the Israeli army. He was injured during battle and he still carries the shrapnel in his pocket, as a reminder of what he has been through and his aspirations for the future. Udi desperately wants to leave Israel, and he lines up a job with his cousins in London – but he does so without consulting his long-time girlfriend, jeopardizing their relationship.

At the same time in England, Daniel is a 29-year-old investment banker with a successful career, and great friends and family. In spite of his seemingly perfect life, he feels an emptiness inside. Most importantly, he is struggling with his Jewish faith – he thinks he should be doing more to express it. His friendship with female Muslim Safia is the perfect format for the two to discuss their conflicting religions, and while Daniel believes Safia’s faith is preventing them from moving into a romantic relationship, it is in fact Daniel’s own devoutness that stops him from loving her.

As protests break out in London against Israel’s invasion of Gaza, Daniel becomes alarmed by the increasing Anti-Semitism in his own country. Meanwhile, he is equally shocked by his Jewish friends expressing racism against Muslims: “Hatred for a whole religion, culture, people? Isn’t that what we’re fighting against?” (Loc. 4086) Daniel’s grandmother, a survivor of a World War II concentration camp, tells him that the only good thing to come from the Holocaust was the creation of Israel, and so it must be protected at all costs. With her blessing, Daniel decides to move to Israel, in spite of the very real chance that he will be forced to join the army and fight.

There is a third storyline set in Jerusalem, in which a star-crossed love affair occurs between a young Jewish girl and an Arabic man – it is hard to follow because the novel moves between continents as well as time periods. It’s best to stop worrying about how it will all come together and just trust the author to guide is there – but I do wish the three stories had connected sooner.

This novel shows empathy in action, as people of opposing political and religious views are forced to see things from another angle. Udi’s sister writes in a letter that “We are losing our ability to see another side, to just recognize the suffering there, let alone take responsibility for it.” (Loc. 3446) In our current political climate, I think this is a lesson we can all learn.

I received this novel from Legend Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The 100 Year Miracle - Ashley Ream

Flatiron Books, May 24, 2016.

Three Stars

Once every century, the water around a small island in the Pacific Northwest glows green, caused by tiny sea creatures called Artemia Lucis. The miniscule arthropods complete their lifecycle in six short days, and their occurrence becomes known as “The 100 Year Miracle.” Ream’s new novel is set in the fictional Olloo’et Bay, within the actual San Juan Islands. Olloo’et Island is the traditional home of the First Nations people who share its name – although they have mostly disappeared, those that remain feel honour and respect towards the Miracle. The scientists that have invaded the island, however, do not all come with pure intentions.

Rachel is one of these scientists. She has travelled to the island as part of a team of specialists, working long days and nights to study the phenomenon before it disappears again. She also has ulterior motives: struggling with chronic pain due to a childhood injury, Rachel sets up her own secret laboratory to study the creatures, seeking a miracle cure for herself and others like her. However, one of her colleagues is suspicious of her secrecy – he is an Olloo’et man named John, and his goal is to protect the island’s habitat. John’s people believe that the Artemia Lucis do have healing powers, but that they can also destroy those who consume them.

Meanwhile, Henry and Tilda are a divorced couple who are once again living together in a beach house on the bay – Tilda has moved back in to care for Henry as he suffers from a fatal and debilitating disease. The couple separated partly due to the death of their young daughter, and being together in their family home again brings back many memories. When Henry sees Rachel on the beach, he transfers his fatherly feelings onto her (she is around the age his daughter would have been, had she survived). When he spontaneously offers his house to Rachel during her short stay, she agrees to move in – it will be easier to hide her secret lab if she is separated from the rest of the team.

Before Henry realizes what is happening, he finds himself drawn into Rachel’s obsessive research, and the two experience the hallucinogenic side effects of the “miracle cure.” There could be a rational explanation, but according to local mythology, the Artemia Lucis is a channel for one’s deceased ancestors to pull the users to the other side. Science or supernatural – we as readers do not know for sure. In fact, I was expecting the novel to take more of a supernatural/horror turn, but instead it followed the path towards more typical thriller territory, as Rachel faces imminent discovery of her unusual research methods.

I found Tilda to be the most relatable and likeable character. She gave up her political career to care for her ex-husband, despite the fact that she can’t help blaming him at least partially for their daughter’s death. While caring for Henry, she finds a new passion for sailing and a romance with a much younger man. While both burn her in the end, she develops greatly as a character, instead of getting lost in false hope like Rachel and Henry.

As the novel heads towards its conclusion, situations become increasingly contrived. The supposed suspense didn’t really work for me, so the thriller aspect of the novel kind of fizzled out. What I liked more was the development of the characters, and I wish Ream had remained focused on them. I also don’t see this as fitting into the “unreliable narrator” genre, because we know Rachel’s intentions from the start. There were several unresolved issues, and the characters’ actions weren’t always realistic, but I was steadily drawn into the story and found it very entertaining.

I received this novel from Flatiron Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Girls - Emma Cline

Random House, June 14, 2016.

Four Stars

It is the end of the 1960s in northern California, and 14-year-old Evie Boyd is bored. She just had a fight with her best friend over a boy, and now she faces a summer spent alone. As she drifts through the park one hot afternoon, Evie meets a group of carefree girls, exuding excitement and risk. One of these is Suzanne, and Evie’s budding friendship with her soon leads into a dangerous obsession.

Evie follows Suzanne and the other girls back to their home at an eerie, rundown ranch. The free-living, utopian community is led by the charismatic Russell – the cult leader is a thinly veiled version of Charles Manson. He draws people into his unusual lifestyle, and to Evie it is exotic and enthralling. She is desperate to be accepted – by Russell, by the community, and most of all by Suzanne. Meanwhile, Suzanne worships Russell, and seems threatened by his interest in Evie.

At the ranch, food is scarce and often scavenged through dumpster-diving. The girls’ children (many of whom have been fathered by Russell) roam free, dirty and wild. Comparatively harmless crimes such as trespassing escalate into home invasions, and small acts of violence lead up to one unthinkable act that will destroy the harmony of the group. It is psychologically mesmerizing to watch Russell control the girls – many of his followers came from bad backgrounds and only know abuse, but others have good lives at home and remain because of their adoration for Russell.

Evie is the child of divorced parents, and her mother is drifting through life with little interest in her daughter’s whereabouts. Evie idolizes her dad’s new girlfriend, until she realizes that Tamar is just a girl, too. Although the cult makes for a fascinating backdrop to Evie’s summer, this novel is ultimately a coming-of-age story, with the main theme being a young girl’s desperate need to fit in. The cult setting is a shocking extrapolation of this idea, showing its worst and most dangerous iteration.

The novel is actually narrated by Evie in flashbacks – in middle age, she is at a loose end in life, living at a friend’s beach cabin while she searches for work. When the friend’s teenage son and his girlfriend show up unexpectedly, they tease out the story of her time in the cult. Evie also sees herself in the young girlfriend – a girl who will do anything for love, or what she thinks is love. Despite Evie’s association with the cult, she was always at its periphery, on the fringes of big events, looking in. She manages to avoid the consequences that other girls in the cult faced after its dissolution – but its existence has still shaped every aspect of her life, and she wishes to set a better example for this girl.

The Girls is far from action-packed, but it moves along at a steady pace. Every move made by Russell and the girls becomes heavy with meaning, and it is atmospheric and tense because we know that something horrible is about the happen – I couldn’t put it down. The writing is lush and poetic – it is often overwritten and sometimes even nonsensical, but it is always lovely and enjoyable. As I became immersed in the story, the language developed seamlessly. This is an intense and powerful debut novel, and Emma Cline is an author to watch, especially after her newly signed three-book deal. I look forward to more from Cline.

I received this novel from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Wacky Man - Lyn G. Farrell

Legend Press, May 2, 2016.

Three Stars

Amanda was severely abused as a child, and now as a teenager she has locked herself in her bedroom and refuses to come out. Her “shrink” asked her what she remembers about being young, and the horrific memories came flooding back, crippling her emotionally. Although her mother feeds her and tries to get her to leave the bedroom, her love has no effect on Amanda – just as when she was young, and her mother was unable to protect her from her father’s rage.

The “Wacky Man” is Amanda’s father, although it is also the name the children have for the truancy officer because “wacking it” is apparently slang for skipping school. Amanda jokes that “dad was whacking me for wacking it,” (Loc. 104) but his abuse goes beyond that. Amanda’s brothers have escaped, but they left her behind and she feels abandoned. She hopes for a way out too, beyond her violent past – but she is stuck, both in her bedroom and inside her own head.

As a new chapter begins, Amanda asks the shrink (and by default, us, her readers), “Back for some more, eh?” It perfectly describes the process of reading this novel – just scene after scene of horror and abuse. It almost becomes gratuitous because there is no real plot, and I found it hard to keep picking the book up, knowing it would be more of the same. There was no redemption for Amanda, making this a very difficult read.

The author studied psychology and works in education, making me curious about whether the character of Amanda was inspired by someone in particular. The novel doesn’t end on a happy note, which made me wonder what the author’s intentions were in writing it – is it just to show the extent of abuse? Or the impact of all our actions on the children in our lives? There are moments of insight into a child’s emotional world, possibly meant to create empathy for the damaged youth that fall through the cracks of our social systems. Amanda shows us how they become that way, through her feelings about herself: “Things like me, deformed, forgotten things, we don’t have a future. We just have a day when we no longer wake up.” (Loc. 116) Hopefully Amanda’s story can prevent more children from feeling this way.

I received this novel from Legend Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven - Chris Cleave

Simon & Schuster, May 3, 2016.

Five Stars

Cleave has a major talent for language – he showed it off in his first novel Incendiary, and again in Little Bee. His talent is here again in full force, but in this new novel it is more traditional, in a British war time stiff-upper-lip kind of way. His writing is still clever, smart and fresh, and laugh out loud funny. I love a good British turn of phrase, silly as they sometimes seem, and they are sprinkled throughout this novel in a wonderfully fun way. Cleave is once again playing with language, but this time in a more subtle way.

In 1939, Mary is a young socialite, determined to participate in the war effort. Her naivety is difficult to read, as it is representative of all the young people who wanted to “do their part” during the war, seeing the whole thing as an adventure, and unaware of how bad it will really be. She volunteers to work as a teacher for children who have been evacuated to the English countryside, but she ends up remaining in London with the kids who were left behind, seen as unfit for evacuation because of illness, disability, or, like her favourite student Zachary, because of the colour of their skin. Mary begins the novel as a thoughtless, upper class snob, but you can’t help but admire her as she develops into a strong, unique woman.

Mary begins dating Tom, an education administrator who did not enlist as a soldier because his job is deemed to be a necessary service. At first he is glad, but later he becomes depressed because he is not contributing to the war effort. His best friend Alastair has just enlisted, thinking he is off to a great adventure – but he too soon becomes disillusioned with his role in the war, as he watches his friends become injured or simply disappear after stepping on a mine. When Alastair has a brief visit home, he becomes involved in a love triangle with Mary and Tom – he doesn’t want to hurt his best friend, but Alastair cannot deny his feelings for Mary.

The relationship between Mary and Alastair is loosely based on letters written between Cleave’s own grandparents during the war, although he admits that the story evolved beyond his original concept. Everyone Brave is Forgiven is different from Cleave’s earlier novels due to the historical setting, but he once again confronts important political issues. He addresses social injustices that are not always considered in the shadow of World War II, including the poor treatment towards the disenfranchised British people – the poor, the black, and the disabled. Mary’s tossing aside of the prejudices of her social class make her the real hero of this story.

Alastair is probably the most deeply developed character in the novel. Before the war, he was an art restorer – when he finds himself stationed on a small island during a reprieve from battle, he ends up restoring a painting from the local church that was damaged by bombs. He is desperate to hold onto his former self and the symbols of civilization, amidst the horrors of war. This is especially shown during the scene in which Alastair steps in to save a German pilot who has crash-landed on the island. He is trying to do a small bit of good, humanizing the enemy – but the scene ends violently, and the consequences of his actions are disturbing, even as they propel the action of the novel forward to its inevitable conclusion.

Cleave manages to put a human face to the war, through the drastically different experiences of Tom, Alastair, Mary and Zachary. None of the characters has a truly happy ending, because simplistic happiness is not possible after their wartime experiences. More importantly, the ending is authentic, and they manage to forge a new kind of life for themselves. It is bittersweet – predictable overall, but surprising in the details. My only complaint is that there is another potential novel to be found in Zachary’s story, and I hope to read it someday.

I received this novel from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The A to Z of You and Me - James Hannah

Sourcebooks Landmark, May 3, 2016.

Three Stars

Forty-year-old Ivo finds himself in hospice care with diabetic kidney failure due to drinking, drug use and hard living. Ivo’s high-risk lifestyle has exempted him from the organ transplant list, he is estranged from his friends and family, and his girlfriend Mia has left him. He is dying alone as a relatively young man, filled with regret for all of his past mistakes – this really should be a tragic novel, but it actually manages to be quite clever and funny.

To cheer him up, Ivo’s nurse suggests he play her “A to Z” game, in which he will choose a body part for each letter of the alphabet and think of a memory associated with it. Some of Ivo’s memories are quirky, some are thoughtful, and others are downright depressing. Throughout the game, Ivo addresses Mia as “you”, speaking to her through all of his memories – she is his anchor to life, an irony that only becomes apparent halfway through the book.

As Ivo’s health declines and he needs more painkillers, he becomes less coherent and increasingly unreliable as a narrator – at the same time, his “A to Z” memories have more depth and the secrets revealed are darker. We learn why Mia is absent from his bedside, and what his friends and family have said and done over the years. The structure of the game is contrived but not too cutesy, and it is often quite graphic in nature.

The game reveals Ivo’s many regrets, but the people in his life provide redemption, especially his nurse and the daughter of another patient in hospice care. Regardless of the mistakes he has made in his short life, there is still time to forge new connections and create meaningful relationships. Ivo’s experiences sometimes veered into melodramatic and unlikely situations, some of which seem incongruous to the rest of the novel. However, for the most part, the gimmicky structure does actually work, allowing Ivo to deal with his past before it’s too late. Ivo’s acceptance of himself and his regrets makes the novel worthwhile, despite its mostly predictable path.

I received this novel from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There Will Be Stars - Billy Coffey

Thomas Nelson Books, May 3, 2016.

Three Stars

 

There Will Be Stars is a quirky southern gothic with a rather slow pace. The novel shares it’s setting of Mattingly with several other books by Coffey – each can be read on its own, but many of the same characters pop up throughout the novels. This novel focuses on Bobby, a man who is unlikely to reach old age due to his heavy drinking. Although he is aware of his dangerous behavior, he still takes his young twin sons out for a drive late at night, drinking a six-pack of beers along the way. Bobby’s truck goes off the road, swerving to avoid another vehicle – Bobby’s last thought is “there will be stars.”

With Bobby’s final conscious thought, he is expecting death and nothingness, but instead he awakens to the dawn of the day he has just lived – and must re-live over and over again. He is not alone in this purgatory, but instead he shares it with six other people, all of whom are repeatedly experiencing their own final days. Many of them are resigned to their fate, complacent and even somewhat content – they have formed a little family in this other world. Bobby, however, thinks he can change the results of his final day, although it continues to have the same ending.

Although at first the odd collection of people seem to be working together to make the best of their situation, not all is as it seems – some of the group are actually dangerous, concealing dark secrets. As their fragile world begins to fall apart, Bobby tries to escape with some others, and none of them are sure whether they are in heaven or hell.

The alternate world has an ethereal feel, emphasized by its Christian themes of purgatory, punishment and rebirth, as well as its exploration of the human condition. Bobby especially is seeking to understand his role in the world, which is called “The Turn” – he is the catalyst for change in this other place, although he doesn’t understand why. The horrifying details of how each person ended up there bring some darkness to the novel, keeping it from being too preachy or cute.

The novel is unique because it encompasses so many different genres, although it is most of all a suspenseful spiritual fantasy. It is an interesting concept, but I found it really hard to get into, and found myself confused most of the time – it probably deserves a re-read to catch all the details. I think this book is best treated as a philosophical think-piece, as it meandered through questions of life and death. Regardless of my confusion, I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know how it ended, and I’m glad I stuck it out for Bobby’s final moments.

I received this novel from Thomas Nelson Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Veins of the Ocean - Patricia Engel

Grove Press, May 3, 2016.

Four Stars

When Reina’s brother Carlito throws his girlfriend’s baby off of a bridge, it is a case of history repeating itself – Reina’s father tossed baby Carlito off the same bridge, but he survived. Unfortunately, Carlito’s tiny victim did not, in spite of the fact that he instantly regretted his actions and jumped into the water to save the baby. Now Reina’s life is on hold as she remains on vigil for her brother, spending every weekend visiting him in prison, where he sits on death row. When Carlito loses his final appeal, he commits suicide. Reina is free – but she is at a loose end, with no plans for her future.

Reina’s mother decides to sell the family home and move away with her wealthy boyfriend, leaving her daughter to fend for herself. Planning to hide out and decide on her next move, Reina moves to a small beach town in the nearby Florida Keys, where she gets a job in a nail salon and tries to live a quiet life. She is consumed by grief for her role in Carlito’s crime, which is only slowly exposed to the reader throughout the novel.

Although she keeps to herself, Reina meets a man named Nesto, an exiled Cuban who is working to move his family to the United States. Nesto loves the sea and has endless faith in its ability to heal – he has no doubts that he will be able to bring his family back together. While his wife has moved on from their marriage, he will do whatever it takes to be reunited with his children. In contrast, Reina struggles with the role of the ocean in her own family’s history – from the drowned baby to their troubled story of immigration from Colombia. Nesto takes her diving in the ocean, in an attempt to help her learn to trust him, and to trust herself.

Regardless of her doubts and fears, Reina begins to spend more time with Nesto at sea, and she experiences the healing powers of the natural world. Engel describes vibrant, beautiful coastal settings, yet they also hide a darker story – the dangers of illegal immigration. It is a topical, important story in a world where leaving home for a new country is becoming the norm, causing the fracturing of families and the risk of injury or even death. Reina is also troubled by the prevalence of crime within immigrant communities – her family fled Cartagena to escape crime, but they are still affected by it in the comparatively safe streets of Florida.

Reina begins to accept her budding romance with Nesto, but she still struggles with her unsettled relationship with her mother, and her sense of displacement – she feels trapped between the old and new worlds. Nesto fully embraces the spirituality of his ancestral community, and his beliefs are explored throughout the novel. Reina is more skeptical, but she opens herself up to Nesto’s faith.

More than anything, The Veins of the Ocean is the story of ordinary people struggling to live quiet lives, despite their complicated histories. Both Reina and Nesto feel dislocated from the past, yet they are still working to find home in a new place with a new kind of family. The novel is dark, but filled with a tentative sort of hope – it moves slowly, but its everyday moments shine with life and light.

I received this novel from Grove Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.