The Devil and Webster - Jean Hanff Korelitz

Faber & Faber, April 6, 2017.

 

Three Stars

 

Naomi Roth is the first female president of Webster College, a small liberal arts school in Massachusetts. Once a conservative missionary school with the mandate of educating Native Americans, Webster is now popular with progressive, politically-active students who want to make a difference in the world. The students often hold protests at The Stump, a meeting place in the middle of campus. However, the current protest is getting out of hand, and Naomi is losing control.

 

As a former student radical herself, Naomi encourages her daughter Hannah to express her opinions – so she is not surprised when Hannah, who is a student at Webster, joins the protest. She isn’t worried, until she realizes that the students are camped out at The Stump, and gaining members every day. They are ostensibly protesting the denial of tenure for a popular professor, but Naomi thinks that their cause is somewhat silly – compared to her own former radical protests – and will end after a few chilly nights. Instead, the encampment escalates to the point that Naomi’s job is threatened.

 

The protest grows, eventually leading to acts of vandalism that destabilize the security of the campus. The issue is further complicated when Omar Khayal, a Palestinian student, emerges as the group’s de facto leader – and as secrets are revealed about Omar’s past, Naomi realizes that the campus may be in serious danger. There are other complicated issues of race, such as the fact that the untenured professor is African-American, leading the students to suggest race as a motive for the negative tenure decision. While the students’ dissent is at first encouraged, things soon go too far.

 

As the crisis escalates and Naomi loses control of the Webster campus, she struggles to protect those around her – especially her daughter. Although we do see other perspectives, Naomi is the main protagonist, and her view is compelling because she finds herself in a difficult position – not only at Webster, but with Hannah as well. From her new position of power, she underestimates both Hannah and the other students, even though Naomi herself is more comfortable in the role of protester. She gradually learns the extent that she is willing to compromise her ethical values.

 

The novel struggles with problems such as a slow, meandering pace and too much unnecessary description. The first half especially was weighed down with details that added little to the story. However, the plot itself is timely and compelling – but overall it moved too slowly to hold my attention. I did enjoy the various discussions about the political protests, and the emphasis on the importance of appearance vs. reality in current events – especially the idea that we need to be educated about any cause we choose to support, in a world where facts can be so easily manipulated and distorted.

 

I received this book from Faber & Faber and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

He Said / She Said - Erin Kelly

St. Martin’s Press, June 6, 2017.

 

Four Stars

 

In 1999, Laura and Kit had a seemingly perfect relationship. The two met in their early twenties, fell in love, and began to travel the world. Kit is an “eclipse chaser,” and Laura became enamoured with the hobby as well, as they experienced the magnificent events at festivals worldwide. Although Kit has family issues, their lives seem to be on track for the most part – happy, health and in love.

 

Now, in 2015, Kit and Laura are still together, but their circumstances are very different. Married and expecting a baby, the couple have changed their names and hidden their identities, living in fear after witnessing a shocking crime at an eclipse festival. Years before in rural England, the two of them stumbled across the aftermath of a violent sexual assault. They did everything right, including calling the cops and getting medical help for the victim – but then the suspect turned himself in and told the police it was a consensual encounter. Not sure who to believe, Kit truthfully tells his side of the story in court. Laura, however, knows the jury is inclined to believe the wealthy, successful accused rapist – so she embellishes her story to protect the victim, Beth.

 

After the rapist is convicted, Beth tracks down Laura to thank her for what she did – but Laura is afraid of Kit finding out that she lied on the witness stand. She is nervous around Beth, but at the same time the two women forge a strong connection based on their shared experience. Beth begins spending most of her time with Kit and Laura, even staying at their apartment, but Kit remains suspicious of this emotional, unstable woman. It is not until strange things begin happening around the apartment, including a near-fatal fire, that Laura is convinced that Beth is not what she seems.

 

Meanwhile, Laura is also receiving threatening letters from the convicted rapist, who is still appealing the charges years later. She hides this from Kit too – to protect him, but also to hide the lies that she told. Laura is unlikeable and unreliable, but as Kit slowly reveals his side of the story, we learn that he is very different than the naïve, gentle man that he seems to be.

 

The novel jumps around from 1999/2000 and the events of Beth’s assault, to the present in 2015. When we learn how Laura and Kit saved Beth from her attacker, it seems impossible that they now live in fear of her finding them, leaving us to wonder how things could get so bad. The alternating narrative of Laura and Kit fills in the blanks, as the shocking reveals just keep coming. In 2015, Kit is journeying to the Faroe Islands to see an eclipse, leaving his very pregnant wife at home – their separation is the catalyst for Beth’s reappearance in their lives, and the culmination of Laura’s obsession and paranoia.

 

The symbolism of the eclipse hovers over every scene in the book, emphasizing the contrast between the light and the shadows – as the truth comes out, the reader realizes that we are still in the dark about so many things. As the characters reveal themselves, our sympathies shift between them, leaving us to wonder who are the “he” and “she” of the title, and whether any of the characters can be believed. This is a character-driven novel, peopled with complex, realistic narrators – but it also has an impressively strong plot, that keeps the surprises coming right up until the last scene, and the ending does not disappoint. This novel definitely lives up to the hype – it’s everything a taut, tense psychological thriller should be.

 

I received this novel from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

The Chalk Artist - Allegra Goodman

Random House, June 13, 2017.

Four Stars

Nina is a young, idealistic teacher working at a rough Boston public school. She is desperate to positively impact her students through great poetry and literature, but more often she struggles just to get through the school day. In the evenings, Nina marks essays at a local pub, where she meets Collin – a talented artist with no ambition who is content to work as a server. His pursuit of Nina leads to the beginning of a very sweet relationship.

Collin is a chalk artist, who appreciates the fleeting nature of his artwork – he works rapidly on giant chalkboards, and erases his work just as quickly, with no regrets. His dazzling talent amazes Nina, who thinks he should do more with his life than creating chalk art backdrops for his friend’s unsuccessful theatre company. Nina feels like she can fix her students, and she makes the mistake of treating Collin the same way, with the assumption that he desires success more than the satisfaction of his work.

At the start of their relationship, Nina hides her family from Collin – but eventually she decides to introduce her boyfriend to her father, who happens to be the wealthy and powerful CEO of the most successful virtual reality game company in the world. The company, Arkadia, is known for its cutting-edge graphics and innovative marketing techniques, especially with its newest game, UnderWorld. It doesn’t take much to convince Collin to begin working for Arkadia, although he puts up a bit of resistance.

At the gaming company, Collin works on virtual reality chalkboards which make him feel comfortable, and yet it is so different because his work is instantly saved to a database – he no longer has agency or ownership of his own work, and it can even be used against him in unexpected ways. Meanwhile, the novel also looks at teenager Aidan, as he obsesses over the upcoming release of UnderWorld – he is quickly willing to sacrifice the other aspects of his life to fully immerse himself in the game.

The novel explores different elements of art and genius, and the ways that our definitions of art have changed in the modern world. It is a strong analysis of contemporary issues, viewed through the lens of a realistic and thoughtful romantic relationship. The writing is astute, as the author makes clever parallels between, for instance, Nina’s teaching of Shakespeare vs. the fairy world of Arkadia’s games. The Chalk Artist takes two different plotlines that have been seen many times before – an obstacle-ridden young adult romance and a teenager obsessed with video games – and weaves them together in a way that enhances both stories, and combines them to reflect some fresh and new ideas. Goodman’s writing is strong and capable, making me want to read more by this talented author.

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

Perennials - Mandy Berman

Random House, June 6, 2017.

Three Stars

Perennials is an evocative, nostalgic summer read about the uncharted land between childhood and adulthood, filtered through the backdrop of a rural New York summer camp. The fleeting eight weeks of camp are narrated by both the campers and the counselors, who return year after year – as they discover secrets, temptation, and their own developing bodies and minds.

Thirteen-year-old girls Rachel and Fiona become best friends at Camp Marigold, despite their vast socio-economic differences. Rachel lives in New York City with her single mother, although she occasionally sees her father – whose wife and legitimate children don’t know she exists. She is a street-smart city kid who lacks Fiona’s wealth and family, although she has something more powerful – her burgeoning adolescent sexuality, and a newfound ability to control the boys and men around her. Fiona lives a more sheltered suburban life with her parents and siblings, and yet she is insecure, naïve and envious of Rachel’s popularity.

Six years later, Rachel and Fiona return to Camp Marigold as counselors. The girls see camp life through new eyes, as they are forced to confront the past and embrace the adults they have become. The novel explores the intricacies of female friendship, as well as the complications of adolescent longing – both for each other, and for their own future. The campers are eager to grow up fast, at the expense of lost innocence.

The novel builds slowly to its tragic climax, although it is not climactic enough in my opinion – there is constantly elevating tension, yet no real release. The intensity of the summer camp situation is perhaps difficult to relate to if the reader hasn’t experienced it, although there are some very vividly described moments that Berman expertly captures. However, there are also too many shifts to different characters, which distances the reader from the forward movement of the plot.

The story advances unevenly, and the ending is sudden, without the expected sense of closure. I felt that I was missing the necessary connection between reader and character, because even seeing the girls at their most intimate moments still kept them at a distance from me. However, I did feel that Berman did an excellent job of describing the intensity of relationships in situations like this, when certain people who seem so vital to us in the short term, just suddenly disappear from our lives. Despite that, I think this may have worked better as a collection of short stories or series of summer camp vignettes instead of being forced to fit into the novel format.

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

The Only Child - Andrew Pyper

Simon & Schuster, May 23, 2017.

Three Stars

In his newest novel, Canadian author Andrew Pyper reimagines the origins of gothic literature – from the perspective of the same monster that inspired the novels of Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and Robert Louis Stevenson. He brings the terror and darkness of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde into a contemporary setting that highlights the fear these characters have inspired for decades.

Dr. Lily Dominick is a forensic psychiatrist who deals with New York’s most dangerous mental patients. She arrives at work one day to find that she has an attractive, compelling new client who has been accused of a shocking violent crime – but even more shocking are the outrageous claims he makes about himself. The first is that he is over 200 years old and was the inspiration for the masters of gothic literature. His second claim is that he is Lily’s father.

The man, who tells Lily that she can call him Michael, appears to be the same age as Lily, so she at first dismisses both claims. However, he has surprising information about the death of Lily’s mother – in fact, he admits that he was present at her death when Lily was a child. Before she can process her feelings about Michael’s claims, she learns that he has made a violent escape from custody. He quickly tracks Lily down and draws her into his terrifying world, framing her for a horrible crime.

A pursuit around the globe follows, as Lily attempts to clear her name and learn more from Michael. While she is drawn to him, she also fears him, and her emotions are conflicting – she feels a paternal attachment, wondering if he truly is her father, but she also feels sexual attraction to this enigmatic man. Her desire and her fear are mixed together in a way that is often difficult to read about – at times it is just icky.

Lily’s journey causes her to question her own sanity, and in the process, she comes close to losing everything – her friends, her career and even her life. Her humanity is the backbone of the novel – she is strong, intelligent and independent, but also emotional and sexual. The Only Child is a tense thriller, but it is also metafictional in that it questions the entire origin story of the horror genre.  However, the story begins to follow too many different threads, instead of focusing on the monster that holds it all together. The clues Lily follows are often too convenient to be believed.

Michael is a fascinating gothic monster, especially in the excerpts from his journals, in which he interacts with the authors Shelley, Stevenson and Stoker. The horror elements are powerful, but they are eclipsed in the end by the clichéd thriller ending – which really comprises the final third of the novel, where things took an odd and unnecessary turn. In the end, while there were parts that I really enjoyed, the story was dragged down by too many different themes, plot twists and innuendos.

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