March Reads
The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave
This novel flies out of the gate pretty quickly with the conflict introducing itself right at the start.
Hannah Hall, a furniture maker, recently married, is hand-delivered a message. It’s a cryptic note from her husband, Owen, which reads “Protect her.” The “her” in question is Hannah’s sixteen year old stepdaughter, Bailey.
Alarm bells ringing, Hannah repeatedly calls Owen for an explanation. But her calls and messages go unanswered. Her husband has suddenly disappeared.
Adding to her fears, is breaking news that Owen’s boss has just been arrested for a fraudulent scheme costing investors millions of dollars.
Spinning in a web of confusion, and hounded by the FBI and a mysterious US Marshal, Hannah sets out on a journey to find out the truth behind her husband’s disappearance.
But as she digs deeper into Owen’s past, Hannah realizes with increasing urgency the importance of Owen’s last message to her. She must protect Bailey. Unfortunately for Hannah, angst-ridden teenagers can be difficult to protect.
And unfortunately for me, this story sorta fell flat.
The pace at the beginning was great. I was engaged right from the start. But at the midway point, the story started to drag. Hannah and Bailey spend most of the novel running around on a bizarre and rather boring goose chase.
Bailey’s often rude behavior towards Hannah was grating at times as well. It felt like the writer was leaning a little too heavily into the narrative of blended family discord.
And when all the big secrets are finally revealed (namely, the reason why Owen deserted his family) it lands with a gigantic thud.
Although I did get a kick out of one scene in which the Signal app is used to send (and eventually delete) a message to one of the main characters.
Prescient?
Maybe if the story had been presented from multiple perspectives (as opposed to relying solely on Hannah’s pov) it would’ve added to the texture and richness that this novel sorely lacked.
The Last Thing He Told Me is part family drama, part mystery. It’s also a story of identity and sacrifice.
The bones of a really good novel are there…but the end result is just disappointing.
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
I’m embarrassed to admit that although I am an avid reader, Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Elizabeth Strout only recently entered my radar.
But I’m glad she did. I’ve been barreling through her novels ever since.
Her writing is intimate and introspective. In her character studies, Strout gently removes all facade revealing the anatomy of human nature.
Last year, I did a blog post on Strout’s most famous work, Olive Kitteridge. These were my thoughts on the title character…
“Olive is a prickly woman. And when I say prickly… she is so g**damn prickly, it’s infuriating at times. Therapists would have a field-day with this woman…
But what’s interesting about this character-driven novel with various story-lines, is that Olive, in all of her mercurial splendor, acts as the point of intersection. She holds this patchwork of intimate stories together. Whether she’s actively involved or merely an ingrained memory, her imprint on this small New England community is undeniable.”
I love Olive Kitteridge. Long-time resident of Crosby, Maine. Former school teacher. Widowed. Estranged from her son. Described as a “big woman,” Olive is not one to hold her tongue.
So I was super happy to revisit this memorable character in Olive, Again.
This follow up novel takes place not long after its predecessor ends. Olive is still as prickly as ever. But with age comes a softening of the heart, making room for love, companionship, and the healing of old wounds. Now, if you know Olive, you know none of this will come easily…but it’ll definitely be entertaining.
Similar to the first novel, Olive’s story provides the narrative backbone. And interspersed throughout are glimpses into the lives of other Crosby residents. All of them exist within Olive’s orbit in some form or fashion. Their stories are a reminder that even in the closest of communities (even within families) we never truly know what someone else is going through. Their struggles. Their fears. Their desire to understand and be understood.
I loved this one.
Into The Water, Paula Hawkins
Oooooo boy. This was a good one.
The story begins with the discovery of a body.
Nel Abbott, a single mother and a successful journalist, is found dead in a river that runs through a small English village. Her exact location is right at the foot of a cliff, leading to speculation that her death may have been a suicide. Months prior, a teenage girl met a similar fate.
But as the plot develops, the reader learns that this river has a history of getting rid of “troublesome women.” And Nel being a woman determined to unearth the village’s long held secrets, was definitely looking for trouble.
The story is told from various perspectives-the victim, her family, witnesses, suspects, and the investigators tasked with finding out the truth.
Into The Water delves into how memories can be distorted by influence and misconceptions.
Memories are so very delicate.
And like a winding river this novel has so many twists and turns, you’ll find yourself carried away by its current.
A definite page-turner.
~G
Insightful reviews all