Hollow Kingdom

 

One review described this book as a cross between The Secret Life of Pets and The Walking Dead. I can't imagine a better way.

As someone with a lifelong distrust of birds, I was skeptical about reading a book narrated by a domesticated crow. I don't think I would have even gotten past the cover without a personalized recommendation from my favorite local, independent bookstore. But, when the good folks at Auntie's suggest a title, who am I to question it?

Our hero in the book is that crow, named S.T. It's short for Shit Turd, because what else would a white trash dude call the crow that becomes his pet? Anyway, S.T. tells the story in real-time of what's happening in Seattle during a zombie apocalypse. He watches his "owner" Big Jim acting strangely, and when he ventures out to pick up some medicine at the nearby drug store, he realizes all of the humans (or MoFos, as he calls them) are out of their minds. He knows its most dire when he flies home and sees the sweet old lady next door eating Triscuits. Triscuits, we soon learn, is the name of her dog.

S.T.'s exploration paint a fascinating picture of what might happen if the humans of Seattle are dead, insane, imprisoned, overrun. His journey to find the animals who know better takes us to Century Link field, to the Amtrak station and throughout Pike Place Market. In those common Seattle sights, we find packs of wild dogs and zoo animals that have been set free. And, we find that the ping of a cell phone makes the zombies lose control.

I loved the concept of this book. I LOVED S.T. I loved the way the narrator described how the animals might see the world (calling the zoo a "creature quilt", for example, because imagine what a zoo looks like from the air.) The story itself started to lose interest for me about 65% of the way through, though. We were traveling to find info and to rescue the other domesticated animals and I found myself impatient to reach the destination. When we finally did, I thought it was sweet and, somehow, hopeful. I just needed a little more meat to get me there (or maybe some more Cheetos - S.T's favorite.)

It's a book like none I've ever read and really did keep me mostly entertained. If you live in Seattle, especially, it's worth your time.

Furious Hours

 

From what I've encountered so far when I tell people my opinions about this book, I can warn you now: this is a hot take.

It just tried to do too much. 

It took too long to read.

It didn't hold me. At least not the way it was structured.

I'll back up and explain what it's about, because it's fantastic.

In the 1970's, famed author Harper Lee returned to her home state of Alabama, determined to write a true crime account of a series of murders that captivated the region. She hadn't put out a book since To Kill a Mockingbird and, by all accounts, was tortured by the very process of writing. She spent countless hours sitting in trial, researching, interviewing, writing... But the book was never released and no one knows how far she got if she tried.

The murder case itself is fascinating. It's multiple murders, in fact. An Alabama preacher was implicated in the deaths of five people close to him: his first wife, his brother, his neighbor (whose wife he later married), his nephew and his step-daughter. All of the deaths were suspicious, many were under similar circumstances and all of them had a life insurance link back to William Maxwell. The town was scared and one man was so fed up, he shot Maxwell at point blank range in the church after Maxwell's stepdaughter's funeral. Hundreds saw it happened, yet the man who did it was acquitted.

The first part of this book is an incredibly detailed account of Maxwell's life and crimes. Dare I say, too detailed. There are so many people to track, so many extraneous details and nary a mention of Ms. Lee. On its own, it would have been a hell of a book.

Then, we move into Lee's connection. Well, first, we go into her background. I had no idea she grew up next door to Truman Capote and that she was along with him when he was researching In Cold Blood. That part, and the background of the release of To Kill a Mockingbird, was fascinating, too. But, it was also dragged down by more extraneous details that did not advance the plot or characters.

Finally, we get to the final years of Lee's life and writing career. As is widely known, she became a recluse and never wrote again. Yes, Go Set a Watchman was released, but the back story on that thing is another book altogether. In fact, this book reveals that it was the book she wrote before Mockingbird and that it was shopped around, yet never released. This book gets into the demons Lee was fighting and everything her family and agents tried to do to help before her death in 2016. To me, it was the most compelling part of Furious Hours.

This book exists in three sections and would have been better off as three books. I admire the research and detail, but an author also needs to know what to leave out. I felt myself initially captivated, but almost quit multiple times before ultimately finishing it, unsatisfied.

Women Talking

 

The weight of this book is instant. What it means is a slow burn. I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and can't get it out of my mind. The plight of these women and they way in which they reacted to it reflect society's views on abuse and gender so deeply, its message is now imprinted in my heart.

The premise of Women Talking is horrific. Women of a Mennonite colony in Bolivia were repeatedly attacked and sexually assaulted in their sleep. The men of their colony knocked them out with a cow anesthestic, assaulted them, then made them believe it was demons coming to them in their sleep. 

This story takes up what might have happened next. It's set up as a man who once left the colony and returned is taking notes on meetings the women were having about what to do next. The men who inflicted this pain on them have been arrested (though, it's explained, it was for their protection, not the women's). The women have a small window on their own to decide what to do next. Do the run away and leave the only home they've ever known? These women don't speak a language spoken by anyone else outside of their religion. They have no money, no map, no idea about the outside world. Do they stay and risk further attack? If they do leave, what about the men and boys they leave behind?

That last question is the moral dilemma faced by so many women who are abused. No one is denying these women are victims. So, why should they struggle with the guilt of what happens to everyone else? Why is the burden theirs to carry?

The book describes life in a colony like this, of course, but it's such a lesson about our world as well. The more removed I am, the more I think of that weight and the centuries that got us to this place.

This book is a hard read. Not because of the prose, but because of the message. But, it's equal parts beautifully done and important.

Anxious People

 

Damn you, Backman.

You've done it again.

You made me think for a second this book wouldn't be as good as all the others. You gave so much humor at first, I thought this one might lack the sweet soul I've come to expect. Then, you started to hint. You started to hint that this book would shatter me like all the others. By the time I reached page 328, I was in full-on tears. Sobbing my eyeliner away when I was supposed to be heading into work. Then, you snuck that last little hug it at the end that we've come to expect, yet somehow never see coming.

You wrote another masterpiece.

If you're new to this blog (hi!), you haven't experiencing my deep and abiding love for this Swedish author. His books are among my favorites and he's cemented himself as my favorite author. I'll drop some links to my other faves at the end of this post, but for now, we're going to talk about this wonderful novel.

It's about a bank robbery. No, a hostage situation. A terrible one, but a hostage situation nonetheless. But, like all good books, it's not about that obvious plot at all. Here, Backman acknowledges that all along. He flat-out tells you that this book is not about bank robberies or hostages or even idiots (though he's written in a few of those.) When it comes down to it, it's about families and connection and love and strength and depression and suicide and the power of four simple words: it's not your fault. It's about forgiving the people we love - and forgiving ourselves. And, it's about what we lose when we close ourselves off to others. 

Our characters here are brought together unexpectedly when they're looking at an apartment to buy and a would-be bank robber walks in. The hostage scene in which they're thrust brings out the best and worst of all of them. I don't want to say more because the journey is the best part of all of this. How you go from laughing out loud (truly, I LOLd a bunch...) to quietly weeping to full-on sobbing is what makes this book - and, all of his books - so special.

That's the quote that put me over the edge. I promise if you read this book, this will be your reward. 

The only unfortunate thing about finishing this book is that it's over. It's perfect.

As promised, my other favorite Backman books: 

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

Beartown

Us Against You

A Monster Calls

 

I should have known that picking a book off a list of "Books That Will Make You Cry" might make me cry.

Two pages in, I worried I was in trouble.

When I reached the final chapters, I had to finish reading it in the bath. It was the next best thing to a warm hug, which is what I needed most.

Ugh, this book.

Connor O'Malley is being visited by a monster each night. It's actually a yew tree outside his window that transforms into  a monster. And, while it scares him at first, it begins to tell him stories. Just when Connor is sure it's a dream, he wakes up with sticks and leaves in his locked room.

In his waking life, Connor is dealing with a more obvious monster: the cancer that is killing his mother. His dad has moved away to America, his grandmother is too blinded by her own grief to see Connor's. Even the kids and teachers at school steer clear, refusing even to discipline him because of all he's going through at home.

He aches to be seen. Yet, the only one who appears to notice him is the monster. The monster promises to help him understand a lesson, realize a truth. No matter how much Connor is trying to run away, the monster keeps calling.

I love the rhythm with which this book is written. I want to scoop Connor in my arms and protect him forever. I ache for his mother who can do so little to protect her son from the wave of grief.

It's a quick read, but by no means an easy one. I'll never forget it. 

Dear Edward

 

Oh, Edward. I think I'll think about you forever.

I'll think about this book, too, which is one of my favorites I've read this year.

Edward is 12 years old when he's the lone survivor of a commercial plane crash that kills his entire family and 180-some other people on board. He's Eddie when the plane takes off from New York to California, actually. He becomes Edward when he wakes up in the wreckage in a field in California.

This book follows two timelines.One is the flight that we already know is going to crash. As those chapters march on, we watch through fingertips as we learn about the passengers on board. The other timeline is Edward's life as he tries to move on. He's living with his aunt and uncle and quickly befriends the girl who lives next door. You root for Edward earnestly; he's a worldwide phenomenon, a 'miracle' - who is just trying to be a kid at the same time.

This is kind of a spoiler, but it's what makes the book so special to me. So, if you're already sold, go read it and skip this next part. 

A couple of years into his post-crash life, Edward finds locked bags in his uncle's garage that are filled with letters addressed to him. They're from the family members of the people killed in the crash. They're imploring him to go live a big life, to fulfill the crash victims' dreams. Imagine the weight. For most, it would be crushing. For Edward, it brings purpose. A chance to release the survivor's guilt that darkens his days.

I love this book. I love the characters, I love the way those characters are built. I love Edward. I think you will, too.

Sea Wife

 

"Did my mistake begin with the boat or the marriage itself?"

And that's the quote that sums it up, this book about adventure and secrets and marriage. 

A run of the mill marriage takes a turn when the family decides to spend a year at sea. Well, he decides. The wife sort of just goes along. Who could blame her for the trepidation? They have two young children, past trauma, a somewhat rudimentary a of what they're getting themselves into and a whole lot of marital baggage to carry onboard. 

Still, off they go. And, as a reader, you learn pretty quickly not all of them are coming home. 

Half of this book is told through the wife's perspective, the other half through the Captain's Log kept by her husband. Like so many marriages/relationships/encounters, it's two angles of the same story that may differ, but somehow come together to form the truth.

There is grief here. Regret. Maybe a little hope. All in all, comes to a satisfying end.