Recently Read - March 2020

It hasn’t been that long since I published my last recently read post, but I wanted to keep up to date. I’ve been a bit slow on reading this month since I was away a couple times, so there aren’t as many books as I would have liked. Anyway, here’s what I’ve been reading!

A Man Called Smith – Tanya E Williams – 4 stars

               This book elegantly details the way grief and trauma can be generational. John Smith faced a war overseas where his life was at risk and now faces a war just as trauma-inducing at home. One of the most skillful elements of this book is the duo-perspective. On one hand, we feel for the man who is desperately trying to keep his family life content while aching for his dead wife. On the other hand, we see how his attempts are not suited to his family at all and his daughter is slowly losing her way in the family.

               John’s story is one of grief and heartache. He is trying to cling on to any hope that his family can be a normal one again. He tried so hard to be there for everyone in the way he sees fit. That way is often understated and tainted with grief. He has left the warzone, but he still must fight to keep close everything he knows and loves. Williams brilliantly draws comparisons of the bullet-ridden war and the one he struggles to comprehend at home. It is an interesting look at how his own experiences of life and death have made him a shell of a man.

               His daughter, Calla shares the story of the effects of this war-ridden home. She is put down, abused, and made to be a slave in her own home. Through her perspective, we start to feel for John’s attempts at making her feel better about their situations. We also feel heartbroken in the same ways John does. This is a girl who had to grow up way too fast. Her life bears comparison to her father’s in that way; they were both too young to have their experiences of the world.

               This book is heart-wrenching. It is far from a happy family and beyond a dramatic family. This is the story of an entirely unhappy family trying their best to get through it. Williams writes each of these characters with distinct voices and we feel for each one. The style is brilliant, the story is heart-wrenching, and I would highly suggest this.

               *I was given this book for free from Reedsy in exchange for a review.

The Astonishing Color of After – Emily X. R. Pan – 4.5 stars

               I was absolutely astonished (no pun intended) to learn that this was Pan’s first ever novel. The ways in which she blurs the lines between fantasy, memory, and story and skillful are poignant. This is a YA novel, but the themes of love, family, grief, art, and memory are ones that appeal to all readers.

               This novel covers the life of a teenager desperate to connect with her mother after her tragic suicide. Her and her father, attempting to deal with their separate grief, go to Taiwan where her mother’s family are still living. Leigh starts to learn the truth about her family’s past, her mother’s mental illness, and how to use her art to help her heal.

               The book is structured in distinct categories – “Now” where she is in Taiwan, attempting to find her mother again; the past, where she starts to remember the moments leading up to her mother’s death; memory, where her mother’s past starts to unfold for Leigh; and colour, where the most beautiful descriptions of the world through colour and art are written. Each section has a distinct voice and style, and it is a breathtaking book.

               I can certainly see why Pan has won so many well-deserved awards. While I cannot put this on my favourites list directly, it gets an esteemed 4.5/5 stars for its wonderful style.

Hide Away – Jason Pinter – 3 Stars

               For me, this book was unsatisfying. I was expecting a badass, cool female-centric thriller. Instead, I found a woman so desperate to protect people that she annoyed an entire police force. It lost me a bit when it came to the multiple perspectives and time jumps. I would have liked to stay with Marin’s side of the story because she was the most fascinating person with heartbreaking motives that go beyond simply being a nuisance to detectives.

The skill in this novel is found in the slow unravelling of the backstory of all the characters. As soon as I found myself losing interest, Pinter gave me another breadcrumb to add to the background. The twists are genuinely surprising and for me, this is what saves the story.

*I was given this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Transcription – Kate Atkinson – 2 Stars

               I may have missed some of the nuance of this book. I did NOT like it very much. I found it boring and the ending was somehow both insulting to the reader and obvious at the same time. I could not keep the time swaps straight. I found the multiple asides distracting.

               However, I see the merit in the slow plot. Transcribing conversations between Nazi sympathisers probably was very boring. I like the repetition of the question “May I tempt you?” that made you question whether or not everyone was a spy. We also start to see Juliet’s personality change as she takes on different personas as part of her work.  Overall, I didn’t like this book.

Needless to say, I haven’t had a good month for reading. I started off strong and ended on a weak spot. I’m currently really enjoying the book I’m reading, so hopefully next post will be a more positive post.

What have you been reading lately?

-        Daniella