Month: September 2016

Antoinette Conway had always dreamed of being on the murder squad, but she’s burnt out after two years of unchallenging domestic cases and merciless harassment from her own squad mates. One morning, the gaffer hands her and her partner Stephen Moran the case of twenty-six-year-old murder victim Aislinn Murray. There’s outside pressure to charge the victim’s boyfriend and wrap up the case quickly, but not all the pieces are fitting together. It has all the attributes of a lover’s spat gone wrong, but there is very little physical evidence, the victim’s best friend alludes to the possibility secret relationship, and Conway recognizes the victim from somewhere. Could this be the big case Conway and Moran have been waiting for?

What-if-maybe crap is for weak people. It belongs to the ones who don’t have the strength to make actual situations go their way, so they have to hide away in daydreams where they can play at controlling what comes next. And that makes them even weaker. Every what-if is a gift to anyone who’s looking for a hold on you, and that means us. If a guy’s whole head is in reality, then reality is the only route we can take to get to him. If he’s letting his mind prance off down dozens of twisty hypothetical fairy tales, every one of those is a crack we can use to prize him open.

The Trespasser, the sixth in the Dublin Murder Squad series, is my first Tana French novel. It’s probably not ideal to read them out of order and I know that detectives Conway and Moran also appear in The Secret Place. However, it worked as a standalone. I didn’t ever feel lost or like I’d missed out on anything. Now I need to go back and read these in order for an even richer experience! This book felt more on the literary side than many of the mysteries I’ve read lately. There are no wasted characters and everyone has a complete personality. Even the less important characters have little quirks that make them easy to remember; one floater has an annoying (and slightly hilarious) habit of recording every single detail during an interview. I did have to take more breaks than usual while reading. It’s so dense with detail and it felt like I was following the case in real-time. When Conway and Moran weren’t making progress, neither was I! It’s the kind of mystery that you settle into and enjoy the ride, rather than a page turner. The pace did pick up around the 2/3s of the way through.

The truth is, if you don’t exist without someone else, you don’t exist at all.

It was a bit of a relief to read a book with one perspective and a linear timeline! This story is told from the perspective of Detective Antoinette Conway. She’s sarcastic and jaded. She’s always on the defensive because she’s so used to putting up with abuse from her squad. She’s convinced they’re trying to drive her off the squad and she remains hyper-vigilant, always ready for the next attack. Conway’s paranoia, plus the history with her dad, add an interesting layer to this mystery. Conway has a hardened shell, but every once and a while she lets us see a glimpse of the wide-eyed detective she once was. There’s a part where she reveals her daydreams about her and her partner’s future: “Once or twice— more— I caught myself daydreaming like a sappy teenager about our future together: about someday when we would get the decent cases, the genius plans we’d dream up to trap the cunning psychos, the interrogations that would go down in squad history. Big tough Conway going all misty-eyed; how the lads would have laughed.” It’s such a simple dream and in the context of all her tough talk, it made me develop a real soft spot for her. She still has a spark of love for her job and I really wanted her to get her big break and some relief from the bullying!
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You can knock down a genuine belief, if you load up with enough facts that contradict it; but a belief that’s built on nothing except who the person wants to be, nothing can crumble that.

Conway’s partner Stephen Moran is a likable people-pleaser who is still able to dream big. Unsurprisingly, his interrogation technique is “Nice Boy Next Door.” While Conway is resigned to the Aislinn Murray case being like one of their usual domestic cases, Moran convinces her that there may be more to the case. The partnership between Conway and Moran works because they have completely opposite personalities and they balance each other out so well. Their non-verbal communication makes it seem like they have their own secret language. My favorite parts were the suspect interviews, because I loved the back and forth between the detectives as they tried to manipulate the suspects into submission. As much as I loved the partnership between Conway and Moran, the interviews Conway did with Detective Breslin were my favorites. I loved the dynamic between their “Cool Girl” and “Chief Jock” techniques.

The thing about daydreams is that they don’t last. One brush up against reality, and that’s the end of them.

This book is about the consequences of manipulating other people’s lives by creating scripts for them to live through and getting caught up in stories we create for ourselves. Even Conway, who despises people who live in a fantasy world, has conjured up stories of her own and tries to uphold a certain image. The Trespasser is an interesting story from beginning to end with fascinating characters. It’s detailed in a way that made me feel like part of the squad and like I was invested in the outcome. I regret putting off this series for so long, but I’m so happy I have five more of these to read!

Eleven-year-old Anna O’ Donnell insists that she’s been living off the manna of heaven for the last four months and no longer needs food to survive. Her parents and community seem to blindly accept the claim. People travel from great distances for a chance to interact with this living miracle. To appease any skeptics, a committee hires two watchers to observe Anna over a two-week period. One of the watchers is Lib Wright, a nurse who worked under Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War. She considers resigning as soon as she finds out the details of the job, but decides to keep her commitment with the assumption that she’ll be able expose the hoax in couple of days.

A fast didn’t go fast; it was the slowest thing there was. Fast meant a door shut fast, firmly. A fastness, a fortress. To fast was to hold fast to emptiness, to say no and no and no again.

Lib arrives on the scene ready to expose the girl’s deception. She searches every nook and cranny for the tiniest of crumbs and keeps meticulous records of all the girl’s vital signs. She is concerned about the integrity of the investigation, because she doesn’t fully trust the the second watcher, a nun, to be as scrupulous with her observations. As Lib spends time with the girl, her attitude softens and her concerns become more complicated. Emma Donoghue writes her characters so empathetically that they make my heart ache. I felt every bit of Lib’s psychological journey as if it were my own. I desperately clung to the hope that one of the adults in Anna’s life would take control of the situation. It was frustrating to watch the obviously capable nurse being disregarded and being forced to make “her voice as soft and womanly as she could” in hopes that the “important men” would listen to her concerns. Even though I could relate to Lib’s incredulity, I liked when her preconceived notions were called into question. The skeptical journalist William Byrne makes her confront her homeland’s part in intensifying the culture she has been so prejudiced against. She admonishes one character for telling Anna a “lurid” religious tale, but she discovers that she had greatly misinterpreted the situation: “I don’t think you understand our stories, ma’am.” 

“Do you know what indelible means?” [Lib]
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The mystery of the girl is intriguing, but there’s also an interesting historical context. In the Authors Note, Donoghue tells how she was inspired by the phenomenon of Fasting Girls between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries. The characters that Lib encounters were affected by the Irish famine, which ended seven years before Anna’s fasting began. Lib’s background leads to interesting reflections on the many lessons she learned from Florence Nightingale. The setting of Athlone, Ireland made me feel confined. Most of the scenes are set in Anna’s bedroom or in the spirit grocery that Lib is staying in, with occasional jaunts into the bog lands. It feels even more isolating because of Lib’s culture shock. Lib is an unwelcome outsider trying to navigate this unfamiliar world where everyone seems to be talking in code, a strange mix of Catholicism and superstition. Language is a very important element of the story. There are many miscommunications and misinterpretations. Each chapter begins with a single word and it’s multiple definitions, calling attention to the numerous ways that words and phrases can be interpreted. This also comes across in the riddles that Lib uses to entertain Anna.

Like small gods, children formed their miniature worlds out of clay, or even just words. To them, the truth was never simple.

Lib spends her two weeks in Athlone grappling with the incredible situation she has been thrust into and attempting to logically find a solution to this real-life riddle. This slow-building mystery had me riveted! All the questions I needed answered kept me captivated to the very end. Why did Anna suddenly decide to stop eating? What are the potential motives for the adults in her life to play along with a charade that would endanger a child? How has she survived four months if she has only consumed spoonfuls of water? How have they been sneaking her food and who is responsible? Is it possible that she really is a miracle? Will Anna survive the fast? Will Lib convince anyone to listen to her concerns? How will she overcome her ethical dilemmas? Great characters, well-drawn setting, and interesting moral and ethical issues.

3.5 Stars. Solidly entertaining crime novel that doesn’t make the detective work easy for you.

Handsome and charismatic doctor Hamish Wolfe was convicted of murdering three overweight women. He’s also suspected in a fourth case involving a missing woman whose body hasn’t been found. His only hope for exoneration is Maggie Rose, a true crime writer and defense attorney with a history of overturning convictions. She’s hesitant to take on his case, but she can’t resist his charms.

No one should be convicted on the strength of a flawed case. The best, strongest, soundest system of justice in the world is the one that allows itself to be scrutinized and challenged. I scrutinize. I challenge. (Maggie)

I read Daisy in Chains within twenty-four hours, so it’s certainly compelling! The pacing was perfect and Bolton kept me alert. Every time I thought I’d figured a character out, something would happen to make me doubt myself. This book is perfect for people who hate when they successfully guess the ending! The framework of clues and the timing of their reveals was masterful. There were an abundance of lightbulbs moments where I later realized “Oh! That’s why this scene was so strange!” or “Oh, that’s why there was such an emphasis was on ______!” It’s set around the Somerset coast and the parts about the area’s cave system are really interesting. Letters and articles are interspersed between the chapters. Maggie is considering writing a book about Hamish’s case and my favorite inclusion was the chapters from the rough draft.

If you have ever wondered what hell is like, let me tell you. It is knowing that one final blow will destroy you, and that you will spend the rest of your existence waiting for that blow to strike. (Hamish)

The chapters alternate between the perspectives of Maggie, Detective Sergeant Pete Weston, and Hamish. Maggie is an interesting lady! She has a no-nonsense attitude, a blunt manner of speaking, and blue hair. This book is a standalone, but I liked her enough that I was hoping that she was part of a series! Detective Sergeant Pete is likable and seems like a good guy. His relationship with Maggie is an uneasy one, especially since she is investigating a case that he wants to remain in the past. They don’t fully trust each other, but there’s a mutual respect between them. Hamish is a difficult one to figure out. Sometimes he acts like a caring doctor who was wrongly accused, but other times he comes across as cold-blooded and manipulative.

I really enjoyed when Maggie would visit Hamish in prison. There’s a strange electricity when they are together and I couldn’t figure out who was manipulating who. Sometimes it seemed like Maggie was getting caught up in Hamish’s web of deceit, but it also seemed like she was playing her own game! Maggie also has interesting interactions with a group named the Wolfe Pack, a colorful group of characters who are committed to proving Hamish’s innocence.
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!——-Non-spoilery assessment of my feelings at the end, but skip the next part if you want to know absolutely nothing.——–!

[spoiler]It did lose me some at the end. I prefer stories that are either 100% ridiculous or dish out the ridiculousness gradually. This one was so serious the entire time and then piles on all the crazy in the final chapters. There are several gasp-worthy moments right on top of each other and I think the final reveal was a little overboard for me. While I love how Bolton laid out her clues, I still finished feeling like I was lied to. I’m not sure if that’s a fair assessment or not, but I didn’t change my mind after rereading a chapter that led me astray. The story has so many layers that I’m not sure I finished with a complete understanding of every aspect, such as character histories and how everything fell into place perfectly. I’m really curious to see how it holds up with a full reread. This would be a great book to read with a buddy, so you have someone to discuss it with![/spoiler]

!——–It’s safe now!——–!

‘I don’t need to believe in your innocence,’ [Maggie] says. ‘Just to convince others of it.’

Serious issues are addressed during the story, like fat-shaming and women who fall in love with prisoners. I didn’t draw any strong conclusions on those subjects in relation to the story, but the topics are very interesting. Daisy in Chains is an overall enjoyable read and a great book to curl up with on a rainy day. I’m happy to have another author to add to my list for when I’m in the mood for crime fiction.

April 19th is April Donovan’s eighteenth birthday. It’s also Senior Skip Day, but she and her two best friends decide to attend school anyway. April has a Hyper Superior Autobiographical Memory (hyperthymesia) and can’t stop herself from thinking about every tragedy that has happened during her birth month. On the same day, a young man–known online as the Mastermind–is planning a coordinated attack on the nation’s schools.

“People might say to you kids that your generation is spoiled. Entitled. Too wrapped up in yourselves. … But this thing,” Mr. Goodrich says. “I mean, what is this? Nobody can tell me that you kids aren’t fighting a war all your own. Jesus Christ, nobody can tell me that.”

I was a junior in high school when the Columbine shooting happened and the active shooting drills entered the routine soon after. Even though they were just drills, those days were always so unsettling! The idea of being hunted is terrifying. Several mass murders are vaguely referenced within the chapters (no murderers are named) and it shocked me how fresh each one is in my memory.

The entire story happens in a 2.5 hour period (9:43am to 12:03pm), except for the final two chapters. Despite taking place in the time surrounding an active shooter situation, there is very little violence. It’s more about the inner lives of these teenagers and their moment of decision (“the light fantastic”) than bloodshed. What makes someone willing to take their own life and the lives of others? What could steer that person towards a better path?

We all want attention. Every single one of us. We’re all starved for it, and anyone who says they’re not is a liar. The root of all evil? I don’t think it’s money, like the saying goes. I think maybe the actual root of all evil is the constant need for attention on the part of every single human being on the planet, myself included. We are all just bottomless pits of need.

The Glass Menagerie (helpful analysis at link) and several Greek myths (Icarus/wings, Theseus, Fates/ thread) are frequently alluded to. The writing style reminded me of Tennessee Williams and it took me forever to figure that out, even though it was staring me right in the face! There is in anxious energy and a passion in these character’s voices. The youthful use of language did make me feel old! Several of the characters mash their words together and one of them occasionally communicates in hashtags for emphasis. It annoyed me at first, but it underscores the youth and innocence of the characters. Everything is so new, so much is happening, and they feel it all so deeply; they can barely stop to take a breath between their words.

Be the most awesome you can awesomely be. Don’t settle for anything less. It’s a huge lot of pressure, the constant expectation of awesomeness. What if you don’t feel awesome? What if awesome is the opposite of the way you feel? How about this, assholes: be kind.

There are a lot of perspectives and it can be difficult to keep track of them all. The chapter headings are poetic, but not always helpful. The headings have timestamps, but it would’ve liked it if a location was also included. Since there were also many different places and minor characters, I kept having to go back and see how the perspective I was reading related to everyone else. I wasn’t able to keep everyone straight until I was halfway through the book. I hope the character list below will help readers who are having the same problem. The character names that aren’t italicized are mentioned a few times, but they don’t have their own chapters.

Delaware
April- The central character. Has hyperthymesia.
Gavin – One of April’s best friends.
Gina – Best friends with April and Gavin.
Pal  – Classmate that April has grown up with.
Nate – Classmate, has had a crush on Gina for years
Mr. Goodrich – Physics teacher.

Nebraska
Lincoln – Friends with April in elementary school, but lost touch when he moved.
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Adrian  – Made a threat to Ms. Helslip.
Laura – Lincoln’s classmate and crush.

The Assassins and the Plan
Mastermind in California
Idaho (Phoebe)
Delaware (Revealed at end)
Nebraska
Texas

Shame. It weighs more than sorrow, and much more than regret. Delaware can’t even say what it looks like, because that’s the thing with shame: After a while you might dare to open your eyes, thinking maybe you’ve managed to forget about it this time, just for a second — but no. There it is. Always there. It might once have been attached to whatever it was you said (or didn’t say), whatever it was you did (or failed to do), but it is now its own dark creature, separate from and larger than the thing that gave it life. It keens its high, silver scream in your ears, the sound of echoing mirrors. It feeds and hungers and preens, and it will not go away.

April’s condition causes her to recall almost everything she has experienced throughout her entire life in excruciating detail. The Assassins are also haunted by memories. They each have single incidents that replay in their heads, forcing them to relive their shame constantly. As the Assassins turned inwards, they become untethered from their families and communities. Even though many of the Assassins of are self-isolated and too ashamed to go to their loved ones for help, they still crave human connection and deep down hope someone will reach out to them. The main messages are to look out for your fellow human beings and be kind. “You never know what’s going on inside somebody’s head, somebody’s heart.” At one point a character wonders if those that experience cruelty anticipate its return. That gives some insight into how the Assassins may have became so trapped inside themselves. 

What matters is the love, and love is always good. It’s a start, a tether. It’s enough.

This author excelled at authentic character profiles. I cared about their fates. I was surprised that I was able to relate to some of the inner turmoil of some of the characters in The Assassins group. I remember keeping things to myself in high school because I was too ashamed to tell anyone, especially those closest to me. I could understand why these characters embraced an online community that allowed them to shed their identity and baggage, as well as giving the illusion of power over their situation. One thing that really got me was how different my picture of the Mastermind was compared to his physical description at the end. It’s easy to forget how young these kids are.

We think we want and need so many things in this life, but this, I realize, is the key: just, every once in a while, to feel new again.

The downside is I didn’t feel like I read a complete story. It was more like a series of scattered moments with little connective tissue. Some parts didn’t capture my imagination in the way I think they were supposed to (the bleachers) and I didn’t always feel the tension you would expect with a story of this nature. The pivotal events that drove Phoebe and Delaware to consider mass murder didn’t ring completely true to me. However, I think this book is important for understanding the minds of the kids that are teetering on the edge. The teens in this book aren’t sociopaths. They are consumed by self-hate and unable to see a way out. I loved the writing too; it was the kind I could feel in my gut.  Recommended for teenagers and those who work with them.

My favorite passage:

God, the world is so huge. This is all anybody needs to keep on going, I think: a daily reminder of just how huge the world is, and how small we are—how small our problems are—in comparison. Don’t laugh at me, either. Don’t laugh. This is not me talking some sort of manufactured inspirational nonsense. This is me trying hard to tell the truth about something, and the truth is that I couldn’t not be in love with the world if I tried. And I’ve tried, too — I’ve tried to feel sorry for myself, I’ve tried to affect a brood. I can’t do it, though. It’s like I’m physically incapable. Sooner or later I always get bowled over by what appears to be my genuine affection for the world. It’s like I can’t help it, and it doesn’t even take much. Like a song’ll come on the radio, some song I haven’t heard in a while or whatever, and, bam, there I am, taken by surprise, right back in love with my life. Music does this to me all the time. Music, and that part of the day just before the sun disappears, and cherry Twizzlers, and most of all freedom. Any kind of freedom at all.

If you love the TV series Black Mirror, this book is for you! This collection of thirteen short stories features a variety of imagined futures where technology has become so embedded in day-to-day life that it’s impossible to live without it. Many of the characters have grown so dependent on virtual reality that they’ve forgotten how to connect with people in the real world. Some of them seem to want more offline connections, but are clueless about how to obtain them. One of the reasons books like this are so unsettling is because it’s easy to see how these tech-obsessed societies developed and gradually became the norm. In Migration, a man still holds on to the more traditional values of his youth, but his younger wife is unbothered by the cultural changes since these new technologies were always part of her life.

It all made me want to turn off my layers, go back to the old days, and stay disconnected. But you do that and you become another old guy buried in an e-reader, complaining about how no one sends emails anymore.

My favorites:

• Saying Goodbye to Yang: In a world where people prefer cloning to conceiving naturally, the couple in this story decided to adopt a little girl from China. They also purchased a life-like robot named Yang to serve as her brother and ensure that she would remain connected to her culture. One morning, Yang has a catastrophic malfunction and fixing him isn’t an option. The father realizes how much Yang has become part of the family and how little he knows about the world, including their neighbors.

• The Cartographers – A company creates complex memories that are beamed into customer’s minds. They’re so well-done that it’s difficult to distinguish the difference between real memories and fake ones. One of the owner’s addiction to creating false memories makes it difficult for him to make real memories with his girlfriend.

• Heartland – Companies exploited all of this community’s land and resources, leaving the citizens with a wasteland. They’re forced to make difficult decisions to survive. With very few jobs available, a family uses their children to make ends meet. How far are they willing to go?

• Children of the New World – A couple who was unable to have a child in real life is devastated when a virus destroys their virtual family.

• Rocket Night – Every year, a local elementary school sends the least-liked child to space. The casual detachment of the narrator made this one extra eerie!

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Some days I think it was; that there’s no way to share the totality of yourself and still be loved, that secrets are the glue that holds relationships together.

• Openness – This one takes place in a world where you can easily share your most inner self with others. You can control which parts of yourself people can access by locking specific layers. Can a couple survive revealing all of their layers?

We were the first generation to grow up with layers, a group of kids who’d produced thousands of tutorials on blocking unwanted users but not a single one on empathy.

• Ice Age – Tensions escalate between an igloo community and their wealthy neighbor who’s wasting dwindling resources. The close-knit community focused on survival is permanently altered when material possession becomes an option.

My favorites tended to be the ones about couples and families surviving in a technologically advanced world. The tales are bleak and depressing, but also interesting and unique. I love speculative fiction and weird short stories, so this book was a perfect fit for me. As with all short story collections, I liked some stories more than others. There were only two that didn’t appeal to me at the time (The Pyramid and the Ass and the very short A Brief History of the Failed Revolution). I calculated four stars by averaging my scores for each individual short story, so I rated most of them very highly. You can sample some of Alexander Weinstein’s short stories at his website. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future!

If you enjoy this collection of short stories, you might also want to check out Slipping by Lauren Beukes (available 11/29/16) and Some Possible Solutions by Helen Phillips.

Young adult novel that addresses misogyny. It’s thought-provoking, but I was unable to connect to the story or the characters. Content warning: Drinking, drugs, sex, cursing, sexual assault, and animal cruelty.

We use objects to navigate spaces, making a map in our heads as neurons fire, pathways so well worn we don’t even know we reference them as we move from one location to the next, the same pattern. Every day. There are things in place to help us, signs in certain colors and shapes. Arrows pointing. Symbols indicating. Making your own framework is more entertaining more personal. Less contracting. (Alex)

Three years ago, Alex Craft’s sister was murdered. The justice system set the killer free, but Alex made sure he paid for his crimes. Alex’s darker impulses have led to her being a loner for her entire life, until she befriends two classmates during senior year. She becomes more social and starts to see there’s more to life than sitting at home, but one night her violent side is exposed and she sets a series of events in motion that will change her small town forever.

“Everyone thinks if you fix a male dog it will lower his aggression, but most of the biters are female. It’s basic instinct to protect their own womb. You see it in all animals–the female of the species is more deadly than the male.”
“Except humans,” the other girl volunteering says.

Alex is a fierce protector for those who are mistreated. I loved how Alex was quick to defend Branley when her peers start teasing her about her clothing or her sexual history. Alex is socially awkward because she has spent very little time with other people. She has spent most of her life at home with her books, which causes her to occasionally talk like a psychology textbook. I love how she’s so matter-of-fact! Despite the seriousness of the book, there are several conversations where she’s unintentionally hilarious. Jack is a star athlete who loves girls and wants to escape his small town as quick as possible. He is enamored with Alex. I didn’t like his chapters very much and I mostly wanted to punch him every time he talked about Branley, his friend with benefits. Jack can be annoying, but it seems that he might be going through the motions of life and playing a role he thinks he is expected to fill. While I wasn’t thrilled by Jack as a character, it was refreshing how his relationship with Alex developed gradually. However, my favorite relationship was the friendship between Peekay and Alex. Peekay is tired of being pigeonholed as the “preacher’s kid” and she can’t seem to escape that label no matter what she does. Alex and Peekay meet while working at an animal shelter. As their friendship develops, they both discover new aspects of themselves that they had never considered before. I loved how they supported each other and their last conversation in the book is especially sweet.

Sometimes after I’ve had a few beers I think about their parents–our grandparents–and then back further, to people who loved this place for a different reason. People who pulled rocks out of the ground to make the walls, cutting timber for a roof that has now rotted mostly away. The supports still in place are stained black from ashes of the generations that followed, our hands hard at work to tear it back down. (Jack)

I thought Branley was actually the most interesting character, even though we only see her through the other character’s perspectives. The motivations and personalities of the three main characters are clear from the beginning, but Branley is slowly revealed over the course of the story. She, like many of the other characters. is playing an expected role. She’s trying to get through life the best way she knows how and much of her public persona is based on what she thinks boys want from her. We witness brief glimpses of who she is when she doesn’t feel the pressure to perform that show that she’s more than the role she has been pigeonholed into by herself and others. There’s a scene where Branley is humiliated in front of all her classmates; she doesn’t say a word, but her reaction says it all. She is tough, yet vulnerable. She makes many costly mistakes, because of the harmful attitudes she has internalized.

‘Boys will be boys’, our favorite phrase that excuses so many things, while the only thing we have for the opposite gender is ‘women’, said with disdain and punctuated with an eye roll. (Alex)

What I liked the most about this book are the conversations that it will inspire. I wasn’t emotionally engaged during the book, but I feel a sense of outrage when applying its messages to the real world. There’s a great passage at the beginning of the fourth chapter, where Alex discusses the general population’s inconsistent reasoning processes regarding animals and humans. My immediate thought was about the uneven level of public outrage when it comes to animal abuse cases versus domestic violence cases. There’s quite a bit of violence against animals in this book and I wondered if that was partially included for the reader to gauge the differences in their reactions to different kinds of victims. It also addresses double standards and how boys tend to be let off the hook for aggressive behaviors that girls are admonished for. How much of what’s excused as biological compulsion is actually learned behavior that continues because it’s blindly accepted? There are also scenes that confront girl’s attitudes towards other girls. At one point, Branley “steals” Peekay’s boyfriend and Peekay puts total blame on Branley. Alex helps her analyze her knee-jerk reaction and Peekay is able to see that she’s being unfair and how much of her reaction is due to habit. How much of our behavior is how we truly feel and how much is how we’ve been conditioned to feel? They also have a great conversation about acting on violent thoughts. There’s a lot to analyze in this book and I’m not even scratching the surface. If you enjoy the story, it’s one that’s definitely worth a reread. 
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‘It’s a reflex, something that’s been ingrained in me. Do no harm. Be nice. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. But what if I don’t want to catch flies? What if I’d rather see them swatted? (Peekay)

I loved most of the messaging, but I just couldn’t break past the surface. The short chapters and the rotation of three narrators prevented me from settling into the story. Each character’s thoughts were repetitive. I never want to see the phrase “preacher’s kid” again! I wished the main villains wouldn’t have been so over-the-top, especially since the author did such a great job of illustrating casual, subtle misogyny throughout the rest of the book. I would’ve loved for the main villain was a seemingly normal classmate that they frequently interacted with, especially since the extreme cases were already covered. I saw the Dexter comparisons and expected the tone to be consistently darker. The YA novels that I tend to enjoy aren’t usually in a high school setting, so this may have just been a case of it being a little too YA for me.

Tonight they used the words they know, words that don’t bother people anymore. They said bitch. They told another girl they would put their dicks in her month. No one protested because this is our language now. But then I used my words, strung in phrases that cut deep, and people paid attention then; people gasped. People didn’t know what to think.
My language is shocking. (Alex)

I didn’t connect to the story or the characters, but it was thought-provoking. It definitely awakened my inner Olivia Benson! I haven’t been able to watch the news without thinking about it. The Female of the Species addresses double standards and societal attitudes towards victims and abusers. It prompts everyone to be more aware of harmful messages that we are exposed to every day and that we may be unintentionally spreading ourselves.  It encourages the reader to be being more thoughtful about how their own actions affect others and to stand up for those who need an advocate. It ends on the hopeful note that we are all capable of evolving as people and deviating from the standard path,

If the subject of this book interests you, you might be interested in reading All the Pretty Corpses, a short essay by Lauren Beukes.

Nothing is ours; nothing is sacred. The one thing we shared was pulled into pieces, memorialized and mythologized so that everyone could participate in it. When she was missing, Anna’s picture was tacked in so many places around town it’s what I see when I think of her, not her actual face. I see that picture next to a lost cat poster and a lawn-mowing service advertisment.
I learned later they did find that cat.(Alex)

3.5 Stars. A coming-of-age story about hope and continuing to live when all seems lost.

Tuesday, and those planes, they’ve broken something. Permanently. And in the process, they’ve changed everything. And everyone.

September 11, 2001: Two planes fly into the Twin Towers. Kyle Donohue’s NYC high school is evacuated after they witness the South Tower collapsing. While fleeing to his home on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge, he spots an ash-covered girl wearing costume wings. She looks as if she’s preparing to leap off the bridge, but Kyle convinces her to come home with him. She is confused and has no memory of who she is. When Kyle arrives at his apartment with the girl, only his uncle is at home. Uncle Matt moved in after he was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. Kyle has a lot to worry about: his mom and sister are scheduled the fly home from California that day, his father is a first responder who is probably at the scene of the attack, and his uncle’s caretaker is unable to get to work. The phone service is completely unreliable, further compounding his fears about his family’s welfare. Until the family can hopefully reunite, everything is on Kyle’s shoulders. He tries to help the girl regain her memories, but part of him doesn’t want her to figure it out. He knows he should take her to the precinct or a hospital, but she refuses and he doesn’t want to let her go. She is one piece of hope to cling to during a time of uncertainty.

How can a person get up and go to school on a Tuesday morning, their life all normal and fine, and then a few minutes later, someone they love is dead? How can people be here, then, boom, gone? Life should be more permanent than that.

The whole book takes place over four days: 9/11/01 to 9/14/01. The story alternates between Kyle’s and the girl’s perspectives. Kyle’s part of the story is told traditionally, while the girl’s voice is via poem. The perspective switches constantly within chapters, but it’s an easy transition because the style is so different. The poetry fits perfectly with the girl and her “garbled” thoughts. I do have difficulty with poetry and that was no different here, especially when the girl would allude to snippets of memory from her previous life. However, most of it was easy enough for me to parse! Most of the time is spent at the Donohue apartment, but Kyle occasionally walks around and experiences the unusualness of the situation: the dust, the smell, the lack of people on the streets, and the military presence. When Kyle ventures out, I felt the confusion, the uncertainty, and the sense of community. Those that were excluded from that sense of community because of heightened suspicions are briefly mentioned. The author also did a good job giving a global perspective. While such a large-scale act of war on United States soil may have been rare, terrible tragedies happen every day. The situation gives Kyle greater empathy for his best friend who escaped genocide in his home country.

Change comes in two ways. The first is the blindside way that comes without warning. … But other times, change comes gradually, in that sure, steady way you can sense coming a mile away. Or maybe a day away. Or, maybe, a few short hours. And since you know it’s coming, you’re supposed to prepare. Brace yourself against the stinging blow. But just because you plant your feet wider, doesn’t mean the blow won’t take you down.

The characters in this book were my favorite part! I was more interested in the way the characters reacted to their current circumstances than I was in the mystery of the girl’s identity. Kyle is such a sweet kid. He grows up so much during the tumultuous week and he really steps up to the plate. There are so many aspects of Kyle’s life that I was interested in watching unfold. Kyle and his dad have a difficult time relating to one another. His dad has traditional views on masculinity and doesn’t understand Kyle’s sensitivity or his creative pursuits. Kyle develops a crush on the girl, but he feels a sense of duty towards her and is very concerned that acting on his feelings would be taking advantage of her. I especially loved Kyle’s relationship with Uncle Matt. They already had a close relationship, but Kyle has never had to assume caretaking duties before. I loved the way they teased each other. I also loved how the girl immediately identified with Uncle Matt, who also has a hard time verbalizing his thoughts.
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“Remember how you asked me earlier how it feels, how I feel, to be me right now? To remember things and not remember? … Well, it feels like that, Kyle, back there. Like I’m adrift, in soaking wet clothes that are too heavy with the weight of things I don’t even know. And then the water doesn’t drown me but carries me, and for a second it lightens everything a little, and I feel momentarily hopeful. But always, there are things, beneath the waves, threatening to pull me under. And the land is right there, close enough to swim to—I can see it—but I’m not sure I want to come back to shore again. It’s like I’m here, solid, but I’m not connected to anything. I’m completely untethered.”

While the book takes place during 9/11, it is mostly about dealing with trauma and uncertainty. Kyle clings to any bit of normalcy. Some of the characters stay in denial to avoid dealing with difficult realities. Others expect the worst and are hesitant to accept hopeful news, in order to avoid being disappointed. It shows how our families can keep us grounded, even when we have trouble relating to them or they can’t be there physically. There is a scene at the end, where the girl looks at her reflection that was especially touching. What was your original face before your mother and father were born?

“Sometimes never being ready is the best kind of ready to be.”

It’s hard to believe the 9/11 attacks were fifteen years ago. It has remained at the forefront of public consciousness. The Memory of Things captures the time and place so well. It’s a thoughtful story with a relatable protagonist. Highly recommended for young adult readers.

Are you okay? his eyes ask. I know that’s what he wants to know. And I guess I am. What are my choices? What else am I going to be other than okay?

(Side Note: I just got used to stories set in the 1980s being historical fiction, and now the 2000s have hit that milestone? :-O)