The Woman with Two Shadows

Finished June 6

The Woman with Two Shadows by Sarah James

This historical novel is set over a few months from 1944 to 1945. Twin sisters Lillian and Eleanor live in New York City with their mother. Their father killed himself when they were very young and their mother has struggled mentally since then. Lillian has taken on the role of head of the family and is a physics student at Columbia University. She has plans to take the test for the Allerton Prize which gives the winner a scholarship to Harvard University where she wants to do her masters degree. This plan depends on Eleanor staying home to live with their mother and care for her. 

Eleanor is an actress, getting roles on Broadway, but she is applying for a part in a new Rodgers and Hammerstein play which will open in Chicago and tour. Eleanor is good at what she does, but this role worries Lillian and she makes some choices that impact both their lives. 

The military has come to the university recently and recruited physics students for a project at a site near Knoxville, Tennessee. The place is called Oak Ridges and since the students find that their deferral is no longer valid, some choose to go rather than enlist. One of them is Max Medelson, and he is not only a fellow student of Lillian's but also the boyfriend of her sister Eleanor. He also claims to be able to tell them apart, when most people cannot. Eleanor changes her plans and decides to go with Max. She gets a job there as well. 

All of these we learn as backstory. Eleanor hasn't written home since she left, and now Max has contacted Lillian with the news that Eleanor is missing and he wants her help. When Lillian gets to Knoxville, she finds things aren't what she expected and she takes on Eleanor's identity to see what she can learn. With tales of others going missing, secret projects that Lillian finds herself getting involved in, and a complicated romance, there is a lot going on.

This novel raises issues of sibling rivalry, what one is willing to do to get what one wants, and the costs that are found to be beyond enduring. An interesting read. 

Appointment in Samarra

Finished June 3

Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara

This novel, written in 1934, is set in 1931, and was the first novel by O'Hara. It is considered a modern classic. The main character is Julien English, a manager of a Cadillac dealership in the town of Gibbsville, Pennsylvania. He has been married to his wife Caroline for five years, and has recently turned thirty. We know that he had a previous relationship, that wasn't public, with a Polish immigrant woman named Mary. 

Julien's father is a doctor in town and Julien has always been somewhat of a disappointment to his father, from his antics as a boy to his lack of ambition as a man. Julien and his wife are active socially, belonging to clubs and part of a friend group that parties regularly. It is the Christmas season and we see Julien begin a series of self-destructive incidents that compromise his friendships, his position in society, and even his marriage. They start with throwing a drink in the face of a friend and important business associate.

There are issues of mental health, infidelity, and economic difficulties as the Depression has begun in the country. We see things from Julien's perspective, but also from others such as his wife Caroline's, has salesman, and some of his friends. 

The title comes from an ancient Mesopotamian tale about a man who tries to escape death but can't. It speaks to the inevitability of Julien's self-destruction. 

An interesting psychological read. 

Clear My Name

Finished May 30

Clear My Name by Paula Daly

This novel is set around Tess Gilroy, up to now the only employee of Innocence UK, a charity that helps people wrongly convicted of crimes. They have just wrapped up a successful case as the book starts and the board is meeting to decide what case they will tackle next. They've narrowed it to three options. They've also hired a new employee, Avril Hughes, who will be shadowing Tess as she prepares to be a second investigator for the organization. The board consists of Tom Robinson, a solicitor who sifts through the many cases sent their way and decides which ones have merit; Tess, who was a probation officer before she took this job; Vanessa Waring, a Home Office pathologist; Chris Pownall, a forensic scientist with an interest in fibre analysis; Fran Adler, a forensic scientist with an interest in blood; and Clive Earle, an ex-DI. 

The case they end up going with is that of Carrie Kamara, who was convicted of killing her husband's lover. She is three years into a fifteen-year sentence. It was her own barrister that pushed the case to Innocence UK. As Tess and Avril dig into the evidence and begin interviewing witnesses and others, they find some of the evidence questionable, some police work lazy, and some things that truly puzzle them.

Tess is also having a casual sexual relationship with Clive, who is married and pushing for more than Tess wants to give. We also are given clues to a personal complication to this case for Tess. The town where Carrie lived is the same town that Tess grew up in. She left years before, for reasons we only gradually learn of, and is wary of spending time there now. She is a diligent researcher though and follows up on all lines of the case despite her personal issues. 

I found this story intriguing, both in the way of evidence and for the personal life of Tess. 

Mr. Fixer Upper

Finished May 28

Mr. Fixer Upper by Lucy Score

This contemporary romance novel is set around a HGTV-type show called Kings of Construction. Siblings Gannon and Cat are the stars of the show. They work on projects nominated by viewers for people that they feel deserve to have a better place to live than they have now. There are a number of families that are helped each season. The families already own a home, but it doesn't work as well as it could for them. It might need updating due to a change in lifestyle, family circumstances, or physical mobility. They families might be young couples just starting out, empty nesters, or 

Paige St. James is the field producer for the show. As the book begins, they are prepping for the second season. Paige is well-liked by her staff, from her executive producer, Eddie Garraza, to camera operators, Tony, Rico, and Louis, to sound mixer Felicia. Management has been playing up a relationship between good-looking Gannon and another reality star, designer Meeghan Traxx. Traxx has a less than stellar reputation for how she treats the staff on her shows, but she is good-looking and sexy. In the first season, an incident led to Paige borrowing clothing from a staffer, from the staffer's daughters gymbag, part of which was a t-shirt with the word Princess on it, and Gannon began using that as a nickname for Paige, which she doesn't appreciate. Paige grew close to Cat, but doesn't feel that Gannon respects the tight timeline of the show and others' responsibilities. 

This season Gannon is paying more attention and he begins showing the respect due to the crew. There is a definite attraction between him and Paige and an incident on set where she is injured throws them together more closely. When Gannon suggests a spin-off show to run between seasons, it serves them both for her to produce it.

Paige is working with her friend and roommate on a planned documentary about women in television and how they've fought for their rights. Her work on reality television funds her passion project.

I found the characters had depth, and we saw both professional and personal aspects of their lives. It gave a window into the non-real aspects of reality television and how it manipulates, as well as the more positive side. 

June Reviews for the 19th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

 It's the last month for this challenge. Post reviews of books you completed in June here. 

Yours Truly

Finished May 27

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

This novel is the second book in the Part of Your World series, but the first that I've read. ER doctor Briana Ortiz loves her work, but her personal life has issues. Her divorce will be final soon, but her husband's cheating with one of her friends is hard to get over. Her younger brother is struggling with the reality of his health crisis and is on a waitlist for a kidney. She was hoping for a promotion but her boss has delayed his retirement and she learns it is partly because a new doctor has just been hired for the ER and he wants him to also have a fair shot at the position. 

Dr. Jacob Maddox left his old hospital to avoid working with an ex, but he's finding the new hospital less welcoming than he hoped. He's an introvert and isn't great at social situations. On the personal front, he is prepping for his brother's upcoming wedding, which is to Jacob's ex-girlfriend. He's honestly okay with it, but his mom and sisters are worried about his feelings around it. He's worried about people paying more attention to him than the happy couple. He impulsively tells a lie about his relationship status. 

Jacob's first encounter with Briana doesn't go well, and so he writes her a letter. Soon they are both writing, and leaving notes, and occasionally meeting for a quick and quiet lunch. When Briana finds out about the upcoming wedding, she offers to go as his girlfriend, and he confesses his own lie to his family. With them spending more time together, they learn more about each other, their pasts, and their vulnerabilities. 

I found these characters had real depth and the plot moved things along nicely. A very enjoyable read. 

The Cat Who Saved the Library

Finished May 25

The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai

This thoughtful novel follows thirteen-year-old Nanami Kosaki, a girl who loves to read. Her mother died when Nanami was young and she and her father live a quiet life. She suffers from asthma, which means that physical activity is often tiring. She spends a lot of time at the library and lately she's observed that there are some blank spots on the shelves. She knows that books get taken out and returned, but this seems different. One day she sees a strange gray man near a section of books and goes there after he's moved on, only to discover the first ten books of a favourite series gone. After talking with Tiger, a nearby cat, she and Tiger follow the man. The hallway begins to glow and extends into another world, where she finds herself following him to a castle  As they follow past armies of gray blank-faced soldiers, they see evidence of book burning and book theft. When faced with danger, they find an unexpected exit manned by Rintaro that takes them into Rintaro's bookstore, Natsuki Books. 

With mentions of classic titles from east and west, this book offers lots of ideas for future reading. It also takes us into the benefits of reading from learning to empathy and connection. Issues we face now, such as censorship, authoritarianism, lack of respect for learning, and self-interest as a guiding force for those in power all come into the story in a thoughtful and meaningful war.