The Nature of Fragile Things

Finished May 11

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

In 1905 Sophie Whalen is a young immigrant from Ireland sharing a tenement room in New York City with other young women. She answers an advertisement from a San Francisco man, Martin Hocking, who is looking for a wife and a mother to his young daughter Kat. He sends the money for her to take the train west and marries her the day she arrives, but he doesn't push her to have a physical relationship until she's comfortable. Martin works for an insurance company and travels a lot for his job, sometimes being away multiple days at a time.

There are things that cause Sophie to have questions, but she is also happy to be living in the circumstances she is in now. Martin is very handsome and well off enough to live in a nice neighbourhood and well-equipped home. Why would he have to advertise for a wife? Why is Kat so quiet? Is it just the loss of her mother or are there more reasons? Why doesn't Martin introduce her to any of his work colleagues since that was part of the reason he said he needed a wife? What is going on with the second business line that he is suddenly working with? 

More than a year after she arrived in the city, Belinda Bigelow, a young pregnant woman, appears on her doorstep looking for Martin, hoping he has some information on Belinda's husband, but the women soon learn that the connections are closer than expected. As the two women piece together their stories and Kat's history, and make plans to leave, a massive earthquake takes place. They flee the house together with Kat, first to a temporary hospital, then to a city park filled with other refugees from the quake and subsequent fires. Eventually they make their way to Belinda's home south of the city, but soon learn that Martin has been there since she left. Sophie must return to the city to see if Martin is there, and if not, to file a missing persons report. That and the ongoing police interest in the case cause Sophie to worry about her own secrets that she hoped to leave behind. 

A story of relationships, those that mistreat others in a variety of ways, and what women might do to ensure their own safety and the safety of those they care about.

Fatima's Room

Finished October 27

Fatima's Room by Charlotte S. Gray

This short novel is intense. Fatima is a young woman, a middle daughter in a family of six girls. Her father is strict and often cruel. As the book opens we learn that Fatima is staying in a room by herself at her maternal uncle's. She is there because she has caused her father's death. We gradually learn the circumstances of this, the decision that the family will be undertaking about her fate, and how various other members of her family feel about this.

Fatima was able to be in college because her aunt and grandmother arranged it while her father was away. She longs for a future as a writer, and her uncle has given her a blank book and encouraged her to write while she is waiting. It is the time of Ramadan, and the verdict will come after this time is over.

The novel was inspired by the author's work in Sudan with the education of young women, as they told her of their lives and dreams after growing to trust her. She was aware of the limited lives these woman faced, and of punishments such as honour killings for various rebellious acts. She began to wonder what would happen to someone who struck out in anger, fear, or frustration with such a result. We see her feelings about realizing this is the first time she's had a room of her own.

We see Fatima struggle as she is offered options, and the guilt she feels along with the relief. A very interesting read. 

Watch Us Shine

Finished June 13

Watch Us Shine by Marisa de los Santos

This novel is a story of trauma and recovery, of families, and of forgiveness. It has dual timelines, one in the present and one in the 1960s. Cornelia Brown is the mother of two children, in a strong marriage. She is also the daughter of Ellie, the main character in the older timeline. 

Cornelia is recovering from a traumatic event that we learn about gradually as she talks about it to others. When her father lets her know that her mother was injured in a hit and run, she returns to her childhood home in Virginia to help. 

Ellie struggles to recovery physically, but sometimes she has periods where she seems to be grasping for a past that Cornelia doesn't understand. Ellie begs Cornelia to bring her the northern lights, and despite not understanding what Ellie means by this, Cornelia promises she will.

This starts a quest, first by Cornelia, and then joined by her older sister Ollie, to dig into her mother's past to find clues to this desire of hers. 

They gradually follow clues to different places from Arkansas to Michigan, to the Carolinas, to learn about their mother's childhood and the people that she was close to, but is no longer in contact with. Ollie has questions deep within her that she has never talked about either, and these drive the quest as well. 

In the past, we see the life that Cornelia and Ollie are searching for, the difficult childhood of abuse, the escape to college and acceptance into a family that Ellie grew very close to, and above all the relationship to her sister Martha, whom Cornelia and Ollie never knew about. 

This is a story of trauma, of the desire to be loved, of recovery, and of families, both blood and found. 

I found myself having trouble putting this book down. Highly recommended. 

The Sound of Sleighbells

Finished December 15

The Sound of Sleighbells by Janet Dailey

This holiday romance takes place in a wintry Texas. The female main character, Ruth McCoy has found a good job as a school custodian, and is looking to sell her family's land to get enough money to buy a home for her and her three children. She's faced some obstacles, with her first husband, Tom, killed in a violent crime, and her second, Ed, divorced after engaging in a violent crime. Her second husband and father to her two young girls, Tammy and Janeen, was also abusive towards Ruth, and she is glad that she was able to divorce him quickly and that he is serving a long sentence. She also has a couple of close friends that she can rely on. One of them, Jess, is the mother of her teenage son Skip's best friend Trevor, so that brings them together as well. 

When the two boys are enlisted to help another neighbour, Judd Rankin, a custom saddle maker, Ruth has another worry. Judd was her high school boyfriend, and her son is his, although he isn't aware of it. Judd went to prison for manslaughter before Ruth told him of her situation, and Tom was happy to be Skip's father. 

The community is looking forward to their Christmas parade, which will happen a few days before Christmas, and the boys get involved in a project that requires Judd's supervision. When a man from Judd's past appears on his doorstep, things get more complicated, and dangerous, for everybody involved. 

I found this a fast-moving novel, with opportunities to see Ruth, Judd, and Skip have deeper character development. A feel-good romance with a touch of suspense. 

One Who Has Been Here Before

Finished December 10

One Who Has Been Here Before by Becca Babcock

This is described as gothic fiction, but it didn't have that vibe for me. 

The main character, Emma Gaugin Weaver, was adopted as a child. She, her siblings, and cousins were seized by CPS after the family farm was raided. The adults were all charged with crimes, ranging from child neglect to possession of stolen property. The authorities found the conditions unsuitable for the children and they ended up in foster care or adoption. Emma has only vague memories of the family farm in rural Nova Scotia, with clearer ones of her older sister Heather, who was briefly in the same foster home as her. Emma was eventually adopted by her foster parents, the Weavers, and the family moved to Edmonton. 

Emma is a woman without strong motivations. She has a history of anxiety, and a love of history, that has led her into working on her Master's degree. Her advisors encouraged her to delve into the relatively new area of auto-ethnography, where she researches her own family and her feelings around that. 

As the book opens, Emma has travelled back to Nova Scotia and has found the area when the farm the Gaugin family lived on was located. As she visits the local archives, and talks to people who knew the story of her family, she doesn't reveal her own origins at first, but finds herself drawn into meeting her own family members, dealing with anxiety attacks around the situations she finds herself in, and entering a new relationship. 

An interesting read, with a sympathetic character who undergoes growth in her understanding of herself.

When You Are Mine

Finished October 10

When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham

This tense, fast-moving novel takes place in London, where Philomena (Phil) McCarthy is an officer of the Metropolitan Police. She is also the only child of a man known to be the leader in a family of criminals. She had not realized that growing up, but has estranged herself from her father as an adult. A significant birthday is coming up for him, and Phil's stepmother has been trying very hard to get her to come to the birthday party.

In the course of her job, Phil attends an apartment after a neighbour calls to report a domestic. She finds a young woman, Tempe, with obvious signs of trauma, and a man who threatens her and uses his own police standing to try to get her to back off. When she forges ahead, she finds herself ostracized, put on desk duty, with her camera footage taken and not uploaded as would be standard. As she befriends Tempe, she finds her hard to disengage from.

Phil is living with her partner Henry who is divorced and has a young son, Archie. They are planning to be married soon, but are having difficulty finding a venue. Tempe proves resourceful in not only getting a venue, but assisting with all the other wedding tasks. She calls herself a wedding planned, but doesn't seem to have any online footprint. Meanwhile, Tempe's former partner, Darren Goodall, is a decorated police officer, one who was deemed a hero in a previous major police incident. He is also married with two young children. 

As Tempe learns more about networks within the police force working against her, and researches more about Darren's past, she finds that her father's connections may prove useful to her. 

This is a novel which will have you worried for the main character, tense about the situations that she gets herself into, and dismayed at the havoc it takes on her personal and professional life. A book that will have you in his clutches more and more as you get into it. 

The Summer without Men

Finished June 28

The Summer without Men by Siri Hustvedt.

This short novel is very engaging. Mia Fredrickson, the narrator and central character, had a breakdown after her husband of thirty years left her for another woman, a French woman that Mia refers to as 'The Pause'. She was hospitalized for a short time, diagnosed with a Brief Psychotic Disorder, and once she was well, decided to return for a few months to the small Minnesota town of her childhood. She rents a small house near the senior complex where her mother lives in a small apartment. She also gets a job teaching a group of teen girls poetry. 

Her mother has a group of friends that spend a lot of time together, and Mia thinks of them as the Five Swans. She regards them as women who "shared a mental toughness and autonomy that gave them a veneer of enviable freedom". We get to know these women. George is one hundred and two and has a great sense of humour. Regina is eighty-eight had married a diplomat and lived in several countries and had several relationships after her husband's death. Peg, at eighty-four spent her life in a smaller town nearby, and has six children and numerous grandchildren that she keeps detailed track of. Abigail, at ninety-four has osteoporosis and hearing issues, worked as a teacher, but is a textile artist with hidden depths that she gradually reveals to Mia. 

We also get to know the teenagers. Mia has taught graduate students for years, but she adjusts quickly to this younger group of students. Peyton, thin and tall, is still getting used to her longer limbs. Jessica is small but has a woman's body, and talks in a babyish voice. Ashley is self conscious, but confident of her developing body. Emma is shy. Nikki and Joan function in tandem and giggle a lot. Alice has moved recently from Chicago, and is interested in books and art. Mia teaches them three times a week for six weeks, giving them interesting exercises and prompts for their writing. 

Mia also starts getting anonymous emails that are nasty and critical. When she begins to engage with this unknown person, the conversation becomes very interesting. 

She also has emails with her husband Boris and her daughter Daisy. During the summer both Daisy and Mia's sister Bea visit her. 

She also engages with the family living next door to her house, Lola and Pete, and their children Flora, and Simon. Flora makes quite an impression with her stuffed animal menagerie and her Harpo wig. Lola makes and sells jewelry and is a calm and capable mother. Pete travels a lot for work and Mia seldom interacts with him. She hears the arguments between the couple and helps sometimes with the children when Lola gets overwhelmed. She describes Flora so well, I can see her in my head. 

Scattered throughout the novel are poems, some by other poets, some by the teen characters, but many of Mia's own, and this is part of the skill with language that Hustvedt has. She also has insights that touched me. One example is this:

Sitting across from her in the small apartment, I had the thought that my mother was a place for me as well as a person. ...But it was my mother herself whom I had come home to.

Her other insights about her mother were also interesting to reflect on. Mia cooks for her mother and visits, listening to her talk about earlier times in her life, and walks back to her rented house reflecting on her own life. She has weekly telephone sessions with her psychiatrist Dr. S. and spends time writing poetry. 

This is a novel that drew me in, that made me read slowly with attention, and that made me care about the characters. A gem. 

Night Watch

Finished May 28

Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips

This historical fiction novel jumps around in time a little during the late 1800s. The book has five parts, with the first and third parts taking place in 1874 and the second and fourth parts taking place in 1864. There is also an epilogue that is set in 1883. 

The point of view changes between a few of the characters but is always clearly stated at the beginning of a chapter. The chapter sometimes has a month and year to set it more specifically within the time of that part of the book. The chapter headings are descriptive, telling us of events that take place, or people that are introduced within that chapter. I liked that the chapters were relatively short, and moved you through the book in a natural flow. 

The main character in the book is ConaLee, a thirteen-year-old girl as the book opens in 1874. She is travelling from her home in the high West Virginia mountain area with her mother to an asylum, taken there by the man that has been in their life for the last few years, one who insists that they call him Papa. ConaLee knows that the relationship between her mother and this man is one of control and abuse, but she doesn't understand the hold that he has on her. ConaLee has watched her mother go from an active loving woman who taught her to read and showed her the stars in the sky to one who lies in bed and doesn't speak. ConaLee's mother has had other children from Papa, all without names. The toddler, who ConaLee calls Little Chap has been taken under her own wing and mothered by her. She reads him stories, cuddles him, feeds him, and acts like a mother would. Her mother has recently given birth to twins, a girl and a boy, that ConaLee served as midwife to.  

In a cabin higher on the mountain, above the one that ConaLee and her mother share is one lived in by Dearbhla an older woman that trades in salves and tonics that she makes from the wild plants near her. Dearbhla was midwife to Little Chap, but has been banned from their home for many months now. ConaLee has met her secretly from time to time, to get advice and medicine, but Dearbhla has the vision to know what has been happening with this small family. 

We learn that ConaLee's father, her mother's husband left to fight for the Union in the Civil War, but never returned, and stopped writing home ten years earlier. He has an occasional voice in the earlier time setting, as The Sharpshooter. 

Dearbhla also has a voice in the book, as does a young boy who lives and works at the asylum, known as Weed. We also learn from the 1864 time what ConaLee's mother Eliza went through and why Papa has the control he has. We hear from Dr. Story, the man in charge of the asylum, and from the mysterious O'Shea, the Night Watch of the title, who is calm and watchful man. 

I really enjoyed seeing the story gradually unfold, understanding what connections were between characters, and seeing explanations for events uncovered later in the story. This is a book about love, risk, and the illusion of control. A fascinating read that was hard to put down. One gets a sense of the landscape of the places, both constant and those travelled through. 

Now You See Us

Finished May 14

Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal

This novel offered a glimpse into another place and life experience for me. It is set in Singapore, around three Filipino women of different ages who work as domestic workers. Corazon had worked in Singapore for years, and returned to the Philippines to raise her nephew Raymond. Now she is back in Singapore, and harboring a secret about what happened back home. We know that something happened to Raymond, but the whole story is only gradually revealed over the course of the novel. Her new employer is a widowed woman who has never had domestic help before. Her husband's death and other circumstances have led to her withdrawing from her friends and social experiences in general. One of her two daughters is getting married and she is being drawn into the planning of this, but she is dealing with loneliness that causes her to treat Corazon as a friend and that creates some issues for both of them. 

Donita is in her early twenties and this is her first job in Singapore. Her employer is a very demanding woman who tries to limit Dorita's freedom, and creates a difficult living situation for Dorita that gets worse over time. 

Angel is employed as a caregiver for an older man who has been debilitated by a stroke. She truly cares for his wellbeing and tries to help him recover physically as well as responding to his expressions in how much she asks him to do. On the personal side, she is also grieving the loss of a romantic relationship with another woman. When her employer's daughter hires a nurse to work with the older man, Angel worries about her job, but she also feels that her employer's son is trying to take adventage of her. 

Add to this mix a sensational murder, where a Filipino worker, Floradeliza, is accused of the crime. Donita knows the woman and is sure she is innocent, but doesn't understand the lack of power she and her fellow workers hold. 

This novel gave real insight into the logistics of working as a domestic worker, mostly in Singapore, but also in other places. There are lots of details about papers, medical requirements, and working conditions that really show how these people live under the threat of expulsion at the whim of their employers. 

The story is told in alternating points of view between the women, along with group chats online between them. There are also chats between the employers of such workers, and chats that other workers have during this time. 

The author made each of the main characters come to life for me, I could empathize with their situation and the circumstances they were trying to make the best of, while still trying to have some personal life for themselves. A real eye-opening read. 

Bittersweet

Finished September 4

Bittersweet by Susan Wittig Albert

This novel is part of the series featuring herbalist China Bayles. Here, the story is set in a more remote part of Texas, in the small community where China's mother Leatha and stepfather Sam live, in the week around the Thanksgiving holiday. China and her family are planning to go to Leatha and Sam's for the holiday, but Sam is now in the hospital with heart issues. Sam is insisting the plans continue, so they do.

Besides China's family, Leatha has also invited China's friend Mack Chambers, a game warden in the area, newly transferred there after a recent divorce. Mack loves her job, and her previous husband had issues with her long and sometimes erratic hours, and with her less feminine interests. Mack lives alone with her dog and horse, but wouldn't say no to a relationship. She's recently started dating a divorced man who recently moved to the area, but isn't feeling the passion she's had before. 

Leatha and Sam have been converting the ranch that has been in his family for generations into a birding destination, redoing the lodge onsite, and building a viewing tower and other amenities. China worries about whether they can handle the operations with Sam's medical situation and their age. 

A more common use of cattle ranchers locally are canned hunting camps, with the owners importing a variety of animals, some for their value as trophies, and having hunters pay big bucks to shoot them onsite. The regulations around this activity are still in development, but for a lot of ranchers, this offers them a way to hang onto their land. 

There is also a new technology coming into play: drones as surveillance and investigative tools.

All of these elements come into play in the plot here. 

I found the first scene made me uncomfortable, but as the plot begins to move back and forth between China and Mack for most of the stories, I soon found myself captivated. 

There is also a lot of information at the beginning of chapters on plants from herbs to bushes, and invasive species versus local ones. At the end of the book are a few recipes from scenes in the story, a nice and useful addition. 

Before and Again

Finished August 21

Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky

This novel begins with a scene in the past that is life-changing. Taking her eyes from the road briefly to check her GPS as she drives her daughter to a playdate, Mackenzie Cooper misses a sign and ends up in a tragic car accident. 

The main storyline is nearly five years later, when Cooper, now living as Maggie Reid, is divorced and living in a resort town in Vermont. In her previous life, she was a successful sculptor. Now she is a makeup artist, working at a luxury spa. She has created a life where only a couple of people know about her past. She has a small rural home, and pets that she loves. We gradually see over the course of the book how she has created a new life for herself here, and has friends that truly support her as she does them. 

But things are suddenly getting shaken up, and Maggie must make choices. First her friend Grace's son Chris is arrested for hacking computers, and one of the victims is turning it into a media circus. Her friend Grace has reasons to be scared that go beyond her son's alleged crime.

Then she finds someone from her own past is involved in the new ownership of the spa, and her secrets may be in danger of being revealed. 

As we gradually get to see the people from her past and how they've struggled as well, this story becomes richer and more nuanced. 

This is a story of a woman struggling with grief and guilt, and trying to figure out how to move forward with her life, which she can't fully do without dealing with the past.

As usual with Delinsky, this novel explores relationships both with others and with oneself. 

Good Night, Irene

Finished June 17

Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea

This novel focuses on a little known group of women who worked for the Red Cross attached to the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. They were set up in teams of three to man Clubmobiles that supported the troops for morale. The large buses were similar to today's food trucks. They served coffee, tea, and donuts, and were equipped with record players and a speaker system to broadcast the music to those waiting for service. These mobile units travelled to airbases, troop stations, and to troops near the front. 

In particular, it focuses on Irene Woodward, a young woman from a well-to-do family in New York City. She is fleeing an abusive relationship, and hopes to do her part for the troops. She goes to Washington, D.C. for training along with a number of other young women, and they get trained to drive the truck they will be operating, and to make donuts and coffee. During training she made friends with Dorothy Dunford, a young woman from the Midwest who has sold her family farm after the death of her parents and the loss of her brother in the war. She is a take-no-nonsense woman with driving skills and gumption. The third girl in the bus is Ellie, a woman from Chicago. 

After training, the women travel by ship in a convoy to England, where they use a British truck until their new wheels are ready. Besides serving at their mobile unit, they go to various troop stations and officers' clubs to do similar work. 

Soon after D-Day, the women take their bus over to France, where they move east along with the troops, finding themselves in some tricky situations and experiencing war firsthand. Although not looking for love, Irene finds herself drawn to a fighter pilot named Hans who pursues her in a way that gains her trust. As Irene finds friendship and love, she also experiences the worst trauma of her life, witnessing situations she never imagined. 

This novel has real emotion and the characters feel very real. There is humour and grief, love and loss, and I was intrigued to see that Urrea found the inspiration for this book in his own mother's experiences as a Red Cross Clubmobile worker. 

An amazing read. 

The Sea Gate

Finished March 31

The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson

This novel has two timelines. 

First we see the contemporary timeline, where Rebecca has just lost her mother to cancer. Her mother kept her health condition from Rebecca to protect her, but Rebecca has recently gone through her own health crisis and is now dealing with a personal crisis that only feels more immediate with the loss of her mother. As Rebecca and her brother clear out their mom's home, she finds letters from an older cousin of her mom's who she vaguely remembers. Olivia lives in Cornwall and has asked Rebecca's mother to come and assist her.

The earlier timeline is during World War II when Olivia is nearly fifteen. Her father has gone off to war, her mother to do war work in London, and she is left in Cornwall in the family home with two London evacuees, a woman and child, and two Land Girls who work on the nearby farm. Also on the farm are some POW workers. 

Rebecca makes a sudden decision to go to Cornwall herself, and she finds the situation much more complex than expected. Olivia still lives in the family home, but she's suffered health setbacks and the authorities are insisting that she be forced into a care home unless changes are made to the house. These include putting in a proper bathroom with accessibility in mind, creating a bedroom for Olivia on the main floor, and a few other changes for safety. The house hasn't been maintained well as Rebecca soon discovers and Olivia has financial issues as well as secrets. The house has secrets of its own, and as Rebecca finds some of them are determined to reveal themselves.

Rebecca's own common law relationship is a very dysfunctional one, and as she finds the time distanced from that situation, she also is able to see her life more clearly. 

Olivia is a strong character and the common thread between these two times, and we see her story link them together in interesting and unexpected ways. 

This book was disturbing at times with scenes of abuse and violence, both domestic and situational, but the characters of Rebecca and Olivia were a strong focus. 

Things We Do in the Dark

Finished December 18

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

This novel has a touch of suspense and a lot of delving into the past. In Seattle, Paris Peralta comes home early from a yoga conference. Paris has been married only a few years to the much older Jimmy Peralta, a comedian and actor. Their unlikely relationship is based on real liking for each other and respect. So when she comes in to find him dead in the bathtub, she is shocked, dismayed, and in disbelief. As she tries to save him, even though she knows he is beyond saving, she knocks herself out and thus finds herself waking to screams, police, and an accusation of murder.

In Toronto, Drew Malcolm is upset to learn that convicted murderer Ruby Reyes is being released on parole. It isn't the murder that bothers him as much as the way she is being depicted as a MeToo victim when he knows better. Years before, he was fascinated by the story and it is part of what led him to a career in journalism. He knows does a podcast on criminal cases. He also got to know Ruby's daughter Joelle, and was her roommate for a while, and knows that Ruby was also convicted of child abuse in her treatment of Joelle. That is something that he can't forgive her for and thus why he has a personal stake in the case. When Joelle died in a house fire shortly after Drew confronted her about her life choices, it created both a feeling of guilt in him and one of unresolved issues between them that can never to dealt with. He resolves to make it his mission to paint a picture of Ruby for the public that shows her true colours. 

As these two stories gradually come together, we get a clearer picture of Paris, of Ruby and her daughter Joelle, and of the way that the press influences news stories. We also see more deeply into the foster care system, into the lives of those struggling to afford a place to live and a better future, and into those who can't let go of past relationships. 

A fascinating read with characters that truly come alive to the reader. 

We gradually learn that Paris has a hidden past, one that she definitely doesn't want to come out. The novel jumps back in time to one years before. 

A Perfect Escape

Finished September 18

A Perfect Escape by M.L. Jameson

Megan Thomas knew soon after she got married that she'd made a mistake, but it took years for her to figure out how to leave. Megan married a man who seemed to love her, but her really wanted to control her. Now he is planning a political career and she knows that she has to leave as his threats are getting more serious and his violence is escalating. 

She's found another woman in his circle willing to help her, and chosen her time carefully. She knows that she has to leave Chicago as he has too many eyes there. Megan thought about going to the home she grew up in, one she inherited when her grandmother died, but fears it is too obvious, so she runs southeast instead. She rents a house in the off-season on the Carolina coast and begins more long-term plans.

But when the owner of the house shows up unexpectedly, both Megan and him find themselves with feelings that they hadn't planned for.

Smyth Parker has also chosen badly in marriage. He has let the responsibilities he inherited be taken on by others and and let others believe he is someone he is not. He doesn't need more complications in his life, and Megan is definitely a complication. But he can see that she is running from something, and he can't shake the feeling of wanting to protect her. 

As they both gradually open up to each other, they must also deal with their pasts rather than running from them. 

This novel has some different plot lines, and characters that engaged with me. I found myself easily caught up in the story, and hoping for an end that boded a better future. There is lots going on, and it kept me totally engaged. 

A New Beginning

Finished September 8

A New Beginning by Brenda Kennedy

Back home in California, Angel Perez had been in an abusive relationship with a man who threatened her with violence if she tried to leave. Some of her family suspected it and her Aunt Rosie left her a message at her death, telling her to take only the necessities and run to Rosie's cottage in Florida for a fresh start. Soon after the funeral, she takes the advice. She had spent time at the cottage when she was younger, but it has been years since she's been there. The personal touches her aunt made to the place comfort her as do her next door neighbours, who welcome her. 

She soon finds a job at a small insurance agency and makes friends with the two owners, who are near her in age, Sara Roberts and Brea Kinsley. The two women are both in happy relationships and are eager to fix her up with a friend, Dr. Mason Myles. 

Mason is very interested in Angel, but she keeps advancing and then retreating. She is attracted, but wary due to her past and the unfinished business from that that she fears will catch up with her.

I found her a little too focused on her appearance, with lots of references to her revealing outfits and high heels. I also found the dialogue in the book a little stilted, and not as flowing as conversations typically are. 

The plot was one that brought some surprises and moved very quickly. 

The Vet's Daughter

Finished August 28

The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns, introduction by Kathryn Davis

This novel first came out in 1959, although Comyns started writing it in 1947. The title character, named Alice, is a teen as the story begins. As indicated, her father is a veterinarian, one who treats animals like objects and has no feelings for them. Her mother is unwell, and both of them live in fear of him. Alice tries to spare her mother so she can rest, and the two have quiet talks about her mother's childhood when alone in the evening. 

After the death of her mother, things become more difficult for Alice. A friendly and kindly housekeeper and a young veterinarian help mitigate her circumstances, but the woman that her father takes up with is a force against her. 

Alice retreats often to a world of fantasy, pulling on bits of her mother's memories of childhood in Scotland, and fairy tales helped along by an uncanny ability she discovers in herself. 

Alice finds her thoughts can take her away from her circumstances, but she is aware that others find it unnerving. 

This is an odd book, with a strange premise, but one that nevertheless had me enthralled from the beginning. Alice is a character that I empathized with and hoped would find a better situation than the one she is born into.

The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted

Finished April 21

The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman

This novel was one I chose by title alone and it was definitely a surprise. Set in Australia, inland and within a day's drive from Melbourne, most of the story takes place in the late 1960s, either on a small farm, or in the town nearby. There are also occasional flashbacks to one character's experiences during World War II and its aftermath. The main character here, Tom Hope, wakes up to a note from his wife Trudy letting him know that she's left him. This is devastating to him, as he loved her, but looking back he can see that there were signs that she wasn't happy. As she returns and leaves again, the experience leaves him with a child that he finds himself loving fiercely and forming a strong bond with. 

When he loses the child, he is once more devastated, losing himself in the routine of farmwork. Tom has sheep, and fruit trees, and makes enough to get by. 

When he hears of a bookshop opening in town, he is surprised and curious. When he meets the woman who is going to run the store, he finds himself drawn to her. She is Hannah Babel, a Hungarian Jewish woman who survived Auschwitz, but lost her own family. She has done a variety of things since then, but the bookshop is close to her heart. Although older than Tom, she finds herself drawn to him as well, and both of them dare to believe that they have found love. 

As they face emotional and financial barriers, their relationship is stressed and in jeopardy unless they can find a way forward despite their past pain. 

The characters are unique and have their own quirks and outlooks. Tom is a very giving man, one who cares about people and takes disappointment to heart. Hannah has suffered much loss in her life, and is afraid of more. These are characters with histories that are painful, and as they learn to understand each other and trust each other, there is hope that they can find a future together. 

The setting comes alive here, and one can picture the farm and the hills and river. There are many interesting characters besides the two central ones, and I would be interested in learning more about many of them. As the plot brings Tom and Hannah together and threatens to rend them apart again, there are bits of larger stories that influence theirs and add depth. 

A very interesting read. 

Behind Every Lie

Finished February 2

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald

This is a real page-turner of a novel. It takes place mostly in the Seattle area, with a quick journey to England. Eva Hansen wakes up in the hospital confused and uncertain where she is. She has been struck by lightning and the last thing she remembers is being at a restaurant celebrating her mother's recent award. One of the first things she learns after waking is that her mother Kat is dead, found murdered in her own home, and Eva's car was near her mother's house and she was found in a nearby park.

Eva doesn't believe that she had anything to do with her mother's death, but the police seem to suspect her, and because she can't remember, she doesn't know what happened. 

She decides that she must dig into her and her mother's past to clear her name and find out the truth. This takes her back to London, where she was born, and as she digs deeper, she is unsure who she can trust.

Her brother Andrew seems unsure whether to believe that she is uninvolved, her partner Liam seems to be trying to keep her from talking to the police, and she has doubts about her own behaviour. 

As her memories slowly come back to her and she learns her mother's secrets, she realizes that things are more complex than she realized. 

This book had me gripped to find out what happened next. One secret after another is revealed, slowly as Eva along with the reader learns the truth. Eva is a woman who has been unsure of herself for many reasons, one who hasn't trusted her own instincts until now. 

The Wild Heavens

Finished August 13

The Wild Heavens by Sarah Louise Butler

This first novel, by a B.C. author is a winner. The main line of the story takes place over a 24-hour period, but the narrative also reaches into the past, all the way back to childhood. Sandy (Cassandra) Langley never knew her father, and when her mother died when she was young, her grandfather, Aidan Fitzpatrick, took her in. Aidan had a defining moment when he was a young man, one that resulted in him leaving his faith, and turning towards a life based in science and nature. He bought the land near where he'd had this experience and spent a lot of time in his cabin there in the interior of B.C. He carved a life-size statue of the creature he encountered and called it Charlie, a name that would become a codename for the creature among the small group of people who he shared the knowledge with. He became a large animal veterinarian, and both worked as a vet and taught. When he adds his granddaughter to his household, it is shortly after giving shelter to a victim of domestic abuse, Eva, and her son, Luke. Luke is around the same age as Sandy and the two soon became companions and studied together, first homeschooled and later taking the long trip into town for school. 

In the present day narrative, Sandy's children have left home and she lives alone in the cabin. The sound of a whiskey-jack wakes her in the night and she follows a trail up the nearby mountain and along the ridge, through the snow and mulling over the changing nature of the trail that she follows and various incidents from her past.

This story was mesmerizing, emotional with a touch of the otherworldly, with a deep basis in nature and the awe that experiencing it brings us. It is a story of yearning, of love, of relationships. A story of loss and of hope. As we gradually learn Sandy and Aidan's stories, and see their lives unfold, we care about what happens to them and wonder along with them about Charlie and his fate. 

A beautiful book.