The Water Dancer

Title:  The Water Dancer

Author:  Ta-Nehisi Coates

Publication Information:  One World. 2019. 416 pages.

ISBN:  0399590595 / 978-0399590597

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "And I could only have seen her there on the stone bridge, a dancer wreathed in ghostly blue, because that was the way they would have taken her back when I was young, back when the Virginia earth was still red as brick and red with life, and though there were other bridges spanning the river Goose, they would have bound her and brought her across this one, because this was the bridge that fed into the turnpike that twisted its way through the green hills and down the valley before bending in one direction, and that direction was south."

Favorite Quote:  "They knew our names and they knew our parents. But they did not know us. They had no notion of our ultimate aims and desires. They were entranced by our songs, but they could never know the deeper meaning, because not knowing was essential to their power. To see a child right from under its mother, you must only know that mother in the thinnest way possible. To strip a man down, condemn him to be beaten, flayed alive, then anointed with salt-water, you cannot feel him the way you feel your own. You cannot understand him as human.  You cannot see yourself in him, lest your hadn't be stayed, and your hand must never be stayed, because the moment it is, the Tasked will see that you see them and thus see yourself. In that moment of profound understanding, you are all done because you cannot rule as is needed."

Hiram Walker is a slave with extraordinary powers. This book is his journey to freedom - literal freedom, freedom as he reconciles with the memories of his childhood, freedom as he learns to acknowledge and use the gift he has been given, and freedom that comes from enabling and ensuring the freedom of others. From enslaved North Carolina to the North and back again and yet again.

Through Hiram's story, the book tells the story of a time and place and a reckoning of the dark history of our own nation. It is a history that must be remembered and acknowledged and accounted for.

That being said, I am truly torn about this book. I wanted to absolutely love this book. I expected to absolutely love it based on my reaction to Between the World and Me by Mr. Coates.

Quality. Low. Tasked. These are the terms used in this book to describe the roles in this story of slavery. The "quality" include both the enslavers and those dedicated to the abolitionist movement. The "low" are of both races, mercenaries looking to get ahead by any means possible. The "tasked" are the slaves. Slavery is "the task." Why the terms? The terms are memorable because they are so often repeated in the book. Then again, why not call it what it is? So often in real life, history is given a spin based on the terms used. Is there a further meaning? I look for one but do not discover it.

As with Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad, this book also introduces magical realism. The Underground Railroad included a literal railroad. Th book includes the idea of "conduction" in that a person can jump time and place. In both books, the "magic" introduces an element into the story the pulls it far from the history into fiction. I don't really understand why. The history is a brutal one. Why mitigate by suggesting there is magical solution if only the right people can be found.

All historical fiction is just that - fiction. The fiction label allows the history to be massaged into a compelling story. However, this history itself is so compelling that it needs no embellishment especially not one based in magic. The embellishment in many ways diminishes the history by introducing an idea completely unbelievable into a history that must be believed and remembered. I am left wondering why.

These concerns aside, aspects of the writing pull me right into the middle of the story, such that I cry and feel every emotion along with the characters. I find myself highlighting thought after thought because it speaks to me. That is where the history being told is found:

• "For it is not simply that you are captured by slavery but by a kind of fraud, which paints its executors as guardians at the gate, staving off African savagery, when it is they themselves who are savaged..."
• "The tree of our family was parted - branches here, roots there - parted for their lumber."
• "Someone was inspecting me, I had adjusted to it by then, and that alone is the worst of it - that a man could feel his violation as natural."

That is the history that speaks to me in this book and gives it its power - the power of remembrance.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

Twenty-one Truths About Love

Title:  Twenty-one Truths About Love

Author:  Matthew Dicks

Publication Information:  St. Martin's Press. 2019. 352 pages.

ISBN:  1250103487 / 978-1250103482

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Ways to keep Jill from getting pregnant..."

Favorite Quote:  "Wanting to be a better human being and finding a way to become a better human being are two very different things."

Daniel Mayrock writes "lists so I won't stop existing like my father stopped existing for me." It is a way of dealing with anxiety.  I completely understand that, but an entire, over 300 page book written in lists. I don't know. Gimmicky? Yes. Does it work? In this case, yes it does.

Through the lists and no other perspective, the book manages to convey an image of Daniel Mayrock...

• He has never recovered from the way in which his father left his life.
• He loves his wife Jill.
• He fears that he will never live up to the memory of Jill's first husband (he died).
• He was at one point a teacher but quit his job to start his own business.
• He runs a bookshop but is unable to quite make it a success.
• He is terrified of being a father.

His lists range from the mundane to philosophical musings about life...

• "If the childhood version of yourself would hate the adulthood version of yourself, you suck at life."
• "Truth is not what you believe in. This is the problem with the f****** world. Truth is no-longer fact-based."
• "A person is more than a person. A person is the promise of everything that person can be."
• "To truly love someone, you must love the person you never knew, the person you know today, and the person that will someday be."

The two books I have read by Matthew Dicks both have had unusual perspectives. Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was told as a first person narrative in the voice of a little boy's imaginary friend. This book is in the form of the lists of a flawed and ordinary man who is trying to chase his dream and get through life the best way he knows how.

The one jarring note in the book is the wild plan Daniel concocts to solve his money problems. Really? Understandably, everyone has wild thoughts at times. Very rarely do people actual research the hare-brained schemes and even less so, act on them. From a story perspective, this component seems like filler and distracts from the main story, which is of this couple who loves each other.

The main reason this book still works for me is that Daniel feels real. I sometimes think I would like to hear his wife Jill's perspective, but that too is a testament to the fact that the entire situation feels real. A set of lists somehow manages to create a cohesive and sweet image of characters and a family I want to know more about.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Family Upstairs

Title:  The Family Upstairs

Author:  Lisa Jewell

Publication Information:  Atria Books. 2019. 352 pages.

ISBN:  1501190105 / 978-1501190100

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "It would be inaccurate to say that my childhood was normal before they came."

Favorite Quote:  "They weren't bad books ... They were books you didn't enjoy. It's not the same thing at all. The only bad books are books that are so badly written that no one will publish them. Any book that has been published is going to be a 'good book' for someone."

Libby Jones turn twenty-five and inherits a house. Not just any house, but a house from her past. The house itself has a disturbing history. Twenty-five years ago, the police arrived at the house. They found three dead bodies and a happy, healthy baby. Four other children known to be living at the house were nowhere to be found.

Two time periods - the story of the present as Libby turns twenty-five and the story of the children twenty-five years ago.

Characters with disturbing tendencies - a man who watches and waits and an entire household locked away from the world.

Adults looking back vs children living a nightmare - the adults who were the children forced to grow up way too soon to survive and who remain forever scarred by their childhood.

Mystery as to which of the children these adults are  - Who is Henry? Who is Lucy? Where does Libby come from?

The book has an intriguing premise. A family of four buys a house. Dad, Mom, a boy, and a girl are the wholesome family next door. Then, Mom lets a couple film at the house. Okay, except they never leave. Mom encourages it; Dad does nothing. Then, Mom invites another family to move in. Odd and even more so as they completely take over the household. Again, Mom is all for it; Dad seems unable to do anything.

This story is about this odd and disturbing combination of people living in the same house. It is about two sets of siblings living in one household. It is about a family that turns into a cult. It is about adults who return to that childhood to perhaps find closure, perhaps move past, or perhaps something else entirely. It is about a dysfunctional family - dysfunctional in the worst possible way. Trigger warning - this book features abuse of all kinds against children. This is the piece that I do not know that I can see past.

This is not really a thriller. It is more disturbing and depressing than thrilling in its twists and turns. There are twists, some predictable, some less so. That and the multiple time periods make this book a very quick read. However, when the "twist" does come, my reaction is not of surprise but of disgust. EEEwwww.

The setup had all the makings of a great and chilling story even without its twist. Unfortunately, with the twist, the image of that young child is what remains.

The ending hints at something beyond, something that may come as a next step. A setup for a sequel? Perhaps. Will I follow along? While the idea is intriguing as it was in this book, given where this one led, I think not.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

Death in Kew Gardens

Title:  Death in Kew Gardens
Series:  A Below Stairs Mystery Book 3

Author:  Jennifer Ashley

Publication Information:  Berkley. 2019. 304 pages.

ISBN:  039958790X / 978-0399587900

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "The Chinese gentleman ran from between the carriages that packed the length of Mount Street and straight into my path."

Favorite Quote:  "If we'd been born monkeys or some such animal, there would be no difference between us at all. We'd share a space on a branch without thinking a think about it."

Death in Kew Gardens is the third in the series of Below Stairs Mysteries featuring Kat Holloway. While it is not absolutely necessary to have read the books in order, it is beneficial in this case. Many of the characters from the other books feature in this book. Although the mystery is new, most of the secondary plot lines continue from the previous books.

These books are a little bit of an upstairs downstairs story as Kat is a cook in a wealthy household. She is the hired help but also friend to at least one of the family - Lady Cynthia carries on with her independent ways. This book adds a multicultural element into this very British setting. The mystery centers around Chinese tea, trade between the two regions, and a Chinese gentleman who becomes a murder suspect. Given the time and place of the setting, this is significant.

It is good to know that Kat Holloway's character stays true to form. She continues to speak her mind, take no nonsense, and stand up for what she believes in. In this book, that issue becomes racial prejudice. The Chinese gentleman is the "other". He is the different one. Thus, his actions are automatically deemed more suspect. Fortunately, Kat stands up to that prejudice and for someone she befriends. She makes judgments based on fact not prejudice.

The theme of prejudice spills over into Kat's personal story as well. The household has a new housekeeper who clearly looks down upon Kat, who is only the "cook." She makes it clear that Kat should stay in her place, and that is clearly below the housekeeper's. In a different way, Kat's fear of prejudice and judgment makes her keep her daughter a secret from most of the world. The secret is revealed to Lady Cynthia in this book. She, too, stays true to form and offers acceptance and understanding not judgment.

The mystery and the progress of the book has the same look and feel as the first two books. That, of course, is the charm and the challenge of a series. How to grow the characters and create a unique story and yet keep the recognizable look of the series. That theme of understanding and acceptance to me becomes the lasting message of this book more so than the mystery itself. This is what makes it unique from the first two.

If you are interested in the author's other work, note that she writes under three names. As Jennifer Ashley, she writes historical, paranormal, and contemporary romance. As Ashley Gardner, she authors mysteries. Allyson James is the name for the paranormal romance and urban fantasy books. Worth exploring!

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World

Title:  Things My Son Needs to Know about the World

Author:  Fredrik Backman

Publication Information:  Atria Books. 2019. 208 pages.

ISBN:  1501196863 / 978-1501196867

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "To my son:  I want to apologize."

Favorite Quote:  "I just want you to know that I love you. Once you're older, you'll realize that I made an endless line of mistakes during your childhood, I know that. I've resigned myself to it. but I just want you to know that I did my very, very best. I left it all on the field. I gave this every ounce of everything I had."

I have read four previous books by Fredrik Backman. A Man Called Ove is still on my to read list I have rated three out of the four with five stars. In other words, I have loved most of the books. This one is no exception even though it is a completely different book.

This is a nonfiction collection of essays written about the same time as A Man Called Ove. The collection was released in Sweden several years ago. It is just this year being released in the United States. The essays, as the title suggests, are lessons for his son who was then very young. It would be interesting now to see what the young man has to say about these lessons. Actually, Fredrik Backman now has two children. It would be wonderful to know if his lessons remain the same.

As a parent myself, I find myself nodding along with many of the stories - laughing, reminiscing, and reflecting on my own parenting adventures. My favorite aspect of this book of lessons to a child from a father is the unequivocal love he displays for his wife - the mother of his children. ".. the reason I don't know much about love is that I've really only ever loved one woman. But every day with her is like being a pirate in a magical land far away full of adventures and treasures. Making her laugh is a bit like wearing rain boots that are a little too big and jumping into the deepest of puddles. I'm blunt and sharp and full of black and white. She's all my color."

It is clear that the love encompasses his wife and his children. "And when you dance, you and she... if I could choose one single moment to live inside for all eternity, it would be that."

The remaining lessons vary from the mundane to statements of love to philosophical lessons about equality and tolerance. At times, the book is corny and cheesy as you might expect in a collection as this one. At times, it is pensive and serious. "So...it's not easy to teach you what a man is. It's different things for different people. With different people." What shines through is the love and the recognition that we as parents may not always know what we are doing, but hopefully, we do the best we can.

In a world where negativity is so prevalent, I will take the positive message of love. "You and your mother are my greatest, most wonderful, scariest adventure. I'm amazed every day that you're still letting me follow along."

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Farm

Title:  The Farm

Author:  Joanne Ramos

Publication Information:  Random House. 2019. 336 pages.

ISBN:  1984853759 / 978-1984853752

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "The emergency room is an assault."

Favorite Quote:  "Sometimes a person has no choice but hard choices."

The Farm - Golden Oaks - is a beautiful place set in the Hudson Valley of New York. Its business objective is a conceptually simple one. They market babies. The wealthy come to Golden Oaks seeking a "host" to carry a baby for medical and/or lifestyle reasons. The Farm provides the carefully chosen hosts and then houses and cares for them for then in months of the pregnancy. The amenities are many, but so are the rules, all designed to ensure the "production" of a healthy baby.

The women of this story...

Jane is a single mother and an immigrant with few prospectives for a better future. She joins the Farm as a host for the money to start a better life for her own daughter. At the same time, she leaves behind her daughter in the care of others to carry someone else's child.

Reagan is also a host but with a completely different story than Jane's. At the heart of it, she wants to do good and give someone the gift of a child.

Mae is the director of the farm. To her, this is a business venture and a stepping stone of her career. She is also in a committed relationship and considers starting a family.

Ate is Jane's cousin. What her role in this story is and why slowly emerges.

In alternating perspectives, the book tells the story of the farm. Beyond that, it also tells the story of the challenges women face and the choices mothers make. It should make for a serious, emotional story.

The story is a serious one, but one interesting aspect of this book is that it does not deal with the emotional implications of surrogacy. Most of the emotion in this book comes from these women and the children they already have or dream of having. The emotion is not about the surrogacy itself; that is portrayed as the business deal. The emotion of that is missing. How difficult is it to give up a child that a mother has carried for nine months and felt the pain of delivering? How challenging is it to make the decision to let another carry and birth your child? What are the other implications when surrogacy is chosen not for medical reasons but for convenience and lifestyle? Is it a deliberate choice or missed opportunity in this book to not address these questions? I am not sure but it leaves me wondering.

The most challenging aspect of this book is that throughout the book carries a tone of underlying menace. "An unsettling sense that the Farm is a set piece created for the Client on the other end of Dr. Wilde's wire, and behind its pretty face lies the truth." However, the truth is that the farm is a prosaic business enterprise where the product is babies, the employees are fixed-term, the job requirements are stringent and absolute, and the management is concerned with profits and brands. Some might say that the idea of big business is menace enough. However, the idea that first comes to mind is more of scientific experimentation and a "Big Brother" approach to controlling the "host" mothers. That sense of foreboding and danger never comes to fruition, leaving me wondering what this book was really about.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss

Title:  Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss

Author:  Rajeev Balasubramanyam

Publication Information:  The Dial Press. 2019. 368 pages.

ISBN:  0525511385 / 978-0525511380

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "It should have been the greatest day of his life."

Favorite Quote:  "I realize now ... that my mistake was in thinking that I had nothing else to learn in life. I think if there's nothing new to learn, there's probably no point being alive at all."

Many books have been written recently about curmudgeonly old characters who are at a crossroads in their life and find a new direction. Some discover joy right where they are. Some make dramatic changes to find the peace and satisfaction they seek. Either way, the books impart some life lessons about finding our own bliss. Most of the books that work do so because the main character is either charming and endearing that I, as a reader, root for them or because the character is compelling in some way as to keep me reading.

That is the expectation with which I begin this book. Professor Chandra is divorced, estranged from one of his three children, and has not indeed won the Nobel Prize as he thinks he should. An accident forces him to change paths. According to the book description, "he's about to embark on the journey of a lifetime."

This journey brings him from Cambridge to the United States, where his ex-wife lives with her new hippie significant other. The issue is that, for me, the professor or his family are not characters I relate to or find likable. Unfortunately, the professor, as the main character, does not evolve into a compelling character through the book either. He remains somewhat pompous, presumptuous, and self-centered. The fact that the book uses the character to also repeatedly pass judgment on American culture:

• "Jean was bored, Chandra decided that Western ailment caused by the collapse of the joint family and the invention of labor-saving devices."
• "It was six promiscuous yet deeply conservative youngsters who lived well below their means and, with the exception of the academic, lacked any ambition, drive, intelligence or common sense. In economic terms they were idiots, though this was also true of ninety percent of undergraduates."
• "... he still blamed them for failing to elect Hillary Knows-Some-Economics Clintons, which was more than could be said for the Oaf who wouldn't know a demand curve curve it if wrapped itself around his pizza-laden stomach."
• "But this was the way it was nowadays:  those who had a proper education used it for knavery, while those who lacked one did not think it important."

The fact that Professor Chandra's adventure in the USA leads to Esalen seems to just build on the stereotype of self-discovery. In the professor's context, it just does not ring true.

Satire? Perhaps that is the intent. Unfortunately, for me, it does not work.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.