THE FRIEND by Sigrid Nunez

THE FRIEND

by

Sigrid Nunez

            The Friend, by Sigrid Nunez, is the winner of the 2018 National Book Award for Fiction. And, in the case of this lovely, little book, the honor is well deserved.

            Her best friend and mentor, a writer, committed suicide. He left behind wife number three, a dog, and the friend (who ended up with the dog). Apollo, a huge Great Dane who was rescued, is also grieving – and is unwanted. The surviving friend ends up with Apollo, despite the fact that her lease prohibits her from having a dog in her apartment. The Friend is a glimpse into their lives. It is about suicide and dogs; grief and love; writing and teaching. This is a book without names – except for the dog (although the surviving wife might be considered to have a name – “wife number three” – it is more a distinguishing label than a name). Apollo is the only “real” name. I am not quite sure why there is a dearth of names; perhaps Nunez believes this will help focus the reader on the raw feelings associated with the friend’s loss and the subsequent bond she develops with Apollo. Whatever the motivation, it has an interesting effect.

            I generally love books about writers and writing and about dogs. But, The Friend is a little different. I didn’t just love the book – I fell in love with it. This was an evolving process. And, that process continued, and my love continued to grow, long after I finished reading.

            The Friend is not a large work, but a great deal is encapsulated within its small structure. It is a powerful reading experience, and I highly recommend it.

LETHAL WHITE by Robert Galbraith

LETHAL WHITE

by

Robert Galbraith

            Lethal White is the fourth Cormoran Strike novel by J.K. Rowling, written under the Robert Galbraith pseudonym. Strike, a private investigator, and his junior partner, Robin Ellacott, are extremely busy after Strike was instrumental in catching the Shacklewell Ripper. In the midst of this, Billy, a mentally ill young man, ends up in Strike’s office claiming that he had witnessed the murder of a child. Shortly after, Strike is hired by Jasper Chiswell, the Minister For Culture. The Minister is being blackmailed by two men, the husband of the Minister For Sport and Billy’s older brother. Is this one case or two? Who is behind the various crimes and why?

            Rowling is the queen of character development, and Lethal White does not disappoint. From the upper-crust member of Parliament to poor, downtrodden mentally ill Billy, Rowling delivers a full panoply of interesting characters, replete with the complexities we have come to expect from her. But, the most interesting characters in the book are Strike and Robin. We are treated to the continued development of each character, as well as development in their personal and professional relationships.

In addition to the signature character development, Lethal White again delivers a wonderful, old-fashioned mystery that we have come to expect from the plots of the Cormoran Strike novels. And, this is a particularly complex, convoluted plot.

            It was wonderful to be back in Strike’s world. But, even after almost 650 pages, I hated to see it end and continued to think about the book long after I reached the end.

AARU: HALLS OF HEL Book 2, The Aaru Cycle by David Meredith

AARU: HALLS OF HEL

Book 2, The Aaru Cycle

by

David Meredith

            Aaru: Halls of Hel is the second book of The Aaru Cycle, a young adult series by David Meredith. I reviewed the first book in the series last year (see Aaru review, October 2, 2017).

            In Halls of Hel, we return to the world of Rose and Koren. Rose continues her life after death as a Veda in Aaru, while her younger sister, Koren, and their parents continue their lives in the real, “Before,” world. Elysian Industries continues to work to improve Aaru, while Aaru’s detractors continue to attack Aaru. Most importantly, Magic Man, the bad guy foiled by Rose and Koren but who got away, continues his pursuit of Koren and his attack on Aaru.

            I read Aaru during hurricane Harvey. Over the past year, I have thought about the Aaru world and wondered if my review had perhaps been too harsh; although I stand by the criticisms that I made, the mere fact that I continued to think about Aaru speaks volumes. So, when David Meredith asked me if I would like to read and review The Halls of Hel, I welcomed the opportunity to revisit Aaru.

            The world of Aaru is intriguing and raises some interesting philosophical questions. In addition to the question about the propriety of this virtual world, Rose and her friends are struggling with questions of purpose in a world wherein they can have or do anything merely by thinking of it. And, then there are ethical questions concerning the residents who join Aaru but who are forced to remain quarantined.

            One of my earlier criticisms of Aaru continues to bother me: Meredith’s written portrayal of Askr Ashe’s accent. It seems to me that the accent is inconsistent, and I continue to trip over it. Though this is a major stumbling block for me, it is relatively minor in the Aaru scheme of things. Another of my prior criticisms has been resolved, as both Rose and Koren have evolved. Although some of the angst we encountered in Aaru continues in Halls of Hel, both characters act in a more age appropriate manner.

            Halls of Hel, like Aaru, is well written and thought provoking. I enjoyed my return to the Aaru world, and I am looking forward to reading the next installment in The Aaru Cycle.

BELLEWETHER by Susanna Kearsley

BELLEWETHER

by

Susanna Kearsley

            Bellewether is quintessential Kearsley, beautifully interweaving the present with the historical. In the present, Charley Van Hoek is the new curator of the Wilde House Museum, the former Long Island home of, inter alia, Benjamin Wilde, a popular privateer. In the historical, we learn about the Wilde family, including Benjamin and his sister, Lydia. This part takes place during the Seven Years’ War (a.k.a. the French and Indian War) when two French officers were placed with the Wilde family after being paroled on their honor. Running through this intertwined plot are ghosts, privateers, war, French, Canadian, British, colonists, slavery, and interesting family dynamics. At the end of the book, in true Kearlsey fashion, is her About the Character section, discussing the characters and the historical basis for the book. As always, this is an interesting and worthwhile addition to the book.

            I have been a long time Kearsley fan, and I think her work keeps improving. The Winter Sea has always been my very favorite Kearsley book, but right now, Bellewether is tied for favorite.

            Bellewether is a rich and wonderful reading experience!

BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD by Attica Locke

BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD

by

Attica Locke

            Bluebird, Bluebird, by Attica Locke, won the 2018 Edgar Award for Best Novel. The book is about Darren Mathews, an African American Texas Ranger who had quit law school, after two years at the University of Chicago, in order to join law enforcement.

At the start of the book, Mathews is testifying before the grand jury, concerning a friend who is charged with murder, and is facing a suspension from the Rangers. After he hears about the murders of a black man and a white woman in an east Texas town, Mathews inserts himself into the investigation.

            I did not like Bluebird, Bluebird. In fact, my kneejerk reaction was that I hated this book. This response was twofold.

First, my intense negative reaction arose in part from the nature of the book. Despite winning the Edgar Award, Bluebird, Bluebird is not so much a murder mystery as it is a book about race; its murder mystery aspect is secondary. I do not like reading books about racial tensions (just like I do not like reading books dealing with the holocaust). In this aspect, I did not enjoy this book in that it was very uncomfortable. But, perhaps that means that it was successful and worthy of the Edgar. In addition, having lived in Houston for over twenty-five years, I do not believe that east Texas is as racially problematic as the book portrays. It is not that east Texas is free of racism; but, the picture painted by the book is reminiscent of pre-civil rights era times. Although there are undoubtedly individuals in east Texas (and elsewhere in our country) who would fit within the picture painted by Locke, I am reticent to apply such a blanket painting of east Texas. However, I am not a person of color; perhaps I am not seeing or understanding the racism that a person of color is experiencing. This is an interesting issue that I would welcome the chance to think and talk about, but not with this book. My expectation was a book about a murder mystery that has interesting racial permutations; what I read was a book about race that happened to have a murder mystery in the background.

            Second, I did not like this book as I did not care for the writing. Mathews is overdrawn and unrealistic. The Texas Rangers are legendary and almost mythic in reputation. Mathews seems to have a similar attitude about the Rangers, at least in words; but, his actions are disrespectful of the institution. Much of the draw for me to read this book was the Texas Rangers, and I do not think that it adequately explored or portrayed their mythos. In addition, I found the plot to be wanting. Part of the plot – about the grand jury testimony, suspension, and their ties to the murders – felt contrived and confusing. Also, as a murder mystery, it was difficult to follow the logic of the investigation and derive “whodunit”. It felt as if there were leaps in the writing instead of a natural flow. The words just didn’t paint a solid picture for me.

Bluebird, Bluebird is acclaimed. Whoever pitched the book did a good job – I had high expectations of an award winning murder mystery about Texas and the Texas Rangers. In my opinion, however, the book did not live up its advanced billing. To be fair, I wonder if my opinion about this book might be different had I known its true nature before I started reading. But as I did not, I was very disappointed.