Category: Review

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Review: The Immortalists

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin is the sort of book that I hardly ever pick up to read. From all the reviews and pictures on Instagram, I was somehow under the impression that it was a fantasy novel! Yeah, I know. That’s how closely I read all the reviews! Actually, when there is so much noise around a particular book, I try to avoid reading it until it has all died down. The only problem with resisting this book was its cover. I am totally, completely in love with this cover. I can truthfully say that this is one book that I judged by its cover!

The story starts in 1969, when the four Gold siblings Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon decide to visit a fortune-teller. There are rumours that this woman can tell the date of your death. The siblings enter her place one by one, and when they come out, nothing is the same ever again.

The narrative spans from 1978 to 2010 as it follows the four siblings, all of them transformed by that one afternoon at the fortune-teller’s. Life takes them all on different paths when their father dies suddenly and they are faced with the question of mortality. Simon and Klara run away to San Francisco, while Daniel and Varya are left behind to take care of their mother.

Simon, who is the youngest and has not even finished high school, becomes a dancer and loses himself in the hedonistic world of San Francisco in the early 80s. His mother, who is already reeling from her husband’s death, is left stunned when her youngest and most favourite child runs away.

Klara, who has always wanted to be a magician, struggles to find a foothold in a business dominated by men. Her struggles to find her place in the world and to keep her demons away lead her to Las Vegas where she dreams of making it big.

Daniel, stays firm on his chosen path, studies medicine, gets married, and goes on to become a doctor in the army in the 2000s. However, even his practicality cannot stop him from regretting the afternoon when he convinced his siblings to go and see the fortune-teller.

Varya, the oldest and the most studious, has to stay at home looking after her mother after Simon runs away. Eventually, she studies science and goes into longevity research, becoming obsessed with finding the secret to immortality.

The conflict between religion and science, faith and proof, is a recurring theme in the book, as all the four children question the faith of their devout Jew parents. It also raises the question of whether the choices you make can change your fate. It tells the story of how sometimes the lines can blur between illusion and reality, and how there are some things that defy explanation. Above all, it is an ode to all siblings, close or strained, who are tied together by an invisible bond of blood.

I love reading books about siblings, because they remind me of my own relationships. My bond with my siblings is something that I hold very dear. This book gives rise to so many conflicting emotions, that you cannot help but feel emotionally drained at the end. I might not agree with a lot of things in the book, but that is only because of my own background and prejudices. For me, this was a superlative read. Oh, and one extra star for that gorgeous cover!
Fair warning: This book has religion, atheism, sexism, racism and homo sexuality. It is an unforgettable book if read with an open mind, and a mine of controversy if read with preconceived notions. It is not for anyone who gets offended by a non-conforming view of religion, or finds homosexuality an affront to their sensibilities.

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Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Rating: 4 Stars

Some books make you think long and hard about what you want to say about them, and it seems impossible to find the words to do them justice. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, is one such book. It made me laugh with its wit and sarcasm, while making me sad at the same time. The mark of a good book is that it makes you think and doesn’t leave you even after you have finished reading it. This is one of those books.

Eleanor Oliphant has no friends, no social skills, and no ambition. She says whatever comes into her mind without any filters, and sarcasm comes as naturally to her as breathing. Her life is fine and she doesn’t know that there is something better than just “fine”. She has had the same job for the last nine years, and she has no plans of going anywhere. Then one day, she sees the man she knows she is destined to marry, and decides to change things so that she can have the family she always wanted.

Alas, her computer decides to give up on her the next day, and she meets Raymond, an unkempt, unfit, smoker with no sense of dressing. Eleanor is ready to forget about him and carry on with her plans, when an old man, Sammy, collapses on the street and Eleanor and Raymond help get him to the hospital. This starts a chain of events that take Eleanor on a completely different path and change her life forever.

Raymond, with his casual clothes, running shoes, and cigarette stink, is the first person to befriend Eleanor and show her how it takes just one good friend to turn your life from fine, to better than fine. Raymond’s kindness and friendship lead Eleanor to finally face the demons she has been running from and realize that she too can move forward in the world.

Eleanor’s struggles with becoming “normal” are what provide the biggest laughs, as does her vocabulary, which is so extensive that I had to look up a few of the words myself. Her way of talking and explaining things left me reeling most of the time. The sarcasm is cutting and on point; and her exasperation with the human race in general, amusing. I think Eleanor Oliphant may well become one of my favourite fictional characters.

However, all through the book you can feel the spectre of Eleanor’s past and how it has shaped her, and you cannot help but feel heavy-hearted. You feel sad for this girl raised in foster homes, with no family to turn to. She doesn’t have any social graces because she wasn’t taught any. There was no one to tell her how to be social, or how to make friends, or even how to expect better from her life. She has some deep scars, both physical and psychological, that have never been healed.

Even with all the baggage, once you get to know her, you cannot help but like her. With her, what you see is what you get. As she interacts with Raymond, Raymond’s mom, Sammy, Sammy’s family and her office colleagues, she realizes that she too can have a life that is better than “fine”. She is after all Eleanor Oliphant and she is a survivor.

An enjoyable, emotional book. A must-read in my opinion.

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Review: The Perfect Stranger

Rating: 3 Stars

I have found that if you have not read a writer before, don’t read their best rated book first, because it will set the bar higher for subsequent books. I had not read Megan Miranda before, and all reviews pointed at All The Missing Girls being the greatest book ever written. Of course, that made me wary of getting it. As I was ordering some books from Amazon, I saw The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda, and added it to my basket without reading any reviews or ratings. I wasn’t disappointed.

Leah Stevens moves to a small town in Pennsylvania with her friend Emmy Grey. She needs to start over and leave behind the scandal that ended her journalism career and almost destroyed her. She takes up a teaching position in the local high school while Emmy, with her background in NGO work, struggles with part-time jobs. It is not a peaceful existence as she struggles with forgetting her past and getting used to living in the isolated house near the lake that Emmy was intent on living in.

When there is a vicious crime near Leah’s house, and Leah reports Emmy missing, all hell breaks loose. Leah realizes that her new house is not so safe after all, and someone seems to be stalking her. As things unravel, it dawns on Leah that there is no evidence that Emmy Grey even existed, and now she herself is the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Now Leah not only has to prove herself innocent by finding Emmy Grey, she also has to see her past with new eyes.

The character of Leah is a good one. She has a journalist’s instincts and reactions, and she is ready to go to any length to get to the truth. The setting of the book is also true to a thriller. The glass walls that make the front of the house visible to anyone from outside, struck as quite creepy, and I kept imagining how it would feel to sleep in a house like that. Even though the characters and setting were good, I wish the writer had given some more reality to the narrative.

The irritant in this book was the way Leah Stevens describes everything, from her relationship to her family, to the scandal that made her run away, in terms that seemed to be coming out of the mouth of a psychologist rather than a journalist. Saying something like, “Have you ever wondered if what we’re doing is the only path? If we weren’t meant for something else?” when all her sister asked was what was going on; who talks like that in the real world?

The climax was also a bit of a disappointment. After so many twists and turns, the end was like a fizzled bomb. It was rushed. and there were some loose ends that were not dealt with. The most glaring one being the fate of Theo Burton and how the evidence that seemed so flimsy a couple of pages back, was suddenly enough to detain him. Then there was the last confrontation that was over almost as soon as it began, and leaves you feeling like you were cheated out of a good climax after spending so much time reading the book.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and would give it 3.5 stars. I just wish the ending had been a better.

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Review: Percy Jackson And The Olympians

Rating: 4 Stars

I have always found mythological stories very fascinating. I was very young, around 16 I think, when someone gave me a Urdu translation of Plutarch’s book on Greek and Roman gods. It was most definitely not age appropriate, very extensive, and in old Urdu. None of that deterred me from reading it cover to cover. From there started my love for Greek and Roman mythology, which later went on to include Egyptian, Norse and Hindu mythology as well.

Ever since my son started reading Percy Jackson, some five years back, I had wanted to read it. I like discussing books with my kids. It is the one thing that we bond over the most. Somehow, I never got around to picking up Percy Jackson and actually reading it, even when my kids insisted that I do it. But last year, when I finally managed to make a bookstagram account, Crazy Bookish Love, I started reading all the books that I had neglected previously. So, last week I borrowed the first Percy Jackson book from my son and decided to find out what the fuss was all about.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians is a series of five books that follow the adventures of a dyslexic boy with ADHD, who unbeknownst to him, is a Greek demigod. Demigods are children of gods from mortal partners. If anyone has read anything about mythology, almost all mythological gods are quite low on morality and fidelity. Greek gods are no different. Hence, the abundance of Half-Bloods, or children of Gods with one mortal parent.

Percy Jackson is a twelve-year-old with a penchant for getting into trouble. He has never spent more than a year in a single school as he keeps blowing things up or getting almost killed all the time. After he accidentally kills his Math teacher while on a trip to the museum, he realizes that he is not an average kid with dyslexia; he is a demigod. And his awkward friend Grover, who Percy is always trying to help, is actually a Satyr sent to keep him safe. Thus begins his new life that take him to Camp Half-Blood and introduces him to others like him.

At camp, Percy meets Annabeth, Luke and Chiron, who go on to have the most profound impact on his life. He has no idea who his godly parent is until he is shown a sign, and all hell breaks loose. What follows is a roller coaster ride that not only takes him across the country, but also into the Underworld. On the way, he manages to get into some mischief, ruffle some godly feathers, find family, and make some everlasting friends; all while fighting monsters and keeping other worldly threats at bay.

Rick Riordan is one of the most prolific writers of mythological fiction. He is adored all over the world. For me, the best thing about these books is the humour and wit that Riordan manages to infuse in his characters. Even in the direst of circumstances, the characters manage to come up with hilarious quips and one-liners which makes everything easier to read, keeps up the interest.

There are very few things that I didn’t like in the books. The first was how everyone was always hiding things from Percy and exchanging “looks”. It was funny in the first couple of books, but by the last book I was getting really irritated by the whole “we-know-something-you-don’t” vibe. The second was Annabeth. I just couldn’t like her. She was too full of herself and a proper Miss Know-It-All. She kept secrets from Percy, and made him appear foolish. Not something a real friend would do.

Still, I managed to finish the whole series in one week, which just shows how interesting it was. Definitely worth reading.

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Review: The Wife Between Us

Rating: 3 Stars

Either I read too many thrillers, or I somehow end up reading similar books very close together. I wish I hadn’t read The Last Mrs. Parrish before this one. Because even though The Wife Between Us is infinitely better than that book, the main idea is so similar that it looks like the same person shared their ideas with the authors!

The Wife Between Us starts out as a simple enough narrative, told in two alternate voices, one a first-hand narrative, and the other in Third Person about a girl called Nellie. The first twist comes out of nowhere. Even though I had read the blurb and was ready to question everything, I didn’t see that one coming. I was able to predict a couple of things but not the first twist. For me, this turned everything I thought upside down, and I had to go back and read a few things again. This twist was so good that I had very high expectations from the rest of the book.

Alas, the second part of the book is just spent in clearing up all that happens in the first part. All loose ends are dealt with and everything is neatly tied up. Not a good idea for a Thriller. While you want to know what actually happened, all the suspense is dead and you just read on to find the motives and conclusion. The one thing that the authors seem to think we don’t know, is glaringly obvious from almost the beginning. At a time when domestic abuse is in the spotlight, it is impossible to misconstrue any clues about its existence.

The most unnecessary part of the story comes in the Epilogue. There was no need for that twist, if you can all it a twist. It just emphasized the feeling that the writers were trying too hard. Sometimes, it is ok to leave a few stories untold, a few ends untied. After all, that’s what happens in real life. It sounds too good to be true to have all your demons laid to rest in one go.

Overall, I like the book even though there wasn’t anything different about it. I liked the way the authors have dealt with domestic abuse and its aftermath. A domestic abuse victim can never want another person to go through the same experience, no matter how desperate they are. A good one time read.

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Review: Caraval

Rating: 3.5 Stars

When I bought Caraval, I didn’t have much idea about what it was. I had seen it on Instagram and really liked the cover, so I bought it without really looking at it. When I read the blurb, I was dismayed to see that it seemed to be quite similar to The Night Circus which is one of my favourite books of all time. So, it was with mixed feelings that I picked this one up to read.

To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. Of course, it can never compete with the magic of The Night Circus, but this is as close to it as a YA novel can hope to be.

It is somewhat amateurish but once you let your imagination soar, you can picture everything so clearly in your mind. I feel that is what fantasy novels are all about; if you can see it in your mind’s eye then they have achieved their objective.

The story is not too complicated. It is about two sisters trying to escape their abusive father. Both of them have different ideas about what escape means, but both want the other sister to have a better life even if it means endangering their own. The one thing that stops this book from being amazing is the weak character development. I just felt that halfway through the book, the writer decided to write a sequel and make Donatella its heroine. So, suddenly you find that everything that was being said about her wasn’t true and she is actually a very intelligent and secretive young lady. Scarlett Dragna comes off as a bit dull and one dimensional. The world around her is more interesting than she herself. Same goes for Julian, who somehow manages not to be the mysterious man he was supposed to be. Dante and Lagend, by comparison seem more interesting than Julian, which I’m sure the author was not aiming for.

Despite this, it was fun to go into this world where everyone is lying and nothing is as it seems. Stephanie Garber has created a compelling imaginary world; I wish her characters had also been as compelling.

I liked the book overall which kept me interested enough to want to continue reading. This one is for all YA Fantasy fans.

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Review: You Will Know Me

Rating: 4 Stars

A psychological thriller set in the world of gymnastics, this is book takes a peek into the world of competitive sports. I have watched gymnasts perform amzaing feats on TV, but never wondered about their lives; how they have to maintain a compact physique, and at the same time be strong enough to withstand the rigorous demands of their chosen profession. This book not only gives insight into the lives of gymnasts, it also shows the struggle that their families have to go through, though, surely, these families are nothing like the Knoxs!

Katie and Eric Knox are living their dreams through their daughter, sometimes at the expense of their younger son. Their lives revolve around somehow getting Devon to make the Olympics team one day. Katie still harbours some guilt from an accident that resulted in Devon’s deformed foot, and as a result puts all her efforts into giving everything to Devon.

When an hit-and-run causes the death of a boy, the whole community is left shocked. Devon’s gym gets caught in the eye of the storm, and Katie and Eric can see their dreams getting shattered. Rumours start flying about everyone and Katie can’t help but start digging about the accident. As she goes deeper, Katie finds herself unraveling secrets that are better left alone and that may threaten the entire fabric of her family. She is left reeling as more and more secrets come to light, and leave her determined to do what is right for her and her children.

Sometimes, parents will go to great lengths to ensure the well being of their children. Here, the parents will go to any length to make sure their own dreams are not shattered. Is it a crime to want the best for your children? Is it selfish to be willing to go to any extremes for the happiness of your children? This book proves to be a true thriller.

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Review: The Strange Case of The Alchemist’s Daughter

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This book is another good book from 2017. I find that it is not given the credit it deserves. Reading it was so much fun, something that we forget that we need in our lives. Ever wonder why all the famous monsters in fiction are male? Whatever happened to their female counterparts? Or what if they had female versions, only no one knew about them? This book takes some of the strangest creatures from literary fiction, and makes them into someone you would want to go on an adventure with. Even while facing the horrible villains, you want to stay with this gang of girls and see how they get out of each scrape.

When Dr. Jekyll’s daughter, Mary, is left penniless after her mother’s death, she decides to find her father’s former colleague, Edward Hyde, who is wanted for murder even after so many years. The reason for her interest is of course the reward that still exists on his capture. Mary asks for help from Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson who only agree to humour her.

When she insists on accompanying Dr. Watson to an orphanage, she has no idea that she is about to meet Mr. Hyde’s daughter, Diana, who declares herself Mary’s sister! Diana is an uncouth, untidy, feral child who has no use for rules and etiquette. She tries Mary’s patience, antagonizes Mary’s housekeeper and is a thorn in everyone’s side. But she is more than willing to go along with Mary to search for the elusive Mr. Hyde.

As they set off on an adventure, they gather with them a motley crew consisting of Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein, all considered monsters and misfits in a society obsessed with perfection. In the course of their crazy enterprise, they discover a secret society of mad scientists and gradually realize that some of these scientists are up to no good.

As the author takes them through London, get ready for an insane and funny ride with female monsters who have been ignored by authors over the centuries. A thoroughly engaging and entertaining read.

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My Best Books of 2017

I know it’s a bit late to talk about what was hot last year, but I thought I would give it a go. I had been going through a reading slump for the last six years or so. In September 2017, I decided to end this slump and get back to my old habits. Hence, my list of the best books of 2017 is not that long. I have read some really amazing books that have made me very happy to be back with my most beloved possessions. The following books are not in any particular order, just random ranking as they came into my head.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

I have always loved History as a subject, but books based on the two World Wars leave me feeling depressed. So, as a rule, I avoid reading about these wars. The Alice Network proved to be a surprise in that regard.

It is a very sad story based on very real people who sacrificed their lives during the World Wars. Yet, it is a completely immersive tale. Women spies have been a source of fascination and wonder since time immemorial. Everyone has definite ideas about female spies; they’re either pious angels, or promiscuous devils; either black, or white; no greys.

The Alice Network forces you to look at female spies as courageous women who served their countries. They took risks and endangered their own lives. Their ground realities were starkly different from everyone else. They operated in a reality that we cannot even fathom.

Written in the voices of two different women, in two different eras, this book tells us about how spy networks were the backbone of the two sides during both the wars. I found it hard to put the book down as it took me through two wars simultaneously, and merged two stories together seamlessly. The wit and intelligence presented are based on truth. This makes me more in awe of the great women of the Alice Network.

This book is definitely worthy of heading the list of the best books of 2017.

The Rules of Magic By Alice Hoffman

This is by far my favourite book from last year. It is so far removed from my usual favourites that even I was taken by surprise.“Fall in love whenever you can.” The last rule of magic is the enemy of the Owens family. They are cursed in matters of love, yet they are destined to be followed by love all their lives.

The Rules of Magic is a magical book. It pulls you in and refuses to let you go. It is about the lives of the three children of Susanna Owens. She wants to keep them away from the cursed legacy of their family. But it is a great folly to hide your true self. Truth has a way of coming out. It is better to accept who you are than keep lying for the rest of your life.

The story may be about witches and magic, but what it embodies is true for all human beings. Life is full of good and bad, so accept everything that life throws at you and draw strength from these experiences. Loving and losing is all part of life, and avoiding love does not mean avoiding pain. The only way to live is to be true to yourself.

After a long time, a book has touched me so much that I could feel the pain of the characters. As I look back on the book, I can find nothing out of the ordinary that makes it special, but it is true that I cried with the characters. It has touched my heart somehow and I see myself picking up this book to read again and again. It reaffirms my belief that in order to live well we must “Love more, not less.” Another one of the best books of 2017.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I had never read anything by Celeste Ng before. Little Fires Everywhere was my introduction to the author. And what an introduction!

The book starts with actual little fires everywhere in the Richardson house in Shaker Heights. From there, we’re taken back in time to around a year ago and how the events from that time culminated in the house being burned to ground. It is a good lesson in how there are always two sides to every issue. Everyone looks at things according to their own experiences.

Sometimes there is no right or wrong way of doing things, you just have to make the best of what you have. Reading the book left me feeling quite emotional. I really hate it when things are not tied up neatly and everyone doesn’t get their just deserves. But I also love such climaxes because they leave a lot to your imagination. And that way the book experience is never the same for two people. It is not a thriller. There are no murders, no crazy psychopaths, no robberies, no mysteries. This is just the story of how a few months impacted so many lives; a small glimpse into a community during the 90s. A good read and a worthy contender for the list of best books of 2017.

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

What an intense thriller! I had never read any books by Karin Slaughter and this was a great introduction to the author. The narrative is quite graphic, and not for the faint of heart. It grips you from the first chapter and you find yourself wanting to know what happens next.

The story revolves around a family torn apart by a tragic attack twenty eight years ago, which leaves all of them with scars, both physical and psychological. Charlotte thinks that she has come a long way from her nightmarish ordeal almost thirty years ago. She is a good lawyer, not like her notorious father who is willing to represent anyone regardless of their guilt.

One morning, she is caught in a school shooting. It threatens to expose everything she has worked so hard to keep inside her. As things get worse, Charlie’s life starts to unravel around her and there is only one person who can help her become whole again. But they haven’t seen or spoken to each other in a long, long time, and there are some wounds that just refuse to heal.

There are some sequences that are truly horrifying and leave the reader close to tears. However, the solid narrative and story make it very hard to put the book down. Underlying the narrative is the theme of a father’s love for his daughters and how he believes, I think quite rightly, that everyone needs a different kind of love. One of the best thrillers that I have ever read. Definitely a must read for all lovers of this genre and definitely one of the best books of 2017.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

When I picked up this book, I absolutely expected to get bored with it and have trouble finishing it. After all, I have never had patience with long, rambling narratives about people’s lives. So, it was a surprise when I it took me one day to finish it because I couldn’t put it down!

This is the story of Evelyn Hugo, a Hollywood mega star, and her equally famous and ill-fated marriages. Evelyn wants to tell her real story to the world, but only if Monique Grant writes it. Intrigued by why a Hollywood movie icon would want a little-known journalist, Monique agrees to write the biography, little knowing the effect it will have on her.

The character of Evelyn is such that you dislike her, yet root for her at the same time. She is ambitious and ruthless, but there are some aspects to her life that are very painful. Like her One True Love, and her best friend, who is ready to do anything for her.

As far as the book itself goes, while captivating, it feels like some parts of the story are just glossed over without any details. I don’t like lengthy narrative, but there are a couple of things that required more detail. Still, it does not take anything away from the story itself. It sort of reminded me of A Woman of Substance and Master of the Game, but only because of the strong female protagonist who will go to any lengths to get what she wants. It sure does deserve a place on the list of the best books of 2017!

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