February 2016 – Page 2 – My Good Reads

‘Am I Normal Yet?’ – Holly Bourne

The stigma surrounding mental health issues seems to be of great interest at the moment. In this book Holly Bourne seems to be going to great lengths to shatter our preconceived notions of what certain conditions mean/how they affect people.

16-year old Evie wants nothing more than to be normal, whatever that is, and we follow her through her days as she starts college and starts the process of reducing the medication she takes to help her live with her anxiety and OCD. More than anything she no longer wants to be known as the girl who went crazy, and she’d also quite like a boyfriend, but she struggles to work out what are typical reactions to the situations she’s in and what are the symptoms of her condition.

Her fear of how others will judge her was brought home with the excruciating account of her date with Oli. It highlighted just how easy it is to bandy around terms like ‘mental’ without really thinking about the implications of their use.

While this all sounds very worthy, the thing that struck me most was about this book was the warmth of the characters and the humorous way in which Bourne relates their experiences. Definitely one that I could see appealing to readers for many different reasons…

‘The Sealed Letter’ – Emma Donoghue

I don’t know how this novel by Emma Donoghue had passed me by, but the cover promises intrigue and I was fascinated by the little I could glean from the information given.

Set in 1864 this is the fictionalised story of a high-profile divorce case that apparently gripped Victorian England.

The story begins with a meeting between two old friends – Miss Emily “Fido” Faithfull and Helen Codrington. Somewhat unwittingly Emily becomes a pawn in Helen’s game as she continues her affair. Much is made throughout the novel of Helen’s ‘flightiness’ and the fact that she is not what people expect of a lady of this social standing. These two women are like fish out of water, but for what seems like very different reasons.

As the novel progresses we follow what quickly becomes a rather lurid story. Donoghue’s attention to historical detail seems meticulous, though at times I felt this interfered with the telling of the story.

By the end of the novel my feelings towards the three central characters had done something of an about-turn. Nobody really comes out of this well, but the sealed letter referred to in the title was a clever device that allows Donoghue to lay her characters bare in a way I wasn’t expecting.

‘The Tattoed Heart: Messenger of Fear 2’ – Michael Grant

This second book picks up with Mara coming to terms with what it means to be a Messenger, and realising the true consequences of her earlier actions.

Mara is being punished for her part in a girl’s suicide, and some of the descriptions of what she is made to witness in her new role are not for the faint-hearted. Watching Mara learn her duty as a Messenger means watching some pretty messed-up lives from a distance, powerless to intervene. This was dark…deliciously so!

This novel focuses a lot on the lives of Gabrielle and Trent. I won’t reveal their stories but how Grant deals with them had me questioning so many things.Throughout the novel it feels like Grant is toying with us, and the end result is compelling.

What I particularly loved in this book was how Mara learns more about the Messenger and his background. I defy anyone to not have a bit of a lump in their throat by the end.

Where will part three go? I can’t wait to find out.

‘Be Careful What You Witch For’ – Thomas Hoobler

Daughter of famous movie stars is sent to live with eccentric aunt…sounds like Sabrina the teenage witch.

This was a quick read, and I can see how the story would appeal to younger female readers. The book tries to explore – a little – what it’s like to try and fit in and how far you will go to get what you want. There were a few moments that made me giggle, but I didn’t really find much about this book that would make me want to recommend it to anyone over a number of other books that explore similar topics.

I received a digital copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Saenz

The moment I was given this book to read I had a feeling it could be something special. The cover is beautiful, and it seems to sum up perfectly the sense of loneliness that pervades this novel.

Aristotle – known as Ari – is part of quite a large family, most of whom we never get to see. His older brother is in prison, his father is a Vietnam veteran who speaks little and Ari is used to spending a lot of time alone. Dante is an only child who is also used to spending time alone. The two boys meet in the summer of 1987, when Dante offers to help Ari learn to swim. For these two American-Mexican boys on the cusp of adulthood their friendship provides an opportunity to discover themselves.

We know from quite early on in the novel that Dante is gay. I loved the fact that for most of the book this is not the focus of their relationship. They talk, they fight, they have periods of not talking…but their bond is clear. I loved the way their friendship was portrayed, and there is a real heart-in-the-mouth moment during the early stages of the book (you’ll know it when you come to it) that I didn’t see coming. The boys’ relationship seems quite unsettled after this incident – perhaps quite naturally – and Ari in particular takes a long time to come to terms with his feelings. However, this incident did allow us the opportunity to get to know some of the family members in a little more detail and I found this part of the book really touching.

Saenz’s prose was captivating. I didn’t want it to end, and this is definitely a book I’d want to re-read.

‘The Art of Being Normal’ – Lisa Williamson

This book features on the CILIP Carnegie 2016 pre-longlist, and I’ve been trying to read as many of these titles as I can before going back to those that make the next stage. Some are definitely more appealing than others – and this was one that I was looking forward to reading.

This cover is pretty simple, but conveys clearly the key issue of the book. The latest issue of the book that I’ve seen has a more obscure cover, and I’m curious about the apparent change of focus.

Before you read this you are told that David Piper has, from a very young age, known he wants to be a girl. Every one of his peers seems to be aware of this, and yet only his two closest friends are meant to know for certain. David spends a lot of the book agonising out how to tell his parents that he is transgender, yet we are giving no clues in anything they do that this would be met with anything other than understanding. This minor gripe aside, David is a character that you support and want things to work out for.

When he is defended in school by the mysterious new boy, Leo, things get a little more interesting. We know Leo has a secret. Though we can clearly see after reading how this is set up, the moment where the secret is revealed comes as a real surprise.

While this will find fans amongst readers who may want to explore their own thoughts on this issue, for me the book was more about friendship and how we learn to accept ourselves as we grow away from our families.

This book was one I rattled through, and thoroughly enjoyed.

‘Not If I See You First’ – Eric Lindstrom

Parker Grant is blind. She has a clear set of rules that she likes people to follow. These coping mechanisms work well for helping her manage her physical needs, but don’t really address her emotional needs. These have been neglected to say the least since her father died three months ago.

This sounds like a great story. It also reads a lot like the book of the movie, where you can almost picture the scenes on screen as you read. This is not a criticism, but it does impact on how emotionally you can get into the story and characters.

Parker is, in many ways, quite an unlikeable character, then a rare glimpse of something quite lovely is given. It’s snatched away before we really get to see it developed – but this might be a conscious way of exploring the psyche of a seventeen year old high school student. I can see this being a book that will grow on people.

This digital copy was received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.