Category: Contemporary

‘The Memory Book’ – Lara Avery

The Memory Book

Sammie is a girl with a plan – valedictorian, on the class debate team, determined to go to NYU – but sometimes the best-laid plans just don’t work out. Often it’s through something we have done – but in Sammie’s case it is because she is diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that she is told will slowly steal her memories.

Dementia/the loss of memories has to be one of the cruellest illnesses I can imagine as you lose your sense of identity and what makes you who you are. This is cruel at any time, but particularly for a young girl on the cusp of independence.

Sammie is determined to not give in without a fight…and so her memory book is born, where she writes notes to her future self about all the things that are happening to her. In turns funny, but often sad, this was an interesting technique to help us see the character develop.

Initially I found the book  little slow, but as we watch Sammie and her family trying to adjust to living with this condition it was quite heartbreaking. The obligatory first romance with her childhood crush, Stuart, was not all that appealing to me – I was far more invested in the developing relationship between Sammie and her childhood best friend, Cooper.

Like some of the other books that explore teen illness I guess there is no happy ending here. I’m quite relieved that Avery chose to leave us with Sammie in the best place she could be at that time, before it all got too miserable. I know there are people who like their books to be realistic, but in this case I was more than happy to be left wondering what might happen next.

Thanks to publishers Hachette and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy of this.

‘My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises’ – Fredrick Backman

My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises

I have ‘A Man Called Ove’ on my iPad and just haven’t got round to reading it, but I’d heard such positive things about it that I decided to give this one a whirl – and I’m so glad I did.

‘Every child needs a superhero’ we’re told near the start of this novel. The value of having someone to look up to and admire, who will fight your corner and simply love you because of who you are cannot be underestimated. I never saw enough of my grandparents to ever feel this strongly about them, but I can see the bond between my own children and their grandparents, and I was really touched by the relationship between Elsa and her grandmother. Their love for each other – even when they get angry at one another (which happens often) – pervades the novel.

When we first meet the pair I admit to being perplexed. Seven year old Elsa and her grandmother are in the police station having been caught breaking into a zoo. Grandmother has been throwing excrement at the police sent to get them, and it’s quickly established that this is not the first time the pair have been such a  situation. So different from most people’s experiences, I really didn’t know what to make of it. However, as we watch the pair bicker about how to deal with what happens next, and we’re given the real reason why they ended up at the zoo in the middle of the night, I was entranced.

Early on in the novel, Elsa overhears her grandmother talking. She has cancer, is going to die soon, and is desperate to ensure Elsa is looked after. Being left out of the loop by the adults around her results in Elsa’s imagination going into overdrive. At this point in the story I was hooked by the role fairy tales and imagination play in what is happening.

Backman maintains the persona of Elsa throughout, and I am convinced that everyone who reads this will fall a little bit in love with her. As Elsa carries out her grandmother’s last wishes she starts to lean more about the adults who live around her, and the ways in which their stories interconnect was skilfully revealed.

In the best possible way, this was a read I wasn’t sure what I was getting and it was a real treat. Now I guess it’s time to root out ‘A Man Called Ove’ and come late to that party…

‘The Underground Railroad’ – Colson Whitehead

Whitehead’s novel focuses predominantly on Cora, a young slave. When we first meet her there’s no getting away from the fact that this is a girl who has it tough. As with any novel focusing on slavery there is a lot of horrific detail here. Unflinching in brutality, Whitehead does not hesitate to show us the grim reality of life for many simply because of their skin colour. For anyone interested in this period, the book will undoubtedly be of interest.

We follow Cora as she grows into womanhood, and watch her as she decides to trust Caesar, a recent arrival, who persuades her to try and escape. There’s plenty of literature around that shows how harshly escaped slaves were treated, so it is no surprise to se how fiercely Cora fights for her freedom. However, when she kills a young white boy who attempts to capture her it is evident that Cora is going to need some luck if she is to survive.

In this novel the Underground Railroad is not simply a metaphor for those who helped runaway slaves – it has been transfigured into a literal network of tracks that cross Southern America. Watched over by sympathisers to the cause, the Railroad becomes Cora’s means to an end. Following its tracks, Cora crosses state after state – trying to escape the slave-owner desperate to have his property returned. This device also acts as an easy way in for a number of characters to feature in Cora’s life.

Where I found the book less successful was in regard to the sprawling nature of the content. There were a lot of characters dealt with, some of which were portrayed very superficially. At times, I’d have liked to follow one or two characters in more detail but this was ambitious in tone and it’s clear to see why many feel it hold a light to contemporary attitudes to race.

‘We Come Apart’ – Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan

We Come Apart

Sarah Crossan appears to be on a mission to highlight for teen readers the joy that verse can bring – and when it’s as good as this collaboration I am not going to complain.

Scheduled for publication on 9th February 2017, I’m really grateful to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this early.

The story is told through two distinctive voices. On one hand we have fifteen year old Jess, spiky and caught up in a lot of trouble, but hiding the sad reality that her step-father beats up her mother and makes Jess record it. Then we have Nicu, a fifteen year old Romanian whose family have come to make enough money to enable them to return home and marry Nicu off. Neither character has it easy, and telling the story through their alternating voices allows us to reflect on the information they give us.

When the two teens meet it takes a while for them to engage with each other. Although the book felt like a quick read, it took them a while to break down their initial wariness of each other and take time to establish a bond. I liked the fact that – not through want of wishing on Nicu’s part initially – this was more about friendship and mutual support than a romance.

The voices created were distinct, and I felt represented the characters and their personalities well. I was more than a little stunned by the speed at which we reached the rather shocking climax, and though it felt unresolved in some ways I have to say the ending left me rather dewy-eyed and hoping, desperately, that some good would come out of what happened. Then I reminded myself that it was only a story!

 

‘Beware That Girl’ – Teresa Toten

Beware That Girl

It comes as little surprise to me that there are talks to turn this into a movie. Set against the background of an elite Manhattan school, we watch two girls – with plenty  to hide – play a dangerous game, and it has all the characteristics of a tense film. Unfortunately, though I had the sense that this could have been a great book, it just didn’t do it for me.

The story is told through a split narrative. Sadly this meant that I never felt I got to know either character well enough to really care about them or what happened to them. On one hand we have rich girl Olivia, used to getting everything she wants, and then we have scholarship girl Katie. Both girls have their secrets, which they will do pretty much anything to protect. So far, so familiar.

During their senior year the girls meet Mark Redkin, a member of staff whom everyone seems to fall in love with. Superficially, he seems to be everything someone could want but it soon becomes clear that he is not quite what he wants everyone to think he is. From the first time we meet him, there are obvious signals that something pretty nasty is going to happen.

I found the setting and characterisation of this book largely responsible for my not really engaging with it. I don’t think that Kate, as a survivor of serious domestic abuse, would have been left in quite as isolated a position as she is, and Olivia is so clearly struggling with addiction and mental health issues that I’m amazed she was let into school without more careful monitoring.

The role that abuse played in this story was uncomfortable. The constant flashbacks to Kate’s life didn’t help me understand her better and felt more than a little gratuitous. And as for Mark’s treatment of nearly everyone he encounters…call me naive but alarm bells would have been ringing way before he even stepped foot in the door.

It was once we got towards the end of the novel that I got a glimpse of what this could have been.

Having been somewhat disappointed with this, I think I have to just say that I didn’t click with the characters/story and yet I can see this gaining a lot of fans.

‘Beautiful Broken Things’ – Sara Barnard

Beautiful Broken Things

An assured debut, which focuses on the friendship between Caddy, Rosie (who have been friends for years) and new girl, Suzanne. The impact of this novel didn’t really hit until quite late on in the story, by which time I was hooked.

As Caddy turns sixteen she yearns to be more like her best friend, Rosie. Her ambition for the year is to have a ‘significant life event’ – she is determined to be more interesting and self-confident. What she doesn’t realise is just how much she does have going for her.

Caddy’s insecurity plays a large part in the set-up of this story. When Rosie starts talking about the new girl she has befriended, Caddy is jealous and worries that she is about to lose her closest ally. In Suzanne she finds another new friend – someone who encourages her to become more outgoing and to do things that she would never have dreamed of doing. While this seems good, it does come at a cost.

As the three girls spend more time together, we learn that Suzanne is – in many ways – broken. Having suffered abuse at the hands of her stepfather for years, Suzanne is on something of a downward spiral as she struggles to accept what has happened to her.

For me, the fact that we watch these events through Caddy’s eyes makes the impact of the novel more apparent. There was a real sense of inevitability to what transpired, but nothing felt overly forced. I had to steel myself to read the closing chapters and feared the worst.

While the subject matter will not be to everyone’s tastes, this was a story that really does raise questions. Having now finished this, I’m eagerly awaiting my copy of ‘A Quiet Kind of Thunder’.

‘The One Memory of Flora Banks’ – Emily Barr

The One Memory of Flora Banks

If our memories shape us, what do those people who have lost the ability to make memories do? The artwork on the cover hints at the idea that memory can be fractured, and we rely on all the pieces coming together to create a whole. Due for release in early January 2017, I was excited to receive an ARC of this novel from NetGalley – and having finished my read I really hope the rest of 2017 is as good!

Our narrator, Flora, is what could be deemed an unreliable narrator, though this is because she has lost the ability to create short-term memories after an incident that occurred when she was ten years old. Flora is quite childlike, which may be because her retained memories come from before this age. Living with her parents in Penzance, Flora seems to accept that she will never leave her family home and that everyone knows who she is even though she can’t remember them.

When I first started reading I found the style of the book quite abrupt. It gave the merest hint of what Flora’s daily life would be like, and it was more than a little disconcerting.

There were a few things that niggled me as I was reading – namely, the idea that Drake’s kiss was the one thing that Flora could remember – but things all made a lot more sense as I neared the conclusion of her story.

As I read the novel, I was struck by the strength of character that Flora shows. I will certainly take from this read the idea that we all need, no matter our age, to give time to think about ourselves and what is important to us.

A huge thank you to the publishers, Philomel books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this before publication.

‘The Naturals’ series – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Naturals – finished 5th November 2016

Seventeen year old Cassie has a special talent for reading people. She has never thought it a particular skill, until the FBI come calling with the revelation that they are setting up a group to help profile cold cases – a group of teenagers with very unique skills.

Cassie has never really got over the death of her mother, and she is convinced that involvement in this process will allow her to gather clues as to the identity of her mother’s killer. It soon becomes clear that nobody in this program is quite what they seem, and when we receive information about a new killer it seems that this one might be closer to Cassie than was previously thought.

Admittedly the idea is quite preposterous, but it was highly engaging and has appealed to teen readers – both boys and girls – in school.

Killer Instinct – finished 22nd November 2016

Having already been caught up in some rather uncomfortable events, the Naturals hope to be focusing on cold cases. The teenagers are left reeling after the events of the first book, and it’s hardly surprising that they are worried about Locke’s replacement.

Agent Veronica Sterling is Briggs’s ex-wife and the FBI Director’s daughter. She was also one of Daniel Redding’s intended victims, and has a close relationship with Dean. From the off, she’s an intriguing character and her presence brings a little more to the characters.

This story focuses on a killer who seems to be copying Redding’s MO. The intercutting of the killer’s thoughts is quite unsettling, but this was a cracker of a story.

There was, for my liking, just a little too much angst over Cassie’s dilemma regarding whether she fancies Dean or Michael more. It was a bit of a distraction, but I suppose it made her seem a little more human.

All In – finished 2nd December 2016

Cassie and the other Naturals are called to Las Vegas after three bodies are discovered on three consecutive days. Initially thought to be accidental deaths, with the different killing methods it soon becomes evident that this bears the marks of a serial killer.

I loved how we got to learn a little more about Sloane and her background, and the other Naturals are developed clearly. Cassie is also dealing with issues arising from her past, but the group worked so well together as they tried to get to the bottom of this.

In a development from the earlier books we are told that these killings are linked to many others, and that a shadowy cult may well have a bigger part to play in this than anyone realised.

The story was well-plotted and I really was gripped as we started to get more background to the events. I’m just desperate to find out what happens in ‘Bad Blood’.

Bad Blood – finished 24th December 2016

Cassie’s journey with the FBI Naturals program is drawing to a close and, in this finale, we watch as Cassie and her companions try to work out exactly what is going on. Everything Cassie thought she knew about her mother’s disappearance is being called into question. There’s an awful lot going on behind the scenes, and it’s all too apparent that the Naturals themselves are being hunted.

We are led down one or two garden paths here-quite literally. Following their discovery that the deadly killer Nightshade is linked to the group known as the Masters, Cassie becomes convinced that this case could well be linked to her mother’s disappearance.

There remains a fascinating insight into the procedure of profiling, and the psychology behind a killer. What I particularly liked in this novel was the growing understanding that we see Cassie coming to of herself and her situation.
While the story itself reached what could be deemed a satisfying conclusion in many ways, I was totally unprepared for the shocks we were given regarding one or two characters. These revelations cast into doubt a lot of what had come beforehand, and lent a somewhat more creepy air to the earlier novels in the series.

My main gripe with this was that certain characters, who I’d come to have more than a little soft spot for, were slightly more in the background than I’d have expected. I also can’t help but wonder whether Barnes will be tempted to add to this series as we watch characters such as Laurel develop.

All in all this series was a surprise hit for me – and one that I wish had been around when I was younger.

‘A Seven Letter Word’ – Kim Slater

A Seven Letter Word

While I’d enjoyed Slater’s debut, ‘Smart’, the protagonist was not necessarily one that people easily warmed to. With Finlay Macintosh Slater has created a young character who has plenty to admire, without him coming across as irritating.

It’s been a couple of years since Finlay’s mum disappeared with no explanation. His stammer has got worse since her disappearance, and he is being bullied at his new school. Finlay’s dad is barely holding things together and we can see he is struggling to support Finlay as he deals with his own feelings. It would be all too easy to paint Finlay as a victim, but – as in life – there’s a lot of positives to him, and it’s a case of him starting to recognise those strengths.

Finlay, though he struggles with speaking, is actually a genius at Scrabble. He ends up involved with his school Scrabble club and, through a number of very convenient factors, ends up forming new friendships, learning about himself and even getting his happy ending (of sorts).

 

‘This Is Our Story’ – Ashley Elston

This Is Our Story

Five go into the woods at River Point. Four come out. Nobody will reveal who actually fired the shot that killed Grant, but all four boys had handled the gun. They know one of them is lying, but vow to stick together.

A gripping premise, and the cover hints at the actual outcome. I was desperate to know more from the opening, and I really enjoyed the twists and turns that made up this story.

It was interesting to see a lot of the story told from the view of Kate, a senior who has more in common with the River Point Boys than those close to her realise. As part of her Senior year work placement, she works in the office of the DA – and just happens to end up working on the case.

What follows is a really intriguing exploration of how a case might be built up, and the effects of a high-profile case on those involved. Throughout, I was second-guessing who might be responsible.

Ultimately, the ending felt a little flat – though not in such a way that disappointed me –  simply because I’d been convinced something really dramatic would occur, but what we got instead was a very appropriate conclusion that made perfect sense.