Dark Places

Dark Places

Gillian Flynn, 2009

When Libby Day was seven years old, her mother and two older sisters were murdered in her home. The only survivors were Libby, who escaped the house and hid on the grounds, and her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, who Libby testifies is the one that killed her family. Now, twenty-five years later, Libby will, for the first time, look into what happened on that day, as she begins to wonder if maybe she had been wrong about her brother after all...

I had been meaning to pick up Flynn's earlier novels for a while, since before Gone Girl even came out, but after reading that one, I pushed her other books up my to-read list. While the writing in Gone Girl is better, as is bound to happen the more an author writes, I actually found the plot of Dark Places to be more fascinating - and that is saying something. I think it's simply that while Gone Girl sends you back and forth between two conclusions (did he kill her, did he not kill her), this novel is a lot more open, because if Ben didn't kill his family (which we're not completely convinced of), then who did kill them is not exactly clear. 

I also really liked the way that this story was told, alternating between present-day Libby and the point of view of both Libby's mom and Ben from the days leading up to the murders. I also liked that, similar to Gone Girl, none of the characters were really all that likable. Even Libby I often wanted to punch in the face. 

Overall, I thought this was a pretty great suspense novel and I will admit that I did not see the ending coming. I can't wait to pick up Sharp Objects as well, and will be looking forward to Flynn's next project.

20th Century Ghosts

20th Century Ghosts

Joe Hill, 2005

A collection of short stories. Mostly ghost stories, but not all.

Lame summary, I know, but how do you write a summary on a short story collection?

I mostly adore Joe Hill. The first novel of his that I've read - Heart-Shaped Box - was delightfully terrifying. His comic book series - Locke & Key - is some of the best fantasy-horror writing I've seen ever, in novels or in comic books. I've got most of the rest of his novels sitting on my shelf waiting to be devoured. Fortunately, this short story collection didn't stop me from wanting to pick up his other writings... but if this had been my introduction to Joe Hill, I will admit that I probably wouldn't have read any further. While there are a few truly great stories here - "The Black Phone", "My Father's Mask" - a lot of them just kind of fell short for me. Others, like "Pop Art", were good, and I would have liked them if I had found them in a normal short story collection, but they were by no means horror stories, which was really what I was looking for. 

All in all, this is a pretty good collection, with a few great horror stories, a few very good non-horror stories, a few decent stories that will give you the shivers but that could have been better, and a few stories that leave you feeling let down. Worth a read, but nothing to get too excited about.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, 2008

After the success of her writings during World War II, Juliet Ashton is stuck on what to write about next, until she receives a letter from a stranger on the small island of Guernsey. Through correspondence, Juliet learns of the German Occupation of Guernsey, as well as the individuals who struggled through it by forming the oddly-named Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The society, originally founded almost by accident, brings many of the islanders together through their shared love and discovery of books. Juliet, as a writer and fellow book-lover, is drawn to these islanders and their extraordinary story.

I absolutely adored this book. I can't say enough good things about it, my only complaint being that I wish the book had been longer. This book is more about characters than anything, and I thought that Shaffer and Barrows came up with a number of characters that were endearing, complex, and real. I thought that Juliet was especially relatable and really enjoyed seeing things through her perspective. And, of course, Isola was one of the most wonderfully amusing people I have come across in a long time - I wish I knew her in real life. Part war story, part love story, part character piece, this book is one that I would highly recommend to anyone.

The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans

M.L. Stedman, 2012

After World War I, Tom Sherbourne takes a job as a lighthouse keeper on the remote island of Janus Rock, off the coast of Australia. Taking along his new wife, Isabel, the two are isolated from the world for months at a time, their only contact being with the two-man boat crew that brings their supplies every three months, and when they are allowed a month's shore leave every few years. Despite the isolation, Tom and Isabel are happy, although they long for a child, which begins to weigh heavily on Isabel after three failed pregnancies. So when a boat washes up on their shore with a tiny live baby and her dead father, Isabel sees this as a gift from God. After Isabel convinces Tom to not report the boat, against his better judgement, the two raise the baby as their own. But two years later, when they return to shore, they find out just what effect their choice has made.

This was a beautifully-written, thought-provoking book. I definitely found myself identifying more with Tom than Isabel, but I'm not a mother - I certainly can't say for sure that I wouldn't have at least been tempted to do what she did in her situation. And I'm sure that there are a lot of women out there who would have done the same. In the end, though, I'm glad that Tom did what he did, as devastating as it was. 

This is definitely one of those books that makes you think and that sticks with the reader for a while. Combining beautiful writing and complex, relatable characters, I can see why this book is being hailed as one of the best of 2012.

The Orphan Master's Son

The Orphan Master's Son

Adam Johnson, 2012

Even though Pak Jun Do was the son of the Orphan Master and not an orphan himself, growing up in an orphanage in North Korea assured that he would not be able to make it very far in life. As a young adult, he found his place - for a time - as a kidnapper, eventually raising in the ranks to learn English and become a translator. But after a seemingly harmless lie leads to him being mistaken for one of the most powerful men in Korea, Jun Do's life takes a sharp turn, leading him to a place he could only have dreamed of. 

I didn't have extremely high hopes for this book after reading some negative reviews, but I actually ended up really liking it. It was tough to read at some points - sometimes because the story got slow, and sometimes because the subject matter got dark - but I'm really glad that I read it. I thought that Jun Do's story and transformation were fascinating. I also really found it interesting to read about how different things are in North Korea compared to America, which especially came through in the broadcasts, which I found darkly humorous. There were definite aspects of Korean life that I had no idea existed. I'm glad I read this one and I'll be curious to see what this author does next.

Robopocalypse

Robopocalypse

Daniel H. Wilson, 2011

One day, in the not so distant future, one man brings a powerful artificial intelligence, named Archos, into being. But Archos is a little too powerful. One by one, technology - from domestic robots to military machines - gain intelligence, violent tendencies, and turn against their human masters. This is the story of how the Robot War began, and how humankind was able to unite and fight back in order to survive. 

I had slightly high expectations for this book. I didn't expect it to be the next sci-fi masterpiece or anything, but it had a cool concept and I had heard a decent review or two, so I hoped it would be good. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations in one big way.

The problem I had with this book wasn't the storyline - I actually thought that the idea behind the plot was really cool and the way the story played out was dramatic and plausible and interesting. My problem was that I just didn't find myself caring at all about the characters. I can't say exactly what it was - maybe it was the audiobook format, although I've never had this problem with audiobooks before - but I just didn't care about any of them. Something dramatic would happen, someone would die or just barely come out of a fight alive, and I wouldn't feel anything one way or the other. Obviously, this was a big issue for me. It's hard to like a story when you don't care about the characters. 

I know I'm not in the majority on this, so I'm not going to say that the book is bad. Like I said, the concept was really fun and dramatic. Hopefully you'll like the end result more than I did.