I Let You Go- Book Review

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh had a twist that came as such a surprise that I actually put down the book and walked away from it for a few hours. It was that good! I am usually good at guessing twists, but this one had me just flabbergasted.

This is not to say that I Let You Go is a great book, but it is definitely a good book. I had to keep telling my friends who asked me about whether or not this book was good that it begins with the death of a 5 year old boy and to keep that in mind while reading the rest of the book. It BEGINS WITH A HIT AND RUN OF A 5 YEAR OLD BOY! I cannot stress that enough.

The story is told in alternating chapters with one narrative telling the story of Jenna Grey who cannot sleep due to the accident constantly running through her head, so she leaves her home to escape the memories.

The other story is about the police who are looking for the murderer of this child and the home life of one of the officers. Time passes quickly and the hope of finding the driver passes away just as quickly. 

These two narratives are in Part 1 of this book, which just simply crawls. The beginning of this book is very slow moving, but by the time I finished the book, I found it was more methodical than anything. Like a great chess player, all the pieces have to be in the right places before the onslaught begins.

Part II is the onslaught. As stated there was such a twist that I was not prepared for the rest of the book. Part II takes an incredibly dark turn so much so that I did not want to read parts of Part II. By even mentioning some things that happened would be a spoiler, so I will go back to my original warning- the book begins with a hit and run of a 5 year old boy.

I Let You Go is very Rashomon-eque in that you will be dying to know the truth about everything and just when you think you know it, another perspective changes things. This book messes with your head and your version of truth. The more the story unfolds, the more one starts to question one's own feelings about everything. There were parts that I wanted my mother nearby to just let me know that everything is going to be alright.

The book is a great, but very dark read. As stated earlier, the whole first part can be a slog to get through and I often found myself wanting the book to end in Part I. I couldn't put Part II down, but did because of some of the scenes in Part II. I wanted the book to end while reading the second part because I just couldn't take it anymore. It was effective and I couldn't wait to give it to someone else because I didn't want it in my house anymore. I gave this book a solid 4 stars.

This was a Book of The Month Club Pick and I am so glad I chose it. I am 5 for 5 with picks! If you would like to be part of Book of the Month Club, just click the link provided and use the code "Summer50" to get 1/2 off 3 months!

The Vegetarian- Book Review

There is something haunting about The Vegetarian by Han Kang. It has been about a day since I finished it and the book has been sticking with me. The more I think about it, the more deep the book becomes.

If one were to look at it solely as a novel, it is a very strange tale told in three parts. Part 1 is about a woman, Yeong-Hye, who decides to become a vegetarian. This is insulting to her husband and her family and is a dishonor. Anytime she is asked why, she responds "I had a dream," yet no one seems to care what the dream was. Part 1 ends with Yeong-Hye slitting her wrist at a dinner party after her father tries to force feed her meat.

Part 2 begins a few years later, when Yeong-Hye's brother in law, who paints flowers on people's bodies, thinks about his sister in law. Her brother in law is obsessed with a Mongolian mark on Yeong-Hye's body. He fantasizes about it and becomes sexually attracted to Yeong-Hye. He asks her to pose, even though she is just a few months out of a psychiatric unit. Things escalate and Yeong-Hye's brother in law finds himself too far into his fantasy to back away.

Part 3 has Yeong-Hye back in the psychiatric unit as she now refuses to eat. She begins to stand on her hands upside down. Yeong-Hye is now cared for by her sister who does not understand what happened to her sister all those years ago and why she refuses to eat now.

This is not an easy novel to read, but the images within the book will haunt you. In many reviews, the book is described as Kafkaesque and that would be a great descriptor. It is also a great commentary on the human body, the freedom of the will, and how our choices do not really effect anyone else, although people believe they do.

 For example, her husband, at a dinner party thrown by his boss is so upset that his wife not only refuses to eat, but is not wearing a bra. All he can do is focus on her nipple, so much so that it ruins the party for him. He is embarrassed and humiliated and believes everyone at the party was staring. This theme is returned to when the brother in law becomes obsessed with the Mongolian mark on her body. He is not attracted to her, but attracted to the mark and he desires to own it. Both are commentaries on how males turn women into objects and sexualize the non sexual. There are also themes of ownership that run through these two images.

There are definitely some cultural items that I seemed to be missing to fill in why someone choosing to be vegetarian would be so insulting to a whole family, but even with the cultural items, one could pick up the general gist of the humiliation.

As stated, this is definitely not a book for everybody, but should you decided to jump in, allow the narrative to be a commentary. Read it for the symbols and the statements behind the words. As a story, it just simply will not work as it is a strange story. As a look at how people treat women, commentaries on bodies and choices, and being forced to do things one does not want, it becomes a wonderful book. I rated it 3 stars.

Here is the Amazon link- The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Lab Girl- Book Review

There is something incredibly special about Lab Girl by Hope Jahren so much so that it is my favorite book of this year so far! The entire time I was reading it, I posted links, shared how much I loved it, and even gave it away so that another can enjoy it. That is how much I loved this book!

On the surface, this is a biography of Hope Jahren, one of the most influential plant scientists in the world. In the book, one learns her root (ha!), feels her passion, and will learn a lot about plants and roots. Each chapter alternates with her biography and lessons about plants and trees. This is just the surface of it all though.

What made this book so special was the reader can feel the joy she has throughout the book. Jahren is not only a brilliant scientist, but a fantastic writer who draws the reader into her world. Her personality shines through the page and each story adds a layer to who she is. She loves teaching, going on treks, studying, and creating labs. One can tell that this is her life and she wants to share her life with you- the reader.

If that wasn't enough, there is also the relationship she has with Bill, her lifelong lab partner. From their first meeting until the epilogue, Bill is such an important part of her life and her love for Bill comes shining through. This isn't a romantic love though, it is a friendship bordering on brother/sister/life partner type of love. Their interactions are also so much fun to read. This is the story of a partnership that endures trials, tribulations, death (neither of them), and a whole bunch of life. Bill has a way of looking at life that just grounds Jahren, while she pushes him into the world. It is their relationship that drives the reader to keep wanting to read. It is as much of a buddy novel as it is a biography.

On top of that there is the real story of what it is like to be a university lab technician in the US. Not just any lab tech, but one of the best. There is a real commentary about how the US keeps underfunding the sciences, but the scientists keep moving forward discovering new things on a shoestring budget. In almost all of her lab creations, she has to dig through university trash to create a working lab due to the fact that plant research is on the bottom of the totem poll when it comes to funding. Bill, throughout most of the book, is homeless and living in his van, but is so driven by Jahren's vision and theories that he gives up his life for her and comfort. 

She tells all of these stories with the stories of plants and trees. She uses her scientific knowledge to show that plants are no different than humans and need to be cared for just as much as relationships. These plant fact chapters are just as important as her biography, or her commentary, or her relationships. We are in relationship to plants as much as we are in relationship to humans. The book never gets preachy though, but teaches so many important lessons.

I picked this one up on a whim after it had received so many positive reviews. I am so glad I did. This one is my favorite so far! Don't pass on this one. Solid 5 stars!

Here is the Amazon link- Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Last Call- Book Review

I received this ebook from NetGalley to review. It does not mean I have to post a positive review, but do have to notify the reader that I received it for free. Consider yourself notified!

Last Call: From Serving Drinks to Serving Jesus by Jerry Herships is a bit disjointed. The first half to three fourths of the book is about Hership's journey from stand up comic to bartender and then to pastor. He writes mostly about himself and his attempts to get into big time TV. It is an enjoyable narrative, but it made me wonder why so much time was being spent on him within a book published by a Christian company and one that will ultimately be on his ministry in AfterHours.

This is where the disjoint comes into play. When he finally gets into the ministry aspect of his life, what AfterHours means to him, and how the church needs to reshape how it is presenting and doing Jesus, the book becomes really useful. I found his points about pastors and church members being tied too much to serving themselves instead of Jesus great. I loved hearing about his ministry in AfterHours, which is a church in a bar that focuses on feeding the homeless. His points on ministry are insightful and worth the book. The problem is one has to go through the first half to three fourths to get to it. Again, not that it is a bad story or anything like that, but it left me questioning- is this a book about him or church?

I believe some may have difficulty in what he presents too as he focuses solely on AfterHours as a ministry option. There are not general options or thoughts on how to move the church toward a direction of serving rather than doing church. I would have loved to hear his views on how the church can change direction in other ways too, since I think his views on church are right on the head. The book falls into the trap that many successful pastors/churches fall into, which is- this is how I did it, isn't it awesome? It leaves me, the reader, thinking great, but how can I do that too?

Overall, I found the book to be an average read. I enjoyed his parts on ministry, but would have made his front end biography a bit shorter. It focused too much on him and not on ministry. I rated it 3 stars.

Here is the Amazon link- Last Call: From Serving Drinks to Serving Jesus by Jerry Hership

Mr Splitfoot- Book Review

I almost purchased Mr Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt at Barnes and Noble because they had a signed copy for sale and I had a discount coupon. I knew nothing about the book, except the small blurb on the inside of the cover. I decided against it and purchased a group of buy 2 get 1 free books.

The very next day, Bookriot, sent an email stating the ebook copy was only $2.99 at Amazon (as of the writing of this, it still is). I thought it was an omen, so I picked it up.

The premise sounded great! Two orphan children meet with a professional con man and one of the children talks to the dead. Sounds like a no brainer! This had to be read.

The funny thing is that I could understand if someone decided not to finish this book after starting it. That seems an odd thing to write in a review that will be positive. 

The beginning of this book, while Ruth and Nat are in the orphanage is so bizarre that it could potentially turn people off. I write that because that is almost what happened to me. This is a quirky tale, but I am glad I stuck with it because once one falls into the writer's groove, it is such a fun book. 

As written earlier, it is the story of Ruth, who has a scarred face, and Nat, who declare themselves sisters after Ruth's older sister El ages out of the orphanage. Ruth and Nat are inseparable and have a bond that can never be broken. Nat can talk to the dead, a skill he hones, when the two meet up with Mr Bell, a con man who helps them earn money using Nat's skill. 

This is also a road trip story of Ruth and Cora, Ruth's pregnant niece, and takes place in the future in Ruth's timeline. Ruth cannot speak and comes to Cora in the middle of the night insisting that Cora must follow her. Cora has no idea where they are going and is also anxious because they are going to walk the whole trip.

The two narratives trade off alternatively chapter by chapter. The wonderful thing is the further into the book one goes, the closer the two narratives become. Hunt has a wonderful way of storytelling in that sense.

This is a book about relationships ultimately and what one would do for love. From Nat's ability and the desire for his rubes to believe what he is doing simply to be reassured their deceased is ok to the complex relationship of Ruth and Nat to sex without love attached in Cora's pregnancy. How far will one go for love?

As stated earlier, this will not be a book for everybody as it is very strange and simply weird, but by the end of the book it is worth the journey and the questions that accompany it. There are moments of danger in both tales, huge questions in both, and one is thrown off on purpose. The book itself is a con of sorts in that sense. One has to question what is real and what isn't. What is truth and what is a lie? If you can stick with it, the book keeps getting better. All in all, I rated it 3.5 stars simply because it took a bit to get into.

Here is the Amazon link- Mr Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt

Barbara The Slut- Book Review

Barbara the Slut was my fourth pick for Book of the Month Club and I am glad to say that so far, I am 4 for 4! If you would like to give BOTM a try, please use my link. I get a free book and you get three months for half off!

Here is the link- Book of the Month

I will admit that after reading the first story of Barbara the Slut and Other People by Lauren Holmes, I didn’t enjoy it. The first story is about a girl going back to her estranged mother, who sells girls panties to rich people on the beach, to let her know that she is a lesbian. The story is quick and it simply just ends. I kept expecting something else to happen.
The second story is about a pair of roommates who once slept with one another by accident, but decided not to talk about it. As they grow and separate, they decide to meet, and they realize they are incompatible and that is why they never slept together again. It too just ends.

The third story, just ends, as does the fourth, fifth, etc.

It took three stories to finally get it! This is life! Sometimes there is no ending and life continues.

I also got the connection to all the stories, each has sex of some sort as part of the story, but it isn’t a book about sex, but rather about relationships and what all goes into relationships. It is about intimacy, connection, and brokenness. It was then that the lightbulb went on- this book is great!

Not all stories are home runs. Even after getting the point, I re-read the first story and still didn’t like it much, but it stuck with me. Each story connected in one way or another and I enjoyed finding the connections.

Many stories just drop you right into the middle of the story. You don’t know if the charater is male or female, straight or gay, or even human! One of my favorites was about a relationship breaking up from the point of a golden retriever.

Overall, I really wound up enjoying Holmes’ freshman book and I look forward to hearing more from her. I gave this one a solid 4 stars!

Here is an Amazon link- Barbara the Slut by Lauren Holmes.