Book Review: DARK CHAPTER by Winnie M Li

Title: Dark Chapter

Author: Winnie M Li
Publisher: Legend Press
Read: May 2017

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description (Goodreads):

Vivian is a cosmopolitan Taiwanese-American tourist who often escapes her busy life in London through adventure and travel. Johnny is a 15-year-old Irish teenager, living a neglected life on the margins of society.

On a bright spring afternoon in West Belfast, their paths collide during a horrifying act of violence.

In the aftermath, each is forced to confront the chain of events that led to the attack.

Inspired by true events, this is a story of the dark chapters and chance encounters that can irrevocably determine the shape of our lives. 

My musings:

If I had to choose only three words to sum up Li’s debut novel Dark Chapter, it would be: compelling, well-written and courageous. Drawing on her own personal experiences, the author’s account of her character’s journey to reclaim her life after the traumatic assault and rape she suffered at the hands of her attacker is well drawn and authentic – as it is harrowing and disturbing. Some readers may find the scenes describing Vivian’s rape confronting, but I thought they are refreshingly honest and brave. Her visceral account of events is not added for shock value, but to recount her character’s experience in all its gritty reality. Vivian’s voice is natural and engaging, and she quickly drew me into the story. Having been in contact with victims of rape and assault through my work as an A&E nurse, the story really highlighted the long, ongoing journey these women face in trying to come to terms with the trauma and to move on from it despite the havoc it wreaked on their lives.

“The person she is now. The person she still can be. The person she always was.”

Personally, I felt the courtroom scenes especially harrowing, and am not surprised that many women shy away from laying charges just because they cannot face the additional burden of being in the media spotlight and under crossfire from the lawyers. How horrible to have to relive your worst nightmare, and having to justify your own actions, when you are the innocent party. Incredible, really, that our society allows the victims of rape and assault to be further traumatised like this!

“And then she realises how ridiculously unfair this whole system is. She was the one who was walking along on her own, when he did this to her. And then she has to wait almost a year to sit in front of a room full of strangers, tell them the humiliating truth, stand up to a sleaze-bag barrister trying to paint her as a villain-seductress and then listen to the boy make up this trash about her? Is this what we have to subject ourselves to, in order to get justice?”

Dark Chapter is told in two alternating voices – that of vivacious Vivian, setting out on a hike she has been looking forward to; and that of 15-year old Johnny Sweeney, a troubled boy who is about to destroy her trust and innocence forever. Whilst I am often not a fan of getting too much into the mind of the perpetrator in novels, Li’s book proved that – if executed the right way (i.e. to add depth, not shock value) – this approach can add a lot to the story. Whilst I found this rapist remorseless and lacking in insight, and could make no excuses for his actions, exploring his childhood and upbringing did sow a small seed of empathy for his troubled mind. I applaud the author for being able to present the perpetrator in such an honest light, when a lot of emotions must be tangled up in the story for her. 

Summary:

Focusing on the events surrounding a horrific assault and rape and the effects on the victim’s life afterwards, Dark Chapter is a story of courage, hope and moving forward. I loved Li’s writing, which is as unflinchingly honest as it is engaging. It is obvious that a lot of the author’s emotions were tied up in this story, and she conveys them effortlessly to the reader, giving us a true-to-live main protagonist that is so real she could be your friend, neighbour, relative.  Although some might find it confronting in its honesty, I couldn’t put it down would recommend it highly to female and male readers alike. I hope to read a lot more from this talented author in future. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Start of Summer / Winter Adventure Book GIVEAWAY!

It's the first of June and the start of summer in Europe, whilst we are going into our cooler winter months here. A perfect time for adventure!

To celebrate the change of the seasons with a rush of adrenaline I am giving one keen reader the chance to receive a free paperback copy of Erica Ferencik's wonderful fast-paced novel:

To be in the running:

1) follow my blog or "like" my facebook page (links provided to the left of this page) during the month of June; and
2) leave a comment on this blog post or my facebook or instagram post and tell me what adventure is on your bucket list for this summer / winter.

I will randomly draw a winner by midnight AWST on the 30 June. 

Good luck and happy reading!

Audiobook Review: INTO THE WATER by Paula Hawkins

Title: Into the Water (audio version)

Author: Paula Hawkins
Publisher: Random House Audiobooks
Read: May 2017

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

“In whatever direction you go, somehow you always end up back at the river.”

Book Description:

Suicide spot or a place to get rid of troublesome women? Writer-photographer Nel Abbott divided the community when she explored this topic in her manuscript about the Drowning Pool, a riverbend near the small English town of Beckford. Although it is a place of undeniable beauty, it also has a dark history, with many women having lost their lives there, from the time of the witch-hunts to the present. With teenager Katie Whittaker being the latest suicide victim, Nel’s theories opened some raw wounds and made her a few enemies. So no one in Beckford is very surprised when Nel herself ends up drowned, in the very place that held such fascination for her. The only question is – which category does she fall into? Did she jump, or did someone get rid of a troublesome woman?

My musings:

With all the hype surrounding this book, and the bookish community divided in their opinions about Hawkins’ latest offering, I was very interested to see how this novel would play out for me. Due to a few extra work commitments, it took a bit longer than usual to get through the audio book, but I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! Yes, there are A LOT of characters. In some books, this does not work well for me, especially in the audio version, where it is impossible to flick back the pages in frustration: “And who is this character again?” But surprisingly, Hawkins managed to pull this off perfectly. In this case, for me, the multiple POVs added to the suspense. I felt as if I was surrounded by hundreds of pieces of a giant jigsaw, each chapter and POV giving me a tiny piece of the puzzle, which I had to put into its right place to create a whole. Slowly but steadily the picture formed in my mind, unravelling the mystery. It shows Hawkins’ skill as a writer to bring all the pieces together so neatly in the end - very clever!

It is at this point that I must also point out what a brilliant job all five narrators did, lending an individual voice to each of their characters and bringing them to life for me. Although none of the characters are very likeable (and some are downright nasty), their presence created the chilling atmosphere of a town overshadowed by tragedy. The Drowning Pool, apart from its geographical presence, became a symbol of a society where dirty secrets are drowned in silence – pun intended. With a dark and sinister undercurrent ever present, Hawkins paints the perfect bleak backdrop one comes to expect from a top-class British mystery – I could picture the wisps of fog creeping along the river banks at night, a lonely owl hooting in the woods, a silent figure scaling the cliffs lining the riverbank. 

Summary:

Into the Water is a clever, multi-layered and compelling mystery about small town secrets and relationships, explored through the voices of many different characters who all play some part in the unexplained drowning deaths of two local women. If you are looking for a fast-paced read, this may not be for you, as it moves deliciously slowly, like the deep black waters of the Drowning Pool itself, the answers to its mysteries mired in the murky depths of the town’s darkest secrets and biggest shames. But those who enjoy a dark, atmospheric and character driven read may find that it is exactly what they have been looking for. I really enjoyed the journey – this time by water rather than by train - and will be looking forward to reading more from this talented author.

  

Audiobook Recap for May: 2 Mini Reviews

Trains, planes and automobiles - and a luxury yacht!
May saw me listening to two quite different audiobooks, of which The Woman in Cabin 10 was my stand-out favourite! What a tense, claustrophobic read!

 The Woman in Cabin 10, by Ruth Ware

Narrated by Imogen Church

Synopsis (Goodreads):

In this tightly wound story, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…

My musings:

The Woman in Cabin 10 was one of my best finds on kindle monthly deals this year – and one of my favourite audiobook mysteries of 2017 to date. I loved everything about this book, from the neurotic main protagonist Lo Blacklock to its claustrophobic setting on a boat where there is a killer on the loose. With increasing interest in the legal loopholes of death at sea (which is a fascinating subject, I agree), there have been quite  few contemporary novels which have exploited the controversy to create tense mysteries with their own unique take on the obstacles encountered by victims or families of victims seeking answers, and justice. But by far none of them have done it quite as well as Ruth Ware, who – in my humble opinion – has created a true masterpiece of suspense set aboard a luxury yacht. I really love a good cat-and-mouse game, and this was one of the best!

Ensconced in the tight (but relatively safe) confines of my car, I could picture Lo’s growing panic trapped aboard the boat with a killer only too well – and nobody willing to believe her story. Ironically, at the same time, I was yearning for just such a luxury trip, and bemoaning Lo’s persistence to pursue the story. Chill, Lo, just sit in the hot-tub and sip champagne! With Lo being slightly on the neurotic side (an understatement) and not disinclined to imbibe in alcohol to self-medicate her PTSD, there is of course always that niggling doubt as to how reliable her reality really is. Is Lo going crazy? Is her paranoia not stepping slightly over the conspiracy-theory line? Was there ever even a girl in Cabin 10? But every time I thought I had worked it all out, Ware managed to toss another curveball, throw a bit of tense action into the mix. I especially loved the inclusion of the “now” elements into the story, the emails and blog posts concerning Lo’s disappearance. So very well done!

This was an extremely tense, claustrophobic  and nail-bitingly intense read that kept me guessing throughout, and had me sitting quietly in my carport late at night still listening to “just a few more minutes” because I absolutely had to find out what happens next. Praise also goes to Imogen Church, whose voice was perfect for Lo’s character and made listening all the more compelling and enjoyable!

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 1/2

  The Woman on the Orient Express, by Lindsay Jayne Ashford

Narrated by Justine Eyre

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Hoping to make a clean break from a fractured marriage, Agatha Christie boards the Orient Express in disguise. But unlike her famous detective Hercule Poirot, she can’t neatly unravel the mysteries she encounters on this fateful journey.

Agatha isn’t the only passenger on board with secrets. Her cabinmate Katharine Keeling’s first marriage ended in tragedy, propelling her toward a second relationship mired in deceit. Nancy Nelson—newly married but carrying another man’s child—is desperate to conceal the pregnancy and teeters on the brink of utter despair. Each woman hides her past from the others, ferociously guarding her secrets. But as the train bound for the Middle East speeds down the track, the parallel courses of their lives shift to intersect—with lasting repercussions.

My musings:

I was a huge Agathe Christie fan as a teenager and in my early teens, and although I have not read much by the author since devouring all her books in my youth, this amazing woman still intrigues me. Therefore I was quite excited when the audiobook version of The Woman on the Orient Express popped up in my recommendations from Amazon earlier this month, hoping to find out more about the mystery still surrounding the author’s life.

Focusing on events that may have inspired Christie’s writing and lead to the meeting between the author and her soon-to-be husband Max Mallowan, the novel is mainly set on the Orient Express on its journey from London to Baghdad, and at the archaeological site at Ur. Christie’s friendship with Katherine Whooley is well documented in history, and in her novel, Ashford stages the first meeting between the two woman aboard the train. To complete the trio, Ashford also includes a third – fictional – character, Nancy Nelson, a young woman who flees England as she is carrying her married lover’s child. As the train journey progresses, the three women get to know each other and form a tentative friendship, which sees them all travelling to the archaeological site at Ur, where Katherine has been working.

I loved the historical details Ashford seamlessly slips into the story, like the mystery surrounding Agatha’s recent breakdown, or the speculations about Katherine’s medical issues that may have contributed to the suicide of her first husband. Nancy is the only character who is not based on an actual person from Christie’s real life, and I admit I struggled a bit accepting her into the fold. With Christie’s death still falling into my lifetime (she died in 1976, and yes, I am that old!), it is too current for me to accept these “alternative facts”, and I’m not sure if the blend of fact and fiction is really for me when it concerns the recent past. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s descriptions of the train journey to many exotic locations, staying true to an era in history where women were not as free to travel and forge their own path in life – which makes Christie all the more remarkable. The story inspired me to pick up an old copy of Christie’s autobiography, which I read in my early twenties and now want to revisit again. I will enjoy comparing the two stories (as I am sure that Christie may have also slipped a few fictional elements into her version of events – wouldn’t you, given the chance?).

All in all, The Woman on the Orient Express was a light, enjoyable story for my daily commute. Whilst I found some of the events in the last part of the story slightly predictable and differing a bit too much from historical facts for my liking, it put an interesting spin on a chapter in Christie’s life which saw her moving on from her broken marriage and finding new love. Justine Eyre provided a wonderful narration, which brought all characters and places to life for me.

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Currently Reading (review to follow soon):

Book Review: ACHE by Eliza Henry-Jones

Title: Ache

Author: Eliza Henry-Jones
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
Read: May 2017

Expected publication: 1 June 2017

My Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

Months after the fires that almost claimed their lives, Annie and her small daughter Pip are still plagued by nightmares and flashbacks. Even though the papers hailed Annie a hero, their front pages all showing the dramatic photo a woman galloping her horse through a blazing inferno, clutching her child in her arms, Annie knows that it wasn’t that simple. It was her fault they were in the path of danger that day. Annie, who had grown up in those hills should have known better.

Escaping back to her city life and into the arms of her bewildered husband, who cannot possibly understand the trauma Annie and Pip have been through, may have put some geographical distance between her and the scene of the horror, but it hasn’t been able to erase her memories. Annie knows that she has to go back to the hills she both loves and fears. The place where she grew up, went to school, first kissed a boy. The place where she nearly died. So despite her husband’s advice, she packs up the car, bundles up Pip and sets off for the hills to confront her worst nightmares.

My musings:

Ache is a beautifully written book by an author who clearly understands the aftermath of trauma and loss, and who sensitively explores the issue through the eyes of her main protagonists: Annie, the young mother, who has left her home in the hills to pursue her career as veterinarian, but whose heart still belongs to the country. Pip, her six-year old daughter, who hides her trauma and fears by acting out. Susan, Annie’s mother, an eccentric artist who has retreated into her lonely cabin to bake cupcakes, unable to paint or move past the event which cost her mother’s life. And the bewildered Tom, Annie’s husband, who looks on helplessly as his wife and daughter battle their inner demons, unable to get close to them. Although the story is narrated by Annie, we get to know each character intimately – their pain, their fears, their inner turmoil.

As Annie returns to her hometown, she must not only confront her own demons but also those of the town’s inhabitants, people she has known all her life. It is this portrayal of a small community rocked and split apart by tragedy where Henry-Jones’ real talent shone through for me, perfectly capturing the dynamics of people touched by trauma and death. Having lived through a real-live natural disaster myself in the past, some of the things she describes hit very close to home. There were those people who pulled together, and those who fled. People who exploited the tragedy for their own gain, and those who just quietly got on with things, helped out where needed, never craving the spotlight. The initial euphoria of having survived, quickly replaced by the reality of the devastation surrounding them. And the need to find a scapegoat for the pain, the suffering – lashing out at each other in blind fury, all previous allegiances forgotten in the aftermath of the tragedy. Each one of Henry-Jones’ characters is well drawn and true-to-life, their emotions raw, honest and laid bare for everyone to see.

As Annie returns to her old home, we get to know her through flashbacks to her childhood, growing up with a teenage mother and a grandmother who was very much the head of the household, Annie’s uncle the only male figure in her life. There is a nostalgia in Annie’s voice that goes deeper than just dealing with the trauma – it speaks of displacement, of loss of place, of innocence, of home. Still drawn to the hills that featured so strongly in her life, Annie’s city life is a mere front, one that she can no longer maintain.

“Each time she comes back the knows fewer people, fewer cars, fewer trees. Each time she comes back it feels less like home and makes her feel strangely helpless. She wants to go home, but she no longer knows how to find it.”

I also loved Pip, the small girl whose inability to express her trauma into words makes her act out, lash out in anger and fear. It is only with her equally traumatised grandmother that Pip learns to confront her fears, step by little step, to make real healing possible.

Summary:

Ache is a beautiful tale of trauma, loss and redemption. Like a phoenix rising out of the ashes, our characters need to be stripped completely raw to be able to move on. A rebirth of a kind, a healing, a moving on. In the small steps Henry-Jones’ characters take towards rebuilding their lives, there is a message of hope, of inner peace, of growth. Beautifully written, this is a nostalgic and somewhat dreamy read which deeply touched my heart. Very highly recommended. 

Quotes:

And Annie learned the strange, bewildering lesson that there was often a path of unrelated, unpleasant things that had to be followed to get somewhere that you loved.

Annie wonders what Pip will think about, when her daughter reflects on her childhood. How endless these years seem now. But Annie knows that soon they will seem as fleeting as the gap between an inhale and an exhale. A teetering moment of stillness. 

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.