August 2023 Mini Reviews - part 2
Published: 6th July 2023 by Atlantic
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
After winning lots of awards for his short stories, I was excited to read Walsh's full-length debut, and Kala as a tense summer mystery did not disappoint. The story lent itself to having multiple narratives, as Kala's disappearance 15 years prior shaped each of the narrators in varying ways, and continues to influence how they navigate life in coming back to (or having remained, in Mush's case) Kinlough. In their coming together I found it interesting just how quickly they all reverted back to the power dynamics of their friendship group as teenagers, and I did really enjoy this main plot of unearthing Kala's disappearance. However, I don't think enough time was spent on Aidan's death, and the subplot with Mush's cousins, while definitely adding to the tension, brought with it a whole host of older characters that I sometimes found hard to distinguish from one another. Overall a very strong story and genuinely terrifying at times.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Published: 13th July 2023 by Penguin Viking
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
After hearing that one of Napolitano's other novels, Dear Edward, had recently been adapted for Apple TV, I was intrigued by her newest work, especially as I love tales of family dynamics so much, with the heavy sister element in this appealing to me immensely. The contrast between the severity of strength of the sisters' bonds, even through times of conflict or minimal conflict them always finding a way back to each other, compared to William's isolated upbringing was probably my favourite part of this - seeing just how much family ties can shape a person through later life. Seeing the sisters go through disconnect, at times with their mother and the eldest sister, while bringing William fully into the fold of their family, was an intriguing contrast, but unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough for me to fully enjoy the story, as I found it quite slow and unengaging at times, especially towards the last third, which I did find myself forcing myself through in order to finish.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Published: 5th April 2022 by Doubleday
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
I have heard nothing but rave reviews for this book since it came out last year, and after hearing that the TV adaptation would be coming out in a couple of months, I finally got around to reading it. My heart broke for Elizabeth time and time again as she constantly navigated betrayal, sexism and grief while never wavering in her beliefs or principles, especially towards raising her daughter, and I found that to be so admirable. This was a frustrating read at times, but only because I got so angry at how much rudeness Elizabeth had to put up with, which though frustrating, definitely accurately portrayed attitudes of the time. I found the whole found-family element to be very heartwarming, especially after Elizabeth had experienced so much loss in her life, and I found her to be a remarkable protagonist, teaching women valuable lessons through an 'appropriate' medium.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Published: 4th July 2023 by HQ
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
I've wanted to read The Dead Romantics, Poston's previous book, since it came out, but haven't got around to it yet - so when I saw this newest work, it intrigued me almost just as much! I'm not normally the biggest fan of plots that play around with time, like Groundhog Day-esque stories, so I was a bit apprehensive about the different timelines in this, but ultimately I think Poston used it so well to tell this story that I ended up becoming a fan of it as a plot device. I love a Southern gentleman, and I loved Iwan, but not James so much, and wish there was a bit more character development with him towards the end once he finally figured out what he wanted. However, the connection between him and Lemon was always great, and I loved the food element to this story too - it's always my favourite in books and I don't read enough about them!
4 stars
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