I'm in a rut of reading not very good books, and I need to get out of it. Here are five I read in the past month, of which I only recommend one.
The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. Like the title states, this is the story of the Fang family: the parents, Caleb and Camille, and two kids, Buster and Annie. The Fang's make their living as performance artists, setting up and acting out ridiculous scenes in public places, and recording the reactions of the unsuspecting people around them. The story alternates between the past, where Buster and Annie are children, and the present, where Buster is now a writer of sorts, and Annie has become a well-known actress. Who they have become as adults is largely shaped by the crazy childhoods they had, and really they are not likable.
I didn't like this one. From the reviews I read, I expected something light-hearted, but there is way too much dysfunction for my taste here. Skip this one.
The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones. I really wanted to like this book. It takes place somewhere in a country house in 1912 England. It is Emerald's birthday and she is having a party. Around the time the guests are arriving for the celebration, there is a train wreck nearby, and all the surviving passengers are brought to the house for shelter. Soon, all havoc breaks loose, scandals unfold, and the true colors of the characters are revealed.
This book starts out ok, I actually liked the first third or so, but then there is a weird and not unexpected twist which leads to a silly ending. Skip this one, too.
Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Here's the one I like. This is set in the mid eighties and tells the story of June, a 14-year-old girl who lives in the suburbs of New York City with her parents and sister, Greta. June's uncle, her closest friend, is a talented and famous artist named Finn. When he dies from an unspeakable illness, June's world is turned upside down.
Before he dies, Finn charges June with the task of taking care of Toby, his partner, who has been kept from her and likewise charges Toby with taking care of June. Slowly, the two develop a secret friendship of sorts, which eventually becomes life changing for everyone in June's world. This is a story of self-discovery, love, loss, acceptance, and the mending of broken relationships. Check this one out.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. This book got a lot of buzz this summer, so I decided to see what it was all about. It's the story of Nick and Amy Dunn. On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears in what appears to be quite a struggle, and of course Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect. However, in the middle of the book, there is a surprise twist, and then it is quite a wild ride to the end.
I understand why this one is getting so much attention, it is quite the psychological thriller. However, I can't recommend it mostly because of the amount of profanity throughout. It is no exaggeration to say there are at least four or five instances of the f-word on every page, and for me, that's too much.
Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann. I kind of liked this book, but mostly didn't. It is written in five sections, each from a different point of view. The action moves back and forth, with some of the plot overlapping in each section, so something that might not make much sense at the beginning of the story is later made clear.
This story begins shortly after the end of WWII and spans the next couple of decades. It is the story of cousins Nick (a girl) and Helena and their families. At the beginning of the book, Nick is reunited with her husband who has been away at war, and Helena is getting ready to marry a Hollywood guy, who turns out to be quite the sleaze bag.
Of course over the span of the book, neither Nick or Helena's lives turn out as they expect. There is a lot of angst and discontent, and as the reader, I had a hard time figuring out the root of it all, especially in the case of Nick. Meh. It won't hurt to skip this one, too.
