Review: Eight Perfect Murders (by Peter Swanson)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

I’ve been wanting to read one of Peter Swanson’s books for a long time, as I’ve heard so many good things about his previous books.  In fact, I actually have most of Swanson’s previous books sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for me to read.  I probably should’ve started at the beginning with his first book, but instead, I started backwards with his newest work Eight Perfect Murders, which came out this month.  While I liked this one well enough overall, it didn’t impress me the way I was expecting it to.

The premise itself actually had a lot of potential:  we have the main protagonist, bookstore owner Malcolm (Mal) Kershaw, who writes a blog post for his store book that lists 8 books where he felt had “perfect” murders – ones that were nearly impossible to crack and almost unsolvable.  Years later, after a surprise visit from an FBI agent, Mal discovers that someone has been using his list to commit murders that were in the same vein as the ones described in the books.  Things get even more complicated when Mal begins digging into the details of some of the cases and realizes that the murders correlating with the books weren’t a mere coincidence – there is a connection between all the murders, one that threatens to implicate Mal himself.   

As a reader, I definitely appreciated how the premise revolved around books and was fascinated by how well Swanson was able to correlate those books to the plot in his own story.  With that said though, I think I would’ve enjoyed this book more if I were an actual fan of mysteries and thrillers, as this one seemed to be specifically tailored to fans.  While I do read a fair share of books in the mystery / thriller / suspense category, I would only count myself as a “casual” reader of the genre – I haven’t read any of the books mentioned in the story (not even the Agatha Christie ones) and quite a few of them I actually never even heard of. 

In terms of the plot – I felt that some of the plot points were a bit far-fetched and there were also too many “I knew I shouldn’t have but I did it anyway” moments with Mal that annoyed me to no end (it’s actually one of my pet peeves when it comes to characters in books).  The other issue was that there was way too much talking and explaining throughout the book, some of which I felt was unnecessary and made some parts feel repetitious and long-winded.  It also didn’t help that I felt zero connection to any of the characters and at near the end, didn’t really care too much what happened to them. 

Overall, I felt this was a decent read that kept my attention, but didn’t stand out.  This one also didn’t have as much of the suspense element that I was expecting – there were some twists, but a lot of them were predictable and it kind of took the fun out of reading this at times.  I liked the premise, but wasn’t a fan of the execution, mostly as it pertained to the plot and how things played out.  Having said all that though, I’m still interested in reading Swanson’s other books, especially his earlier ones, and of course, his next one.

Received ARC from William Morrow (HarperCollins) via NetGalley.

Review: Hollywood Park (by Mikel Jollett)

My Rating: 4 stars

I’m not sure that I have the words to describe my feelings after reading Mikel Jollett’s truly remarkable memoir Hollywood Park.  The very first thing that caught my attention with this book was the title, as it shared a name with a place that I used to be very familiar with and it made me curious, whether it was merely a coincidence or actually a reference to what I thought it was.  Even after reading the summary, I still wasn’t sure, as there was no mention of the inspiration for the title – all I knew was that Mikel and his brother Tony were born into a commune in California that later became the notorious Church of Synanon cult and this story was about their escape as well as the aftermath, following Mikel’s life as a child through adulthood.  It wasn’t until a few chapters in, when Mikel wrote about him and his brother spending the summer months with their father Jim, who lived in Los Angeles, that I knew for sure what Hollywood Park referred to.  For Mikel, the famous horse racing venue was a place of fond memories, where he got to spend a lot of quality time with his beloved father -- a former heroin addict and ex-con – and also where some of the most important father-son talks of his life occurred.   But Mikel’s story went so much deeper than that – from escaping Synanon at 5 years old, through a childhood living with his emotionally abusive mother in Oregon, in conditions that exacerbated an already volatile relationship with his brother, then later living with his father and step-mother in California, Mikel experienced a coming-of-age fraught with struggles involving drug and alcohol addiction, poverty, delinquency, loneliness, neglect, and abuse (the latter of which had the most impact on him going into adulthood). 

Mikel Jollett’s memoir – the chronicle of his trials and tribulations, joys and triumphs -- resonated deeply with me on an especially personal level, to the point that I read much of the book with tears streaming down my face.   Growing up in Los Angeles, I actually lived in Westchester and worked near the airport up until about 10 years ago, so I was quite familiar with many of the places mentioned in the book that, at one point or another, had a profound impact on Mikel’s journey:  Orville Wright Junior High (now known as Orville Wright Middle School, this was a school my brother and I almost attended except that our parents decided later to put us in a private school instead), Westchester High (the school my brother attended for 4 years, and where my mom and I would wait in our one and only car in the parking lot every day to pick him up), the Red Onion on Manchester Avenue (a restaurant with great food that I remember eating at many times, which closed down decades ago), El Dorado Bowling Alley (which has since changed names and also owners), Playa Del Rey (a now mostly residential beachside town in Los Angeles), and of course, Hollywood Park (the former racetrack turned casino that will soon be the new home of the NFL team Los Angeles Rams).  Hearing all these places mentioned again – places where I had spent countless childhood days – brought back so many memories, both good and bad.  The part that resonated with me the most though, was Mikel’s detailed account of the devastating impact that his father’s addiction and his mother’s illness had on him and his brother.  Despite my background being very different from Mikel’s, one commonality we do share (outside of spending most of our childhoods in Los Angeles) is that, for most of my life, I’ve also had to deal with a father with an addiction (not drugs, but gambling and drinking) as well as a mother whom I now realize (after decades trying to figure it out) has the same “illness” as  Mikel’s mother.  For so long, I’ve had many of the same warped experiences, feelings, emotions that Mikel went through, yet it’s not until now that I truly understand what has been happening.  I am actually floored by how much clarity about my own life and my personal experiences that reading this memoir has given me.

This was a heart-wrenching read for me, one that elicited so many emotions, yet I’m so glad I got the chance to read it.  Most impressive to me is the way Mikel structured his story, which he narrates first from the perspective of a young child, then a teenager, and finally, an adult.  By relaying his story in a way that reflects how he grew up and came to understand the world around him, Mikel Jollett gives us a raw and powerful account of his remarkable journey.   I know for me, this is a memoir that, for sure, I won’t soon forget!

Received ARC from Celadon Books as part of Early Reader program.

Review: Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning (by Cathy Park Hong)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Upon finishing Cathy Park Hong’s book of essays entitled Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, I have to admit that I feel a bit conflicted.  As an Asian American woman who is close in age to Hong and also grew up in the Los Angeles area like she did, there were many experiences she described in her essays that were absolutely familiar to me – for example, struggling with identity and belonging, being discriminated against due to my race, feeling like I oftentimes have to explain my heritage to people due to preconceived biases stemming from ignorance – the list goes on and on.  Because of these shared experiences, I am able to understand wholeheartedly where Hong is coming from in her essays, even though culturally, we are from completely different backgrounds (Hong is Korean American, I’m Chinese American).   

Overall, I found Hong’s essay collection to be an insightful read and very different from a lot of what is typically written about identity and race, especially from an Asian American perspective.  The basic premise that binds all of Hong’s essays together is the concept of “minor feelings,” which Hong describes as “the racialized range of emotions that are negative, dysphoric, and therefore untelegenic, built from the sediments of everyday racial experience and the irritant of having one’s perception of reality constantly questioned or dismissed.”   In essence, it is the recognition that the negative emotions many Asian Americans (and other minority groups) have to deal with on a daily basis – feelings of shame, self-doubt, paranoia, suspicion, melancholy, etc.  – can be traced back to America’s history of imperialism and colonization of Asian nations, a history that resulted in the creation of an inherently racist capitalistic system that will constantly be in conflict with the reality of our racial identity.  Amongst other things, Hong writes about the “weight of indebtedness” that is a constant presence in her life as well as the lives of most immigrants regardless of background, with the context of this “indebtedness” correlating to a “gratitude” of sorts for being able to make a life for ourselves in this country.  All of Hong’s essays are infused with a raw honesty that is at the same time perceptive and intelligent, but also easy to grasp and understand. 

With all that said however, going back to why I felt conflicted after reading this book -- while there is definitely much truth to what Hong wrote and several aspects of it did actually resonate with me, there was also a large portion that I felt strayed too far from my own personal reality.  I’m not an activist and in fact, most of the time, I try to steer as clear away from politics as I possibly can.  I also don’t spend every waking moment of my life thinking about race, identity, and/or how I fit into this world as an Asian American – not because I don’t care or that I’m okay with being complacent about the racial circumstances in our society or whatnot – but rather, the practical realities of my life don’t afford me the “luxury” of constantly dwelling on identity politics and race.  Don’t get me wrong though – this doesn’t mean that if I see an injustice occurring, that I stand idly by instead of speaking up and fighting…if the circumstances warrant it, I will do what is necessary and also within my power to do.  But by the same token, it would also be “unjust” in my opinion to judge those who choose not to fight, who choose not to rock the boat, who choose the path of least resistant because they are content with living an ordinary, peaceful existence, even if it means being largely invisible and/or complacent from an identity perspective.  Forcing oneself to see everything through the lens of race and identity is exhausting and for me personally, that has never been how I want to go about my life.  At the end of the day, the most important thing, for me at least, is respecting each other’s viewpoints and choices, especially if they are different from our own. 

While my viewpoint may differ from Hong’s in many areas, I respect the fact that these essays reflect her personal thoughts and experiences and she doesn’t try to impose those onto us as readers.  I also appreciate Hong’s unflinching honesty as well as her willingness to so candidly voice her feelings.  Regardless, we definitely need more books like this one, where we get to hear different voices tell their stories – it takes a lot of courage to do so and that alone is already deserving of respect!  Definitely a recommended read, though of course with the understanding that this is Hong’s personal perspective as an Asian American living in the United States and by no means does it represent all Asian Americans.

Received ARC from One World (Random House) via NetGalley.

Review: All the Ways We Said Goodbye (by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White)

My Rating: 4 stars

Three formidable women.  Three different time periods.  One hotel that connects their stories together.    This is the premise of All the Ways We Said Goodbye, which is the latest work of historical fiction from the famous ‘Team W’ – authors Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White.  I’m familiar with each of these 3 author’s works individually, however this is my first time reading one of their collaborative efforts (though I have their previous two collaborations on my bookshelf waiting for me), and seeing how much I enjoyed this one, I am definitely grateful for the opportunity. 

The story opens first in the year 1964, with recently widowed Barbara “Babs” Langford at a crossroads trying to figure out her life after the death of her beloved husband Kit.  When Babs receives a letter from an American lawyer named Drew Boudoin seeking her help with locating a Resistance fighter whom her husband possibly knew while working in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, she agrees to join him in a search that finds them traveling to Paris and the famous Ritz hotel.  We are then taken back to the year 1914, at the onset of the Great War, where Aurelie, the daughter of the Comte de Courcelles, decides to leave her mother, who has been residing at the Ritz hotel in Paris, to accompany her father at their ancestral estate in Picardy, France.  Not long after she arrives, the estate is taken over by German troops who requisition the home as well as its surrounding area for their headquarters.  During this time, Aurelie discovers that she actually knows one of the German officers – Max von Sternburg – from her debutante days in Paris and despite being on opposite sides, they strike up a friendship that later develops into something more.  The timeline then switches to 1942, where Marguerite “Daisy” Villon lives with her Nazi collaborator husband Pierre and their 2 children in Paris, a few blocks from the Hotel Ritz where she grew up and where the grandmother who raised her still lives.  After some persuasion, Daisy agrees to assist in her grandmother’s Resistance efforts by helping to deliver identity papers created by a skilled forger named Legrand, to Jewish refugees.  Eventually, Daisy gets pulled deeper into the Resistance network, where working closer and closer with Legrand with change her life in ways she never expected.

The first thing that struck me about this novel was the seamlessness of the writing in that, to me at least, there was really no way to tell that 3 different authors were involved with writing this -- this is significant given that, in their individual works, each author has her own distinct style of writing, yet here, those different styles were pretty much indistinguishable.  Given the way the story was structured – with three alternating timelines anchored by three women with distinctly different personalities – I was impressed by how cohesively the narratives flowed together.  In addition to some clever transitions thrown in that linked the end of each chapter to the beginning of the next one (which I actually didn’t catch on to until about a third of the way through the novel), the various plot points were also well-crafted in terms of joining the timelines together in a way that still left room for each character’s individual stories to be told.  Speaking of the characters – one of the things I liked most about this book was the character development aspect, especially with regard to the 3 female protagonists, all of whom I found myself rooting for.  Even the male characters were written well, which isn’t always easy to do when the female characters in the story are strong and at the forefront of driving each of the narratives forward – I felt that the authors were able to strike a good balance in this aspect in terms of giving us strong, well-developed characters on both sides.

With all that said however, I did struggle a little bit with the rating on this one, as there were a few things about this book that I had a problem with, which is why, in the end, I chose to rate this 4 stars instead of 5.  One of the biggest issues was the emotional depth of the story, which I found surprisingly lacking given the setting against the backdrop of 2 World Wars -- I was expecting to be more moved by the story and even shed a tear or two, but that didn’t happen.  Perhaps the reason for this is, while there were plenty of historical elements, all of which were incorporated well into each of the narratives, the focus of the story overall seemed to lean more heavily toward the romance aspect and the relationships between the characters.  Of course, nothing wrong with this per se, but since I’m more of a historical fiction fan and less keen on romance, it makes sense that this would impact my reading experience a bit.  Another thing was that the plot elements were largely predictable in that, from the first chapter, I kind of already knew the direction that the story would be headed (and it turns out I was spot-on in terms of how all 3 narratives tied together), so there ended being no surprises or “gut-punch” moments for me.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this one, as it had many of the things I expect in a good book:  a compelling, well-written story that kept me turning the pages;  well-developed, complex characters that I felt invested in (to different extents); a relatively fast-paced plot that flowed well; and of course, a well-incorporated historical setting.  I think fans of the 3 authors will love this one and while it wasn’t necessarily a “favorite” in my book, I liked it well enough to want to go back through all 3 authors’ backlists as well as read the previous two ‘Team W’ works that they did – hopefully some time in the near future, I will have time to do so!

Received ARC from William Morrow (HarperCollins) via NetGalley.