A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller

A murder mystery set in my home state—what is not to like!  The only thing I disliked is that the author, another native, made up a county when we have 55 perfectly good ones to choose from!  Everything else I liked.  Everything else is described perfectly.  Extreme poverty, honest pride, small towns where everyone knows someone who knows someone and the hollers (hollows for non-natives) keep more secrets than can be counted. Despair that comes from having the intelligence but not the money or wherewithal to change the direction of one’s fate is evident. 

She weaves a good tale of a child who is pulled from horrible conditions and goes away to become a lawyer. Has a perfect family, married to a man who also “escaped” and has no intention of ever returning.  What got her to return to Acker’s Gap with her daughter is something many questioned as the book progressed.  I am one who left and has no intention of returning. However, I am not a prosecutor who has the opportunity to put drug criminals behind bars and hopefully enable others to use the innate intelligence they possess and pull themselves out of the cycle of despair that has hit so much of the state.  Meth labs abound.  Looking at my hometown newspaper I see evidence of this each week.  More and more are lured into the quick fix and easy money.  Behind each of them is a person like Tom Cox, someone who knows better, can do better and thinks (convinces himself) he is doing it for the right reasons until the greed sets in. 

The secondary story here is Bell’s itself.  She was abused by her father and her sister killed the father and burned the trailer with him in it.  She went to prison and insisted her sister consider her dead.  Bell tried even until the very end but Shirley would not give in.  It is interesting that Nick told her people had known what was going on in the house but did not want to speak up.  That is the nature of such insulated small towns.  Even the Bevins household would allow a mentally challenged young man to take the blame for a death of a young boy rather than admit to an affair.

The novel is tied together nicely when Carla asks her to go back to her high school and talk to the students.  Progress on so many levels!  She leaves the reader with hope that thinks can change. I hope she is correct.  

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

When I first started this book it reminded me of the movie Memento which I did not like.  Every time you think you have figured out the plot it changed and started all over again.  Once I got further into the book (because I truly believe I should read each book before commenting!) I realized that Ursula was leading each of these lives in different times that simply coincided with the same time period.  Ursula led many diverse lives, some more interesting than others.  I enjoyed the ones that dealt with the blitz, disliked the ones where she suffered unfairly.  I liked that people presumed dead were not.  I liked that in each of the lives she remained strong woman.  When nearly destroyed by men, she fought back, whether directly or indirectly.  She lost much and gained much. In fact, one could question whether or not she lost everything and gained nothing.  Did she live from infancy?  Which of the many lifes was really hers?

Teddy was one of those characters I enjoyed watching develop.  He was a darling as a baby and remained a favorite of Ursula throughout the book.  Maurice seems to have been a pain from birth and remained so.  Pamela is also a character that remained a true sister regardless of the time in which she is placed.  Izzie fares better in some than others but she is the creative individual that adds a spark to an otherwise dull life.

I am not sure what to make of the way the author deals with the men in Ursula’s life—particulary the ones with whom she is romantically involved.  Crighton I liked despite the fact that he was an adulterer.  The relationship was one of mutual admiration and respect.  Obviously the marriage to the teacher (Derek Oliphant) was horrible. He was such a horrible person but a presume he was included as penitence for her having had an abortion.  I was pleased to see that she was able to correct both the rape and the marriage in another life.

The life in Hitler’s Germany is one area I was not able to wrap my head around.  It is like she just dropped in there.  The premise of visiting the family of Eva Braun and actually getting to know her I suppose was to allow Ursula to see the other side of WWII.  However, this again ended with her having to make a terrible decision regarding a child.  One way or another, the child always seems to die.  This one was particularly poignant.

I think many of wonder about the opportunities to do things differently.  Would we make any of the same mistakes?  Do we learn from previous encounters, realities?  I look forward to our discussions!

The Butcher's Theater by Jonathan Kellerman

I have read several books by Jonathan Kellerman but this is the first that provided such a detailed, intricate mystery that differs from the Alex Delaware mysteries I so like.  While it is a murder mystery it does not ta place in California.  I enjoyed the Israeli setting and the insight it gave the reader into the social and political issues that continue to plague the country today. 

The interaction between the members of the police department plays up the conflicts between the ethnic groups as well as the cooperation.  It is an interesting to see how the weaknesses of one person become a strength for another.  History was woven into the personalities of the characters. Religion and social mores cause conflict and resolution at the same time!  It is as if the entire book is two sides of the same coin.  For every up there is a down and every turn leads into a more complicated twist.

Without giving away too much of the book, I will say that I was captivated by the way Kellerman used social situations to add to the suspense.  Fatima was kicked out of her family because she had a boyfriend.  Other victims had similar pitfalls—prostitution, drug addiction, the inability to conceive children.  They appear separate but in the final analysis they related very well to the killer and his desire to purify the world.

Dani is the ultimate detective—determined to get to the bottom despite what it might cost him.  A devout Jew, he missed the Sabbath most of the book. His family is extremely important to him but he all but abandons it to solve this case.  In the end he realizes how those sacrifices could impact his life and family and lays it all on the line to protect those he loves.

In order to catch a murderer as devious as the one here an international army was needed.  The cooperation of law enforcement personnel in the US, the Netherlands, Interpol and the FBI, exposes the criminal mind and lead the reader on a chase to the end that has many false turns.  I found this one of the most endearing things about the book.  I turned many others into the Butcher prior to realizing who it actually was!  I did feel vindicated to learn that one of my “choices” turned out to be a bad guy in a very different way.  Each of my suspects had their own secrets and I am left wondering how some will deal with those.

Without giving it away to those who are still reading the book, I would like to pose some questions.  Was the psychological damage done to the killer by his parents?  Did they create him or was he the way he was by his own nature?  Were the women he killed a substitute for his mother? Were the women killed more than just victims of the Butcher or were they also victims of the society in which they lived?

I look forward to discussing the book with you and hearing your opinions!

Marrying the Mistress by Joanna Trollope

From its title one expects a very different book than the one we get.  I would have expected a book about the evils of having an extramarital affair. If that was the intent she failed!  However, I truly believed she expected the reader to look at how all people in a relationship are impacted by decisions made each and every day.  Therefore, I will give my take on the key players in this book.  I look forward to discussing the same characters at our meeting.

 

Guy—like many people I expect he did love his wife.  He had married her.  He wanted her to be happy and to create a life for herself.  He worked hard and long to ensure she wanted for nothing.  I do not believe he set out to have an affair, let alone leave his wife for another woman. As a father, he worked and paid for things. 

Laura—the wronged woman was not her best reflection. She never seemed happy from the very beginning. It was like she was doing what was expected:  marriage, children, making a good home. Nowhere in that does one find that she loves her husband.  Her friend evens calls her on this by saying she thought she was happy Guy was leaving her.  Laura seems more concerned about manipulating her son and maintaining her social status than her marriage.

Simon—truly Laura’s favorite.  She could pull his strings to the point of almost ruining his marriage.  Like many first born children he feels a responsibility to his mother. Seems he and Guy were not that close even though they share a profession.  He too was busy earning a wage to provide for a family without realizing the family needed him more than the money.

Carrie—strong willed and not afraid to take on the Mother-in law!  Truly loves Simon but is willing to give Guy and Merrion the benefit of a doubt. 

Alan—surprised that he is presented as gay.  Could this be the reason his mother prefers Simon to him?  He is one of my favorite characters—loves life, accepting and honest.

Jack, Emma and Rachel—amazing how each plays a role in the eventual outcome of the book.  Jack needs someone to talk to so goes to Grando since he feels his parents are too caught up in everything to listen. Rachel and Emma are honest with their father about their mother’s reaction.  The three combine to give the parents a  reality check and jolt Simon into telling his mother that he would no longer be a puppet on her string.

Gwen—wants the best for her daughter to the point of being willing to alienate her.  Sees her making similar mistakes she made earlier in her own life. 

Merrion—interesting character.  Says she wants to marry Guy but I believe she liked the affair more than the idea of marriage.  She did not like sharing him with his family and when she began to interact with them found this more difficult.  I think she was saddened by the outcome but a bit relieved too.

 

I liked the ending of the book. Simon and Carrie found what mattered in their marriage—something Guy and Laura never did. Laura may get her act together and become her own person.  Guy does an honorable thing and renews his relationship with his family without going back into a loveless marriage.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

“Try not to live in the past, but who knows, sometimes the past lives in me” is the first line I highlighted while reading this book. It led me to have some faith that all would be resolved at books end.  I wondered through its pages if there would be resolution or not.  I cannot imagine how life was in Seattle or any other Pacific coast city during WWII.  I did not even learn of the relocation centers where we placed American citizens based solely on their ethnicity until I was a first year teacher. That had conveniently been omitted in the history books I encountered in West Virginia, even as a Social Studies major in college.  I believe the friendship between Henry and Keiko would have been the equivalent to a friendship between a Caucasian and African American in this part of our nation for many years.  Henry fought his father’s hatred of the Japanese, his unwillingness to speak anything but Cantonese, his being disowned for having his own stubborn streak and even his willingness to return to China to finish his schooling.  His father was living in the past.  He did not want to do so. Yet, he always lived with Keiko in his heart.

Honor is very much a part of Asian culture, possibly even more so than for other cultures. Henry respected his mother for honoring his father by always doing as he declared. “Obedience as a sign of loyalty, as an expression of honor, even as an act of love, was a well-worn theme in his household.” Henry saw this every day as his mother would prepare his food and sneak his letters under his pillow all the while not talking to him because to do so would go against her husband.  When she does speak with him it is to ask obedience of him to take the suit, the ticket to Canton and the money and obey his father’s wishes that he return to China and complete his education.  He agreed under certain circumstances which his father did honor as well—keeping the Panama Hotel from being sold.

“Feelings can only be hidden so long from those who really pay attention.”  Henry’s mother always knew how he felt about Keiko.  Being a woman, I would have thought she would have had a bit more empathy for his situation but that did not keep her from wanting her only son to grow up, meet a nice Chinese girl, marry and have a family!  It is one of the underlying themes in this entire book—loyalty and honor above all else.  The interesting thing is to compare the way Keiko’s family saw these items as opposed to Henry’s.  The Okabes took people at face value with actions speaking louder than any ethnic tensions between two worlds.  They saw the love their daughter had for Henry and he for her.  They knew that he respected them as well and were able to welcome him to their home.

Henry did meet Ethel, marry and have a son.  While he continued to think of Keiko, he was a loving partner and a good father.  I think it interesting that his reasons for marrying Ethel also revolved around loyalty and honor.  He had started dating her after he found Keiko did not show up at the Panama Hotel as requested. He assumed she had moved on. Later he would find that his father had used his power to keep not only his letters from going to Keiko but also him from receiving hers.  At this time he considered, at least momentarily, going to find Keiko but he had asked Ethel to marry him in a burst of passion on V-J Day.  His parents loved her and accepted her. To go back on his proposal would have been dishonorable to Ethel.

I believe he had a good live with Ethel.  He continued to honor her by keeping her with him while she dealt with her cancer and later died of it. “But choosing to lovingly care for her was like steering a plane into a mountain as gently as possible. The crash is imminent; it’s how you spend your time on the way down that counts.” As one who lives with a person who suffers from an incurable disease I know that it is both a joy to spend the time together and a pending crash into the mountain side as you never know what is around the next day.  Will it be a good or a bad day?  Will the progression of the disease accelerate or slow?  That is why I push to get the most out of life every day while we can. I know the day will arrive when we cannot travel, when life as we know it now will change dramatically, but in the meantime I choose to spend the our time on the way down in a manner that creates joy and love. Henry did the same for Ethel. 

I believe it is the way he loved and cared for Ethel that leads Marty to help Henry find Keiko in the end.  He knew his father had sacrificed much for his mother and he deserved to find happiness.  Everyone tells Henry to “fix it” but in the end it is his own son and future, American, daughter-in-law who fixes it.

What I liked about the book:  easy to read, based on historical facts, dealt evenly with the events of the time period without dwelling on the misery and depicted the importance of friendship.  I loved that he and Sheldon remained close friends throughout their lives.  Good friends are there through good times and bad times and they were there for each other.  I loved that Keiko had kept the record and gave it back to Sheldon when she heard he was dying.  It meant as much to her as to Henry and Sheldon. It was like it kept them together even when they were apart. 

What I disliked: Chaz, (even though I am sure his kind existed then as they do today), the conditions under which we treated people in our own country who were American born citizens, and that it took Henry forty plus years to find Keiko. However had he reconnected immediately after the war it would have been a much shorter, less poignant book!

The Hitchhike by Mark Paul Smith

This is a non-fiction book that reads like a novel. The fact that he began his career as a journalist is probably why.  Mark Smith graduated high school with my husband who read the book first.  I decided to read it as well to see if I thought the book club would enjoy it.  I think they will. 

Many of us have adventurous spirits.  We have travelled to strange lands, done odd jobs, tried new projects, etc. Few of us have truly lived the adventure he experienced.  The early 70s were days of sex, drugs and rock and roll. He experienced all of those in a variety of countries.  I would have loved to have had the courage to take off around the world with less than a thousand dollars, a backpack and a sense of wonderment about where the road would take me.  I marveled at his experiences.  Drug and sex filled, dangerous, and exotic, his hitchhike was the ultimate trip of a lifetime.  That being said, I would never have taken a trip like that!

Women on the road were subject to a whole different set of rules from me. While both faced danger, women faced the likelihood of rape in many of these places he traveled.  That would not have kept me from the trip—sleeping outdoors, lack of running water, dirt—those things would have kept me off the road!  And, while I would have enjoyed all the wine, the vistas seen, etc., I would not have enjoyed the heavy drug use, the commune like living or having to rely on the kindness of others to know where I would sleep, bathe, and eat.

I did enjoy the philosophical debate expressed around the world about US role in international affairs, its war machine and its impact on innocents abroad. I wonder what they are saying about the US these days if those were the sentiments of the Vietnam Era!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

A short book, it is easily read in one sitting.  Much happens in that sitting and one is not bored during it!  It was suggested as an adult book even though the story is told from the perspective of a seven year old little boy.  Did all the things actually happen or are they the memories of a lonely little boy who had no one show up for his birthday party?

The book begins with the child returning to his childhood home/neighborhood to speak at and attend a funeral. Whose funeral is not particularly clear but definitely a family member and not his sister.  Even as an adult he is a lonely man.  He does all he is supposed to do and keeps to himself. He prefers books to most people and loves kittens. Sounds near perfect!  Herein lies some of the secrets and twists that make the novel a fun read.  He recalls receiving a copy of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia around his seventh birthday.  He also loved comic books like most little boys.  The two things together give us the action, adventure, spirit filled alter world of Lettie Hempstock and our narrator.  A bit of research led to the discovery that the author put much of himself into the book.  He enjoyed The Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland and Narnia as a youth. He also wrote comic books.  How much of the rest is true or fiction I do not know.

I see the Hempstock farm as Narnia.  Magical, dangerous and comforting all at the same time. For a seven year old boy without friends dealing with problems of a troubled family the world beyond his place had to be all of those.  The entrance of Ursula complicated his young life. I think she was more than a live-in help and eventual lover of his father. I think she represented the strain the family was experiencing due to a loss of fortune and having to take in boarders.  (His sister told him later that his mother had fired Ursula.)  Since he was forced to share a room with his older sister with whom he had little in common I think Lettie became the older, more protective sister he desired as opposed to the one he had.  The Hempstock women were strong, nurturing and always made him feel comfortable.  They could work magic where his own family could not.  Again I see many parallels with this story and the Narnia Chronicles. 

Lettie saved him from the creatures hoping to consume him. Did she die in the process or did she simply go into the ocean to return at a different time?  When he arrives at the farmhouse he is asked if he is there to see her but never does.  She is healing still he was told.  Would it have ruined the story had she been there? Probably, since that would not support the magical mystery that weaves such a fine tale here. Also, would he have lived his life as he did had Lettie not sacrificed herself to protect him? When he asked Old Mrs Hempstock whether he had passed she replied “You don’t pass or fail at being a person, dear.”  He says that he made friends with his father in later years even though they were unlikely friends. He obviously had a relationship with his sister and there is little mention of the mother except that she had fired Ursula.

While he says he does not remember coming back to the farmhouse previously, Mrs. Hempstock says he has been there on more than one occasion.  Which lady did he visit? Are they all one in the same or separate people? What role does a cat called Ocean play?  I look forward to our discussions!