booksuperpower's review
3.0
Things Mysterious by Matthew Chabin is a 2015 Roane publishing release. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is a short story that has a very compelling blurb and certainly peaked my curiosity. I thought this would be mystery/romance with secrets and all that good stuff. But, this story is nothing at all like that and I will have to be very upfront with you and say I am still unsure how I feel about this one.
Dasan is adjusting to civilian life after a tour in Iraq and the demise of his marriage. He is going through the motions of life, getting through one day to the next, until by sheer chance he sees a girl that absolutely stuns him. From that day forward she is the real focus of his life. As he gets to know her better, the relationship develops very nicely, but there is something off , not right, and as each day passes Dasan becomes more frustrated. What is Edenia's back story and will he be able to cope with the truth once he knows the whole story?
Filled with the philosophical and the metaphorical, the story digs deep into the psyche leading the reader around on loopy mind trip, all the while dropping subtle hints about what is come. Sadly, I was left feeling a little unsettled and down when the story concluded. I don't always expect wine and roses at a book's conclusion, especially if it is a mystery/suspense novel, which the blurb sort of hinted at, in my opinion, but this story was not a mystery, not a romance, no matter what impression you may draw from the blurb. In fact, the story is quite melancholy, with a kind of dream like quality to it making me wonder if I was in an alternate dimension much of the time.
I will be the first to confess I don't read a lot of super deep material. I pretty much stick to mainstream romance and mystery/thrillers , so perhaps there is a message here the author hoped the reader would would pick up on, but that I didn't quite grasp.
Having said that, I can see the the author has some writing skills, and does indeed have a certain style that captivates the reader. I think if I took things at face value the story was ultimately sad, and I loathe sad endings, but if it was perhaps allegorical, I could draw my own conclusion and believe whatever I wanted to about the conclusion, or I missed the meaning entirely and it sailed right over my feeble little head. Either way, be prepared because the ending is rather abrupt and like I said before, left me feeling at sixes and sevens.
Overall, I give the author kudos for great writing skill and prose and for originality, even though I can't say I was a huge fan of the story itself. This one gets 3 stars
This is a short story that has a very compelling blurb and certainly peaked my curiosity. I thought this would be mystery/romance with secrets and all that good stuff. But, this story is nothing at all like that and I will have to be very upfront with you and say I am still unsure how I feel about this one.
Dasan is adjusting to civilian life after a tour in Iraq and the demise of his marriage. He is going through the motions of life, getting through one day to the next, until by sheer chance he sees a girl that absolutely stuns him. From that day forward she is the real focus of his life. As he gets to know her better, the relationship develops very nicely, but there is something off , not right, and as each day passes Dasan becomes more frustrated. What is Edenia's back story and will he be able to cope with the truth once he knows the whole story?
Filled with the philosophical and the metaphorical, the story digs deep into the psyche leading the reader around on loopy mind trip, all the while dropping subtle hints about what is come. Sadly, I was left feeling a little unsettled and down when the story concluded. I don't always expect wine and roses at a book's conclusion, especially if it is a mystery/suspense novel, which the blurb sort of hinted at, in my opinion, but this story was not a mystery, not a romance, no matter what impression you may draw from the blurb. In fact, the story is quite melancholy, with a kind of dream like quality to it making me wonder if I was in an alternate dimension much of the time.
I will be the first to confess I don't read a lot of super deep material. I pretty much stick to mainstream romance and mystery/thrillers , so perhaps there is a message here the author hoped the reader would would pick up on, but that I didn't quite grasp.
Having said that, I can see the the author has some writing skills, and does indeed have a certain style that captivates the reader. I think if I took things at face value the story was ultimately sad, and I loathe sad endings, but if it was perhaps allegorical, I could draw my own conclusion and believe whatever I wanted to about the conclusion, or I missed the meaning entirely and it sailed right over my feeble little head. Either way, be prepared because the ending is rather abrupt and like I said before, left me feeling at sixes and sevens.
Overall, I give the author kudos for great writing skill and prose and for originality, even though I can't say I was a huge fan of the story itself. This one gets 3 stars
nadenetotallyaddictedtoreading's review
3.0
Happy Book Birthday to Things Mysterious!
Things Mysterious
Genre: Romance (Mystery)
by Matthew Chabin
Publisher: Roane Publishing Release Date: June 22, 2015 Keywords: Mortality, Literary
Dasan Garret is a disappointed man. Recently divorced and just returned from a traumatic tour of duty in Iraq, he moves back to his hometown of Portland, Oregon only to find himself unexpectedly alone. His old friends are all gone, moved away, locked up, or dead. Women seem to occupy a parallel universe. With no community and few prospects, he takes a job as a night watchman and withdraws ever deeper into the shadows of his mind. Until one day when he meets Edenia, and she lights up his world like a bolt of pure energy. She seems perfect: vibrant, gifted, kind, sexy, a sudden and unlooked-for reprieve from the sad ruin of his life. And yet there remains a nagging sense that something isn’t right. Could it be that he is merely slow to trust the happiness she offers him? Or is there something behind that waver in her laugh, that fleeting look of sadness in her eyes?
The mystery deepens when one day Edenia disappears. Dasan believes he must find her in order to go on living. But to find her again, he will have to confront a devastating truth about her life, and his.
Purchase Links:
Roane Publishing
Amazon
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Barnes & Noble
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What inspired me to sign up to register and review Things Mysterious was the blurb. I found it to be quite interesting. In addition to this the book was promoted as a dark romantic suspense and being a fan of this genre I figured that this would be the perfect read for me. As I immersed myself into the book, I soon realise that it was not what it purported to be. There was no romance, mystery or suspense. This story took me on a whole different level than that I have grown accustomed to. It forced me to think outside the box.
Things Mysterious tells the story of Dasan and Edenia. Dasan is an ex-soldier who is recently divorced and is currently working as a security guard. He led a rather lonely life, but this would change when he met the lovely Edenia. What follows is a story that will have you questioning and wondering what the heck is going on.
This book is a unique and interesting read. The author’s writing style is philosophical and metaphorical. There were times I found myself re-reading paragraphs as I wanted to ensure that I understood what the author was trying to portray. The characters are complex and you will definitely be drawn to them. You can’t help but to like them. You will find yourself wanting to comfort Dasan as you go along. When I figured out what was happening, I could do nothing more than empathize with Dasan. The ending was not at all what I expected. It was abrupt and rather disappointing. I simply could not visualise how it tied into the whole narrative.
Overall, I thought this to be an ok read and I would definitely read more from this writer.
Matthew Chabin was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico and grew up in Portland, Oregon. He served four years in the US Navy as a ship crewman, journalist and public affairs liaison. He studied literature and philosophy at Southern Oregon University. After graduating in 2010, he started teaching English abroad, working in the Czech Republic and volunteering with the Dalai Lama’s affiliate organization, Tibet Charity, in Dharamsala/Mcleod Ganj, India. He currently lives in Nagano Prefecture of Japan with his wife, Marie, and cat, Futa.
His work has appeared in Gravel: A Literary Journal, Southern Pacific Review, Piker Press, and Black Denim. He is the author of a memoir, Equaling Heaven, which he hopes to see published in the near future.
Matthew’s Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.chabin
GIVEAWAY!
An ecopy of Things Mysterious and a $10 Amazon Gift Card!
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