diannastarr's reviews
20 reviews

House of Day, House of Night, by Olga Tokarczuk

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The best way to describe House of Day, House of Night is that it is a poetic anthology.  Focusing on the small town of Nowa Ruda, it chronicles the perspectives of those inhabiting the town and those that shaped it over a span of decades, if not centuries.  At a glance, it doesn't seem like much.  The chapter's are short - if you could even call them that, and very few are over 4 page long limits.  It's not this great, sprawling story with an intricate plot or character's that develop and change over time.  If anything, a lot of the novel feels stagnant, little slivers of time that add up to something that you can't really see, even after reaching the last page.  It doesn't talk about much, but in the end, that is the point of House of Day, House of Night.  It is a quiet novel, one in which the silence makes the loudest noise.  It doesn't even have much of a plot or a center of focus (outside of the town itself), but each little story about the tiniest of details connects and weaves together into something more, something universal, quintessential, timeless.  Tokarczuk's use of prose is beautiful and her ability to make this town and the world around it feel as if it something far more human than those inhabiting it is a wonder to read.  This is the perfect novel to carry around in your bag to read in between appointments, or even to pour over a chapter or two just before bed. 

The Vegetarian, by Han Kang

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Vegetarian is short, but it certainly packs a punch.  After a grotesque dream, dutiful wife Yeong-hye decides to spontaneously go vegan - which sets off a series of dominos that unravels not only herself, but those around her.  While I would have loved to have read this in its original forn, it is a fantastic translation nonetheless and left me with this unnerving sense of dread that still lingers days after finishing this novel.  It is told in three parts: from the perspective of her husband, her brother-in-law, and her sister: In-hye.  The lack of narrative voice from Yeong-hye is a phenomenal stylistic choice by Han Kang in that it illuminates the "protagonists" lack of agency in this narrative as a greater critique on violence and autonomy that devours us all in our everyday lives.  It is a chilling take on "madness" and mental illness in that it didn't necessarily shock me to my core or make me quiver in fear, but it is one that simmers deep beneath the surface.  Scenes trickle out into my consciousness every time I see a tree with branches that wind itself a certain way, or a floral mural with a pair of eyes that makes my stomach churn - and I applaud Han Kang's accomplishment in making me so viscerally uncomfortable even after turning the last page.  Her imagery is incredible and this is a story that I will, without a doubt, recommend to everyone who is looking for a gut wrenching short story that will make them ponder their lives, their relationships with others, and their own concept of sanity.  As much as I would have loved to have given this 5 stars, it is 4.25 as the second and third parts didn't stand as strong as the first narrative from Yeong-hye's husbands perspective.  That first "chapter" is absolutely, without a doubt, 6/5 stars in my book.

Beneath the Stairs, by Jennifer Fawcett

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

My friend had finished reading Beneath the Stairs and recommended it to me.  The paranormal mysticism had me intrigued, and so I decided to give it a shot.  It felt like a traditional ghost story: a haunted house, a murder mystery, possession, even creepy baby dolls - and at the beginning, I was all in.  However, the longer the story went on, the 'intrigue' died with it. I walked into this book expecting suspense, drama, twists and turns, but it simply did not provide.  The author's writing style was very direct and to the point, and I didn't find myself 'puzzled' at all; I found myself bored and forcing myself chapter by chapter, day by day, itching to reach the end so I could move on to another story.  I wanted to root for Clare, I wanted to support the childhood friends-to-lovers subplot, I wanted to root for Abby, and Taylor, and everyone else, but it just didn't stick.  I do not believe that this was a "bad story," that is not what I am saying at all.  I enjoyed Clare and Abby's friendship, Lori's shift in characterization, and the mystery that is the basement beneath the house - but those three things were not enough to "outweigh" the rest.  The plot was very promising and, in retrospect, the story had a nice message. I do believe that Beneath the Stairs would make for a good film adaptation and, given that this is Fawcett's debut, I am interested to see what else she will release in the future. 

The Poison Garden, by Alex Marwood

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

One of my friends was reading Alex Marwood's The Poison Garden and, out of curiosity, I decided to read it for myself.  Focusing on the aftermath of a mass suicide by members of the fictional Plas Golau cult in Southern England, it follows three different women and their relation to the organization.  Sarah is grieving the loss of her estranged sister after she took her own life with the rest of the doomsday cult, Somner is the estranged sister in question and her chapters chronicle her own indoctrination, and lastly Romy is Somner daughter and, as one of the few survivors of the cult, finds herself struggling to adapt to modern society. The premise was intriguing and, in a way, Plas Golau bore many similarities to Jonestown and Colonia Dignidad.  The brainwashing, the indoctrination, the fears of the future and what drives a group of people into taking action in the way that they did were all important questions that I was looking forward to unraveling.  However, it felt a bit lacking and I cannot place why.  In retrospect, I feel like the first few chapters started off really strong, it fell a little flat in the middle, and then it picked back up again in the end - and while the "twist conclusion" should have felt like a whirlwind, it didn't.  Some chapters were much stronger than others, and while it was an all around enjoyable book, it would have been nice for it to have been a slow, gradual inching of suspension and mystery as opposed to this feeling of forcing myself to push through the other chapters in order to get to those spurts of the great.  As for the ending,

Spoiler

while some might find Sarah's indoctrination and Romy's return to the cult disappointing, I will be the first to say that it made me mad.  I was pissed off, just staring at the book thinking: "that's it?"  But it's been over a month since I finished it and I feel like that was what Marwood was getting at all along.  It wasn't supposed to be a happy ending, it was supposed to make you feel that dread in the pit of your stomach, wanting to shake some sense into Romy and Sarah. 

Despite my own personal taste in writing styles, I am still going to keep this in my library as Marwood's work made me think about what it means to be a member of society and what following the "status quo" entails - and I suppose that's all that really matters in the end.  No matter the writing style, the author's choices in pacing, the characterization and content and everything else under the sun, everything comes down to wanting your story to stick with your readers.  As I sit here and write this review, I know that

Spoiler

Somner's final thoughts before downing the laced drink

will always stick with me.  Even if it's just a small piece of the story, The Poison Garden did its job, and for that I applaud it. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I would like to preface this review by stating, first and foremost: I don't typically read lighthearted novels.  Ever since I was a little, I always tended to gravitate towards the darker works, the mysteries and the nitty gritty psychological thrillers.  I've never really taken too kindly to Hallmark movies, romantic comedies, or anything similar.  That being said: I absolutely loved Before the Coffee Gets Cold.  The novel takes place at a mystical coffee shop where customers can go back in time but they only have until their cup of coffee gets cold.  Each of the four chapters follows a different pair of characters: a woman who wants to persuade her boyfriend not to move overseas, a man with Alzheimer's who can't remember his wife, two estranged sisters, and a mother and her daughter.  When I describe it like this, the premise sounds silly and ridiculous (and at first, I thought the same), but the novel truly has a lot of heart and tugged at my heartstrings in a way that I can't explain.  It's a warm book, a cozy book, a story about the bonds between people that transcends time and I can't wait to add the rest of the series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi to my collection. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a novel that makes you wonder: if I could go back in time, who would I talk to and why?  I will say, the writing style is a bit stilted as the narrator is, more or less from the outside looking in, describing events that are going to happen with an absolute certainty that takes away the narrow, character driven perspective; but in a weird way, I liked it.  I feel like Before the Coffee Gets Cold would've been a lot stronger in it's native Japanese, but I am grateful to have been able to read this story in its translation regardless.  As someone who doesn't like books that are too "fluffy," this novel was just the right amount.  

Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

When comparing Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl to Sharp Objects, this novel absolutely takes the cake.  When you first dive into it, it is such a seemingly simple premise: protagonist (Camille Preaker) is a journalist has to return to her small Missourian hometown to report on the grizzly murders of two adolescent girls.  You walk into the novel thinking that it is going to be just another crime story, just another tiny town novel in which it makes everyone has a secret and that something wicked lies beneath the surface.  All of this is true: and yet it is also not.  What Flynn has accomplished in these pages is a deep dive into violence.  Specifically: what happens when you put a child in a pressure-cooker like environment and brush everything under the rug.   The novel is disturbing in so many ways, simply because it illuminates acts of feminine violence, or violence that relates to and is inflicted by women, in such a graphic way that nobody wants to discuss, ranging from

Spoiler

Joya peeling her daughter's sunscreen burns as an act of public humiliation to Adora's history with her mother and desperation for love manifesting itself by Munchausen by Proxy, and lastly between the two daughters: one who carves letters into her own skin, and the other who went so far as to rip out the teeth of her friends because they got more attention than her.

  Sharp Objects is a disturbing take on family dynamics - specifically among women - and while parts of it made me shudder, specifically the scene between Adora and Camille where

Spoiler

Adora verbalized her desire to carve her own name into the one spot on her daughter's back that was bare

I could not put it down simply because deep down, I knew that there are sharp objects that lie within me.  It is a certain feminine rage that Flynn hones in on, a violence that isn't bullets in a chest or monologues dripping with a desire for vengeance.  This rage is a quiet one, something that simmers within and takes its outlet on one of two things: those around you, or you take it out on yourself.  Flynn has created a masterpiece with Sharp Objects and it is one that I cannot wait to read again and again. 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Shirley Jackson's final novella is, in it's entirety, one of her best works.  It focuses on the Blackwood family after half of the family perished in a terrible poisoning - leaving Uncle Julian, the narrator's sister: Constance, and the narrator herself - Mary Katherine "Merricat" as the only survivors.  It is insidious not in the mythological monsters, the superstitious or the supernatural; We Have Always Lived in the Castle is terrifying in the way by which the narrator devolves into a state of paranoia and neurosis, and, consequently, drags its readers down with her.  Merricat is, by it's definition, an extremely unreliable narrator, a young woman trapped in a state of everlasting childhood which in turns, brings to light the question: what makes a ghost?  At just a hundred or so pages, every single word is chosen with care and Merricat's skewed perspective is simultaneously limited and limitless.  We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a phenomenal story about family, loneliness, childhood, and grief - and it is the perfect paperback to pick up when autumn rolls around, to reread late one night when you cannot sleep, or even to read for the very first time after having not read a single book in years.  

The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan

hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The Joy Luck Club is a fantastic novel that is intrinsically focused on the bonds between mothers and daughters, the experiences that shape them and the inevitable misunderstandings that can follow suit.  Tan does an incredible job seamlessly weaving the imagery with the shared experiences of both Chinese and Chinese-American women and in all honesty, The Joy Luck Club felt a bit like reading poetry.  This is a great book to read to pass the time between commutes or even just before bed :) 

Blackbird, by Michael Fiegel

challenging dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I picked up Blackbird on a whim because the premise seemed interesting, and upon reading it I found myself hooked.  The writing style isn't flowery or delicate by any means; it is blunt, rough, to the point, and rather nihilistic in tone - very much like the two main character's themselves: Edison North and Christian.  The character's voices are strong and definitely seep through the pages, but while the stylistic choice is abrasive, Fiegel makes it work.  The character's are neither good or bad, merely many different shades of grey woven together by circumstance and their experiences, and their journey's were fascinating to follow.  It was definitely an entertaining read, and I will probably pick it up again the future.

Butter Honey Pig Bread, by Francesca Ekwuyasi

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Butter Honey Pig Bread is, dare I say it, one of my favorite books that I've read this summer.  Ekwuyasi's ability to weave her words to set the scene puts other masterpieces to shame, and the ambiance of the story is absolutely phenomenal.  You can feel the emotional strain between sisters Kehine and Taiye, the internal strife of Kambirinachi and her grappling with the limbo between the land of the living and the worlds beyond, and the events of the past that ripple into the final part.  The characters are all incredibly fleshed out, the familial dynamics are rich, and the weight of living is palpable in a way that one would watch the steam rise from a piping kettle. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone (especially in the summertime) and it breaks my heart to know that this novel isn't getting the acclaim that it truly deserves.  Ekwuyasi is on her way to becoming one of the great novelists of this generation, and I cannot wait to see where she will go with her other works to come.  My only regret is that I didn't read this at a cafe or in the kitchen trying out some of Taiye's recipes, but I know that come next summer, I will be back.