Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

 

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

384 pp

Everyone in Ern's family has killed someone, but not all are murderers. Erv is a writer of books to help writers write books in particular genres. He is joining his family at a ski resort in Australia (I did not know they had these!) for a family reunion since his brother is getting out of jail. Within 24 hours of arriving at the reunion, a body is found. Then (of course) a big storm comes in and cuts off all communication for the family with anyone outside of the resort.

Throughout the book, Ern recounts his different family members and who they killed.  I have read some reviews that said that they thought the book was like the  "Knives Out" series of movies.  Unfortunately, I thought the story required the reader to suspend belief several times and played upon cliches of the mystery/suspense genre.  Perhaps I read this at the wrong time to find the humor.

Waiting for the Past

Waiting for the Past: Poems by Les Murray, 78 pages

In this short collection, Les Murray celebrates the poetry of the everyday.

     embracing your knees in opposition

     you show inner thigh, and lift

     toe-horn turrets which will grit

     the flooring with grey beetle bix.

And explores the temporal rhymes of present and past.

     A youth, rusty haired

     as I was in my time,

     rocked atop a high stool

     as he read a book from

     the stock he was to sell.

Murray's poems tend to be short and enigmatic, often surprising with sudden turns of phrase and rewarding rereading.

     Leaves absorbing light

     steep it in syrups down

     into the buried world.

Never Never

NeverNever by James Patterson & Candice Fox, 363 pages

“Never... assume you know someone. Harry Blue is the top Sex Crimes investigator in her department. She's a seasoned pro who's seen it all. But even she didn't see this coming: her own brother arrested for the grisly murders of three beautiful young women. Never... accept a reassignment to the middle of nowhere "for your own good." Harry's been sent to a makeshift town in a desolate landscape-a world full of easy money, plenty of illegal ways to spend it, and a ragtag collection of transient characters who thrive on the fringes of society. A place where little grows, but evil flourishes. Never... trust anyone. Looking into a seemingly simple missing persons case, Harry's been assigned to a new "partner." But is he actually meant to be a watchdog? Still reeling from the accusations against her brother, Harry can't even trust her own instincts, which she's never doubted...until now. Never... go anywhere without leaving a trace. Far from the world she knows and desperate to clear her brother's name, Harry has to mine the dark secrets of her strange new home for answers to a deepening mystery-before she vanishes in a place where no one would ever think to look for her. Never Never is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride with enough intrigue and suspense to keep you guessing until the final page. You'll never be able to put it down.”  I liked this story, although it was a little too predictable because I had the mystery solved well before the end.  Also, I was a little disappointed that a major plot point was not resolved.  I’m assuming that there will be a sequel, but I will be bitterly unhappy if there isn’t, since such a large part was unresolved.  Patterson fans will enjoy it.

In the Blink of an Eye

In the blink of an eye by Jesse Blackadder   I read a galley - book is due to be published 3/19/2019   370 pages

When a family experiences deep trauma, is there any coming back to redemption and forgiveness? That's the question that the author explores in this story about the Brennans, a family who have made a change to living in a town in New South Wales. They're still adjusting to work, school and life in their new house when tragedy strikes. Afterwards, there are so many questions. Who was to blame for what happened? Why didn't someone be more careful? And what happens now? If the family fractures, will there be any way for them to remain together?

This is one of those stories where the summary has to be deliberately vague because otherwise, you can totally give away what happens. Suffice to say, there is a mother, a father, and two sons. Each handles the tragedy in their own way, and because of that, the family unit starts to unravel.Told from the viewpoints of the different characters, you get insight into what happened through each of them, as well as how they are handling the aftermath. It's not clear if they will all come through this intact --- and no, I'm not going to reveal anything.

I found this book to be thoughtfully written and at times, although a bit predictable, I found the characters to be compelling. The author does a great job of writing in a way that immerses you in the story, so you feel you're in the setting, right there with the characters. It's a very realistic story, which means there are parts that are heartbreaking (and also heartwarming).

The Trauma Cleaner

The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster
by Sarah Krasnostein    336 pages

"Husband, father, drag queen, sex worker, wife. You've got to hear Sandra's incredible story."

This is definitely an interesting story. The author makes it clear at the beginning that although she is writing about Sandra's life, that Sandra doesn't have a good memory, so some of the details of her life aren't clear (or are missing entirely).  The blurb about this book says "Sarah Krasnostein's The Trauma Cleaner is a love letter to an extraordinary ordinary life. In Sandra Pankhurst she discovered a woman capable of taking a lifetime of hostility and transphobic abuse and using it to care for some of society's most in-need people."

While parts of this book are hard to read, I still found it to be unlike any other biography I've read. Sandra has had a very difficult life and some of the details of her childhood and then what she needed to do to survive as an adult make for some pretty sad reading, it's clear that Sandra doesn't get bogged down in sadness. Instead, she is always looking forward, always looking to make the best of a situation.  Her compassion towards her clients is truly remarkable --- I found myself thinking that it takes an extraordinary person to be a trauma cleaner.  And by the way, "trauma" does sometimes mean cleaning after a death, but it can also mean cleaning for someone who is living in a hoarding situation. 

Not a book for everyone, but definitely interesting. 

Y the Last Man: Girl on Girl

Y the Last Man: Girl on Girl by Brian K Vaughn, 125 pages

After two years spent crossing the U.S., Yorick and his escorts, have gone to sea. Dr. Mann has discovered the key to understanding what saved Yorick when all the other men died. The only problem though is that the key to Yorick's survival has been stolen by a Japanese mercenary.

I'm not really going to bother saying much for the review, because I feel like I'm just kind of repeating myself a bit for each of these. I will say that I'm glad they gave us a peek at how Yorick's girlfriend is faring in Australia. 

The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion, 295 pages


Don Tillman is a genetics professor living with Asperger's, who just doesn't realize it.  He has social difficulties, limited friends, lives an incredibly structured life, and decides to build a survey in order to find a wife who is perfect.  Rosie Jarman is a young woman looking for genetics advice in her search to find her real father.  Together they set out on a journey to find her father and find self-realization for Don.  It is actually a book with humor and a cozy ending.  The book club really enjoyed this book and it offered a great deal of discussion about the autism spectrum and what love is and isn't.

Barracuda

Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas    431 pages

 At 14-years old, Danny Kelly wants nothing more to swim, to be a champion, and to fit in. While he excels at swimming, the other two goals remain slightly out of reach, which is the conflict of Tsioklas’s novel.

He’s won a scholarship to a prestigious private school, but Danny is from a lower, working-class household. His father is abusive---physically, emotionally, and mentally---while his mother, younger sister, and younger brother think that Danny is the cat’s meow.

 Danny knows he has the talent to take him all the way to the Olympics; that’s why he practices four hours a day and puts up with a coach who is almost as warm-hearted as his father. Danny hates his life, and all he wants to do is swim. When he loses an important meet, Danny’s self-loathing reaches a new low. He hates the world and everyone in it. He lashes out on more than one occasion, ending with a prison sentence.

Fast-forward 20 years, Danny, now called Dan, is trying to make a new life for himself and his partner, Clyde. Clyde wants to move back to his native Scotland. Dan goes, but soon returns to Australia.  Scotland doesn’t feel right. Although he is still angry all the time, Dan does his best to keep the violence inside.

 I almost gave up on this novel after the first 107 pages. Danny whines and carries on like a five-year-old girl. He constantly feel sorry for himself and refuses to let go of any of the negativity which surrounds him.  Then I read reviews on Amazon, and decided to give the rest of the book a chance. Oh, yes, I read all 431 pages, and through it all I want to tell Danny/Dan to get over it, quit wallowing in something that happened decades earlier.

 While other have called Barracuda tender, savage, and blazingly brilliant, I call it whining, full of self-pity, and dull.

 I give Barracuda 1 out of 5 stars.

 I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.